70 Challenger Restore Cost

[Rooster]

She looks like a driver! And a ride you can do a little at a time and as time and $$ allow. Is it a real R/T??

I think its supposed to be an R/T, here is a link to where I decoded my Fendor Tag:

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=38416.0

I am getting the materials prepped to to have Barry do a formal evaluation, but the fendor tag is giving me a fit during the rubbing process; must have done it 30 times by now and still can't get a clear reading due to the tag being old and bend.  I also would like to provide pics of the Engine/ transmission numbers, so maybe he can help with the mystery of my power train (see here if you're curious http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=38391.0). 

I would strip the whole car have it blasted then you will know what you are getting into. Find a body shop or a good bodyman that does work on the side.Do this in stages and it will save you time and money....

Besdies the interior and power train, how much do I need to remove before I take it to get blasted? (ie fenders, steering mechanism, exhaust, etc.).  Also, is there a difference between sand blasting and bead blasting?  if so, which is better?

Sorry for all the Noob questions, but I am 50% really excited about starting this project and 50% scared (sh#tless)....actaully its more 70:30.

You guys (and gals) are really great!!!!!

Rich

[Chryco Psycho]

Basically almost any body part purchased eespecially the best quality parts from AMD will save you $$ in labor to repair & fit the old parts or the cheaper cost parts 

[71ChallengerSE]

Wow I was expecting a lot worse. If you did the work yourself you could do it for about $10K, thats what I am doing and I have way more rust than you do.

[4 speed fish]

If you are going to blast it, take every nut and bolt off the car.

[Bullitt-]

I believe the correct answer to you original question is...If you have to ask you can't afford it..


Any way there's this company http://www.uscartool.com/ that does a "Body in White" for $17,500... I'd use that as a baseline for that phase...Skies the limit if your paying someone & not DIY.

[4THECHALLENGE]

i cant see the pics..work computer suck

[cudagirl4406pk]

Definately a savable car....
Steel work alone will run you between $15k and $20k with parts
Body work would be about another $8K to 15K depending on how perfect you would want it.
fishn

That is what i was saying earlier about 30-45k in the car done now that is complete resto and all restored  drivetrain and body and interior etc.My husband just went and got the paint materials and buffing materials for a car he is doing for someone and it was $2300.00 just for the materials not includeing the primer ,putty,sandpaper,etc.The guy spent another 1200.00 on all that stuff.It isnt hard to spend alot of cash during a restoration.For those who do the car right and spend the money for the right materials it will cost you alot but in the end well worth it.You get what you pay for.It is not cheap or fast to do a car be prepared for the worse but hope for the best.People who dont do the car from the ground up and try to jump around and cut corners are the ones who spend alot less upfront but in the long run cost twice as much.I have seen this time and time again.


michele

[73EStroker]

I did most of the things you need as far as panel replacement. Body guy spent about 300hrs and the paint materials were $3500 alone. Bill ended up at around $17000 CDN. Now I have a real show car finish. One good idea was the suggestion about getting a body guy on the side - downfall is it could take forever. Another idea is that some high schools have a body shop program where your major repairs/panels could be done and take the finishing/paint prep to the experts. They usually do the work for a "donation" as they need the practice.

[HemiOrange70]

I have a 70 and just did my resto-cost me 50k car included and it wasn't in to bad of shape to start

[72rtchallenger]

if you can do the sheet metal work it will save you lots of money,,i replaced both quarter panels and trunk pan an inner fenders,,requires spot weld drill bits and hand tools,clean and prep all metal that stays after removing old sheet metal,then i predrilled the areas on my new sheet metal for welding,,took a mig welder and welded in the holes,,a touch of grinding to the welds and they look like factory spot welds when finished,then fill in seam areas ,i used alot of por-15 paint and epoxy putty ,takes patience and elbow grease,,but only cost me in parts,,its is alot of work,,but doing the work your self is knowing that its done right,,you never know what a bodyshop will hide unless you see the whole process yourself,,

[gomangoRT/SE]

In my opinion the car is borderline restorable.   And only if you can do a good deal of this work yourself.   Particularly true if its a non matching 383 car.   Now if you have a six pack car or perhaps a numbers matching car then thats another story.   Have you thought of selling this car to someone who is skillful and has the $$$$ to finish.   With the money you make, you could purchase a pretty nice car worth the money.   Remember in this economy prices are down 30% or more and you could find a motivated/distressed seller.    Its often true many people take a loss on their car because they need to sell their car.   Perhaps you could buy a car for 70 cents on a dollar and have something to drive soon rather than take years and being held hostage by some body shop who ties up your car, your money, and before you know it, you have $40K in a $30K car.   

[71chally416]

I guess it comes down to if you can live with a DD type resto or if only a perfect job with a $5,000 paint job will do. Not everybody has to have a $40 K resto that they will take a huge loss on to be happy. I've seen worse done in a driveway and look very presentable when done, and I've seen much better get half done and the owner lose interest and sell at a huge loss anyway.   

[73Chally]

In my opinion the car is borderline restorable.   And only if you can do a good deal of this work yourself.   Particularly true if its a non matching 383 car.   Now if you have a six pack car or perhaps a numbers matching car then thats another story.   Have you thought of selling this car to someone who is skillful and has the $$$$ to finish.   With the money you make, you could purchase a pretty nice car worth the money.   Remember in this economy prices are down 30% or more and you could find a motivated/distressed seller.    Its often true many people take a loss on their car because they need to sell their car.   Perhaps you could buy a car for 70 cents on a dollar and have something to drive soon rather than take years and being held hostage by some body shop who ties up your car, your money, and before you know it, you have $40K in a $30K car.   

So are you saying because it is not a six pack or numbers car it's not worth restoring?  I just finished restoring our non numbers 318 73 Challenger, and I never flinched at the cost and work involved.  I have zero body skills and very limited mechanical, so yes I paid to have most of the work done, and have loved every second of it.  Any car is worth restoring as long as the skills or money are available.

[gomangoRT/SE]

Any car is worth restoring as long as the skills or money are available.
___________________________________________________________________________
So is there a lesson to be learned from this.
1.   "If you got the money honey Ive got the time." or
2.    "If you have the money, and can afford to spend more than something is worth......go for it."

Yes I suppose its true as long as you have the money ANY and I mean ANY car is worth restoring.  But in the real world, most of us cant afford to have twice as much money in a car than its worth.    Alas its his car, and I am happy that someone would one day save a car thats gone down for the count.    But if it "does" turn out to be a 318 run dont walk away from it.

[Sean]

I have never restored a car before in my life until I got ahold of my 'Cuda.  I consider myself somewhat mechanically inclined but maybe a little short on the experience side.  On top of that, working a job with long hours and trying to spend time with family has put my time in the garage with my car at a minimum.  Which is really OK since I don't have a ton of spare cash invest into my car.  However, when there is time and money, the car is there for me to work on.  I've gone months without working on it and then got for a few days straight.  That's life.  My goal with this car is to do 99% of the work myself.  I thought there's no way I can remove body panels and the trunk.  Well, with lots of research and help from the friendly folks here at C-C.com, I've made it this far.  Check out the link in my signature for what I've been doing to my car. 

My best advise is to do tons of research.  Look at parts online.  Look for 'how-to' guides online.  I probably have more 100 times more time in research than I actually do in working on the car.  Everything I've done so far has been by my self, or with friends/family who have provided a little extra muscle. 

Another thing you can do is become a member of a local car club.  Once in, you can network, ask questions, and learn from other gearheads.  Or just strike up conversations with fellow muscle car owners at car shows.  I've run into tons of folks who are more than happy to share information.

Good luck!
Sean