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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Cost of a restoration

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Cost of a restoration -- page: 1 2     sunflower 02-28-2010 @ 4:42 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 108 Joined: Feb 2010 What would it cost to restore a 35 Ford coupe,includeing a paint job, rechrome everthing ,interior,engine rebuild,etc? Thanks carguy 02-28-2010 @ 5:21 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 167 Joined: Oct 2009 This is a very open ended question because it depends so much on who does the restoration and what level of restoration the owner desires. As you would suspect there are varying levels of familiarity with any specific make/model, varying levels of competence, and varying shop rates. What is a restoration? It varies in the eyes of the owner. To some a restoration is concour perfect, even to the point of being better than the day it rolled off the assembly line, and to others it means safe and reliable. For most it's somewhere in between. We have an automotive restoration facility that specializes in 55-57 Thunderbirds and we have done "restorations" that run from one extreme to the other. We do whatever the customer wants. My advice to you would be to locate a restoration facility (not your friends body shop - that seldom works out for either party) that has experience with your type of car and take the time to sit down whit them to explain, in detail, what your expectations are for the final result. Check references and take your time before you pull the trigger on your restoration, you will likely be spending more money than you expect. BrianCT 02-28-2010 @ 5:37 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 95 Joined: Oct 2009 If you don't yet own a car and are patient, it would almost always be better to buy one already done. Just have it inspected by a knowledgeable 3rd party first. supereal 02-28-2010 @ 10:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Amen, Brian. When I consider buying a car for restoration, I insist that the car be drivable, and with current license and title, no exceptions, unless it is to be used for parts only. After years in the hobby, I find that it requires a minimum of about three times the purchase price to result in a "driver" vehicle, and often more if it is an uncommon model. Almost always, the resale of a restored car brings less than the actual money spent. 37RAGTOPMAN 02-28-2010 @ 12:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1958 Joined: Oct 2009 Buy a restored car,it will be cheaper in the long run, but if you were going to do it yourself and are capable and are committed to the restoration,you will get much satisfaction in doing so,but if you have to PAY someone else ,,,,forget it,!!!!!!!! and it ALL depends on how old you are, and how much time you have, even farming everything out is still time consuming,and do you want a runner or a SHOWCAR,???and it has a lot to do with how nice is the car you interested in,and starting with, does it need rust repair,? body off frame,? you have to ask yourself these questions, hope this helps.37RAGTOPMAN PLEASE POST PICTUREs of the car you are considering, the member will give you feedback on it, 51f1 02-28-2010 @ 5:34 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Don't do it. If you do it right and are working a full-time job, it'll take years. And you'll never do it as well as a pro. In my opinion. Richard CharlieStephens 02-28-2010 @ 7:28 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 888 Joined: Oct 2009 If a car has great sentimental value you should consider restoring it (your late father bought it new and it was part of the family as you grew up). If you own a garage that also does paint, body work and upholstery and you need something to act as a time filler between customer’s jobs you might want to consider restoring a car. If you are retired and bored and place no value on your time it might be fun to take classes at the local adult school and restore a car. If the car body type is so unique that you don’t think you will ever find a restored one you might want to consider restoration (most Fords don’t fall into this category). If you are like most of us you are better off buying a car restored to the condition you want and enjoying it. Of course expecting to do minor work and make improvements are reasonable. Now to the question of the cost of restoring a car. Find a car restored to the condition you want and assume that the price of the car is about the cost less the cost of a restorable car. If it was possible to buy unrestored cars and restore them at a profit there would be a lot of people in the business of restoring cars for resale. If you want a different estimate you might want to put together a list of what you need to do during a restoration and get some estimates for the major cost drivers. Have a few friends review the list. Be sure to include a contingency for cost overruns. Charlie Stephens 1934 Ford 03-01-2010 @ 5:24 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 573 Joined: Oct 2009 Sunflower, All the advice above is good, but you wanted $ figures. Depending on who you hire, the rates can be from $35.00 an hour at a local body shop to $95.00 an hour at a real restoration shop. If you did it on the cheap, Labor @ $50.00 Hour X 600 hours = $30,000 plus parts! Or do it piece meal as you find somebody willing to do these items: Engine rebuild $4000, Transmission and Rear end $3000, Body work $4000, Chrome $2000, Paint $5000, Interior $5000, Tires & Tubes $650, Electrical $2500, Brakes $800, Safety Glass, $1500, Accessories $1000, Miscellanous Parts & hardware $2500. Plus 20% for unforseen problems, plus 20% to redo what was done wrong or stuff you paid for that did not get done. Alternative: Retire and spend years learning new trades to do it yourself. It is rewarding but not a good financial move. That's my opinion (Based on doing it myself for 38 years and still not owning a Show Car) tommorookian 03-02-2010 @ 3:49 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 62 Joined: Oct 2009 Here's what I started with. A rust bucket from a farmers field, After 3 years, untold hours of labor and buying parts it's $28,000 so far and there's still no interior. I had the help of a GREAT retired body man who did all the sheet metal work and even put pieces from 3 front fenders together to make one good one. I hope the pic comes thru sunflower 03-02-2010 @ 4:59 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 108 Joined: Feb 2010 Thanks to all for the help, like suggested I am better off to purchase one already finished,at age 74 I do not need the headache's involved to have one restored nor do I have the time.I looked at several nice cars with the help of some friends in the price range of high 30's to low 40's.Thanks again for all the help

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