Client: Vehicle: VIN: Date:
Never take a client car without a written agreement covering scope of work, timeline, cost and payment schedule, and what happens when teardown reveals more than the estimate assumed. Verify title: valid, in the client's actual name, free of liens, before work begins or money changes hands.
| Phase | Scope of work | Not-to-exceed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Teardown and assessment | $ | |
| 2. Bodywork | $ | |
| 3. Paint | $ | |
| 4. Mechanical | $ | |
| 5. Final assembly | $ |
Contingency of 10-20% lives inside the estimate, visible, with your hours stated. A checkpoint before each new phase begins; nothing beyond the current phase is committed today. How it sounds at signing:
"The full scope is phased. Phase one is teardown and assessment, and it's a not-to-exceed of eighteen hundred dollars. At the end of phase one you get a photo record, a findings list, and revised numbers for every remaining phase, and you decide what continues. Nothing beyond phase one is committed today."
| Term | Agreed |
|---|---|
| Deposit amount (sized to phase one plus the first materials order) | $ |
| What it funds (materials on order and teardown labor, not your rent) | |
| Refund conditions (written before anyone signs) |
Forum practice runs from materials-only to half down (one shop-side painter asks 25-33% at signing; thread consensus settles on staged payments tied to progress). Keep phase one small so the first leap of faith is a puddle.
| Gate | Invoice for work finished behind it | Amount | Collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teardown and assessment complete | $ | ||
| Bodywork complete | $ | ||
| Paint complete | $ | ||
| Mechanical complete | $ | ||
| Final assembly | $ |
Bill against phases, not the calendar: a fixed monthly charge leaves you financing the customer's project from working capital the moment anything stalls. Working rule: at every gate, money collected should equal or exceed what you have spent on that car. Walkthrough offered at each gate; references supplied; photos documented from day one.
| Added work | Added cost | Schedule impact | Client signature / date |
|---|---|---|---|
| $ | |||
| $ |
Yes with a signature, every time. When teardown reveals the surprise the contingency predicted, the revised phase estimate is a change order too, not a conversation. Verbal additions are the margin killer nobody reports.
| Term | Agreed |
|---|---|
| Definition of project pause / abandonment (client stops funding or responding for days) | |
| Storage terms after pause | |
| Shop's rights on abandonment (per your counsel; title law governs what you can and cannot do with the car) | |
| Client's right to stop at any gate, paying work completed |
The deepest risk is an owner who quietly runs out of money mid-project. Milestone gates find that out at week three instead of week forty, while your exposure is one phase deep.
Client: Date: Shop: Date: