Can Someone Give An HONEST Restoration Price??

I own a half dozen collector cars and I can assure you that guy was WAY off! A total off frame restoration will cost closer to $75,000 and then only if you can find plenty of NOS parts. A fellow collector of mine spent a million and a half to restore a Duisenberg.

If you need anything custom made, you will pay an arm and a leg. I recently paid $600 for the hydraulic pump at Hershey for my '41 Continental convertible and it cost me another $300 to have it rebuilt.

The most difficult parts to find are the trim and rubber parts. The guys out there that own NOS parts know how rare they can be and will charge you a fortune, take it or leave it.

One reason one sees few old Japanese cars, at the old cars shows around the county, is the availability of replacement part to keep them running.

Collectors will tell you that it is ALWAYS better to buy a car that someone has restored, you will have many fewer headaches and spend far less money in the long run

I clipped the last part of your post, but if you could get a complete restore for $25,000, that could be a GIFT.

Figure labor at $100 per hour or more, just for grins.

Nowadays, a custom paint job can easily cost you $15-50 thousand dollars, depending upon how custom you really want to go. ( A "good" paint job could be a couple thousand or even less)

The engine is relatively cheap. You can buy a brand new crate engine for a few thousand bux. You can probably get a good junkyard engine for a grand or less.

To dismantle the car to the point you can cut out the old floorboards, and weld in new aftermarket floorboards, can run several hours labor (plus the parts). If the car is not a "rustbucket", then you might be able to get somebody to cut out the lacey floor panels and weld in patches. You have to do this right, or you will end up with a rustbucket.

Bottom line, it takes an enormous amount of labor to really RESTORE an old car, and parts, labor, etc are all expensive. These people who do this sort of work should be experts, not just greasy oil change monkeys, and they charge big money.

I saw that truck on Pawn Stars, and it had already had a lot of money dumped into it. The engine, tranny, basic body, etc were all sound, if I remember correctly. If you start with a sound chassis and engine, then you can get everything re-upholstered and an "okay" paint job for maybe $4000. (That truck didnt look like a lot to me, by the way)

So, what can you do? First, stop talking in terms of a car that looks and runs like it did when it rolled out of the factory. No way you can do that for a few bux. But if you set your sights a little lower, you might get out for $5-10 thousand.

If the boy wants it, he could perhaps take a night course at a community college in bodywork and general auto mechanics. Then he could do a lot of this work himself, in class, and he would learn a ton about the other side of owning a car. His cost would be considerably less. (My daughter did this, repaired the body of her Mitsubishi and painted it..)

Because these things cost big money doesnt necessarily mean that the restoration places are crooks.

Thanks for all of the great info, I really do appreciate it!!! Yeah something like $5,000 seems more reasonable, to AT LEAST get the thing on the road and driveable.

The big question is, how much damage did the stupid mice do??? Like I said, they built their nests inside the engine, under the seats of the interior, in the glove compartment box, and in the trunk. When we had it running a few years ago, the brake lights didn't work, so they probably chewed up electrical wires as well.

What do you mean by a "complete restoration"?

You say that you want it to be just like it rolled off the showroom floor. That is fine BUT there are a LOT of improvements that could be made to it with aftermarket parts. Such as stainless brake lines, better brakes front/rear, engine upgrades that would give you more power and better fuel mileage than the current worn out carbed engine, trans replacement with a modern O/D trans that gives you better cruising rpm.

For a ballpark number 25K isn't a bad number really.

If the floor is rotted out you have more work than you think. That is a uni-body car. There is no real frame under it so the body provides all the strength. Any rot means cutting out the old steel, welding in new and replacing ANY rusted metal. This means stripping the entire chassis down, either dipping it in acid or walnut blasting it, repairing the rot and then a good paint job. The panels and work can easily eat $10,000.00 not including the final paint work.

Running gear will need a complete rebuild, sitting for 15 years means checking and rebuilding as required.

A GOOD engine rebuild will take $1,500.00 or drop in a new crate engine for $2,500.00. Crate has the virtue of updated parts and usually a 3/36 warrantee. Trans will be $1,200.00 or so for a rebuild. Brakes and steering another $10-1,500.00 depending on what you need. Suspension pieces will take $3-400.00. Wiring harness will be $500-1,000.00

Interior and trim work could run over 10K itself depending on what parts you need and what is actually available new.

As for the overhauling show. The LOWEST cost car done on the show was $34,231.00. The highest was almost 100K! The ONLY advantage on that show is that a lot of the parts and labor are provided in exchange for the air time and product placement, basically the companies write it off as promotional expenses.

That 67 Ford was in better shape and MUCH simpler to work on than your 81.

Old wiring used a resin in the covering that mice love.

You never know until you get into it how much damage is done.. I would be more concerned about the rust, I think, than mouse damage, although these little beggars can cause a lot of problems.

I dont know if you can get it running and more or less roadworth for $5K or not. Depends..

But you wont do it at a restoration garage. Remember what I said about labor.

If your son cant or wont do any of the labor, you need to find a good local mechanic (not necessarily a master mechanic) who might give you an estimate and work on this thing in stages. This guy must be somebody trustworthy, or he can run up more unnecessary bills than my exwife ever dreamed of doing.

What part of the country do you live in?

This is the biggest of the worries I have, Steve.. A rotted chassis is like cancer, and fixing it has to be professional, exhaustive, complete.

In some cases, patches can be fitted, but if this thing is a rustbucket, then you have to do it right or junk it.

The OP really doesnt realize how much labor and parts costs will add into this project. Now, if she can accept something less than factory rollout condition, then maybe she can get this thing rolling.

I asked her where she was located... Two reasons...if she is in the cold country where salt is routinely added to icey rodes, the prognosis gets worse, and the price goes up.. .Second, if she is within an hour or two drive from me, I would drive up and take a first hand look. I am semiretired and it wouldnt hurt me.

But we have to separate TV from reality.

Unfortunately I am in the New England area where YES, the roads get salted like crazy in the winter!!!! And unfortunately yes, the car has been driven in the snow, and on the salt covered roads on occasion, before it was garaged 13 years ago.

hls,

Are you in the New England area? Unfortunately, my digital camera is broken, so I can't post photos online, but if you want give me an e-mail address to contact you at, so that you can give me your mailing address, and I will buy one of those cheap disposable cameras and take numerous pics of the car, and you can give me your rough assessment, if that works? I don't know?

In your opinion, what would it cost to at least make the car drivable and roadworthy?? Also, besides the floorboards, what other stuff would have to be done to the car after sitting in a garage for 13 years.

I know that the brakes and rotors need to be done. The rear main seal is shot, and the car leaks 4 quarts of oil while the engine is running ( THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE CAR WAS TAKEN OFF THE ROAD 13 YEARS AGO! BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING 4 QUARTS OF OIL A DAY! ).

Obviously the battery, tires, ALL the fluids, and gasoline has to be changed ( 13 year old battery, tires, gas and oil ).

What else? Bushings? Wheel bearings? Steering components? Gaskets? Seals?

Rear main seal can sometimes be replaced, BUT if you have a lot of mileage on the car, and the symptoms correlate with the mileage, then there is little use to hope for an engine to be in better condition than it obviously is. 4 quarts per day is very large. Now to decide what to do about it.....

Sure, tires are rotten, battery is history. Forget the oil. That will be added to whatever you are going to swap in. Gas and fuel tank are separate issues. You may have to drop the tank and steam it out or replace it.

Forget bushings and wheel bearings right now. Gaskets would likely be replaced with the engine. Steering components....maybe not needed.

I live in Texas.., If you were within a few hours of me, I would gladly drive up and see what I could do. The picture darkens since you live in New England.

Rust is like cancer. I have dealt with a couple of cars with rust problems, and they will work you to death, and still come back with rust after you paint them UNLESS you make all the repairs very professionally.

This is beginning to sound like a situation that may not be economically feasible. You can do ANYTHING, practically, if you do it right. But this car may be rotten to the core.

Why not just find a running car that is in reasonable shape, and put your money into that?

Here in the South, we dont use salt, and some areas seldom get rain or snow. You can find good cars here much cheaper than what you are trying to do.

My best wishes and most caring regards

THANKS for all of the GREAT info!!! Yes, after doing a search on Craigslist alone, there are lots of older vintage Camaros, Firebirds, Trans Ams, etc., that are running, rust free, and driveable for less than $5,000!!!!!

OK, full restoration is what you are asking for.

Seems a reasonable price for a full restore, including engine work. More than reasonable actually, may be too cheap.

True, a restoration will cost as much as a new (good) car, and as well, you are unlikely to recover the investment for such a common car.

No, you want to restore a prized '81, and there's no real difference in the work required!

Generally, yes.

I don't think so, at least 1) not a full restoration, and 2) not in the condition that you describe your car as being in. Remember, TV is NOT real life, it is entertainment only. How much did the guys get paid for labor? Zip, nada, nothing, and labor is one of the most expensive parts of a restoration!

Yep.

Absolutely real,

Just out of curiosity, does that "OverHaulin" show still air on TV, and if so, do they still do the surprise restore/rebuilds on peoples classic cars?? Because if so, maybe it wouldn't hurt for me to fill out an application with them??

For $5K you might get a basic paint job, and get the motor running and tuned up. You won't get a factory look, or a car that is dependable.

Mice? I missed that in my other post. OK, add as much as $5K for rodent damage to wiring. Perhaps even more.

If that guy who gave you the $25K quote has not seen the car, then it is not a valid quote. I now think based on the above, that it is likely to cost between $35 and $50K to get a full restore.

IMHO, go buy a recent, or new, car or truck. Sell the '81 for whatever you can get for it and you may get enough to make a small downpayment on the new car.

Restoration is not for you... Trust me, I've a several thousand square foot shop (private, I don't do commercial restorations, only my own stuff) and you are headed for disaster!

I'm in New England (Southwest NH to be exact), are you near me?

Probably everthing else, all fluids, you need an engine rebuild if it is leaking as much as you say, brakes, tires, clutch if it is manual, bet it smells rank at this point, so a pine tree air freshener too...

IMHO, there is no way you can do this for $5K. There are way too many good cars out there, that will be MUCH safer, and much cheaper.

Sell it.

(No, I don't want it, and no I won't restore it for you, but I'd be willing to look at it for you if you are nearby...)

I dont know if it is still on, but you can check it, and why not fill out a form?

"Pimp my Ride" was another of this ilk.. (Mind you, I have seen the type of work "Pimp" did, and it sucks.)

But as we discussed earlier, use your money for a good looking, running, car. Restoration is not for you.

Your advice is right on target, but you really didnt read this thread did you, Pete?