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Old 07-10-2015, 03:33 PM   #61
CarlG
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Default Re: Restoration cost

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I have way more invested in my '31 Model A pickup than I do in my Lincoln Aviator.
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It's not an investment to make a profit, it's a "fee" for living.
Small price to pay for the enjoyment returned.
I wasn't speaking of an investment to make a profit, just the price tag.

And I should have added: "And it's still less than what my wife has "spent" on her quilting / sewing machines. Her sewing room looks like a Pfaff dealer's showroom!
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Old 07-10-2015, 04:33 PM   #62
pgerhardt
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Default Re: Restoration cost

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I wasn't speaking of an investment to make a profit, just the price tag.

And I should have added: "And it's still less than what my wife has "spent" on her quilting / sewing machines. Her sewing room looks like a Pfaff dealer's showroom!
I feel your pain! Below you see about $16K!
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Old 07-10-2015, 05:02 PM   #63
BILL WILLIAMSON
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Wish Pat were still here, so I could "BLOW MONEY ON HER"!!!
Bill W.
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Old 07-10-2015, 09:13 PM   #64
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Default Re: Restoration cost

So in my books it comes down to enjoy and spend what you can afford to have a good time.

John Poole
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Old 07-11-2015, 07:48 AM   #65
Terry, NJ
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Default Re: Restoration cost

Thank God, I was stupid and didn't know what I was getting into! I don't mean work and money so much, I mean FRUSTRATION! Like my latest obstacle, The wiper hole in the windshield and that trim? piece under the visor, don't line line up. Who knew they were different? So anyway, $1500 for the car, $5000 +to Schwalms for the engine. $1800 to Classic wood for sills etc, $350 to rebuild the rear. $350 + for paint PPG. $ 400 for new fenders Another $2000 for Tires, Radiator, Rims etc etc etc! Heck, maybe it's 3 or 4000$$$ Throw in welding supplies, spray cans of paint, nuts and bolts, more etc. And again, It's not the costs, it's the frustration! Like buying a pretty nice fender at a good price , doing some work on it, then finding out it's a 29 fender (Rear sedan) Not a 30.
On it goes, Marching unstoppably towards completion....Someday!
Terry
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Old 07-11-2015, 08:08 AM   #66
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Wish Pat were still here, so I could "BLOW MONEY ON HER"!!!
Bill W.
Cherish her memories, they are yours forever and nobody can ever take them away! Wayne
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Old 07-11-2015, 08:59 PM   #67
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Default Re: Restoration cost

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Originally Posted by Terry, NJ View Post
Thank God, I was stupid and didn't know what I was getting into! I don't mean work and money so much, I mean FRUSTRATION! Like my latest obstacle, The wiper hole in the windshield and that trim? piece under the visor, don't line line up. Who knew they were different? So anyway, $1500 for the car, $5000 +to Schwalms for the engine. $1800 to Classic wood for sills etc, $350 to rebuild the rear. $350 + for paint PPG. $ 400 for new fenders Another $2000 for Tires, Radiator, Rims etc etc etc! Heck, maybe it's 3 or 4000$$$ Throw in welding supplies, spray cans of paint, nuts and bolts, more etc. And again, It's not the costs, it's the frustration! Like buying a pretty nice fender at a good price , doing some work on it, then finding out it's a 29 fender (Rear sedan) Not a 30.
On it goes, Marching unstoppably towards completion....Someday!
Terry

So where did you get "Fenders" for $400?
I'm in need of some front for my '31
Come on...be a good Joe...where ya get'm?
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Old 07-12-2015, 09:13 AM   #68
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It's pretty much a given, you'll never get out what you put in. Like so many have said, it's not about the money. You're restoring a piece of Americana.
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Old 07-12-2015, 10:40 AM   #69
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I'll give my usual outlook now. It's not as expensive as "getting a deal" then having to take to someone to fix. I hate more than words can say following hack work, then having to "worry" about the client's previous expense before I ever knew them. Guess what, I haven't had that worry for decades because I didn't see any of that lost $$$$$ on garbage work. We in the business work time and material. There's not now and never will be a book rate to restore a vintage vehicle. Nobody has x-ray vision, the ability to see the future, a secret stash of NOS parts that they sell at 50s prices, or any other means to treat the casual enthusiast to a show winning car that does everything perfect for even nickels on the dollar. Any angst about the cost of a restoration is better directed at the petroleum industry. It's amazing how many supplies and sundry items use petroleum to produce as part of their content. In the early to mid 90s nearly every vintage or specialty car magazine out there had articles telling prospective new owners how stupid they were to buy and restore a car. Anyone remember those? I do, I was in the business then too. Tech stocks were a better place to play with 6 figures instead of a significant car then as well. How many remember that, or indeed became well off because of them?

I love what I do and have been at it for the better part of 43 years. I can be glad that I hide from nobody, proudly show up and enjoy any swap meet or car show, the only down side being that "senior moments" sometimes inhibit my ability to remember someone's name. I remember their cars 1st so it's not all bad. Yesterday one of my true friends in the game was showing his car for judging, a car completed in 2010. 99.5 points out of 100, and it was a scratch on the garnish molding between the glass and the back side that 2 judges were able to see, the other 2 missed it. We had an erratic window gig and simply didn't have the opportunity to take it off and fix it. to lose a 1/2 point, no big deal. It still runs and drives and looks like the day it was done, still wins a 1st, and he probably has as much in it as a late model Bentley. I'd bet a Model A that the Bentley is worth as much as 50% of it's purchase price in 2010, but I'd also bet that he could see more than 75% of his expense if not more for his car. And isn't that a wake up call too? How much is new Fusion? What's it worth 5-10yrs later?

At the national average custom shop rate of $75/hr, you're all correct that it's expensive to have a pro make your car new again. And the parts, just look at the price of a new set of shocks for our "simple" Model A Ford examples. I've bought Packard shocks for less! What do you want? A "new" Model A? A driver? A worn out but usable barn find? A sloppy restored bondo buggy? And last but not least, I'll forever be confused at how little respect the finishing end of this trade gets. TV has only made it worse too. I never understood why the one thing that will IMMEDIATELY set the tone for the car is more often the 1 thing that prospective clients don't want to spend on. The cost of paint related materials alone has gone up in triple-digit percentages over the last 7-10yrs. Sometimes I'll let the client go buy it so they can see how much it is. And that cheap Dupli-Rustoleum-"Johnny's Discount Urethane"-who knows what's in it paint? Not in my shop. Not when I have to stand behind the work. Can you buy a done car cheap? Sometimes. Do really know how well it was done? Only if you watched the seller restore it or have that x-ray vision I mentioned earlier. Beware the "mudslinger" when you're buying one done or even that low buy-in will cost you big later. I'll freely answer any questions one has regarding having one done buy a pro. I won't tell folks how to do what I do, that's just dumb. I will help where it can sincerely be applied though. I always have. Good luck, and for goodness sake, spend it if you want it. We're not investment counselors, we're craftsmen, many of whom will always have your best interest at heart.
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