Cost to Restore 1980 Tran Am?

Mazda.Mark

Mazda.Mark

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I know we are detailing nutheads, but I have noticed some of you are real muscle car connoisseurs.

My father -in-law has a trans am in the yeard rusting away with only 39K miles on her.

Mody work is good, has 2 large rust spots on passenger door and trunk. They live i NY and I'm in IN so I cannot post pics.

Basically I understand it needs paint job, tires, wheels, interior refabricated and a few mechanical enhancements.

I have NO prior experince in this but want to take it on as a project I can tinker with in my free time.

Anyone have experience dealing in this area?!Feed back please

Thanks AG!:thankyousign:
 
Well, I'm not sure what mody work is, but if it's really been sitting "in the yard" you'd better take a hard look at the floorpan, etc. especially since the car is in the rust belt. What's with the interior? Did the T-tops leak? What wheels does it have on it that they need to be replaced?
 
Wheels and tires are not that big of an issue. The issue would be the rust, the bodywork. Is it getting painted the same color? Also, look at the floors and inner rockers and cowl area for any issues.
 
No one can say what its going to cost to restore any car but if you are looking at a complete restoration you can figure in the neighborhood of 30k + to do it correctly.
 
I have done a few restorations in a body shop that I used to work in and I can tell you through experience that the deeper you dig into the car , the more rust you are going to find so as far as cost is concerned it is subjective to the intensity of the restoration.

In other words if you are going to just bondo up the visible rust and shoot a cheap paint job you can expect to get better than $5000 into it but if you intend on taking the car apart and cutting out all of the rust and welding new steel into it the cost will likely outweigh the importance of getting the job done.

There is a guy right up the street from where I live who has been doing a front yard restoration on a 1980ish Trans Am and it has been an ongoing project for him for over 2 years now and he has just now got all the rust cut out of it. Depending on how he goes about it from here. I would venture a guess that he'll have upwards of $30,000 invested in it if he does a complete and thorough restoration.
 
You'll also need to ensure the frame is in good condition. Depending on how long it's been sitting in the yard, it may be completely rotted out. Then you have to worry about the body mounts, which are most likely starting to go. I have an 86 442, that I kept good care of until the motor blew in it. Ended up sitting in my yard for a few years and just those couple years did major damage. Mice had nested in it, the body mounts had started to rust, floorpans rotted out...electrical was an issue due to the mice. And the list goes on. I ended up selling it for $800.

Like everyone has said it really depends on how far you plan on taking it...
 
Dubbin1 said:
No one can say what its going to cost to restore any car but if you are looking at a complete restoration you can figure in the neighborhood of 30k + to do it correctly.
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:iagree: 110%
 
I understand sorry for the typo should have said body work.

I guess I need to get a better look and a second opinion from someone who has more knowledge than me.

I guess this is a project I need to hold off on...or possibly pass on. I would love to take on a project but I mostly want to do just fabrication. Interior/Exterior work is about what I want to handle and master thne move on...

I knew you guys knew your stuff! Thanks again! Sounds like I will tell him to just get rid of the car b/c I know he will not spend that kind of money on a car.

Mark
 
SeaJay's said:
Ended up sitting in my yard for a few years and just those couple years did major damage.
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I knew a guy who had a 30's car sitting in his parents barn that he kept telling me he was going to restore, that it had been sitting in there for x decades (this was 25 years ago). I didn't see him for a while and I asked him about it, and he said he had to junk it because it was all rusted...even though it was inside, parking on a dirt floor for all those years had done it in.
 
Trumbo_S10 said:
I knew you guys knew your stuff! Thanks again! Sounds like I will tell him to just get rid of the car b/c I know he will not spend that kind of money on a car.
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Hold on there! Just because it might cost 30K to do a frame-off restoration, doesn't mean you might not be able to get it on the road for a reasonable price. It all depends on the expectations, etc. What is with the wheels and interior?

OTOH...if it's all rusted to hell already, the die is cast.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Hold on there! Just because it might cost 30K to do a frame-off restoration, doesn't mean you might not be able to get it on the road for a reasonable price. It all depends on the expectations, etc. What is with the wheels and interior?

OTOH...if it's all rusted to hell already, the die is cast.
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I know and I really need to take a look at it completely.

Just numbers like 30k is crazy to a recently married couple still living in an apartment with fresh student loans to pay.

Next time I am in NY I will check it out and if I take it on I hope some of you braniacs will still be around to help!
 
Interior is just used annd abused rips in seats and fabric came loose from the roof. Instrument cluster looks rough but many of these items maybe be salvaged by some tlc.

Rims may be ok tires are shredded. Dad says it just needs a charge to run so thats a good sign.
 
I think it will be a cool car. Get it off the lawn, hopefully the rust won't be too bad, a stop at an upholstery shop and maybe someone will be driving a (to some) classic! I myself prefer the ones a couple of years older that don't have the droop snoot.
 
Trumbo_S10 said:
I know and I really need to take a look at it completely.

Just numbers like 30k is crazy to a recently married couple still living in an apartment with fresh student loans to pay.

Next time I am in NY I will check it out and if I take it on I hope some of you braniacs will still be around to help!
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You don't have to do it all at once.

10 years and 45K later ;)

IMG_0453.jpg
 
You should also do some research on the car. If it is just another trams am, you may not get your money out of it. The mileage you listed is very low for the age of the car.
 
I recently went through a rotisserie restoration of a 1970 340 Plymouth Cuda and when all was said and done the cost was close to $45,000 and then some.

This was a professional restoration and in the end the quality of this car was about 400% nicer in fit and finish than when it rolled off the assembly line. The restoration and replacement component quality was incredible compared to the original parts.
 
Dubbin1 said:
You don't have to do it all at once.

10 years and 45K later ;)

IMG_0453.jpg
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BobbyG said:
I recently went through a rotisserie restoration of a 1970 340 Plymouth Cuda and when all was said and done the cost was close to $45,000 and then some.

This was a professional restoration and in the end the quality of this car was about 400% nicer in fit and finish than when it rolled off the assembly line. The restoration and replacement component quality was incredible compared to the original parts.
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Those are some great rides!
 
Like others have said it really depends on how bad it is. Body work and paint are very expensive, especially done right. If you do decide to tackle it, make sure you are wanting to keep it. Most often then not, you will have more money in it then what it is worth. This is a reason why many people buy completed cars, its simply cheaper then building their own. Expect the condition to be worse then you think and expect it to take longer and cost more as well. I am redoing my 67 as we speak and it has already cost me a lot more then I had thought and this is my father and I doing all of the work. Get some pics and post them up.
 
Trumbo_S10 said:
I understand sorry for the typo should have said body work.

I guess I need to get a better look and a second opinion from someone who has more knowledge than me.

I guess this is a project I need to hold off on...or possibly pass on. I would love to take on a project but I mostly want to do just fabrication. Interior/Exterior work is about what I want to handle and master thne move on...

I knew you guys knew your stuff! Thanks again! Sounds like I will tell him to just get rid of the car b/c I know he will not spend that kind of money on a car.

Mark
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If you don't mind getting your hands dirty and have a little knowledge, you can cut that 30k down to 6k. How is the drive train? I can only assume terrible
 
i wish i knew more i just dont have enough background on it. Like I said, I am at total newb status on this and need to get some knowledgable eyes on this car.

My father-in-law said last year a guy was going to pay 5k for the car to restore it after he had it checked out???

Not sure if that helps or anything just more info for u guys.
 
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