Budget to Restore My 68RT

[Mike DC]

 
I think our expectations are low for what a resto should/could ever cost.  This hobby has a way of thinking these cars should be cheap forever.  In reality there was about 15 years during the last 50 when they were as cheap as we fantasize.

A modern equivalent of these cars costs $30k.  Its more advanced & complex, but on the other hand mass production also RADICALLY cheapens a lot of steps in the process.  We can't expect to pay skilled repair shops to rebuild something by hand for anything like the cost of assembly-lining it the first time.  Hand-done restos are normally huge money losers on things, whether it's a building or a car or any other complex item.

[lloyd3]

These cars were produced in a very low-tech era, so keeping them running was a very rudimentary process (I always tell folks that they have/had the technology of a lawn-mower). Parts were available almost everywhere I went when I was a young-er man (in the early 80s). With minimal effort, you could find the parts you needed and you could piece something together that would be fast, fun, and relatively (& I use that word very carefully) affordable.  A little focused effort then had an almost immediate payoff. Fast forward almost 35-years now, cars are very high-tech on almost every metric (they are, indeed, cleaner, safer, and more dependable,...sigh!).  There is no low-hanging fruit anymore. Parts are always hard to locate and even finding an appropriate place to store and work on a car can be a challenge. The biggest hardship that I see is that you really can't drive them while working on them anymore (which was almost always my story then). So you're funding at least two vehicles all the time and nothing happens easily, cheap, or fast.  They really aren't cars anymore, they have become rather silly, expensive, big-boy toys.  They are still lots of fun to drive, and they evoke great responses in almost everyone (of a certain age) you meet, but...they are also getting damn old. Most have lived way-longer than they were ever intended to last. You really have to be dedicated to put one back together now, and you better be prepared to spend more money and free-time then you ever expected.  Get a loan (interest is dirt cheap), find one that is done (and done right), and buy it.  Enjoy it for a while and then let someone else enjoy it. That would be my advise.

[MxRacer855]

I think that paint/body job is easily in the ballpark.

my '68 is just leaving a nice body shop with a grand total of $13,300 in the paint and body work (and we cut out and installed all of the sheet metal ourselves).  

[NHCharger]

I spent just over three years restoring my 68, here's a link.   http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,95536.0.html

Ended up around 28-30 k when done, that includes purchase price. I did all the work myself, excpect for farming out the tranny and engine. My first serious attempt at body work.
Am currently looking for my next project/moneypit  

[1974dodgecharger]

I spent just over three years restoring my 68, here's a link.   http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,95536.0.html

Ended up around 28-30 k when done, that includes purchase price. I did all the work myself, excpect for farming out the tranny and engine. My first serious attempt at body work.
Am currently looking for my next project/moneypit  

man good work man....I know I said it before, but damn.

[RIDELIKEHELL]

I spent just over three years restoring my 68, here's a link.   http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,95536.0.html

Ended up around 28-30 k when done, that includes purchase price. I did all the work myself, excpect for farming out the tranny and engine. My first serious attempt at body work.
Am currently looking for my next project/moneypit  

Impressive 

[forsy1979]

I appreciate all of the input!  Im reading and rereading pretty much all of the responses to continue educating myself.  Yes.... My original plan was to buy it already done.  Money is cheap to come by and yes it'll be done.  Most of you don't know, Im a restorer by trade.  Real estate.  Im the guy the buys the old buildings and brings them back to life.  So....When i pulled CL up and found an RT all original and intact with a unique color combo, I decided to pull the trigger.  Good thing there were people from all over the globe interested in it.  The price was incredibly right...so i did it!  .. Here I am...LOL..

A very consistent bid ive been getting for the bodywork and paint.  $20,000.  I've gotten one written and three verbal and they're all at or right around $20,000.  The common statement "it needs quite a bit of metal".  I think this is an area I don't want to learn on as I want it to be correct, safe, and well done.  same with paint.  I will keep shopping around, but the ones that came are some of the best of the best for this area as far as workmanship and mopar knowledge and experience.   Not many mopar guys in my area... a handful.  I'm still searching, researching and making contacts though.

[Mike DC]

  
BTW:  A non-Mopar body man is liable to look at any unrestored Mopar muscle car and think it needs "quite a bit" of metal.  That comment doesn't tell you much unless the guy is into Mopars specifically.

I'm not saying they are wrong.  But I'm commenting on how your car may measure up against other Mopar projects.  Chevy & Ford guys don't come from a world where the supply of cars is so small & severely rusted & expensive.  Most of them just don't get it.  They see their Mopar friend working on a car they wouldn't touch with a pole and they say "why on earth don't you get a better starting point?"  It's hard to get through to them that this POS might be the best one out of dozens we looked at.  

[moparnation74]

 
BTW:  A non-Mopar body man is liable to look at any unrestored Mopar muscle car and think it needs "quite a bit" of metal.  That comment doesn't tell you much unless the guy is into Mopars specifically.

I'm not saying they are wrong.  But I'm commenting on how your car may measure up against other Mopar projects.  Chevy & Ford guys don't come from a world where the supply of cars is so small & severely rusted & expensive.  Most of them just don't get it.  They see their Mopar friend working on a car they wouldn't touch with a pole and they say "why on earth don't you get a better starting point?"  It's hard to get through to them that this POS might be the best one out of dozens we looked at.  

I agree with Mike as well.  Sure they have a good reputation and done quality work on other models but how many mopars have they restored?  How many Chargers?  Fortunately, some of these body men with brains have come to this site and asked pertinent questions about the unknowns.  Our cars are different for many reasons and they may not be remotely familiar with those differences.

It would be similar to ask you to sell raw materials as a trader.  You have sales experience as a real estate agent but none for raw commodities.

[ECS]

Chevy & Ford guys don't come from a world where the supply of cars is so small & severely rusted & expensive.  Most of them just don't get it.

Have you ever actually been involved with the restoration of a classic Ford or Chevy vehicle?  With all due respect Mike, doing a correct restoration can be every bit as difficult for the Brand X guy as it is for the Mopar Enthusiast.  Depending on the vehicle, it can even be more difficult.  

I am currently restoring a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am.  It has been significantly more expensive and difficult finding correct parts for that Car than for my 1970 Hemi Cuda.  Try (for instance) finding NOS Fenders for a 69 Pontiac T/A versus NOS Fenders for a 1970 Hemi Cuda.  The processes for how they were originally built may vary but the skill it takes to correctly restore them is the same.  The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

[skip68]

Good for you forsy1979.      
You're right that money is cheap right now and you are going into this with the right approach.   You'll be just fine.   If you love this car then don't think about the money, just think about the end result.   Build it the way you want.   

[1974dodgecharger]

I know a guy with a shell of 68 saids 15 grand with body work and all interior pieces and exterior is need he should be done....sent it off to body shop after some discussion it was sent back.......

[HeavyFuel]

Hey guys! 
Trying to put a budget together to restore my car.  Most everything on the car is original.  My challenges are this:  Is there a way to tell whether a part is restorable vs. buying it new?   Also,  I got an estimate of $16000 for ALL body and paint labor, paint, and paint supplies but doesn't include the sheetmetal.  Hes reputable.  The guy said he puts everything back on the car that touches the paint (side marker lights, doors, handles, mirrors, etc) so it doesn't get scratched up.  Does this sound reasonable? 
How much should I realistically budget for:
Rear end / suspension?
Refurbished dash?
Interior?
New parts in general like fuel line brake lines exhaust etc?

thanks for any help.in advance!  I need it! Lol

Clint

Man, am I glad this is all behind me......

Good luck, and don't add up the receipts.....you'll be glad you didn't. 

[Mytur Binsdirti]

I know a guy with a shell of 68 saids 15 grand with body work and all interior pieces and exterior is need he should be done....sent it off to body shop after some discussion it was sent back.......

[Mike DC]

Have you ever actually been involved with the restoration of a classic Ford or Chevy vehicle?  With all due respect Mike, doing a correct restoration can be every bit as difficult for the Brand X guy as it is for the Mopar Enthusiast.  Depending on the vehicle, it can even be more difficult. 

I am currently restoring a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am.  It has been significantly more expensive and difficult finding correct parts for that Car than for my 1970 Hemi Cuda.  Try (for instance) finding NOS Fenders for a 69 Pontiac T/A versus NOS Fenders for a 1970 Hemi Cuda.  The processes for how they were originally built may vary but the skill it takes to correctly restore them is the same.  The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Yes I have some exposure to the brand-X(s).  IMO their cars are much easier when you are just looking for a workable street machine.  They can be equally difficult when it comes to very correct factory-type resto jobs.  Especially once you step outside the most sought-after stuff like Chevys & Fords.  A Mercury or a Buick is another story.