Chris,
Which way to go? Good question. The best place to go is a place where you
may have previously done business before. If this is not the case, do what
you are doing, get referrals, etc. As a general rule, body shops like to
paint things and get them out the door. This is not necessarily bad, but the
tendency is to make things look as good as possible when they leave. On a 35
year old car with rust, this makes a lot of body shop guys tend to grab the
plastic filler (bondo) and lay it to it! Looks good for about 5 - 6 months
((or less) then the rust starts coming back through. That's one reason why
you never buy a "freshly painted" car! Try to find a guy with some interest
and prior experience with the type car that you have. The MG guy is a start.
On your concerns on the one man show, those concerns are valid. Carefully
document what you take with photographs, etc., as best as possible. I know a
guy who had to fight for about 2 years to get his dismantled TF back (not sure
if he really got it all) becasue the one man show had a suprise heart attack
and died. But definitely visit the shop often (try to be interested, not
annoying) and don't let things drag out too long. Sorry, no local
recommendations as I'm in NC and have always done my own work and other
people's. BTW, PPG products are great, I use them exclusively!
Eric
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