Dan, go back and read Mike's post a couple more times til the nuance sinks in, especially the part about selecting a shop that will do it right.

You may find an estimating guide on line, but it's of marginal value to you. Two key words there............estimating, root word estimate...........and guide. I'm sure there are people here who tire of my insistance on understanding terminology accurately, but misunderstanding the meaning of those two words can leave you a very disappointed guy when it comes to a repair outcome. BTW, most shops use computer based guides rather than books now a days, so books are harder to find.

I'll tell you right now, it would probably indicate something around 15 hours, give or take.................but that's only part of the picture. As an example, that number doesn't take into account any other necessary operations such as dealing with a vinyl top, protecting glass from damage, replacing fasteners, etc. As Mike pointed out, especially on a 35 year old car, there are other considerations as well. The only sensible thing to do is take it to the shops in your area that do that kind of work (a majority of "body shops" won't work on older cars) and have them ESTIMATE what it will cost. And you need to think of the estimate gathering process as you interviewing the shop for their capabilities, not a price shopping exercise. The only way you can buy anything on price is if all options are EXACTLY equal. All body shops ARE NOT EQUAL. Look around the facility. If it's a pig pen, they do pig pen work. If the guy just tosses you a number without his backing it up with some discussion about your wants and needs, and the ultimate goal you have for the car, he's a hack or an extreme introvert. Usually the guy that will spend more time finding out what your expectations are, and demonstrating to you he knows what he's doing and reinforces HOW he'll do it right will cost more. The tone of your comments implies that you're focused on the cost. Maintaining a budget is fine and prudent. But you need to think about another axiom. If you can't afford to have it done right, how can you afford to have it done wrong? And that's not to say that the highest price would be the best quality, that's why you have to evaluate them, just like they have to evaluate the car. Neither one of you will know what's best without examination.

Lastly, your headline for the thread would indicate that you believe the welding is the principle part of the job. I don't know you so I don't know for sure. But the welding part is a piece of cake compared to the skill and diligence required of the repair tech when it comes to panel alignment, fit, and finish.