Building a Pro-touring Car (Not rich)

[badazz81z28]

Gents,



For those of you without DEEP pockets, may I ask how you paid to build your ride? I'm thinking about going all out on my car for the ultimate modern/classic. This would include the DSE subframe/quadra-link, LS7, Vintage air...etc etc....Essentially upwards of $50,000+

Do you do this over many years of saving buying piece by piece or some sort of loan?

V/R

[CamaroAJ]

Look for deals on parts you'll need and do as much as you can yourself. Ive been working on mine for almost 3 years and started out by selling a C5 Z06 I had to fund a good chunk of the project.

[Rhino]

Just like Johnny Cash, one piece at a time I couldn't possibly understand taking out a loan on a hobby.

[badazz81z28]

Basically piece by piece is how I have been doing it, but when it comes to the big ticket items like the DSE sub-frame (That's a $10K "ouch") and Forgeline ($5K), I just don't know how I'm going to do it.

[keithq69]

Make sure you sort out how before you get in over your head.
Lots of guys get started and never finish, they end up selling the unfinished project at a loss.

I would suggest buying a running car, make changes slowly that don't take the car off the road. When all the mechanical stuff is done then take it apart and paint it.
No shame in driving a car for a few years with a rattle can paint job.
It beats having it in the garage

[GeoffP]

Take your time. Don't be afraid to cut your project list short and redo stuff later when you can afford better. In my case, I stared with an LT1 and T56 because that's what I could afford. I beat on that combo for 3-4 years then swapped out to an LS1 last year because the price was right after doing a LOT of deal shopping. I knew I wanted an LS when I built the LT but just couldn't afford it. So rather than have the car sit for 2-3 years, I went this route and got to enjoy the car rather than have it sit. Now this year, I've pulled out all the OE suspension and replaced it with ridetech and new wheels. My plans for the next couple of years is to get what I did this year paid off as quickly as possible and then it'll be time to visit mini-tubs, new rear axle and possibly Rushforth or Forgeline wheels.

My best suggestion is get it where you can enjoy it and try to only have it apart during the off season. You will stay more motivated to work on it while it's apart and you will enjoy it more over a longer period of time!

[srh3trinity]

I am a careful shopper. I agonize over each deal and part. I have an ls3 block that is getting stroked, a ridetech rear setup and SA coilovers with a Scott Mock subframe that I have bought piece by piece. That has taken about two years to get those parts together. I just came up with a parts list and spend time on ebay, CL and forums for deals. What I save in money, I spend in time.

[Todd in Vancouver]

All the above are good info and great comments. Be VERY mindful of scope creep as you can very quickly get side tracked and end up way over your head. I try and catch myself when it happens like when you think 450hp would be really great but then start looking at 600+HP LS engines and the budget goes out the window. Or you want a little bigger tire and end up shortening your diff and tubbing the back half of your car and then need to mortgage your house to buy rims and tires to fill up the back of your car.

I think you have done an awesome job getting your LS in so now go enjoy your car. I've always made it my goal to have at least 1/2 the money down on a want/need for my car before I use my CC to order a part. For me the build is very enjoyable so I'm OK with it taking a few years before it hits the road. Just enjoy the journey, or the driving or whatever floats your boat.

[SparkyRnD]

i always recommend skipping the loan as I don't like debt. There are two sides though: you do a loan, and you can build the car much faster if you don't have the funds of your own stashed away. The downside is you have a loan with interest, and it takes longer and more money to pay off.

Or, no loan, and you pay as you go. It takes longer, but no debt and you own what you have, free and clear. I also think you can be very creative with what you spend your money on, as you can build a car for much less if you either sacrifice a few high-end goodies, or if you don't upgrade everything at once. For example, spend your money on safety issues like brakes, suspension, etc., and see how other people have gotten great performance from quality, less-expensive options. You don't have to build a 100k car to have fun and be competitive.

[68lovebuzz]

This has been a huge hurtle for me as well. I have had my car off the road for 7 years while life has kept me busy with school and work. I have learned alot about his how much these projects take. Especially when you can't weld or do bodywork or have a big garage with every tool you need. I am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. My car should be done by may. I'm definitely in debt but I figure If I don't go into debt getting my car done now, I will have to wait until after I have kids, get married and who knows when.... I re-financed my house before the market tanked, took out a personal simple interest loan from my bank for 7k, gone into about 5k off cc debt (did a 0% interest transfer for 28mo), sold and traded items, borrowed tools, have had some awesome friends and family help with sweat equity. In the end the low interest debt will be worth it. My credit has been slightly affected but I'm ok with it. I want this thing so bad I can taste it! Everyone here has given great advise. Enjoy your LS engine. I haven't fired mine but oh so close. Cheers!

[68lovebuzz]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my daily driver was stolen so when the insurance company totaled it based on too many parts taken off of it, I bought the car back for 1500, fixed it, and they cut me a check for 4000 because the car was worth 6500. Still driving the DD to this day some five years later. I took that money and bought all sorts of camaro goodies including my TKO 600 kit.... Yup, it's been quite interesting financing this dream.

[Barrrf]

Ok, Im in the same boat, sort of. While I could build my car exactly the way I want it right now, it might end in a divorce and my kids would be wondering how theyre going to pay college. So Im doing it bit by bit.

In order to keep my wife off my back I use every excuse I can to buy a part - birthday, fathers day, xmas, ect. I never use the CC if I cant pay it right away. And I avoid buy brand new, best-of, parts whenever I can.

Theres always LOTs of stuff for sale in the For Sale section here. You can even buy China stuff off of ebay and mod it a bit for your needs, if youre comfortable enough with it (I always recommend buying parts from US based companies for support purposes and quality reasons). An LS 5.3 can be had at a junk yard in running condition for $500 or less. Ect ect ect.

If you dont have to have the best of the best, then you can build a sweet PT cat that everyone would be jealous of.

[SRD art]

I think a good majority of us here are in the same boat. I did a frame off build last spring-fall but ran out of time and funds to do everything I wanted so I'm doing mine in stages.

I really wanted an LS motor but settled for now with a sturdy 406 SBC I already had.

I have a 9" but I have to wait to get it narrowed.

I wanted cool spendy rtims that folks will look at and go "Nice rims!" but I settled for 17x9.5s that cost $150 each because they roll just as well as $2,000 rims.

I wanted to do a trick interior but have started refurbishing the stock parts for now. Etc.

As time rolls on and more $ comes my way I'll upgrade in order of priority. As for now, my car isn't a beauty pageant queen, but it handles and brakes well which is what the ultimate goal is anyway. The real beauty is I drive it every day and step by step will get to the next stage.

There's nothing wrong with a stock subframe and leaf springs to get you on the road. It may not be equal to DSE studff, but it's pretty cheap for now, like free. It would be a whole lot cheaper to buy the DSE suspension parts, bolt them on the stock frame, and then when you've saved enough pennies and donated enough plasma you can upgrade. Then you also get the advantage of seeing how much of a difference the frame actually made, or did it make a difference at all.

The Jones' may have all the toys but behind closed doors they're sweating bullets trying to figure out how to save anything as they live paycheck to paycheck. Really needing to keep up with the Jones' is a falsehood and a great way to screw yourself over.

[MarkM66]

Personally, I wouldn't even start a project unless I had the disposable income, and then some, to finish it.

A project isn't worth much, and I don't like having a bunch of money in something that isn't worth much.

[rickpaw]

Personally, I don't want to go into debt for a hobby. I saved as much as I can, do most of the work, buy used. I'm eyeing the DSE suspension for my 68 Mustang, but I don't have $10,000 to spend right now, so I just have to save it up. Main key for me is set a goal/direction for the car, and stick with it.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

I always subscribed to the saying

"Life ain't guaranteed, and no matter how much money you can't buy an hour back."



take that as you see fit.

[cornfedbill]

Wow, this is a hot topic. It seems there is general agreement that a loan is a bad thing for a hobby. I thoroughly agree.

I do a lot of shopping and research before I spend. I have tried to keep the scope reasonable to avoid getting stuck half way. I have also had to sacrifice other things that I wanted and to focus my priorities to make sure I don't overspend somewhere else.

I have a lot of circle track parts on my ride instead of the more flashy pro-touring label stuff. I will run a modified stock sub-frame and leaf springs to avoid big ticket items. My front brakes are of the Pozzi Cheap Big Brake style with '74 C10 big bore calipers. All low budget, but good performance.

I also did a lot of horse trading and bartering to get parts without cash. I got my block bored and decked for an old set of injectors I did not need for this project. Use Craigslist, Racingjunk and Ebay. It helped me save a lot of money.

With a family this has been a long process. But patience wins out in the end.

[BuddyP]

Gents,

For those of you without DEEP pockets, may I ask how you paid to build your ride? I'm thinking about going all out on my car for the ultimate modern/classic. This would include the DSE subframe/quadra-link, LS7, Vintage air...etc etc....Essentially upwards of $50,000+

Do you do this over many years of saving buying piece by piece or some sort of loan?

V/R

For us without deep pockets... it turns into many, many years. I'm going on year 10. Hoping to have it on the road this summer. A lot of this time was scoping out deals and new or good part takeoffs that someone was selling because of upgrading or going another direction.

I'm not fully for taking a loan out on a hobbie but will all depend on how you budget your financials. However now that I am on the last leg of my car build journey I am strongly considering it for the final few pieces of the puzzle.

I could've saved a LOT of money if I would have stuck with stock tubs and drop leafs alone. Also a carb motor would be a whole lot cheaper (and easier to install) than a fuelie and you can get the same power out of em.

[badazz81z28]

Thanks for the inputs! My rationale was that it was no different than an auto loan. Right now I only have 1 car payment and was thinking of getting a new Vette, but I just HATE having the same production mold car as the next guy. I want something not as common as the new mustang or camaro. Right now, I really don't see my car as a "hobby", its basically my DD.

New cars are just ridiculous in price. I keep imagining what $50K would do to my car vs buying a plastic 2012 Camaro.

[71RS/SS396]

Thanks for the inputs! My rationale was that it was no different than an auto loan. Right now I only have 1 car payment and was thinking of getting a new Vette, but I just HATE having the same production mold car as the next guy. I want something not as common as the new mustang or camaro. Right now, I really don't see my car as a "hobby", its basically my DD.

New cars are just ridiculous in price. I keep imagining what $50K would do to my car vs buying a plastic 2012 Camaro.

You've already done some upgrades to the suspension, brakes, and drivetrain right? I would suggest that you spend your time and money on honing your driving skills and when your driving skills exceed the performance of your car then worry about updating the car. You will get more performance increase out of a driving school and seat time then you will from parts.