Wow, no wonder my ears were burning tonight.
Firstly, thank you for the mentions gentlemen! Your confidence is fabulous and appreciated more than you know.
You didn't mention which part of the country you're in stumbofarms but that will most likely play a role in your cost. I can't speak for the other guys who do it but I charge $30 an hour across the board; conversely, other shop rates I've seen range all the way up to $250 an hour. Check references and ask to see actual work samples before hiring anyone local; lots of people these days buy a hobby kit, open their own shop two weeks later and practice on other people's parts. I hate to see anyone become a victim.
For something like your medium Matco box up there, you're looking at:
a) complete disassembly including removal of the slide mechanisms, lock and emblems;
b) blasting / stripping existing paint;
c) any necessary bodywork, straightening bent drawers, etc. It looks like you've got some rust there especially along the bottom; absent closer inspection, note that it may need some metal filler depending on whether it advanced to pitting.
d) washing, drying and pretreatment of the metal (phosphate coating / corrosion inhibitor); and
e) powder coating.
Depending on what you have in mind for the drawer pulls and emblems, I could restore and polish what you've got (I have a 1 3/4 hp commercial buffer), recreate the finish with powder, or do them in an entirely different color. I don't know offhand if the MATCO logos on each are cast into the handles or decals but that same (or a different) look could be done on them.
The MATCO orange can most likely be easily matched. My supplier has over 6,500 powder colors available including textures and special effects. I can also mail you some swatches to look at and compare with the box in advance (the inside edge of a drawer would probably be the most accurate/true), but keep in mind those are merely the tip of the iceberg.
If you elect to send it somewhere outside of your area, shipping costs will also be a consideration.
Without some closer pictures, measurements, and seeing the drawer mount layout and MATCO emblems, I can't do much on a formal estimate here but $400-$500 is probably a fair bet for a complete restoration with polishing. Recreating any polished areas with a single powder would of course be cheaper but a two-tone custom job would run it back up some. Other opinions may vary, but so do other shops ... most just blast and coat what you present, they don't fix anything first.
If you have other questions or want to brainstorm on details or color schemes, give me a call! It looks like a fine score and I wish you every success on filling it up.
There is a member on GJ named CudaChick that runs a powder coating business that I bet could help you.
