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Hey Rob, I wish I had put out a similar query before starting the restoration of my 71E and 72E..... The bodies were stamped then leaded together. Not a close tolerance operation. It appears to me that mine came from the factory with up to 3/8 inch of body filler in places as original equipment!! I elected to use aircraft stripper and strip mine down to bare metal in order to have a restoration I would be happy with for 20 years er so. Getting the filler back on is extremely time consuming. I've been working slow but steady for 2 years.
If I had it to do over again, I would strip it dry, with air board, DA, and by hand around the headlamps and other curves or tight spots. Get the paint and leave as much of the original filler as possible. Prime and paint. Where you have rust or collsion damage, you've got no choice but to take to bare metal and repair. On ther repair angle, there are a lot of stamped panels available. Let me know if you want info on suppliers. I also recommend no compromise on removing trim and glass. Take it all off. You might be surprised what you find, but better to find it now than later.
All that said, if you're going to have it painted professionally, you ought to be asking those guys. Select a shop by your assessment of honesty and skill, not by price. When a shop does the job right, they certainly earn what they charge. When I started 2 years ago, I had an estimate of $3K from a good "resoration" shop. Would have been way ahead to have gone that way, myself. FYI, I've done more mechanical work than most, but don't have a background in body work. I have been taking night classes at the local community college and using their shop/tools. Feel free to catch me on email if my experience might useful to you.
wayne-ball@msn.com
Greeley, CO
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