[garylewa]

15k for paintwork is awful steep IMO; If you do all of the prepwork, i.e. stripping, filling, etc. How do you get to 15k?

I stripped mine to bare metal all around, removed all trim and weatherstrips and pulled off both bumpers. A solid spray primer/filler is no more than 200 bucks a gallon and depending on paint brand and quality (PPG, Sikkens, Etc) you can be into all paint material for around 1 grand ( i went with Sikkens top of the line paint). My painter is painting mine along with spray filler priming, blocksanding and three coats each of both paint and clear for 2 grand; this also includes a flex coat additive on the plastic parts. Where do the other 13 g's go? for what? I have seen my painters work and I'm telling you it's top notch.

I agree with the above statement from MPDano regarding the knowledge gained. I did all of the resto work myself (except paint) and feel like I could tackle any car in the future. Maybe a Lotus Esprit next........

BTW - I have between 6-7 g's in my project now, including purchase price and the above paint cost. All of the leather work I did myself; I even changed the back seats to a french seam and swapped out the '83 door cards with the "newer" 2-speaker look door cards.
If I had an extra 40 grand lying around I wouldn't spend it on somebody else doing the work; where is the satisfaction or knowledge gained in that? I know mine inside and out that to me is priceless.