Joe, I don't have more experience in that field, but I shopped around for paint for the Le Mans which was a straight, rust free car and the range of estimates was $3K to $7.5K for PPG base/clear after sanding to bare, filling door dings, epoxy prime and blocking. This included R&R chrome and stainless, and mask glass and edges. I got a show quality job because the car was nearly perfect, and start to finish took exactly two weeks. Now multiply the prepwork for welding, leading or filling, seam filling, straightening, panel fitting...then the paint, then the ghost work, and you can see where it could go way up.

Enjoy your car while saving your money, get your estimates, and then start disassembly. If your car is garage kept, it's not going to get much worse in only a year or two.