Would you pay over $100K for a restoration?

[Mister 4x4]

Wow - talk about a blast from the past thread.

After re-reading the whole thing, and only being about halfway through my restoration effort at the time, saying "I couldn't do it," (with regards to spending the money) seemed so confident... and naiive.

I wonder just how naiive... OK - so after all is said and done, I'll be somewhere north of $42K into mine... for "just" parts, materials, and the paint job - shipping, taxes, and labor have not even been considered. So, let's do some quick (& maybe fuzzy) math:

Let's figure on 4.5 years of effort with a solid 3.5 years worth of faithful every/all weekend wrenching/restoring while the Auto Hobby Shop was open. OK, so that's 16 hours per weekend, 52 weekends per year, 3.5 years of "every/all weekend." Let's remove 4 hours per weekend for actual "helping the customers," since, I usually stayed after a few hours later, anyway - so it kind of evens out at around 12 hours per weekend spent on the car. It also wasn't every weekend early on, but it was after about a year in, I did spend several days on-end over Christmas breaks, as well as this past summer getting it ready for October's car show. So, missed a few here, added a few there - remember, this is ALL a pretty big WAG.

12 * 52 = 624 * 3.5 = 2184-ish total hours of labor into restoring the car - that includes teardown, chasin' parts, restoring useable pieces, fabricating several pieces, installing new parts, modifying new parts to fit, etc. - getting the car back together. Now, let's also be generous and cut me in at $50/hour (since I'm not a professional, but usually seem to get better results than some of the professionals I've encountered locally who charge even more).

2184 * $50.00 = $109,200.00... IN LABOR?!?!?! ::huh:::

I'm not even going to bother with trying to figure in shipping and taxes on said parts & pieces. :shy:

I think I need to go lie down.

 

[Austin Vert]

Yes Eric,

have a nice lie down, and i'll bring you a bucket of Panadol.

Greg.

 

[gpierce]

It's an expensive hobby. Most of us who have done even minor restorations know this, and I think we ignore the real costs. If we didn't there would be less of us due to all the heart attacks

 

[gpierce]

PS Austin Vert means Tylenol

 

[droptop73]

LOL, that's why it's a hobby!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mister 4x4]

PS Austin Vert means Tylenol

Actually, I'll take the Panadol - Tylenol doesn't do squat for me.

 

[gpierce]

When did they start selling Panadol in the U.S.? It's the exact same ingredient.

 

[cudak888]

When did they start selling Panadol in the U.S.? It's the exact same ingredient.

The owners of Panadol started selling it here the moment they needed $100,000 for a restoration.

-Kurt

 

[Mister 4x4]

When did they start selling Panadol in the U.S.? It's the exact same ingredient.

Is it? Great - now you've just killed any placebo effect I would've gotten from Greg's fine gift. rofl

Excedrin Migraine it is, then. ::thumb::

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Eric,

Jokes aside, when you stop and think about it, taking the path you did with your Mustang, you certainly took on an enormous challenge, and i guess, did things the hard way. Lets be honest, when a car is in the state it was in like yours, it obviously will need a big lot of work to turn it all around like you have done. That of course means a big outlay on buying parts, and then the labor component will be big too. In your case you have done your best to carry out works your self as much as you could, and save a bundle of money. Can you imagine what the total costs would have been if you had just given the whole job to a pro restoration company to do.

So for all your hard work, sweat, effort, tears, bloody knuckles, sore body, i believe you are to be seriously commended for all you efforts in turning your car around. And there in lies the whole point. Yes, restoring these cars is a hobby. A hobby of love and passion. Look at all the pleasure and satisfaction you have got out of the project, and look how much you have learned along the way. That's awesome! You should be, and i hope you are very, very proud and happy with yourself in what you have achieved. The end result is just fantastic!

There is no doubt that restoring these cars, no matter what level you come in at is expensive. Most of us end up doing our money in respect of putting much more in than we will ever get back if we sold on later. Hell, i bought my '73 Vert for $30,000 and have spent around $15,000 and more restoring it and dressing it up. I will never get that money back if i chose to sell it on.That's the down side of course, but consider what we get out of it on the plus side. The joy, the pleasure, the satisfaction,the pride, the self worth, and the happiness. Money can't and could never buy those things Eric. Ten out of ten mate!

Greg.