New Guy here looking for advice!

[KCannaday]

I'm listening,  it's expected that a project like this will be expensive but worth it in the end.

[dfrazz]

I'm listening,  it's expected that a project like this will be expensive but worth it in the end.

Only if you are going to keep it.  You will pay $6-8k for the car, $30k just to make it a driver, $50-60k for a full restoration, and in the end it is a $30-35k car.  Either way you are deep in the red.

[1 Wild R/T]

Only if you are going to keep it.  You will pay $6-8k for the car, $30k just to make it a driver, $50-60k for a full restoration, and in the end it is a $30-35k car.  Either way you are deep in the red.

Exactly... Hence the best advise is to take up bowling... Or wind surfing...
Otherwise in five years you'll be like dfrazz asking why I didn't warn you...

[dakota]

But if you don't buy a car to restore, think of all the special relationships you'll miss out on... the UPS driver, the FedEx driver, the mailman...

[Cuda70-74]

Its only real expensive depending on the level u want to take a car and if your letting someone else do the work.  I only get the important stuff done to mines like body,suspension, electrical and drivetrain  efi swap with a 5.9 v8 hemi too much money . I never really paint my cars only good old rattle can from part stores. Paint to expensive

[chargerdon]

To give you an idea, i am now 95% finished on my 74 Challenger.   I restored it myself doing all of the body work and paint priming and then having a professional painter..paint it plum crazy!!

My cost:
1) $5,000 for the car.   Which came with an uninstalled 360 Built V8 (builders invoice came with it...  new pistons, rings, Mopar performance 508 cam, edelbrock RPM AIR Gap intake, and 600 CFM Edelbrock carb). 

Car was missing the front and rear windshields, but was intact otherwise.   Included newly reupholstered seats, and rear interior panels.    Needed new tires as the ones on it were dry rotted.

There was rust on the bottom of the quarters, and around the trunk area.   Doors forward were completely rust free.   Bumpers needed re-chroming or replaced. 

2) Spent on the car with work done myself was:
$300 for towing car to my house
$150 New gas tank, and installation gaskets, and gas gauge sending unit.
$125 used rear glass
$120 New windshield
$150 installation of both (I dont have the proper tools for shooting the urethane, so thought that price was good.
$200 on rear quarter patch panels..4 of them
$150 on new front bumper..  cheaper than rechroming the original.
$350 on primer paints...PPG Shopline epoxy and 2k primers, with necessary hardeners and thinners. 
$2500 on professional painting...  plum crazy
$450 new tires and alignment
$75 on new Halogen headlight bulbs, and numerous bulbs for the car
$150 for "good quality" drivers door card
$125 new carpeting.
$150 on used good shape floor console
$1300 Vintage Air air conditioner.
-$300 sell of old air conditioner and heater box
$30 freon
$200 904 automatic rebuild kit and misc parts  (yes, i rebuilt the tranny myself)
$150 new rear brake shoes, brake cylinders, and front hydraulic brake hoses
$1,000 Misc parts, and supplies like sand paper, body filler, spray gun, paint remover, spray gun cleaner, gloves, specialty tools for transmission, etc, etc, etc . .

My current total is at $13,500 plus I would estimate about 400-500 of my man hours.  That if I had to pay someone at $50 hr would total another $16,000-18,000.

Now when i finish sometime this summer, I will have a gorgeous plum crazy hotrod, that I will consider to be in "high quality Driver" condition.   My guess is that the resale value is around $24,000.    So, yes in my case because i did ALL of my own work with exception of prof painter..   I have saved some money...but...  my 400 hours is only worth about $15-20 hr...if you do the math.

However, I cant even begin to tell you how much pride I have in saying...   I DID IT MYSELF !!  Without any formal body or mechanics training.

[Cuda70-74]

@chargerdon congratulations car turned out nice. Like I said earlier all depends on what level u want to take the car and how much u can do on your own

[340challconvert]

To give you an idea, i am now 95% finished on my 74 Challenger.   I restored it myself doing all of the body work and paint priming and then having a professional painter..paint it plum crazy!!

My cost:
1) $5,000 for the car.   Which came with an uninstalled 360 Built V8 (builders invoice came with it...  new pistons, rings, Mopar performance 508 cam, edelbrock RPM AIR Gap intake, and 600 CFM Edelbrock carb). 

Car was missing the front and rear windshields, but was intact otherwise.   Included newly reupholstered seats, and rear interior panels.    Needed new tires as the ones on it were dry rotted.

There was rust on the bottom of the quarters, and around the trunk area.   Doors forward were completely rust free.   Bumpers needed re-chroming or replaced. 

2) Spent on the car with work done myself was:
$300 for towing car to my house
$150 New gas tank, and installation gaskets, and gas gauge sending unit.
$125 used rear glass
$120 New windshield
$150 installation of both (I dont have the proper tools for shooting the urethane, so thought that price was good.
$200 on rear quarter patch panels..4 of them
$150 on new front bumper..  cheaper than rechroming the original.
$350 on primer paints...PPG Shopline epoxy and 2k primers, with necessary hardeners and thinners. 
$2500 on professional painting...  plum crazy
$450 new tires and alignment
$75 on new Halogen headlight bulbs, and numerous bulbs for the car
$150 for "good quality" drivers door card
$125 new carpeting.
$150 on used good shape floor console
$1300 Vintage Air air conditioner.
-$300 sell of old air conditioner and heater box
$30 freon
$200 904 automatic rebuild kit and misc parts  (yes, i rebuilt the tranny myself)
$150 new rear brake shoes, brake cylinders, and front hydraulic brake hoses
$1,000 Misc parts, and supplies like sand paper, body filler, spray gun, paint remover, spray gun cleaner, gloves, specialty tools for transmission, etc, etc, etc . .

My current total is at $13,500 plus I would estimate about 400-500 of my man hours.  That if I had to pay someone at $50 hr would total another $16,000-18,000.

Now when i finish sometime this summer, I will have a gorgeous plum crazy hotrod, that I will consider to be in "high quality Driver" condition.   My guess is that the resale value is around $24,000.    So, yes in my case because i did ALL of my own work with exception of prof painter..   I have saved some money...but...  my 400 hours is only worth about $15-20 hr...if you do the math.

However, I cant even begin to tell you how much pride I have in saying...   I DID IT MYSELF !!  Without any formal body or mechanics training.

  Chargerdon, Outstanding results on your car!
   I am kind of moving along like you did.  I am doing most of the mechanical work myself on my 70 A66 Challenger vert. I will need a small front floor patch, trunk is gone, and patches on the bottom of the rear quarters. I will try some bodywork (not my area; bought a welder last month) and get it painted professionally. There is a savings and satisfaction in doing some work yourself. It is a labor of love.[/b]

[djw383]

But if you don't buy a car to restore, think of all the special relationships you'll miss out on... the UPS driver, the FedEx driver, the mailman...

Lol!!! Became friends with the UPS driver bc of the car...my wife had to invite him to see the car to show him what was in all the boxes....

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[chargerdon]

Challconvert...    Yes, doing the work yourself is so satisfying..and saves a ton of money.      I bought a lot of the sheet metal from Rock Auto.   They tend to have either Goodmark or Sherman parts...   A lot cheaper than AMD..   

Just remember, your doing it for yourself...so if it doesnt come out right the first time, just do it over.   Try to never go any thicker than 1/8 inch with the body filler to smooth the joints or it could shrink and cause problems a year down the road. 

ALso, for large areas, buy yourself a power flanger and automotive epoxy glue...   and glue the panels together...  NO HEAT NO WARPAGE..instead of welding.