How much does a full restoration cost?

[Moabdude]

My 68 Camaro is "under construction" for the last 2 years. I can't do the bodywork mysellf so I have someone doing this for me. First I had body man #1. Then we started argu-ing about things. Now it is at body man#2. I am very satisfied with his approach and quality but he works really slow. I is not his work, he just does this as a side job after work hours.
It will take at least an other 3-4 months before it is ready for paint.



The only thing that keeps me motivated are the pictures of Steven Rupp's 69 Camaro. That is my big example. That is how my 68 should look like!

My Camaro has been done body off and restoration was done in a rotissery.
the following welding/bodywork has been done:
- new quarters (left and right)
- new door skins (left and right)
- new rear panel.
- restoring the old left fender
- customizing the lower valance panel with 69 turn lights
- welding up the heater opening in the firewall to make a smooth firewall
- welding up the holes in the floorpans, partly welding in new floorpans
- welding up the holes in the rear window panel (between rear window and trunk)
- lots of small welding jobs which take many hours to complete (like tailoring the gaps between the doors, hood and trunk, etc, etc.)

I already spend $ 10.000,- (including the sheetmetal and primer paint etc.)and an other $5.000,- will come for making the car ready for paint (sand blocking it an straighten it out with bondo and putting on the primers).
Paintjob will be at least $ 4.000,- so the total for restoration will be around $20.000,- .........
And I'm not even talking about the wheels (Intro's), suspension (airride), brakes (wilwood) and all other parts I bought.........
pfffff, now I really have to keep the car forever because I am never going to get that money back.

It seems that I will be spending twice my budget and it takes about twice the time I calculated...

what do you guys spend on your restorations?

[protour73]

moabdude........spending twice as much, taking twice as long? that's about right. How far do you want to restore it? every nut, bolt and washer? $30k, $40k, $50k, $60k+............depends on your level of detail and how deep your wallet is!! good luck on your project.

[1969CamaroRS]

Yep 2-3 times the cost and time, sounds about right

[mikey]

The way you have it broke down looks funky to me but the total sounds pretty fair to me. I quoted a manager at work 6k plus he buys parts and materials for basically the same amount of metal and body work. Our painter would do the final sand and spray for extra. He turned me down got a local shop to do it all for 5k I looked at it after he got it back and had to bite my tongue when I was asked to try and align the doors ect so it at least was presentable. It was so bad that everyone in service and body shop went Basically the better the work the more cash you spend to a point and yours is looking nice

[Rolling_Thunder]

We did a nice resto on a 1970 Plymouth Cuda for right around $65,000 - that was a very close to stock resto -

[ho428]

The shop that did my body work worked fast and by the hour.
Blasted the body and frame. Replaced the drivers floor and right quarter. Painted the body, fenders hood and all, and powder coated the frame.
I had about $12,000 in it when I got it home.
For the amount of body panel work you're having done, $20,000 is probably about right.

Here's their link for their portion of the project.
http://elitecustoms.net/firebird.htm

Not trying to promote them, it's just this is the only way I can show that many pics.
Hope that's ok Moderator ???

[eville]

I had my car painted around 1999. I needed R Qtr, L Fender, Panel behind window, Top of Dash, smoothed firewall, etc.
It cost me about 10k at that time. $20k doesn't seem impossible. The price of materials has increased drastically.

[MuscleRodz]

The '57 Bel-Air HT we are doing right now is sitting about $16,500 in body and paint work including sheetmetal. We hung new quarters, rockers, new trunk, and other repairs. That does not include anything else we are having to do to the car so your not far off depending on how bad it was to start with. For full restorations the only limiting factor is the size of your wallet.

Mike

[jilge71]

ill repaint a car for 7-9k but full off welding and replacing 15-20k is where we are at the shop. repaint just gets taken apart blocked down and little mud work done then resprayed. your in the right area. plus a guy that works every day and then works on your car cant work that hard or he will get burnt out real fast. then your back to square one

[comp-spec]

20k is right for the work

[minendrews68]

Everyone agrees this hobby is fun...No one said it was cheap!

[MuscleRodz]

ill repaint a car for 7-9k but full off welding and replacing 15-20k is where we are at the shop. repaint just gets taken apart blocked down and little mud work done then resprayed. your in the right area. plus a guy that works every day and then works on your car cant work that hard or he will get burnt out real fast. then your back to square one

Where do you work at?

Mike

[63SW]

I must be WAY to cheap ! ( HEAR THAT JOHN - LOL )
I have a members car here at my home and i replaced the COMPLETE 1 PIECE FLOOR , R&L FULL REAR QUARTERS , R&L OUTER WHEELWELLS , R&L TRUNK DROP OFFS , FRONT UPPER COWL , DASH- PANEL , OUTER COWL SIDES , TRUNK LID , TRUNK BRACES, R&L FRONT FENDERS , HEADER & VALANCE --ALL NEW GOODMARK PARTS ....

HAD THE CAR MEDIA BLASTED --- AND WILL PUT IN METAL ETCHING PRIMER ....AND PAINT THE UNDERSIDE & FIREWALL IN DP90& BLACK READY FOR SUSPENSION.

TOTAL COST OUT THE DOOR ----PARTS, MATERIALS & LABOR $10,000 !

He completely dissasembled the car and brought me a BARE SHELL .

THEN IT WILL COME BACK AFTER SUSPENSION AND SOME BASIC COMPONENTS ARE INSTALLED FOR :

FINISH BODY WORK , AND PAINT- BASE CLEAR ... ANOTHER $5,000

TOTAL - $15K PARTS < METERIALS & LABOR and he finishes assembly.


I DO IT AT HOME and dont have a lot of overhead though.

(((( DONT RUSH YOUR PAINT & BODY GUYS )))))))

I just repainted a car 2 days ago for a friend that paid $8900 for a paint job --- Local shop ... ABSOLUTELY PITIFULL WORK ALL THE WAY AROUND .....
THE SHOP HAD NO PRIDE , AND HE WAS IN KIND OF A HURRY !!!

TIME , MONEY AND HEADACHES ....just be patient

[Moabdude]

My gosh, why don't you live in the Netherlands?

[63SW]

I like here in INDIANA ,,, the winter time gives me the chance to stay inside and get some work done.
i tend to play to much once the weather gets nice!

[tumper93]

I was lucky enough to have two really good friends that helped me out with mine. One did the body work, replaced both quarters and outer wheel housings and all front sheet metal. Painted everything apart on inside and outside of front panels. Took the painter 3-years to prime and block it till he was completely satisfied with where it was. Total cost was for Glazerit paint materials, tape, paper and pizza!!! If I had paid for the labor to do the car it would be around the amount you said, possibly more. Price sounds fair and like it has been said--the hobby Ain't Cheap to say the least. I hate seeing rides people just paint on the outside and spray bomb underhood and undercoat the underneith--they are so proud and it looks like DUNG next to a car done right. You'll be proud of the outcome even though it seems like a lot right now!!

[DFAuto]

I had both quarters, both door skins all new front clip installed, aligned, gapped and painted in stages(jambs, firewall and engine compartment then the rest of the body after it was reassembled). I also had just about everything but the cowl vent shaved. It was then painted with 2 coats of silver for my pinstripe then 6 coats of red and 4 coats of black then all of it covered in 3 coats of clear then wet sanded and then 3 more coats of clear and wet sanding and buffing and finally a two tone paint job with pinstripe including interior paint for a little over $15,000 including paint and supplies but no other parts. Believe me it hurt but i came out looking like mirror both inside the engine compartment and on the body.
Don't get me started on the rest of it but depending on what you want you can spend 10k or 200k just depends on what you are looking to end up with.

[Yan69]

im in the process right now, new floors, trunk, firewall, frame rails, new custom subframe, and full coilover conversion, my guy quoted me
15 000$ if you add the exterior, need to replace 1 rear quarter and 2 front ones, they look great but are fiberglass. 2 doors, add an other
5 to 10 g's with the paint job.
i haven't touched the interior yet!
Yan

[aggressive male]

My gosh, why don't you live in the Netherlands?

Oh you live in the netherlands huh? This might change stuff because shipping could be expensive. But the good news for these camaro's is you can get fiberglass hood, trunk, doors, fenders and all so you only have to concentrate on the shell. And if the shell is in poor enough shape you can get a replica of it. Have you looked into that?