Posted: 3/13/2014 5:04:54 PM EDT
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Anyone with experience on car restorations?
Have a car that will be a family car, has sentimental value. I figure there's only 10-20 shops across the country I'd trust with the job, just don't know who or how much. Not looking for estimates just any experience with a shop. Probably a 5-10 year plan as far as fixing, Just want to get ducks in a row. Need to know if I should plan for 20k. Or 60k, and if nationally noted shops are worth it. |
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to echo prior posts.... need more information. What kind of vehicle is it? Is it rusty? how long has it been sitting? pictures would help here...
Also, what level of restoration are you looking for here? beater, driver, garage queen, or complete nut and bolt factory correct restoration? EDIT: you answered my questions while i was typing so... Presuming you're dead set on saving this one for sentimental reasons we'll say actual financial worth of this is gone out the window. if you have frame rot, your best bet is to find a clean frame and do a swap. I'm actually fairly able to tell you on this because i did the same with a 70 chevelle a few years back that had a cracked frame. Its a ton of work. and a shop will charge a ton of money. I was into mine for almost 9k on the frame and underbody stuff (brakes, lines, bushings... basically every single part that could be replaced... was) Aside from that there was two solid months of work (i mean solid, not just evenings and weekends) in the swap and reassembly. You could figure a reputable shop would charge somewhere in the 20-30k range for the frame swap and underbody work to be done RIGHT. Good paint and body work with rust work will likely cost another 8-10k all said to be made the level in the picture of the finished car. Interior/upholstry will cost whatever you want to put into it. could probably get out cheap for around 1500 or go show quality with it and be 3-6k into it. I'm presuming the engine and transmission are already up to par and will need only cleaning and painting to be consummate with the rest of the car at that point. obviously you could get prices on either side of these ballpark guesses |
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Quoted:
to echo prior posts.... need more information. What kind of vehicle is it? Is it rusty? how long has it been sitting? pictures would help here... Also, what level of restoration are you looking for here? beater, driver, garage queen, or complete nut and bolt factory correct restoration? It's going to be "the" car. Driver but something to be proud of. 5k miles a year at most. |
I built this 9 years ago
Body as rust free (mostly) $1500 Had all the expensive trim parts already: $2000 grill/$1000 dashpad//$550 console/$700 rim blow wheel Got a SCREAMING deal on paint. at $3000 Should have cost $10,000 in today dollars $6000 on the engine (blew it up once) Honestly I spent probably $28K on this 10 years ago and I did EVERYTHING on the cheap or by myself. $35 K in todays dollars and it should probably cost $50 with a pro paintjob and that is with me doing all the work except paint and engine machining. The ONLY way to do a resto is to learn to do it yourself or hit the lottery As said above, a lot depends on the car's condition and aftermarket support. You will drop a lot of cash on a bad condition Mustang or Camaro but they repop all the parts You will save on the car buying a Torino, base Skylark, or a Cougar but there are not a lot of repop'd parts so NOS or good quality stuff gets really spendy |
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Quoted:
It's going to be "the" car. Driver but something to be proud of. 5k miles a year at most. Quoted:
Quoted:
to echo prior posts.... need more information. What kind of vehicle is it? Is it rusty? how long has it been sitting? pictures would help here... Also, what level of restoration are you looking for here? beater, driver, garage queen, or complete nut and bolt factory correct restoration? It's going to be "the" car. Driver but something to be proud of. 5k miles a year at most. What KIND OF FUCKING CAR IS IT? |
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Quoted: Currently http://imageshack.us/a/img46/7775/photomay24181207.jpg Running driving. 13.23@104 Ls1 engine 4l60e trans Interior complete, I'm happy with it. Frame rot, light body rust, holes in floors. Goal sans wheels. With white pearl paint. http://imageshack.us/a/img46/93/j3s8.jpg Thoughts? Even doing every hour of work yourself, you'll be hard pressed to break even if you consider you labor free.
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i edited my above post with some information.... to add more in though:
El Caminos are notorious for rusting out the back window/cab/bed area and costs go stupid to repair that properly. Also, i see looking at the picture better that it needs quarters or at least partials so i'd presume the window/cab rust is present and possibly door sill area rust. body/paint budget just went up. a lot |
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Quoted: Anyone with experience on car restorations? Have a car that will be a family car, has sentimental value. I figure there's only 10-20 shops across the country I'd trust with the job, just don't know who or how much. Not looking for estimates just any experience with a shop. Probably a 5-10 year plan as far as fixing, Just want to get ducks in a row. Need to know if I should plan for 20k. Or 60k, and if nationally noted shops are worth it. 1966 Mustang owner here. I don't really want to spend the money to put my car in showroom condition. Parts are easy to find on Ebay. You can spend 20k or 60k on restoration. Around 20k will get you a nice daily driver, while 60k will get it in showroom condition. In the 1960s there was a service station on every corner -- we needed them because our cars frequently broke down. |
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Quoted:
Anyone with experience on car restorations? Have a car that will be a family car, has sentimental value. I figure there's only 10-20 shops across the country I'd trust with the job, just don't know who or how much. Not looking for estimates just any experience with a shop. Probably a 5-10 year plan as far as fixing, Just want to get ducks in a row. Need to know if I should plan for 20k. Or 60k, and if nationally noted shops are worth it. If you want it done by a top 20 shop in the country and have to ask how much , you can't afford it. Nor are they going to store it over a 5-10 year period. Those shops work one way and one way only, drop the car and a blank check off and they will call you when they're done. A high end paintjob can run you 40-60K alone after the body repairs are completed. Expect to spend 200K at one of those shops total. |
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If you want it done by a top 20 shop in the country and have to ask how much , you can't afford it. Nor are they going to store it over a 5-10 year period. Those shops work one way and one way only, drop the car and a blank check off and they will call you when they're done. A high end paintjob can run you 40-60K alone after the body repairs are completed. Expect to spend 200K at one of those shops total. Quoted:
Quoted:
Anyone with experience on car restorations? Have a car that will be a family car, has sentimental value. I figure there's only 10-20 shops across the country I'd trust with the job, just don't know who or how much. Not looking for estimates just any experience with a shop. Probably a 5-10 year plan as far as fixing, Just want to get ducks in a row. Need to know if I should plan for 20k. Or 60k, and if nationally noted shops are worth it. If you want it done by a top 20 shop in the country and have to ask how much , you can't afford it. Nor are they going to store it over a 5-10 year period. Those shops work one way and one way only, drop the car and a blank check off and they will call you when they're done. A high end paintjob can run you 40-60K alone after the body repairs are completed. Expect to spend 200K at one of those shops total. That's what I'm looking for. Thanks, And to clarify 5-10 year plan is just for me to get finances in order, I realize and understand dropping it off and getting a call 6 months later to pick it up. |
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I have a 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo -- that I bought new back in the day -- that I've been meaning to restore. It's sitting pretty much disassembled in the garage. (I took it out of service back in about 1986, and shortly thereafter I spent about $5,000 acquiring all the NOS parts that would be needed -- all 4 quarter panels, new upholstery, carpet, etc.)
Just to get an idea of how much it would cost to get it professionally restored, I called White Post Restorations here in Virginia (a well-known restoration shop). After I explained the situation, they said they wouldn't touch the project for less than $100,000!! Now, that's insane! I can go up to the classic car show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and buy the same type car, fully restored, for less than $10,000. The situation that I find myself in just doesn't make any kind of economic sense. Meanwhile, I'm getting older and I doubt I can do all the work myself. Besides, the car's functionally obsolete and it doesn't interest me that much any more. It's taking up valuable space in the garage. I think I'll try to sell the parts for 50 cents on the dollar and be done with it. |
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buy this one for $17,500 move some of your parts over get it painted white sell the remainder profit
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I would recommend that you talk to my buddy Glen Zampaglioni in St. Clair Shores MI He built my 460 and it ran like EFI for 4 years before I sold the car. Guy does great work for all makes and he likes working on classics He is the one body guy I didn't want to stab in the face when the car was in his shop Here is his number if you are in the northern part of the state. I really cannot recommend anyone else who gets the project-car mentality. 
Be sure to look at places like Dearborn Classics AutoKrafters, Shermans sheetmetal, Dynacorn sheetmetal, LMC restorations, Also look for solid rolling chassis downsouth you can cut quarters from, malibus and wagons Join a make specific forum too |
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Quoted:
I have a 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo -- that I bought new back in the day -- that I've been meaning to restore. It's sitting pretty much disassembled in the garage. (I took it out of service back in about 1986, and shortly thereafter I spent about $5,000 acquiring all the NOS parts that would be needed -- all 4 quarter panels, new upholstery, carpet, etc.) Just to get an idea of how much it would cost to get it professionally restored, I called White Post Restorations here in Virginia (a well-known restoration shop). After I explained the situation, they said they wouldn't touch the project for less than $100,000!! Now, that's insane! I can go up to the classic car show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and buy the same type car, fully restored, for less than $10,000. The situation that I find myself in just doesn't make any kind of economic sense. Meanwhile, I'm getting older and I doubt I can do all the work myself. Besides, the car's functionally obsolete and it doesn't interest me that much any more. It's taking up valuable space in the garage. I think I'll try to sell the parts for 50 cents on the dollar and be done with it. This is what I do for a living. You wouldn't believe how often I hear "Oh hell, but Maaco said they'ed do it for $700 bux!!"  Most people heve no idea the time and work that goes into restoring a vehicle when done correctly.
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| Tell us the truth. What is your age and income level? Is that your garage it is stored in? If so, you don't have the funds to have a top 20 firm restore this nor will you in 5 years. I also do this on the side and have been for 40 years. What you want is 60K for a nice ride that will win an occasional trophy at the local cruise-in, and up. Most of the stuff I do runs 80-110K. If you had 100K to spend on this project then why are you asking guys on a gun site their thoughts? |
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If you're doing it purely for sentimental reasons, you don't need to spend the money on a Tier 1 shop. You could always find one with a nice body / frame from somewhere outside the rust belt and swap off parts from yours. In the long run, you would probably come out ahead of the game. |