How much did it cost you?

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Chuckman said:
I read all these posts about spending 20K on restoration, and I'm shaking my head. We bought a very clean 66 Valiant from the son of the original owner for less than $1,000. Then over a period of six years we purchased the parts we need through EBAY, and FABO. We also have friends that do body work, etc. that pitched in some free labor. The car will soon be finished and working on it has been a blast.

Start with a good car, don't buy the first one you see. There are a lot of them sitting around if you are patient. Then once you have found your car, take your time and enjoy. It doesn't have to be a show car to be very enjoyable.:burnout:
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i ve got a really nice driver 70 duster 340 4 speed matching numbers new inside factory fe5 red needs lower patches thats it 14500
 

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73SwingerBuild said:
I probably have ~$25-$28k in my Swinger, and I took every nut and bolt off the car myself. The only work I outsourced was the body work.

I bought the car from Oklahoma thinking it would be near rust free (didn't realize there was such an aggressive snow belt down there). The car was rot-free, but there was enough surface rust in the rear quarters, trunk, and driver's side floorboard to merit necessary repairs/replacement. I paid a guy $4k to do the trunk repairs, repair the existing rear quarters, and get the exterior of the car in primer. I then patched the floors and cleaned up the rest of the car for ~$700-$800 in materials. I then got to pay the paint shop ~$7600 to re-do the shoddy body work and paint the car, and that was a steal from what I've heard. This was a relatively rust-free car sitting in primer when I bought it, and I spent >$12k just in body work (never mind the hood scoop costs and other exterior pieces trim pieces that needed repair).

Unless you're a good body guy (or know one), buy a car that's been restored, then work on the mechanical pieces. There's a reason these guys get paid so much to do the work they do. It takes a lot of time and patience. If you don't have both, I'd recommend buying the car with at least the body work done.

Just my $0.02.

-Mike
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This. Had I not gotten my Swinger for dang near free, this is what I would have done. I'm doing mine myself as I do have a little experience and training in paint and prep and welding but I'm still probably looking at 10 grand at least in getting the car set to where i want it.
 
I paid $17k for my Dart. The paint is decent driver quality. The interior is nice. It had been converted to a big block, subframe connected, Dana 60 with Detroit locker, full Calvert rear. It was a Procharged 440. He did a piss poor engine build, unfortunately, and it didn't last. I'll have another $15-16k in this new engine build by the time it's completed. All for a car I'd probably be lucky to get $18k for if I ever wanted/needed to sell it.

Do it because you love it, or because it's your passion. It's almost never worth the money/time you put into it.
 
Do it because you love it, or because it's your passion. It's almost never worth the money/time you put into it.
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Exactly!!!


My dad bought my Challenger new...it's always been in the family. I've got $30k in just the body and paint.(long Iowa winters take their toll) Then you figure in engine/trans/rear, fuel/brake lines, gas tank, clips, hoses, dash assembly...it adds up very fast.

There's no way I can sell it for close to what I have in it. It's a part of the family though...it had to be saved.




 
dukeboy_318 said:
This. Had I not gotten my Swinger for dang near free, this is what I would have done. I'm doing mine myself as I do have a little experience and training in paint and prep and welding but I'm still probably looking at 10 grand at least in getting the car set to where i want it.
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I bought the car for $565 (Really pissed off the guy on ebay who bid $560 lol) so at least I didn't have much in the price of the car, and it was a roller with a MINT back seat and door panels. So I think it was worth it in the end.

nitrojunkee said:
I paid $17k for my Dart. The paint is decent driver quality. The interior is nice. It had been converted to a big block, subframe connected, Dana 60 with Detroit locker, full Calvert rear. It was a Procharged 440. He did a piss poor engine build, unfortunately, and it didn't last. I'll have another $15-16k in this new engine build by the time it's completed. All for a car I'd probably be lucky to get $18k for if I ever wanted/needed to sell it.

Do it because you love it, or because it's your passion. It's almost never worth the money/time you put into it.
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I don't know if you've looked recently, but a fully built, rotisserie-quality build on a '73 Swinger like mine will fetch ~$14-$15k, max.

I'm definitely upside down on the car, but I had an absolute blast building it, and it's an awesome car to drive. If we weren't throwing money in these cars, we'd be pissing it away somewhere else.
 
I spent 50 k restoring my 70 Cuda conv , I also used all nos sheet metal , the resto is now 25 yrs old and it still looks great . Im sure everyone reading my reply thinks i was crazy to spend that kinda money. Some of you have posted that you bought cars for a $1000 dollars and had friends help you restore them and thats great . But not everyone has friends that do body work and most people want a quality restoration that will stand the test of time and not a back yard resto that looks great from 50 feet . By no means am i saying everyone should spend 50 K like i did , but in the case of body work and paint you get what you pay for and cheap body work usually yields cheap results .
 
Build a rat rod. That way rust is part of it.
 
73SwingerBuild said:
I bought the car for $565 (Really pissed off the guy on ebay who bid $560 lol) so at least I didn't have much in the price of the car, and it was a roller with a MINT back seat and door panels. So I think it was worth it in the end.
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Nice, I got mine on trade for a non running 92 dodge stealth, worth maybe 500 bucks. My swinger has solid floor boards, trunk floor, I just need rear quarters and rockers.(and a deck lid, mines got a dent in it in a spot hard to pound out)
 
Yes the markets do vary , but the better the restoration the less your car will VARY when the market gets weak . Also keep in mind if your restoring a car as an investment , cars are the wrong place to try and grow capital .
 
73SwingerBuild said:
I was just agreeing with you and saying that I will never get out of my car what I put into it.

But for me, it's all worth it.
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Gotcha. I don't look at hot rodding, restoring, or anything I do with cars as an investment. For me, It's my escape from everyday life. I love it. It may be a colossal waste of money to some... And maybe it is. But I truly enjoy it!
 
Duster_71 said:
I’ve been looking for a reasonable price Duster for awhile, something to tinker with. I’ve been scared off of a couple because of the needed body work and the perceived cost that accompanies it. Now, I know you can’t get into many reasonably priced 70-73 Dusters without them needing some kind of body work, I get it. The fact is I do not know what kind of money this stuff could run into; I just believe that it could add up faster than my wife may be able to tolerate. So, what sheet metal have you guys had replaced/repaired and what was the associated cost? I know everyone’s situation is different and I do not expect my situation to replicate anybody else’s. I’m just interested in the what and how much as a way to determine just how close or far off my assumptions may be, thanks.
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Found this one on Craigslist.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4158561472.html

Good starting point. Looks like for $700 you could have a nice car without selling the farm.

I was lucky enough to buy my 72 when it was almost new it took me $14k to restore it.
 

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Do you WANT to have a project? Or do you WANT a car to drive?

I have a project, I know it's going to cost me, I know I'm going to lose in the long run, but for me, I'm enjoying the work and the process as much as I will the finished product. I'm having to pay a bodyshop for some repairs, the rest I'll do myself, but if it's a project you want, then drop it down into first gear and go slow through the craigslist ads and such, take your time and wait for the right (read 'clean' ) car, they are out there, they just need patience and legwork to find.

If you want to drive and not do the work, then you will be further ahead because you won't be paying guys like me anywhere near what we have into the car. Once you know what you want, just set your budget and start trolling.

The main thing either way is PATIENCE.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
If you buy a rusty car from the east, south-east and can't do the work yourself, hitting $20,000 just to restore the body and paint, can and does happen.

You can save thousands of dollars by buying a west coast car and having it shipped east.
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This is true.....and even a some what clean west coast ride is going to cost some $$ for body & paint. Our car came from the desert of CA, still needed both lower quarters replaced along with a trunk extension....factory put big blobs of sealer between them allowing lakes to form. By the time we bought all the gaskets, new glass had the trim buffed we were over 10k. Mind you, EZ did a ton of stuff, insides of doors are painted, window linkages, entire car was painted....and looks very nice..

View attachment CIMG0994 (Medium).jpg
...sure I could have have saved a ton of $$ but it would not look as nice as it does.....
 
nitrojunkee said:
Gotcha. I don't look at hot rodding, restoring, or anything I do with cars as an investment. For me, It's my escape from everyday life. I love it. It may be a colossal waste of money to some... And maybe it is. But I truly enjoy it!
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For me this is the IDEAL mindset to have...
 
nitrojunkee said:
I paid $17k for my Dart. The paint is decent driver quality. The interior is nice. It had been converted to a big block, subframe connected, Dana 60 with Detroit locker, full Calvert rear. It was a Procharged 440. He did a piss poor engine build, unfortunately, and it didn't last. I'll have another $15-16k in this new engine build by the time it's completed. All for a car I'd probably be lucky to get $18k for if I ever wanted/needed to sell it.

Do it because you love it, or because it's your passion. It's almost never worth the money/time you put into it.
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I'm in the exact same boat. Whern he said 300 miles since the rebuild, I didn't realize it was 1/4 mile at a time!!!!
 
i hate to say but thats me. i not scared of the work just that my body can't take it any more. i have also past on a lot of cars just because of the body work and want something to drive and enjoy but the cost right now is what is killing me. well good luck with your hunt hope you find some thing nice
 
pyrojim said:
I'm in the exact same boat. Whern he said 300 miles since the rebuild, I didn't realize it was 1/4 mile at a time!!!!
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It happens, It's par for the course when you buy a car like that. You're kind of rolling the dice. There were signs that I ignored, because I really wanted the car. I figured I'd be doing an engine build, but I didn't think it would happen that fast lol. I hate driving other peoples builds anyway, and now at least I'll be driving my own engine build. There are other things I want to fix/change as well, so whatever. I wish I would have paid less, but, I wanted the car, so I overpaid. That's the way it goes sometimes. :)
 
nitrojunkee said:
It happens, It's par for the course when you buy a car like that. You're kind of rolling the dice. There were signs that I ignored, because I really wanted the car. I figured I'd be doing an engine build, but I didn't think it would happen that fast lol. I hate driving other peoples builds anyway, and now at least I'll be driving my own engine build. There are other things I want to fix/change as well, so whatever. I wish I would have paid less, but, I wanted the car, so I overpaid. That's the way it goes sometimes. :)
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LOL, I feel your pain, I did the same thing. Car ran pretty good, but the day I picked it up, I did a big smoky burn out. The tires stopped smoking, unfortunately, the engine didn't. But, the body is a great solid restoration, the interior is like new. So, rebuilt the 360, got a new trans from Cope racing, put a new 355 gear in, re chromed the bumpers, rebuilt the front end, new wilwoods in the front, new steering box and, rebuilt the steering column. and a sway bar. and believe it or not, I'm STILL upside down, by a lot. But nothing makes me happier than driving down the back roads and coming up to an unsuspecting bicyclist, opening the dumps and nailing it as I go past!!!! Those bicycle guys in their shorts bug the hell out of me!!!
 
68383GTS said:
I found my 71 on Cragislist.It is all original interior except the car which I replaced.And 98% original paint,the passenger quarter and fender have been touched up years ago.It is a 56,00 mile car.I paid $4K for it and put another $3.5K into it.Oh and it's 99% rustfree.
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Absolutely beautiful Twister!!!!
 
I bought a rust-free $7K car with a rebuilt motor that turned out to be crap...so I cheaped out on my paint job and rebuilt the engine and I am about up to $18K

Personally I would buy the nicest A Body I could afford, like a lot of people have said you will be in the $20K - $25K range for a really nice restored local cruiser/local show quality car.

There is an orange H Code Duster on Ebay with a stroker motor for $22K or offer..
Plymouth-Duster-COUPE-1970-plymouth-duster-340-h-code-4-spd-restored-stroker-motor-400-hp-plus

You couldn't build the car for that $$$.

Doing it again, I would spend the $18K-$20K up front or I would look at lesser quality B & E Bodys...there are deals out there...and if you pump in $20K-$30K one of those, you got a better chance of getting some of your money back out of it (verses A Bodys at $10K-$20K all day long.)

Good luck with your search and decision,
Paul
 
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