restoration costs?

[rdefabri]

Carl, as usual, hits the nail on the head. There is no coming out ahead in classic car (or motorcycle) restoration. But as Enrique says, it's about fun and enjoyment of doing something special, and the pride of ownership that makes it worthwhile.

I think most of us are in the same place. Given my job, my family, and lack of budget to spend on 2 classic cars and 1 classic motorcycle, I almost have to do most of the work myself. At least the Z is a fairly easy beast, and aside from rust a high quality runner. As Carl says, find the best example you can find (e.g., someone's restoration) and buy it.

[Oiluj]

This is second-hand info, so I don't know how accurate it is.

I was told that a complete, ground-up restoration to original "show" condition at Z-Car Garage in San Jose runs about $50 to 60K. Ouch! (that's not including the car). Of course, that's silicon valley pricing...

But if one has more money than time, why not? While my free time is limited, I certainly don't have that kind of money to put into my Z. Makes me think my time is well spent doing most of the work myself !

[Oiluj]

FWIW, I'll have $23.5 K total in mine when it's finished. That includes $3,500 for the engine, $6,000 for paint, custom seat uhpolstry, aftermarket A/C, new wheels, spoilers & new suspension components.

Given the additional $15K to $20K in labor, that $50-60K number doesn't sound that far off.

[MarkDixon]

TOXIC,

My advise to you....

Sell your car for whatevery you can get for it.

Save your money and buy a Z that has already been fixed up/restored/refreshed

You will spend much more money if you try to fix up yourself.

especially if you are not planning on doing most of the work yourself.

I as well as most of the people on this forum has spent much more money on restoring their Z than they will ever be able to get out of it if we sell it.

However, when I take my car to the Historic races at Road Atlanta and people come up to me and tell me what a nice Z I have; the proud feeling I get by telling them I have restored the car myself is priceless.

I don't think you will get that same feeling if you spend twice as much money to have someone else restore it.

The only advantage of restoring a Z yourself is: you can do a little at a time. Meaning - you can spend a couple hundred dollars here and there. A couple thousand dollars here and there, and in a few to several years later you will have yourself a nice restored Z.

However, in the long run, you will have spent much more money than if you save up and buy a z-car that someone else has restored and needs to sell.

[fuzze]

Hello all , I have to agree with MarkDixon , if the cost is a concern then you are way better off to purchase a completed project . If however you want to learn and experience a refresh such as what you are doing ,keep on the path that you have chosen .The benefits of doing things on your own far outweigh the instant gratification of just laying out cash and driving away . The process , and I think most on this board would agree is why we all here in the first place .

Enrique , thanxz for the kind words and the reinforcement of our beliefs and thoughts .As a kid growing up I used to hang out at my friend's older brothers bodyshop and I remember clearly when a customer would come in a pick up a completed project and the smile on their face would tell the picture . I would then see Brett smiling as well and it wasn't for the money . It was for the opportunity to engage himself in a process that brought great satisfaction .

Just like what we all are doing here . have a great day all

Chris

[ToXIc]

thanks for all the info guys.... i appreciate it....

[dkd021]

If I had it to do all over again, I'd have just waited & overpaid on one of the Nissan sponsored restorations. Even if I'd overpaid for one of those cars I'd still be "ahead" of where I am now. Another avenue I should've went was to just buy one of those $15,000 cars you see on Ebay. I could've flown out & inspected quite a few myself, bought it if the condition was good, & still had a ton of money left over.

It's taken me several years & I'm still several months away from being done. Even when I finally drive it, I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy it. All of the work I've put into it, I'll be paranoid just driving it down the road.

A real restoration is a lot of money. A whole lot.

[Zak's Z]

dkd021: I almost agree with you. If I spent more on the front end, I'd be ahead of the game on the back end. I really wanted to DRIVE a 240z...and now I'm looking at it all in the basement lately..

fuzze: You have a great outlook on your project. My son is 8, and he always asks when were going to get it done, and how he wants to help out with it. You cant put a price on that. He only lasts about an hour before he loses interest, but he likes monkeying around with the tools and doing little jobs. Even if he forgets all about it in a few years, those will be my fondest memories.

Now that im 'in too deep' I am enjoying it and learning alot. I never would have learned like this from a car that was already finished, but then again I'd be driving a Z right now. When its finally done, I'll have the best of both worlds.

TOXIC, you have a tough decision to make! Either way you'll have a Z. It'll be done and you can drive it, or it'll be a project and you'll have to get into fixing it up. Its a win-win situation.

[psdenno]

I think those who mentioned the value of the pleasure you'll get out of doing a lot of the work yourself are correct. I'm refreshing a '71 Z, that I bought new, with my son who is approaching driving age. I'm not sure which of us is having more fun with the project. In the past, I bought a better than new 1970 Porsche for pennies on the dollar after the restorer decided to move on to other projects - an excellent way to acquire a great car. But the only warm fuzzy feeling came from knowing I saved a ton of money, not that I had returned a car to fine condition. I think I like the creative feeling more.

Dennis

[dukedog]

Carl well ventelated area when using Chemical's. A 100 point Z would not cost that much! with the amount of parts out their.

Restorerd:

72 SB Chevy 450hp 383 stroker

72 RS Camero 600hp 427

69 Bronco

92 DSO Notch Back Mustang Maxim Mtr Spts Susp. 150+ mph (Ran out of road)

71 VW Vert Baja 20" of travel 3220cc 250hp

[EScanlon]

Another thought along the same lines:

Anyone with enough money can buy a car...sports, classic, rare, exotic, all it takes is money. That's what the jet-set does, but then again, they don't have the time to take on a long project. To them the trip is about the destination. If that's what you're into, buy the best car that someone else has worked on.

But don't expect to be seen in the same light as those that have skinned their knuckles, shed a drop or two of blood, sweat and tears, or spent weeks or months looking for that specific part... trying to bring their "baby" back onto the road. To those that have travelled this other path, it's not about the money, and while the destination has always been in mind, it's the journey there that's part of the trip. Once you're there, you're filled with memories of the journey itself and you share them with others also along their paths. Money can't buy those memories, nor the friendships, nor the satisfaction. It's not about the money, it's about the process.

FWIW

E

[beandip]

Once again EScanlon nailed it. I did most all of the work on my Z in my garage at home. Scanlon taught me how to work the sheet metal and the proper way to sand and prep for paint. He helped a great deal on the body work . Scanlon shot the color and clear also. I did all the mechanical work disassembling the car and reassembling her by my self, R&R of the engine tranny and all the drive train. For the most part I enjoyed the process , I became discouraged at one point and if I hadn't driven the car for 2 years prior. It would have been difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I had that going for me and friends that encouraged me. Three years later and I took my first drive. And it was all worth every minute of my time and some times frustration . At first I was vary defensive driving her because of all the time invested. No longer really , she is a strong runner and I love to drive her like she was meant to be driven. Not abused but pushed in the twisties. I would do it again in a heart beat. I don't have room for another project or the funds really so I work on others Zs to get my Z kicks. I learned a lot on this car and made many good friends that I wouldn't have otherwise. Gary