What does it cost?

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I'm on my second 68 fastback and will do all the work to it. I have a spare running engine and 727 to install. I just need an 8 3/4. Even doing ALL the work I will have more in the car than it's worth. It will be close, but still will cost more. I don't have the $ to buy one or pay someone to do it, so that leaves me. Keeps me off the couch!
 
The diy approach is a huge cost savings.
To pay a shop, lets be conservative,$25 thousand, may get you pretty close to a nice car.
I can say for sure that if this is something a person was seroius about, putting money into quality tools, 10 to 12 grand worth would get you well on the way to doing a majority of the work.

The needs should outweigh the wants.
I want a rotisserie, thats next.
Custom built by me.
 
My son got me back into cars after a 30 year absence. He was into Fieros. We bought one out of a field. Did multiple engine swaps and about everything else except paint & interior, which it needed. Parts were cheap, so we really didn’t spend that much. He drove it for a short while & sold it. Great father & son project and learning experience for him.

He was always dogging me to buy an old car but I didn’t want as big of a project as we did on the Fieros (actually he had two of them).

I had a 68 cuda fastback back in the day. He found me one that had light rear end damage from a collision and some electrical issues. It was a69(in my avatar). Only it was in California. I talked to the owner on the phone & decided to go look at it. Made a day trip to LA. He only wanted $8k. I bought it for $7k and had it shipped home.

It had been restored 10-15 years earlier and still looked pretty good. Lot of rust repair, some of it not done great, but functional. I spent about another $5k on it, and massive amounts of time over abou 6-8 months and have been driving it for about 6 months. It is far from perfect, but looks great - about a 10 footer. I think I just got lucky. I figure on dollars I am close to even, time not even 10 cents an hour, but I loved it.

I am planning on doing it again, but would like to limit the scope. Buy something that is most of the way done, or just needs repair.
 
^ Good trade off Gonefishin' !

I have a similar type of trade off.....as long as I am not in Bars drinking' n chasin'......building Mopar's is completely understandable and accepted.
 
^ Good trade off Gonefishin' !

I have a similar type of trade off.....as long as I am not in Bars drinking' n chasin'......building Mopar's is completely understandable and accepted.
Same here.
And i'm allowed to look at all of the car **** i want.
 
Time to pull my motor for a freshen and chase down a noise. I got a bad back so I called around. $1500-$1800 to r&r! My back is suddenly feeling better.
 
I have to wonder what those shops on TV car shows charge, Just saw a guy that had a 39 Hudson and 1500 hrs labor bill plus parts!!!!! hahahahahahha
 
I have to wonder what those shops on TV car shows charge, Just saw a guy that had a 39 Hudson and 1500 hrs labor bill plus parts!!!!! hahahahahahha

I was curious too after watching graveyard cars a lot. I did some internet research and it sounded like about $80K labor minimum and about $30-50K in parts. No wonder they only do rare cars or cars for someone with a big wallet.
 
Due to a computer problem, I had to recreate from day one my restoration/service spread sheet this evening.

Now I remember why I've always advised everyone to NEVER total what they've spent on their hobby cars.

crazystare.gif
 
Ignorance is bliss. That way you are not really lying to your wife if you guess low when she asks.....
 
Costs get really HIGH when the disease "perfectitis" strikes,.. the guy that wants a decent driver is immune to this illness somewhat!
The costs go wild if the man has to pay some shop labor to do this or that, IF the owner supplies all labor, he an easily estimate costs of parts/materials.
If the car is restored to some degree, and it is sold, no one ever knows who will pay what for a given car, especially a MOPAR!!!
 
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Those TV builds easily top 100k, when I started building my green 70, there were No aftermarket body panels, except fibreglass front fenders, had a pair, they were crap. Other than engine parts, very little was available for that car. So I bought parts cars wherever I could find them, 13 in total, mostly 70 or 71 models, a couple later ones, used what I could, sold what I didn't need, plus bought, fixed and sold a few dozen other cars to raise funds. In the end I estimated I had about 14-15k invested, but the enjoyment I got from driving the piss out of that car every chance I had was worth far more than money. I sold the car after 21 years for $13,500, so I have no real complaints in that regard. My dad used to rag on me for years about the time and money I was putting into it, until one day I made a comparison to the car he was driving and how it depreciated daily, where mine would at least be worth as much or possibly more when I decided to part with it, too bad he wasn't around when I sold it so I could say "I told you" LOL
 
Starting on this 75 Sport, looking to keep it a low buck ratty musclecar, got a lot of parts with it, got it for a really good price, not going to worry about it being "pretty", just fun and reliable.
 
Starting on this 75 Sport, looking to keep it a low buck ratty musclecar, got a lot of parts with it, got it for a really good price, not going to worry about it being "pretty", just fun and reliable.
That's how i did mine, and i get a lot of smiles per gallon...........
I'll never ''restore'' a car again.
 
That's how i did mine, and i get a lot of smiles per gallon...........
I'll never ''restore'' a car again.
I totally agree. Everytime I have had a "desirable" car of what the masses decides is desirable, and I restore it perfect, I never enjoy it as I know I have too many $$ in it to justify me keeping it! So I get cars I like, care less what anyone thinks about it, and do it to suit me. My wife is the one pushing me to make the car "nice" as she puts it. That I will do on the one she has claimed ONLY!!!!
 
The perfect driver is what my son calls a 20/20 car. Looks good at 20 feet or 20 miles an hour.
 
I bought my Swinger for $250 and it was supposed to be a quick engine swap and make a decent driver. Im into it about $40K and 15 years later now and just about done.
 
I keep a running total on the Demon. The photo is of me when I ran the first total a few years ago. (Truth, this used to be my avatar. Someone complained to me that it weirded them out. I didn't want to be offensive, so I have used other photos.) On the car itself, I am right side up, but if what it has cost me to keep the car in storage figures into the total, I am W A A A A A Y upside down. Cheaper though than paying a good shrink to help keep me sane and a LOT cheaper than self-medication and a quack shrink.

mugshot wow.jpg
 
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I really don't care about the money i spend on the car, you need to live and spend money on something? I don't drink, smoke do drugs or gamble, that is an entire wage for some folks. So i have money to put into my hobbies. Adding it up and keeping a spreadsheet is only for insurance purposes, i have stated value insurance on the car, i get $38,000.00 no questions asked if something happens to the car. Too many distracted driver's out there now, have to protect your investment.
 
yep I am a big spender, DIU body/paint... I already had the epoxy primer, high fill urethane primer, some polyester primer, reducer, activators, paper, tape, laquer thinner, extra guns, compressor, 18 Ga sheetmetal, welder, tack rags, Da and palm sanders, cut off wheels, right angle grinders.. so all I needed was a trip to the PPG store, and get him to mix me the single stage Orange for the 76 Roadrunner....
Since I had done ore than a few over the years, I did notbuy the book on "auto body/paint work-in ten easy lessons"!!! lol
Wonder why all this paint stuff adds up?? Oh yea, I ordered the hobby model of supplied air syslem. $550!!!!! instead of $1500
 
Now that everyone has scared the new guys out of the hobby maybe someone should start a thread on how to keep restoration costs low.
i have sure found a lot of ways and so have a lot of other guys.Rusty just found a nice little cam (in another thread} for fifty bucks.My stock wires were $2.00, a warehouse close out price!.
 
Now that everyone has scared the new guys out of the hobby maybe someone should start a thread on how to keep restoration costs low.
i have sure found a lot of ways and so have a lot of other guys.Rusty just found a nice little cam (in another thread} for fifty bucks.My stock wires were $2.00, a warehouse close out price!.
I agree, between the actual costs of the old cars and new guys having a steep learning curve involving it ll. no wonder the new "muscle" car can be appealing and logical t many. When we read many threads in between the lines is how to make an old car live again and not have to send it to someone else for the work.
Life years ago was about going to the favorite bone yards for parts, Ha! try to find a yard with anything older than 2000 around here!
For me, the only affordable way on these old Mopars is for me to do the work, or if I can't have a buddy that would help me out.
I see threads where some guy had an engine that needed some work, and it went to a machine shop forth "works" and all he best (read high $$$$$) parts for his baby. Me I would have to do the diggle hone and put it together with cheap that works!!!
 
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