First off you say the dude didn't sound interested in helping you then when he see's $$$ he changes his mind? SCREW THAT way of thinking, go somewhere else!
$750 to r&r blowers. $1000 to r&r the transmission. Another $250 to r&r the clutch. $500 to r&r the quadrant and firewall adjuster. $450 tuning. This is not a crusher kit 2.9 nor is it polished and it does not include the single blade throttle body. The transmission upgrades were priced at $1699 with labor on top of that.
I don't need these guys because I can do all this stuff myself. I have a lift in my shop and I can borrow a transmission hoist. I pulled my Eaton and ported it myself a few years ago and it worked out very well. Time is my biggest constraint now and if i could buy someone else's time for the same or less than my own time is worth I would consider it. However there seems to be too much unjustifiable time in this bid for me to accept it and give them the job.
Equally important is how good the shop is. A lower price isn't worth much if the work performed is shoddy or borderline. Given the choice, I'd rather pay a bit more and use a shop with an excellent work rating and one that has a lot of experience with these cars. JMO. Optimally you want a good price and excellent work.