Found a 1982 estimate slip in an old door panel, labor was $18 an hour

Pulled a door card off a 40 year old Chevy yesterday and found a repair estimate tucked behind the speaker. Dated 1982, shop in Tulsa, labor rate $18 an hour. Paint job on the whole car was quoted at $350. Made me think about how much the math has changed since then. That same work today would run maybe $4,000 plus materials. I know inflation is part of it but the skill gap is bigger too. Back then a guy could wet sand and lay single stage in a weekend. Now I need factory scan tools and color cameras just to match a pearl white. Anyone else ever find old paperwork inside a car they were working on? What did it say?

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1 Comment

the_rowan22d ago

Whoa, that's a FUN find! I'd probably just find an old gas receipt and a french fry back there. And yeah, $18 an hour sounds like a dream until you remember we'd also have to paint a whole car in a weekend, which I'd DEFINITELY mess up.