Time spent on project? and newbie questions.

[1 BAD BIRD]

Now that I am done with the planning and research stage I am looking at purchasing a starting point. I know I want a 68 Firebird. My question is how long do you guys/gals work on your project in any given week? The question I find myself asking is how long do you have to spend on it. Do I get a rust free example that still needs everything else done to it? I plan on putting a whole new 4th gen "style" interior...so that isn't important. A custom paint color so that isn't important. I am sure you all know the drill. OR Do I wait and spend more time and money waitng for a more finished example only to change things anyway? I have "backyard" experience when it comes to cars so my plans are to get mostly bolt on items and any fabrication/paint needed will have to be farmed out.

Any questions and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Bob S.

[YoungGun]

I may have limited knowledge and experience compared to many on this board, but my recommendations to you would be.

1. Research, Research, Research
2. Rust free body is far better an investment than anything else. Unless you are a body man, body work is the most expensive thing.
3. Dont get something farther along if you are just going to erase what was done.
I would get a rust free shell, and build the suspension, interior, engine, drivetrain that you want!

Time? Take your estimates, and multiply it times 5, same for your budget!!

But honestly, my experience or opinion is not the same as everyone elses...so lets hear from them.

Tim

[CDJr]

I agree 100% with Tims advice. It sounds to me like you need to find a rolling chassis with as little rust as possible. Itd surely beat getting a driver and having to tear it apart AND rebuild it. Just my 1½ cents worth (and Tims) hehe.
P.S. You picked a good car to build! :)

[1 BAD BIRD]

Thanks guys :) Hmmm now lets see...if I was a rust free 68 bird where would I be hiding :)

Bob S.

[vanzuuk1]

I agree with Tim but also look at finished cars,firebirds are cheap and you might see a bargain on one with perfect paint.You get to drive it a little and sell off what you dont need. I was in your position and I found a car in tthe exact color I wanted,my project is moving along now and I am driving the car.Plan on looking at a lot of cars, I took a few months to find what i wanted.

[1 BAD BIRD]

68 Firebids in my area/stae are hard to come by in any shape. I am looking the online route

ebaymotors, cars-on-line.com traderonline.com Any others?

Bob S.

[TA219]

I agree with what has already been said, also I would figure out just exactly what you are or are not willing to do to the car.
When i bought my car i didnt care what i had to do to it, i just wanted to have it soo... now i find myself dealing with a few body issues and when i have the parts, tools and time i spend quite a bit of time in the garage.
It is rewarding to see the progress that you have made but there are also alot of scary / frusterating times when you wonder what the hell you got yourself in to.

[CDJr]

http://firstgenfirebird.org
http://forums.performanceyears.com/eve
http://www.classicalpontiac.com/

[J68Bird]

Bob
You've gotten some good advice with the rust issues. I'm just getting to the point where all the rust is cut out & replaced with my 68 Firebird. I'm now able to start putting the car together. It's been 3 years so far, but with a family and life getting in the way there's not always alot of time left over. Another consideration is work space. My car, taken all apart takes up a lot of space. The last thing is $$$. I know that in the long run I'll have alot sunk into my project, but it will be the way I want when it's done.
Good luck finding a rust free car in this area, they are getting hard to come by.

J.

[stanglou]

for the time factor, multiply by 4. For the money factor, multiply by three, and factor in tools.

[CAMAROBOY69]

Great advice already mentioned in this thread. It all depends on what you like to do. I personally like the really really trashed out cars that people say "there is no way that car will ever drive" then I take that car, fix it up and basically save the cars life. However, I love doing bodywork and metal fabrication. If YOU do not enjoy doing bodywork then I highly suggest getting a car as rust free as possible. Mabey get one without the motor/ tranny. Since your tearing out the interior, I wouldnt worry about it at all. Its really all up to you. As for time. That mainly depends on motivation and money. I have all the motivation in the world but no money. Soooo I have had my car 3 years and still working on it.

[primate]

Great advice already mentioned in this thread. It all depends on what you like to do. I personally like the really really trashed out cars that people say "there is no way that car will ever drive" then I take that car, fix it up and basically save the cars life. However, I love doing bodywork and metal fabrication. If YOU do not enjoy doing bodywork then I highly suggest getting a car as rust free as possible. Mabey get one without the motor/ tranny. Since your tearing out the interior, I wouldnt worry about it at all. Its really all up to you. As for time. That mainly depends on motivation and money. I have all the motivation in the world but no money. Soooo I have had my car 3 years and still working on it.

exactamundo. i wouldnt be able to have my car if i didnt buy a junker.


i have had my camaro for 7 years, and literally just started my car this past weekend. i have been trying to put in 2 hours a day, after work on the weekdays, so i still have progression on the project,and still see the wife to keep relations on the ups. and as far as weekends, my wife and i have an agreement that i can work til 6pm (start whenever) so that way we can have our evenings :naughty:

my camaro also has its own bank account as well. i pay the car 120 a week, and have been for a while. that way, theres a kitty, and if i need something, i just get it from its bankbook, not ours.
so far, it has made everything a lot easier. it was a slow start, i wanted to have enough parts so i would not lose momentum waiting for parts, as well as a kitty built, and now i have all the steel for the back of the camaro, as well as an 8 pt cage, and getting ready to build a rotiserrie...
im a busy man, but loving every minute of it.

i guess thats the most important thing, is to have a plan, and suppport of your spouse helps tremendously!!!!

but if you have the ability and finances to go rust free, do it. i am one of the founding members of the more time than cash and common sense club, so i have a ways to go.

[JLM]

Primate said it and I agree. I beleive the best thing you can do is to have a solid plan. The direction you take the car based on yoru plan may determine the type of car you go looking for.

Keep in mind that not everything is what meets the eye. I purchased my 1969 Firebird April 19th, 1999. At the time the car looked very straight, the interior had 1 minor flaw, brand new engine, no dings, okay paint. I paid 5K for a straight "rust free" car with a $4500 engine in it, I thought man I stole this car. A wheel bearing failure driving the car home changed all that. We found that the every single bushing on teh body and suspension was pretty much gone, we found evidence the car had been hit and as we started to take more and more off the car we kept finding lots of filler and a decent amount of rust.

Granted the car doesn't have an unworldly amount of rust (floor and trunk pans okay, 85% of sheet metal stock and in good condition) but still enough to literally derail the project and my spirits. Why? Because I HATE body work. I would so much rather be driving the car and replacing metal.

That's something you are going to need to look at. What are you and are you not willing to go through with the car?

[1 BAD BIRD]

Well my biggest fear would be ALOT of body work as I know very little if any about it. As far as a plan I have a 3 ring binder broken down in sections with parts, ideas, pricing, pictures etc. The interior is of no importance to me as it will all go in the process. The more I think about it a rust free shell is prbably the way to go. I just can't wait todig in and get started. I have been planing for almost a year now while lurking on the board.
Thanks for all the replies.

Bob

[69boo307]

I spent about 5 years dreaming my car up, and about 2 1/2 executing it. It'll never be 'finished' though.

[Hartz]

In most instances, it's cheaper to buy a "finished" car than a basket case, but the costs are all up front, obviously. With a project, the costs can be spread out over however long it takes to complete, with that timeline determined by your time and your budget.

If you buy a car closer to completion, you'll hopefully be getting a car with a lot of the bugs worked out already, but if something does happen - you'll spend some time reverse engineering things. If you buy a project - you'll have to go through a "debugging" process, but you'll know every nut and bolt of the car.

I hate body work, so I try to either farm that out ($$$) or buy cars where it's not an issue. Other folks may not have the skills or equipment to do major engine work, or not have the interest or patience required for interior work. Some folks just want to drive nice cars and not have to fuss with them. It all depends...

No matter what - buy what you want and enjoy the journey.

[phaseshift]

Bob S. -
I can tell you that to complete my car, it took about 5.5 years. There were a few periods of down time there, but not more than a total of maybe 6 or 8 months.
There is a lot of sage advice and commentary on this post about time and cost estimate. Cheap it is not, but the point about research can be one of the biggest things to save you $$$. Not in finding the lowest cost; it is in finding the correct part / assembly the first time.
Good luck to you.