Ok Guys I need replies quickly

[G-man]

My 68 Charger is in the restoration shop... It cant get road worthy until 'certain' things are done.

These things are pretty much

Rear Wheel arches
Chasis rails (shock absorber mount rail thingies)
The rail that the rear valance panel sits on
The support stuff where A833 transmision goes (so it doesnt fall out of car)
Rear Shackles are twisted (probbably been in rear end crash in states and covered over not fixed propperly as the rest of the car seems like)
Theres a rail just infront of rear wheel that goes towards centre of vehicle... thats gotta be replaced to...
X brackets or whatever they are under car...

New paint on rear quarters

+ buy all those pannels

+ taking the whole car appart to its bare shell

+ refitting (all new suspension parts already baught - front end kit from PST - new bushings and new SS springs and bushings etc) everything back in when all those structural problems are fixed

What Kind of $$$ should I be looking at for the labour + chasis rail pannels to fix all that underneath stuff thats all not sitting right??

I got quoted around 32 000 for the whole lot...

Good to go, or WAY overpriced?

I got no idea what all that kinda stuff should cost so Just asking u guys with experience.

Theres about 4000 in parts and 4000 in pulling appart and refitting

The rest is labour in fixing that under neath + pannels to fix the underneath with + paint + primer for rear quarters as they gotta come off to do this (its not the out quarter but the inner pannel it sits on thats rusted out)

32-35k

Need to call them today whether to start on it or forget it.

[Steve P.]

I cnnot answer your question, but am wondering what you would have if it is done? Is this shop a PRO shop? It could be a BK restoration and you would just be out all that money.

I would look at much of this shops past work before making any decisions. $32K could buy you a much better car to start out with..

[captnsim]

If thats 32k...It better be a rare 68. For that kind of money I'd be looking for a nice finished one.

[Neal_J]

On the face of it, that sounds high for, essentially frame and rust repair and new suspension.  After spending the $$, you still don't have a drivetrain, paint, or interior.  I'd get some other quotes and speak to all references.

[68X426]

$32,000 can buy you a whole lot of Mopar already done right and tight and fast. 

To me it isn't money well invested.

You can get 2 really fast 16's or one awesome 32, but you didn't mention paint, driveline, and interior. Then again I don't know your goals for the finished product. It's a personal call.

[Back N Black]

It seems high to me? Unless you got the car real cheap and 32k is running and driving.

[NHCharger]

Wow, unless it a rare car that seems way out of line. Sounds like their not even painting the entire car. I'd definitely get a couple other prices.

[Magnumcharger]

Tell them to forget it.
The only Charger worthy of spending that kind of coin, would have to be one of the following:
1. Hemi Charger R/T
2. Charger 500
3. Charger Daytona
4. Sixpack Charger R/T
5. Panther Pink R/T

And maybe a few others. In a word: if it isn't a high dollar car, don't spend high dollars on it.

That being said, if you can do the job yourself, to save the labor costs, then do so.

[billschroeder5842]

Yes, I'll repeat everything everyone else has said. 32k will buy you lot of really great Charger. Actually, 25 woudl buy you a nice car and the 7k would be a great investment. Your '68 sounds like it might be too far gone. Sorry.

[G-man]

Thanks

Its just an XP charger with a 383 - A833 4 speed. Has full interior and its good interior, nothing wrong with it interior wise.

I have all the suspension needed, (torsion bars, sway bars, rear leafs, shckles, bushings, control arms, ball joints, brand new clutch etc etc etc)

Total 40k. (mechanicaly brand new). (btw thats included the 10 000 just to bring it from USA to Australia... so 30k + 10k to bring it here) - car cost 20k US which worked out to 21 495 when I got it + shipping taxes boat etc 29k, 11k on all mechanical parts.


32-35k is now ontop of that 40 to take all interior out, to pull everything out of car to then buy underneath pannels to then repair/replace all that stuff mentioned to then re-spray the quarters where repair was done on inner pannel which would have effected the the paint on outside.

Car wont be resprayed/restored... they said if I want full rotiserie resto = 85k-100k (this is 32k)

That makes whole car brand new mechanicaly and structurally sound.

All thats left then is a rotiserie resto to get the body work perfectly straight.

They charge 85 per hour. Worked out just for under neath repair 159 hours. (thats 13k in itself)

They do awesome work. Ive seen cars of theres at car shows and there work is proffessional.

Car does run and drive but they said in event of accident... theres no way thats going to be road-worthy with those structural issues.

[dodgecharger-fan]

That's pretty high, I think.

I've had a lot of the same work done - twice (really) - and I don't think I'm anywhere near 32K.

Front floors - just once
Trunk Floors - just once but needing some attention still, just not new sheet metal
Quarter skins then redone with full OEM quarters
rear inner wheel houses - bought once, worked over twice
rear valance - bought once, worked over twice
tail light panel - reworked with body tape and filler over rust holes - now replaced with new
perfectly good deck lid filler panel destroyed while welding in a rear package tray - new deck lid filler panel going in
rust holes in trunk lip filled over - now replaced with metal
pits on edge of deck lid fibre filled in ... gonna do the best we can with it
hood worked over - found to be waving like a kid on a merry-go-round - replaced with new hood
rocker panels: rust holes taped over with body tape then filled - replaced with good used rockers from the south.
front door pillar mudded over - now replaced with good used piece from the south.
front frame rail capped and then filled with body filler - now replaced with good used piece from the south
trans cross member mudded up to look like new - now replaced with good used piece from the south
both rear frame rails replaced with caps and fibre filled in to hide poor welds (you could see daylight through the rails) - now replaced with good used parts from the south
bought two used fenders - only one turned out good - the other replaced with a new one.

There's more. Oh my, there's more... and I'm still confident that I haven't hit 32k. I'm sure I will before all is done, but I've got EVERYTHING else to do on this car.

[Charger440RDN]

If the shop has not torn it apart yet my advice would be to put it on Ebay and run. There are too many deals out there now for less than $20,000

[Charger-Bodie]

I would like to see in writting what there planning to do.....I own a body and resto shop and know how much it can take to do a job right. If they are doing 33k worth of work and you fell fine about having that in the car then I say go for it! If your plan is to flip it or even be in it for less than its value,then Id say no.


This thing people say about a rare or valuable car being the only ones worthy of doing right is bull in my opinion.......These things are personal toys just like hot rods custom bikes ...whatever and they are worth any amount of money a given individual is willing to spend.period

[skip68]

Too much.   

[G-man]

When the list comes home (yes it grew 4 wheels and drove off to work today with Kim  ) of what has been gone over that needs replacing... I will copy (re-write) it here... then u got exactly what they are going to do for that price.

I dont care for resale value. Down here I can sell this car for 70k when done anyway, for me the point isnt to sell... for me the point was... something structurally sound - mechanicaly new (hence the new suspension clutch and everything written above) and good to drive with a manual gearbox for as little $ possible. Then when im ready in future pull it appart and respray it, put the nice wheels I want, upgrade to 4 wheel Billet discs 12.19 Nascar 6 piston calipers on 15" wheels etc etc (turning it into show car).

I didnt want to buy someone elses restored car for 70k to then pull the whole thing appart to do it how I want later (thats a waste of 70k).

I didnt want an RT as you dont custom anything those cars.

So I wanted a cheap driveable car (solid underneath... might run old suspension but that stuff isnt expensive to buy) that was good and solid, and whocares about how it looked... as long as I can drive it (mechanicaly brand new after parts) (given I can never restore it... least I got a car I can drive not a car that I cant do anything with)

[captnsim]

Are you in the US? If not that changes alot of things...

[G-man]

Australia.

[472 R/T SE]

$20k is a lot for a car needing that much.  It sounds like maybe you paid too much initially.   
For $20k you could have had a car like this & spent that money to change out the tail panel or whatever it was you wanted to do.  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,61012.0.html

That sounds like too much money to me. 

[Charger440RDN]

If you want one to customize the way you want, here is a cheap 68 R/T on ebay for $12,500 with the metal work already done. Just needs paint and assembly.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Charger-RT-440_W0QQitemZ220500554485QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item3356db72f5

[Charger-Bodie]

The guy allready has a ton in shipping one car to Australia....The last thing he likely needs is more money spent shipping another.

I say Continue on with what you have.It may cost a bunch of money ,but so will other cars. If you diidnt have this one already my opinion may be differant,but since you do.......

[motorcitydak]

But if you guys look at the fact that out of that 32 grand, only 13 of it is for labor, then the rest is just parts. I agree that spending 20k on a car that needs another 19k in parts is just nuts. But it may not be that bad of a deal.

Do you have the car now? So you can look it over and agree that all the parts (19 grand worth) are actually needed? I know that it has to kill you with the shipping costs from america, but I cannot think that I could spend 19 grand on new parts for my car. There are complete body kits on ebay w/ new doors, fenders. 1/4's for 3500 iirc. add a new hood and roof skin and I still could not come close to that number. Obviously there are a ton of smaller parts I am not including, but it just seems like a ton in parts

[Charger440RDN]

The guy allready has a ton in shipping one car to Australia....The last thing he likely needs is more money spent shipping another.

I say Continue on with what you have.It may cost a bunch of money ,but so will other cars. If you diidnt have this one already my opinion may be differant,but since you do.......

I agree. If it's in that bad of shape he will never get that money back in this economy. Rusty project cars on ebay are barely selling for $4,000 now. Probably better to stick with the current car.

[Dans 68]

Here is the link to the car when it arrived down under....   http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48838.msg533086.html#msg533086

Dan

[JohnBlu5]

even better, you can buy my car thats for sale for 10k, and its only a small 3-4k worth of restoration work to being in amazingly perfect condition..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220500993300

[G-man]

The parts are not 19 000!

All the labour to do everything will cost near that...

4000 is the chasis OEM replacement panels (not skins)

Then theres 400 or something to do both door hindges...

THen the rest hits up in labour + paint for 2 rear quarters at end (which wont be much for paint)... so really its all the labour cost, welding, grinding... pulling everything out including interior to shell to be able to do this work.


As far as buying that charger of you Johnblue....

No thanks.

Its gotta be a 68 Charger with a A833 on the floor and a big block!

Reason I baught this car when I did... nobody could see those issues until now when its all appart.

2nd: just to get and ship a good A833 would have cost me over 4000 dollars just for that... and to replace a 318 with even a 383 is 5000 here. Thats basicaly 10k just in those 2 things.

So for a car at 20k... when 318 cars with autos sold for that also in USA... i figured 'well i got 10k parts just in that I dont need to buy' so it was pretty good.

If anybody can find a 440-4 speed (not original - non R/T) for like 30k with no rust issues... i would consider selling what I got and getting that instead. I can always add 10k to get a new clutch, front end suspension kit, polygraphite bushings, aluminum bushings for super stock springs, super stock springs, 1 1/8th sway bar, 0.96 T-bars and a set of Bilstein Shocks 70/30 valved, 750 HP Holley mechanical secondry carb,, Wieand Action + dual plane manifold, braided holley fuel hoses, pro comp coil...(stuff included in around 6000-7000 dollars) (or sell my car with old parts and stick all those parts already paid for in new car)....

Im sure I can break even on the car as is here... and to fix all that will take 3 months... by then the new 1 could have come without a 35k issue... 30k US (32 000AU with the current dollar maybe 33 000) + shipping... im looking at 40k for the car (440-4 speed if u can find 1 with no hits and issues) + 10k in the entire new mechanical parts and everything mentioned I already baught (written above) can go in that... then its rebuilt my way...

50k done... (440-4 speed at 30k + all my mechanical parts I got + shipping + labour to fit it all in - drive away)

Mine as is with a 383 wont be done for under 70 considering the 35k issue.

Get rid of that issue and im at 42k completed vehicle with all brand new mechanical parts (written above)...

What I cant afford is "Yeah sell it we can find 1 thats great for 30k with a 440 and a 4 speed" to import that over.. and guess what? It has issues similar to the 1 I got here... then im in the same boat just 3 months further in life...

If I can get a 100% gurantee its good and wont have those issues (as in a mechanic inspected the whole vehicle there and there is no 30k chasis issues/former accidents and whatever)

Then Id do that since i already got all the new parts to go.

I dont care for paint... i just want a good driver for good $ that wont be 70+K to be drivable.

What do I do... and anyoneable to help maybe find another??