Cry for (body shop) help!

[Hal Patnaik <hal@colordesk.com>]

My '66 Fastback is in sore need of some body work, and the problem is that 
I'm running out of time to get it done before I need to rely on the car as 
my daily driver. I've already stripped off most of the fenders, trim, 
headlights, etc. so that I've got a car that is basically a shell and a 
garage full of body parts.

Can anyone recommend a good body shop in the San Jose area (Silicon 
Valley)?

To top things off, the car isn't exactly drivable right now. I will 
probably need to tow it wherever it needs to go. I could probably get it 
running even though I'm a newbie -- I think I just need to get the carbs 
balanced. The carbs, air filter, linkage rod, etc. were all removed and 
just need to be put back on and balanced.

The bigger problem is the body work. I don't want to just put all the stuff 
back on and start driving it or I'll never get it fixed up.

I tried "Just Bugs" in San Jose, but the owner doesn't seem interested in 
my business -- he said he can't get to it for a couple of months. Any other 
suggestions? Other body shops that I've tried (i.e. Space Auto Body) don't 
give me a real comfortable feeling that they'll do a quality job, and many 
of them give me the impression that (hey, it's just an old Volkswagen -- do 
you really want to spend money fixing it up?).

Also, what have paint jobs and minor dent/rust repairs been running other 
people on the list? Should I expect to spend in the ballpart of $1,000 or 
$2,000 or $5,000 or (gulp) $8,000?

Any thoughts, suggestions, pointers, or comments are *greatly* appreciated.

Thanks.

Jordi.

jordi@foodlover.com
http://www.foodlover.com