Restoration "Strategies": balancing budget, time and resources - what did u do?

[joflaig]

Half way there. When the guys sat down and figured the time and material that it took to complete my charger. Without adding MY time and stuff I bought, we came up to around $15,000.

And my car was pretty solid.

Khyron, I went through the thread on your restore. Did you do any other body work at some time in past before all that, like floor pans? Your restore is interesting to me because I am not doing a full blown roterserie job.

[Khyron]

Khyron, I went through the thread on your restore. Did you do any other body work at some time in past before all that, like floor pans? Your restore is interesting to me because I am not doing a full blown roterserie job.

Not on the Charger, the only metal work I had to do was a few spots on the sail panels under the windows where it's common. Years ago a friend and I put some floor pans in my 66 Mustang, but that was it.

Ohh, we did have to put on trunk extention into the charger, but  that wasn't anything major. We patched a few small holes in the botton of the car, no bigger then the size of a silver dollar.. also come to think of it.

[sailpanel]

Strategy depends on to many factors for a one size fits all plan. I had to do things as money and time would allow and its taken me ten years on the car I had to start with. Someone with deeper pockets and or more free time could have done the same job in much less time. Or, I could have done the job in a shorter amount of time had I started with a better car. It's really all relative to many different factors. My strategy plan can be summed up as..."I made it up as I went along".

[joflaig]

Not on the Charger, the only metal work I had to do was a few spots on the sail panels under the windows where it's common. Years ago a friend and I put some floor pans in my 66 Mustang, but that was it.

Ohh, we did have to put on trunk extention into the charger, but  that wasn't anything major. We patched a few small holes in the botton of the car, no bigger then the size of a silver dollar.. also come to think of it.

Gosh, where did you find this car, AZ?

[HeavyFuel]

Rules of Restoration:  Good, Fast or Cheap. Pick two, you can't have it all.

1. Good work +  Fast completion = Expensive

2. Good work + Low cost = Slow completion

3. Fast work + Low cost = Inferior result


I have had my car for 16 years now this month, and my butt has been behind the wheel of it for a grand total of around 10 hours. 

That sucks. 

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

When I think of all the time wasted by not (1) keeping the car intact and running, so that I could enjoy it once in a while, and (2) not sticking to a firm schedule on getting work done on it. 

The years have slipped by and I don't have a thing to show for it, besides a garage full of parts in various stages of rebuild, and a thoroughly disillusioned and pissed off wife.

Set deadlines, like you would anything else important to you, and get the thing done.  Do I sound a little neagative about the whole thing?  I am definatley getting there.  If I thought that I could get the $$ out of my car right now that I have into it, she would be gone tomorrow.  Anyone want a numbers '68 R/t that is in about 5000 pieces right now?

[bull]

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

Two years at the body shop? That's BS. What's taking them so long?

[Khyron]

Gosh, where did you find this car, AZ?

actually, downstate NY


but I believe the old girl spend some years down south. I'm the third owner. I could call the original owner and ask I suppose 

Rules of Restoration:  Good, Fast or Cheap. Pick two, you can't have it all.

1. Good work +  Fast completion = Expensive

2. Good work + Low cost = Slow completion

3. Fast work + Low cost = Inferior result

You forgot Number 4

4. Work every other day on the car + don't be afraid to learn something new + Barter parts for computer services + have great friends that own a shop + sell rebuilt small block for 440HP + barter some more = Great results for not a lot of money

[Hemidoug]

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

Two years at the body shop? That's BS. What's taking them so long?

Not all that unusual...my 71 has been away in the shop waiting for paint for 2 years this November.  Quality work takes a while. 

[Charger-Bodie]

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

Two years at the body shop? That's BS. What's taking them so long?

Not all that unusual...my 71 has been away in the shop waiting for paint for 2 years this November.  Quality work takes a while. 

alot of factors can come into play on how long it takes to do a resto, as in my shop we do resto as fill in so if we dont have a ton of insurance work an old car gets done much quiker than if we are swamped.
I would also like to add that we make this VERY clear to our customers 

[bull]

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

Two years at the body shop? That's BS. What's taking them so long?

Not all that unusual...my 71 has been away in the shop waiting for paint for 2 years this November.  Quality work takes a while. 

It's not really quality work if they're not actually doing any work is it?

[greatwn73]

 

  With the Charger at the stage where its a dependable driver, I'm about to start the next project but with both I am following similar stratagies.

1. Read and save money
2. Plan and save money
3. Find a car that fits your plan, budget and your abilities----- and save money
4. Do what you need to do to get it running where you can enjoy it but not have to double your work later. I found that if I got to use it I didn't lose interest and made the next stage easier to tackle. Safety first , appearance next, more power last.

  It took 4 years with the Charger but I've driven it every summer.

[HeavyFuel]

It was stored away from my house for about 4 years, then was in my third stall taunting me for about ten, while I was raising babies.  Now it is completedly apart, and the body has been at the painter for the last two years.

Two years at the body shop? That's BS. What's taking them so long?

Not all that unusual...my 71 has been away in the shop waiting for paint for 2 years this November.  Quality work takes a while. 

It's not really quality work if they're not actually doing any work is it?

Bull, you hit the nail on the head. 

I get lots of promises from the body shop, with no delivery.  This is not a complete resto for them, either.  All they have is the body work and paint on a naked unibody.  With minimal rust.

[gordo1968charger]

being a body man i started putting the new boot floor in,then that ended up with a rear lower valance,before i knew what was happening all the body panels were in the shed and the rolling shell was bare metaled off and getting ready for paint,that took me 7 months including taking the engine out and painting the engine bay and refitting the engine and headers and new exhaust.
my credit card was maxxed out at this point.
so i applied for my taxi licence to give me extra cash to complete.
i bare metaled my front fenders,these were f**ked,not rotten just lots of previous repairs,farmed these out on my mate who has a great deal more skill than me(thanks jeff)
he ended up doing the hood and bootlid and doors while i put the new interior in,
this took another 8 months.
credit card still maxxed out!!!!!!!!
the rest i m doing as rolling resto.
i ve done the front and rear suspension,and a ssbc front disc conversion,
credit card is now considerably lower than it was.
on with fitting a dana and gear vendors over the winter.
the second job really helps with buying parts and i recommend it to anyone,most weekends driving a taxi pays better than my regular bodyshop job.
new  cope racing gearbox and stroker sooner or later.