Cost to Restore 1980 Tran Am?

Flash Gordon said:
Whatever Dwayne :rolleyes: I'm not going to waste my time arguing this with you. I know what I'm capable of and you don't ;)

I won't be responding to this thread again, so if you make another post, that doesn't mean you win :cool:
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I'm not arguing, I'm just saying that no one (not even you) can PROPERLY restore a car for 6k. Anyone is a fool if they think they can.

BTW I win :D
 
EASY now children. Consider this a warning to both of you. I don't know how many times I need to post that INSULTS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Get your act together or take it elsewhere.

*Edit - Infractions have been issued to both of you. Let's get this thread back on track, and please don't make me babysit on Friday night. ;)
 
Dubbin1 said:
I'm not arguing, I'm just saying that no one (not even you) can PROPERLY restore a car for 6k. Anyone is a fool if they think they can.

BTW I win :D
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I have to agree.... 6k doesn't cover paint and prep let alone any true restoration that needs to be done. If your labor is free, 6 grand could buy materials. I would think a proper restoration would have 6 grand into motor/trans work.

If it were me, I would just find a nice example of a car already done up. without even looking, I know of two cars in my area under 15k that are ready to roll. new motors/interior/paint. You are better off buying than restoring if money is a concern
 
Hard to say without seeing the car but you would likely spend $5-10k just for the body work. You can definitely get it done for cheaper, but you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to car restoration.

I'm working on a '63 Austin Healey MKII restoration and we probably have $10-15k just in parts now. :props:

Unless it's a rare car or it's holds some sentimental value, I'd agree with some of the others above. Sell it and look for something that is already complete.


I restored/repainted 2 of my cars with a lot of help from my father. (He did all painting and major body work)

It's been a long time since we did them but we had under $1k in materials on each car, which was all I had to pay for. Obviously things cost a little more now than they did in the 90's. Neither of my cars had any rusted panels though and the interiors were mint. I had a total of about $8-9k into the Monte Carlo resto (engine, trans, wheels). It was pictured in the Dec '98 issue of Car Craft Magazine.

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Prelude was just a color change
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RaskyR1 said:
Hard to say without seeing the car but you would likely spend $5-10k just for the body work. You can definitely get it done for cheaper, but you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to car restoration.

I'm working on a '63 Austin Healey MKII restoration and we probably have $10-15k just in parts now. :props:

Unless it's a rare car or it's holds some sentimental value, I'd agree with some of the others above. Sell it and look for something that is already complete.
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Would love to see pics of that AH! We have a 65 that my wife wants me to restore and I think the hub-caps and the radiator cap is the only thing salvageable!!! LOL
 
You could do it for 6k if you know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Perhaps others dont know what they are doing?
 
dad07 said:
Would love to see pics of that AH! We have a 65 that my wife wants me to restore and I think the hub-caps and the radiator cap is the only thing salvageable!!! LOL
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Sure!

Here is how the car arrived. (white one)
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originally the owner was just going to have us repaint it...
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tightening some loose screws on my old man :D
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Then the owner decided to go all the way with it.....
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The more we dug into the more we found! It's at the metal shop now getting LOTS of new metal welded in. Apparently it had a V8 in it at one time and they hacked away some of the firewall. We have a complete brand new interior from Heritage at the upholstery shop now.
 
Great Pics Rasky, I think the owner will be glad he went all the way on that!
 
Digging out the the Dec 98 issue of CarCraft now ;)

Chad isn't it a shame that we don't know a thing about properly restoring cars...
 
Dubbin1 said:
Digging out the the Dec 98 issue of CarCraft now ;)

Chad isn't it a shame that we don't know a thing about properly restoring cars...
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If you still have the issue would you be willing to sell it? Mine is damaged and the cover is tore off. :(

The key is "pictured" :)

Just a mid sized pic with a paragraph or so. I was at the Car Craft Summer Cruise and some guy came up asking questions and then asked if he could take pics. Had no idea who he was until I saw the issue. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well the car is my wife's great uncle so it means somthing to her. Love the picks rasky! Wish my dad was as helpful :)
 
RaskyR1 said:
If you still have the issue would you be willing to sell it? Mine is damaged and the cover is tore off. :(

The key is "pictured" :)

Just a mid sized pic with a paragraph or so. I was at the Car Craft Summer Cruise and some guy came up asking questions and then asked if he could take pics. Had no idea who he was until I saw the issue. :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I might be able to come up with another copy, if so its yours.
 
Here is a pic of a Camaro my client restored himself other than bodywork. It was a rotisserie restoration done in his garage over two years. Even rebuilt the motor himself and every part down to nuts and bolts is new. Cost including body and paint was over $70k and he did ALL the labour himself. Restore a car for $6k? Wishing you all the luck in the world, you'll need it

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