How much did your restoration cost?

[Mark1972]

$43,000 Canadian. I spent more than I should have simply by making mistakes. A quick rundown:
Car - $4k
Engine - $12k
Tranny - $3k
Diff - $1k
Body panels and exterior parts - $7k
Interior - $3k
Consumables (primer, paint, filler, sand paper, welding wire, gas, etc) - $3k
Various mechanical parts(suspension, brakes, fuel tank, etc) - $2k
Glass - $500
Paint job - $2500
Tires - $1k
Exhaust(after headers) - $1200
Various other stuff(first fluids, new plugs, exhaust tips, gauges, filters, cut and polish, etc) - $2500ish

Like old houses, the work doesn't really have an end. One of these days will be Magnum 500's, and a new fiberglass hood.

Below are a few pics of different stages of work.

 

[mpro69rr]

Ugh...Hate to say it but over 55k including what I bought it for which I got ripped off big time over the internet (I even hired someone to check it out). I'm almost done and I have about about 2k left to do on it.

 

[barbee6043]

Buy the project for what it is a actually worth. Cheaper in long rn to buy the best one you can afford.

If YOU can't do the work be prepared to pay. Thats what gets people into the huge investment $ wise in these cars. Expensive enough with YOU doing the work!

 

[Nate S]

Buy the project for what it is a actually worth. Cheaper in long rn to buy the best one you can afford.

If YOU can't do the work be prepared to pay. Thats what gets people into the huge investment $ wise in these cars. Expensive enough with YOU doing the work!

Worth pointing out that many of us do enjoy the work, and do it ourselves. You are absolutely correct though that from a financial standpoint, starting with as good of a car as possible makes an enormous difference.

 

[barbee6043]

Worth pointing out that many of us do enjoy the work, and do it ourselves. You are absolutely correct though that from a financial standpoint, starting with as good of a car as possible makes an enormous difference.

I do the work because I enjoy it and I can not afford to pay someone 60-80 an hr to do it!!!!! Old, woreout, and retired poor!!
More power to anyone that can rack up big $$$$ is their hobby car!!
And I will add buying a compete project car is so important, all those missing parts add up!!!

 

[Mark1972]

I will say that my original plan in 2013 was to actually buy a much more complete car. I set a budget of $7500 back then, and if I would have spent more time and effort, I likely would have found a much more complete car. I totally agree that spending more now will equate to spending less later, assuming the car is structurally sound. My friend and I did all the body work ourselves, except the final mask and shoot of the base/clear. The only times it went to a shop was wheel alignment, front window install, and exhaust install. The motor, tranny, and diff were done at a shop as well, and installed in my garage. My wife wants a 1964-1966 Mustang coupe, and I can say I've definitely learned a lesson. The truth is I wouldn't change it even if I could go back because what you learn is invaluable.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Way too many variables here. Depends on so so so many things...
We talking numbers matching hemi convertible '71 Cuda here or a small block '66 Dart?
Wing car? ANY factory hemi or six barrel car? 2nd gen Charger?

I've seen it written that you could do "two Mustangs for the price of one Mopar".
There's a lot of truth to that, actually.
How much can/will you do yourself? How intact is the project car to begin with?
Are you doing concourse or non-numbers daily driver?
One piece of advice I can give anyone contemplating restoring any old car, though -
buy all the car you can afford, meaning get one as complete (and maybe even partially
done) as you can.
Oh - and figure on it costing twice what your careful budget determines.

View attachment 1133753
I bought "Fred" for $17k 11 years ago, supposedly complete.
I don't do paint/body and he had all that done already.
Non-matching numbers, wrong color, but he is a real '68 GTX.
I have probably spent close to $9k on him in the years since, a little at a time -
and damn frugally. All the mechanicals, electricals, plumbing have been replaced
now on this "complete" car - by me.
The couple times I paid someone else to work on him, I wound up redoing their
work later.
Results are for considerably less than $30k I have a perfectly functional, decent
looking GTX that I drive whenever I like - which is all I wanted.

moparedtn is on track, although I think "one" can do 3 Camaros for the price of a Mopar...


**Another "Good point" is (and it runs parallel to the cost factor) "How much time did it take to complete"?

 

[barbee6043]

How much do I have into my resto........$3250 but I am not very fancy!!!!!

 

[barbee6043]

How much do I have into my resto........$3250 but I am not very fancy!!!!!

View attachment 1136033

BUT......I had to buy new windshield and back glass, and gaskets, otherwise..... but I admit I still need upholstry! and..... Carpet and headliner are for the fussy! But, it run like a striped *** ape! But......