Cost to change the front clip?

[JFENG]

Guys,
I saw an incredibly E9 recently.
Mechanically, this car was professionally rebuilt with all the best "fast road" goodies: rebuilt 3.5l motronics engine, 5spd and LSD (all work by well respected BMW specialists), fully upgraded suspension, wheels. I believe this entire car is totally rust free and I checked many of the tell-tale areas. I even measured paint depth with an Elcometer gauge and found only one spot that didn't measure clean (less than 12mil's coating thickness).
The car seems to have been owned and maintained by E9 enthusiasts who don't take short cuts.

But, the front clip a long time ago, and the new one was put on a teeny bit out of alignment and I don't think the A-pillars were replaced (and they should have been). Anyone want to hazard a guesstimate at the cost of taking the front clip off again and welding it back on straight?

 

[Stan]

Maybe Mario at Vintage Sports & Restorations can answer that one.
He is in Bow NH

 

[JFENG]

Typo "front clip WAS replaced a long time ago"

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check with the local BMW specialists. I was hoping someone had suffered thru a front clip replacement and could speak to the experience.

 

[x_atlas0]

That's a lot of bodywork and will probably require a repaint to look right. Based on my experience with other bodywork and paint, I'd guess it is a 5-10k job, depending on the paint quality. Finding a shop willing to do this kind of work these days is tricky, as all modern cars just bolt together. Very few body shops can actually do the aligning and welding these cars require.

 

[HB Chris]

That's a scary job to take on. Wasn't there a CSL in Colorado a few years ago for sale that had a front clip replacement some years before that and it really affected the price? How can you ensure that everything gets lined up properly? I will bet that John B. could give you a ballpark figure.

 

[61porsche]

Pls. explain further- the mis- alignment. Doors to fenders, fenders to hood, etc.

The A pillars would have to be pretty straight. The windshield doesn't have a lot to play with. Did you mean down low? Fender poking outa bit?

There are all sorts of tricks to make things line up better than factory; if you know what Karman did back then. I just releaded the leading edge of a door to fender for that 1/8" pefect gap. That's how they did it on Porsche(s).