Paint/Body Work in Chicago??

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://members.roadfly.org/Session/7781-yBHK84NoEStxuhLl2Xf9/WebFile/Taiga+02/IMG_0007.JPG

Hi guys,

My 76 2002 is Taiga Green. It's been repainted in the distant past, and it was a good color match. However, it has some little bits of rust around front turn signals and at the edge of the rear wheel arches. Also, the paint on the roof doesn't shine up well and has these little "cracks" all over it.

While not a priority, I'd like to get the rust repaired (new front fenders?) and have a high quality repaint in Taiga.

Is anyone on the board familiar with a good place in Chicago for this kind of body work? I'm sure many of you have done something similar - what kind of money do you think I'm looking at for some light rust repair and a high quality repaint (doesn't have to be a show car)?

Thanks in advance, and as always, this board is the greatest!

Gavin

PS: Tried to attach a picture link... hope it works.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey Gavin.

I live in Chicago as well.

My friend has a 75 that he needs repainting.

We have been looking for quite some time. Can't seem to find anyone that knows what they are doing.

I'll let you know if we find anything.

My 73 Inka... Needs more than that right now.

[Guest Anonymous]

What's wrong with the inka?

Anyway, I'm in the Chicago area also, but I have decided to do the work myself. Hard to find someone good for this type of stuff.

[Guest Anonymous]

send me your email

bob

[Guest Anonymous]

Cool. I'll do the same. Where in Chicago are you?

Gavin

[Guest Anonymous]

A well equiped body shop with skilled employees should be all you need. Check out the shops that specialize in Audi/M-B/Jag repair(they generally have nice paint on them). The repairs they make on customers crunched autos has to match the original or they have a pissed off customer and have to do it over again at their own expense. Once is generally enough.

[Guest Anonymous]

I am right at Grand and Damen just about.

Warehouse district.

Trying to get a shop together to do some work on these guys.

[Guest Anonymous]

Have any of you heard of that guy in Maywood?

Forgot his name, but I just took a trip out there with my friend to go find some parts for his '75.

Which happened to be the most surreal experience of the year.

My friend has been talking about this place for over a year, so I thought it was about time to go see it.

So we take the drive out there, not a nice neighborhood, actually one of the worst areas in Chicago.

Maywood is nice in one area, but murder capital in another.

It isn't exactly a place I would take my kids to see.

We arrive and pull up to a warehouse that has its wooden gates open in the back.

He has no less than eight 02's that I can see!

With PILES and I mean PILES of parts all over the place.

The 02's even had parts stuffed inside of them as well.

And that is just the outside!!

Here comes the great part.

Like I was meeting a contact or some connected drug dealer or something;

My friend knocks on the door 3 times, and we wait.

About 2 mins later, this tiny old Asian man opens up the door a crack, then closes it again.

(I start chuckling at this point, if this isn't a reality show or a joke I am going to be disappointed)

Then this guy comes to the door with latex gloves and grease on his hands.

Really nice and a bit wary of us, but after pushing, lets us inside of the '02 kingdom.

There are STACKS of parts, PILES of manuals. It was... An awesome display of material.

The office cubical was formed by stacks of books and parts.

I am still speechless, but just as soon as we were let in, we were pushed out.

He's a nice guy, and basically lets you just pick and pay.

There's actually a great looking Polaris shell that I wouldn't mind picking up from him, has a cage too from what I could see. (Hard to see in there, no joke)

Would make a great SCCA car.

I don't know what this guys name is, but I just refere to him as the "02 God".

Buckeye and Mateo, you guys would flip if you saw this place.

We should plan a field trip with at least 2 pickup trucks.

[Guest Anonymous]

named Ben who I think is in Maywood. He's active in the CCA here, I think. I didn't think he was an old guy, though. Never met him.

A completely different experience, by the way, is a guy in Lake Forest named Don Dethelson (sp). He runs a shop called the werkshop. www.thewerkshop.net.

Anyway, his place is a site to behold with all manner of cool new and old BMW's. Does a lot of work on 02's. I'm planning on going back to him as soon as the weather breaks for a suspension/steering/brake rebuild... I'd like him to do the body work, but he's not cheap. Great work though.

Anyway, any of you Chicago guys want to get together when the weather is better, email me. I don't do enough 02 stuff!

Gavin