Length of Resto time?

snottystang · Aug 21, 2008

I was curious as to how long it took some of you to get your cars road worthy?
I have to replace my front floor pans, the bottom right rear quarter and inside trunk to fender metal as well as the front right lower quarter. I also have to paint her, install the new vinyl roof, headliner and get the engine rebuilt. I was working on her with all my spare time and was almost ready to start replacing the metal (interior is stripped as well as the front left fender) but we then had our first child. I am hoping to have it done by her 18th birthday I tell the wife, but from your experience, does 2 to 3 years seem reasonable? I am not going for a show restoration, I want her to look good and be safe. Thanks for your input.

65stanger · Aug 21, 2008

Hmmmm. lessee....I started sometime in the mid-Cretaceous......

zookeeper · Aug 21, 2008

For me, time wasn't as much of an issue as money and the scope of the project. I underestimated (big-time) what the whole thing would cost and it seemed like everytime I had saved up for (fill in the blank) then something would go wrong elsewhere at home and my car fund would get drained to cover it. But that's life and it's done now. Time? nearly 6 years. Cost? I suspect around $21,000 including the cost of the car, but I really don't know because I'm afraid to open the dreaded box of receipts I kept. Was it worth it? It would have been worth it at twice the cost, keep plugging away at your car, and it'll be done before you know it.

GNN60GT500 · Aug 22, 2008

Dont you watch Overhaulin...

You should have your car done in 7 days.

9 if you want to take it easy.

65stanger · Aug 22, 2008

But that's only if Chip and Courtney help!

bnickel · Aug 22, 2008

i got my car in 1984 and have been working on it ever since, only recently has it finally been completed but that was mostly because of money and a good bit of life getting in the way.

first sit down and make a realistic assesment of how much it should cost and how long it you think it should take and then double them and that should get you in the ballpark provided you don't change your mind a lot or your goals for the car change

Cobra6 · Aug 22, 2008

I thought Courtney was gone -

65stanger said:
But that's only if Chip and Courtney help!

Is Courtney back on Overhaulin'?

I quit watching it after she left.

And ...........
As far as how long you think it will take to do the resto - double your estimate and you should be in the ballpark (especially after having the baby) -same thing happened to me.

BDT 1967 · Aug 22, 2008

Took me 4 years, but like zoo said, mine was more of a money issue, but there is a lot you can do without cash that makes the car that much better. 2-3 sounds practical, if you have the chips, but don't rush it, the funnest part is building her.

jcp123 · Aug 28, 2008

Well, our car was road-worthy when be bought it - we drove it home - but we took two years to get her up and ready for shows.

jikelly · Aug 28, 2008

How much time it takes to restore a mustang is going to depend upon the vision you have for the completed product, the amount of time you have to spend working on the car, amount of money you have to spend on the car, and the time it takes to cancel out the effects of normal ware and tare (if you're driving the car).

I've had my car since 91 and it's meandered from good working order to poor working order and back again several times. My being a college student for a large portion of my time owning the car meant I had very little money to spend on it.

I've replace the whole suspension twice, been through like 5 engines, and personally put about 180,000 miles on my car. (I used to drive her a lot since she was my major form of transportation)

Currently I'd say my car is now around 80 something percent restored. A full restoration probably will never be reached by me because I will probably never replace or majorly reinforce the unibody frame.

Red5oh · Aug 28, 2008

Mine is a little different... I was supposed to be done in two years since we had a new child... most of the time before that, it was only 1.5 or so...

Then the real problems occurred... I was having some problems, didnt feel too good, went to the doctor, spent some time in the hospital and BAM... diagnosed with brain cancer... needless to say, I didnt work on the car for 1.5 years... I am not getting back to work on it and I HOPE to have it done this calendar year... I HOPE

gearhead351 · Aug 31, 2008

hi all im new here and wondering the same things

red50 let me be the first to say good luck brother your comments are the kind of thing that
wakes people right up! life is too short and suddenly you realize whats really important and whats really no big deal

iv built ground up lots of cars but iv allways wanted a early fastback i now cant decide if to buy one built or buy one to fix up . most the cars iv had you cant just walk in a store and come out with a van load of cheap parts i also live in u.k so if you guys are taking that long to build cars with readily available parts i think i better buy one nearly done because im sick of summers going past and my projects are in the garage while everybody else seems to be out enjoying theres.

if i could have something i could do in say 6 months that would be ok not long enough to get bored or change your plans just something i can try new ideas on wich dont keepit off the road long plus you never know what lifes gonna throw at ya so these days i want what evers quicker/easiest

basicly i want a solid early fb
when finished it would be non metalic paint manual v8 period wheels basic interior with roll bar maybe m2 front end with lowered suspension and uprated brakes etc

so if anyone can help drop me a line thanks guys catch you on the forum

StangDreamin' · Sep 1, 2008

snottystang said:
I was curious as to how long it took some of you to get your cars road worthy?

1.)I'll let you know when I get there! Just moving it down the road (without any carb fires) will be a milestone.

2.)THEN the body and chassis work. Floors are good; drivers quarter panel is bondo-ed rust, wheelhouse and trunk drop-off on that side missed the bondo, caught the rust. Rear of rocker on that side is??????
(Did I mention nobody makes repop sheetmetal for this year Cougar???)

3.)THEN the suspension/steering/subframe conns.

4.) Pull the Cleveland back out; tear it down; have the block fluxed and sonic'd. Decide if it "needs" a new stroker crank and OZ heads. EFI, 4R70W OD tranny (the only reason to get rid of the FMX). 94-04 Cobra disks, 17 inch Vintage 50's or 60's with serious meat in the tires............

Yeah, I'm estimating it will have taken me 20 years to get the car done.

jikelly · Sep 2, 2008

Red5oh said:
Mine is a little different... I was supposed to be done in two years since we had a new child... most of the time before that, it was only 1.5 or so...

Then the real problems occurred... I was having some problems, didnt feel too good, went to the doctor, spent some time in the hospital and BAM... diagnosed with brain cancer... needless to say, I didnt work on the car for 1.5 years... I am not getting back to work on it and I HOPE to have it done this calendar year... I HOPE

Whew, glad you came through that alright. Stupid cancer sucks monkey nuts!

65stanger · Sep 2, 2008

jikelly said:
Whew, glad you came through that alright. Stupid cancer sucks monkey nuts!

Speaking as one who also went thru it, it sucks MORE than just monkey nuts!

StangDreamin' · Sep 2, 2008

Speaking as the husband of an "almost" cancer victim; even the threat of cancer sucks monkey butt with the power of a nuclear-charged Kirby vacuum! Even now, the memory of the fear we were going through brings the ol' BP up a couple inches of mercury.

I wouldn't want to have experienced Mrs StDr's fears; let alone 65stanger's reality.

65stanger · Sep 2, 2008

StangDreamin' said:
Speaking as the husband of an "almost" cancer victim; even the threat of cancer sucks monkey butt with the power of a nuclear-charged Kirby vacuum! Even now, the memory of the fear we were going through brings the ol' BP up a couple inches of mercury.

I wouldn't want to have experienced Mrs StDr's fears; let alone 65stanger's reality.

Not to mention an icy chill down the spine even during the triple digit heat of an Arizona summer!
I cannot tell you how happy I am for your family that Mrs StDr dodged that diagnoses!

dansdad · Sep 11, 2008

I have a 51 ford F-1 pick up that I did a full frame off restoration on. It took me 9 years from start to mostly finished (these projects are never truly done) so now my son and I have started a highly ambitious 2 yr restomod of a 66 coupe. It will need to be completed on time or the then 16yr old will want to drive Effie... uh, no, I dont think so son...

Can they be done in that time line, certainly. All you have to do is dedicate most of your time, and almost all your discretionary funds, some of your "not so discretionary funds" and of course many skinned knuckles, ripped jeans and the discussions with the jealous neighbors who just wish they could / would be able to attempt a project like this. (Remember, many of them call a repair man when they have to pull a toilet just to replace the wax ring)

When you are done and every teenage male, many, many, many admiring folks with thumbs up on the highway, and all those old guys still sporting fifties style flat tops telling you what you did wrong are checking out your pride and joy ... it is all worth it.

And I hope to instill some respect, work ethic and mechanical know how in a rapidly maturing young man along the way.

65stanger · Sep 11, 2008

I guess we grizzled board elders forgot to mention the rule against re-hijacking a thread back to it's original topic!

dansdad · Sep 11, 2008

Well I am just glad that those grizzled board elders are still able to realize when they start to drift and need to be brought back in line.

Seriously though, I am glad that everyone is (mostly) healthy, and happy!

And who am I to think I can re-jack a hijack... geeezzzz, what nerve!

Length of Resto time?

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