Just a question to cull my curiosity. What is the average budget that everyone is planning to spend, or has spent on their rebuild/restoration? I know that each bird is bought at different stages and price, but that should reflect how much money needs to be dumped into it.

For example, I bought my bird for $8000, but it was reasonably mechanically sound and rust-free (with the exception of a few small bubbles), but needed to be reconditioned and modernized a little for everyday use. I've already redone the suspension, brakes, steering and wiring, but I've got a long way to go and figure I'll be $20k into it when all is said and done. And then, ten years down the line, I'll sell it for $16,000 and take a bath on it (but it's still better than most 401ks).

Now, of course I'm not talking about show quality trailer queens that cost $60k without batting an eye. I'm talking about daily drivers, or moderate restos that aren't investing ten grand into an original '69 T/A hood.

I have a total of roughly $36-38,000+ in to mine, but it was pretty rough to start (see my pic link) and spent well over 10k on the body metalwork alone to have it done professionally (welding n all) I was getting hosed so brought it home right after that and completed the bodywork myself.

I call it my "rolling RRSP" or in the US I suppose a "rolling 401K"...more fun too....

I have 20k earmarked for mine...Purchase price $11k 68 HO

8-10k for paint
$700 rechrome bumpers
$800 NOS emblems
$4000 engine and related
$1200 transmission/clutch
$1000 interior
$100 rechrome shift handle
$550 silkscreen tach and rally gauges
$500 carb rebuild and calibration
$1300 wheel restoration and new tires (inc. NOS trim rings, lugnuts and center caps)
$1500 miscellaneous crap.

Where do you find such expensive Miscellaneous Crap Tom? Dont get to hung up on a budget unless you are doing it to sell. Make it the way you want. If it cost more so what. Its worth it.

i had 6 grand in my 69 bird but i did not have to buy many parts or pay much for body work cause my friend did it for almost nothing.it was a good daily driver

I don't want to know and I'm not keeping track.

Bought mine in 2000 for $5500. 10k into drive train (motor, trans, rearend, driveshaft). Another 10k into paint, rounding up missing stock parts & pieces. The car is now ready for another paint job as the first was done in 01 so I figure another 7k for next paint and then and maybe then the ole girl will be where I want her to be. So all in all I am looking at 36k when it is all said and done...

Woof. No wonder there's so many old guys on this forum. They're the only ones who can afford it .

By the way, I have a great set-up with the wife on buying stuff, spending money on cars and motorcycles, etc. The deal is that when I sell a bike or car, that money is set aside for more car stuff. The only way I could afford to buy my car in the first place, is because I sold 3 motorcycles, and held to the deal. Of course, $50 here and there to work on the car gets overlooked, and I can slyly feed the beast and inflate my overall budget.

Here's something suggested to me at the beginning of my project: take what you think it's going to cost...then double it.

69 firebird 2600
455 rebuild 2000 so far (no heads)
paint (bought today cheapo julep green/ clearcoat)200
replacement panels, misc parts ,so far 1000
planned interior should be around 1000
add another 500 for misc and thats about as cheap as I can get by with doing everything myself and expecting driver quality.
me with car I wanted since highschool=priceless

I'am with BOB on this one. Paid 2,500 for car and have done 99% of work myself.

Dont want to add up my cost of parts and things.

It would scare me.

Ehhhhhh, what's that young feller.........?

Yepper, I consider myself 'an old guy'. I have 34k into my '68, but I didn't do much other than six or seven little fixer-upper items. It was pretty much bone stock when I bought it. It was repainted 20+ years ago, and will likely need a re-do in another five or so.

My '67 will be a complete resto. I am guessing 25-30k when I am done.

But I plan to keep both for another 20 years, so maybe I can sell them for 100k each. Or in this economy, maybe 15k each? I get more depressed every day.

I have about $20K into my '69 now. If I properly strip and paint it and tend to aged mechanical systems, that'll bring it up to $35K or so.

The paint still looks fair at 27 years old, the top still looks good at 18 years old. Not perfect by any means, but serviceable and good enough for cruise night and show 'n' shine.

Only two reasons we have our car. One, we have done darn near everything ourselves even the viynl top. Second, my wife worked FIVE part time jobs at the same time in order to fund our resto because we had three kids at home in those days. So my check went to support the family and her checks went to the bird. Now if that is not a devoted wife I do not know what one is!

Amd that is a ture story!

Dayam! has she a sister?

Normally it's take the automotive price and double it for marine. Take the marine price and triple it for aviation.

thank goodness I am not the only one...If she only knew about all the $50.00 here and there.

But then again that gets me thinking, what dont I know about...lol.

I gotta say, at 34 years old with four kids under 15, (no family trips in this thing) explaining that "WE HAVE to get new carpet, and since the interior is out WE really ought to get the back seat recovered", is a hard sell.

My goal is to hold on to the car for dear life kicking and screaming until the kids are working and older, and she dosen't look at my garage as a secret girlfriend that is taking away from OUR time. Same with this site...I dont have Facebook, and no Myspace pages, but she would swear I have an addiction to this FGF site. I have had the car one year as of yesterday, about 1000.00 into "needed to run" repairs and somehow my wife still hasn't warmed up to it, and still nicknamed it "The Hag". I prefer diamond in the rough.

Kevin, you are not alone. I have whined about this kind of thing many times on this site before. So an official "welcome to the site" is appropriate.

But at least you can tell her about all the stuff you sold too. (or is that your secret stash of cash?)

Well I can understand about having kids at home. We bought our car in 2000 and had three young ones at home 14, 12 & 2. As I stated above, if it had not been for my wife working her a** off we would never have been able to fund the car let alone any resto work.

And to this day, I give her all the credit for us owning and enjoying our car so much. Our Bird has traveled with us accross the country and back litterally. Here is where we have lived over the last 9 years in order: NY, NJ, VA, PA, CA, PA, NY, FL
all of those miles with three kids, pets and one old Bird in tow!

The thought of selling her actually makes me sick. If anyone understands, you folks will...

Clarification- the car not my wife!

I remember living in VA and walking through a cruise night with my 12 year old son. He looks up at me and says "Old cars & young women, don't get much better than this does it Dad"?

When figuring your budget you just can't put a value on times like that!

Love it....that one I will remember....!

That is an arguement in itself...she crys grocerys...I cry parts...I have learned to lay low with money and it gets forgotten about...hit am ATM for 60.00, use 30.00, a few days pass and poof...30.00 gets forgotten about and ends up in Year One's account receivable's balence! Four days later the big brown truck shows up, I grin like a kid at christmas, parts get installed, all is good....Is a dirty lil scheme, but it works.

68tpls400....Those wheels should be there tomarrow...I couldnt get the tracking numbers to work but my reciept says Wed 11th delivery, let me know it theres any problems...

The other point my wife loves to make is the fact that neither of us smoke nor ever have. So she sat down one time and figured it out. If we were both average smokers we have put less into the car from the day we bought it plus everything that has been done thus far. So in her mind we have bought, restored and maintain our Bird with money never spent on smoking, works for me...

Who can argue with logic like that?

How much would you have saved if neither one smoked Mary Jane?

Or Coke?

(just for argument's sake of course)

This could go on and on.

And as Wouter says... "I didn't inhale"...

I've always said I am goofy and stupid enough without smoking or doing any of that stuff... LOL

Another Point good or bad. Is this your budget or hers?

LOL Yeah, one more thing regarding my wife. I swear I won the lottery with her as she HATES TO SHOP! I mean absolutely HATES it! I have to tell her to go and buy new clothes, shoes, purse etc. She likes having them but HATES shopping for them! There have been times where she will eventually but herself something and then later say "we could have used that money for parts for the Firebird". How crazy is that? This is all honest truth I swear...

This sounds way too good to be true, she must be ugly..!!!


And it's true, I never inhaled, I am completely innocent..

LOL I'll leave this part of the thread out when I tell her about it!

?

It is a budget..guideline, general rule..

I keep a guideline budget for the same misc. crap as does Tom, mmmmm

Laguvalin 16 yr.
Crown XR

All part of what it took to get my bird back together....

Please don't make me add it up...

I had Lagavulin 16 back in December. Mike has it priced well at $9. Man, that is some mellow, peaty, smokey scotch!

And yes! That is where my $1500 miscelany budget is for...Beer for the guys, scotch and Crown XR for getting a goal finished.

$9....? MUST be a typo...please tell me its a typo....

Yes, it is one of my favorites, reminiscent of tarry old ships ropes...and a misc. budget well "appropriated"

One must have a reward for one's goals.....

He has 4 bottles of the 2007 special release...at $9 a taste.



He aslo has the 16 year..and a Lagavulin beer. The 16 is $5 a taste.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/178/25061

LOL, just kidding, I´m sure she´s lovely. Sounds like you make one hell of a team! Keep it up!

LOL yeah after 23 years and three kids I think we'll make it!

Just pulling your chain Tom There is always MISCELLANEOUS crap we dont think about.

Allow me to propose a system that is less stressful - I leave money out of my FGF budget altogether. I have adopted a different currency - last week I bought a new rear light harness for two pints of blood. Bone marrow took care of the valve job and I'm only one kidney away from the new paint job.

My wife doesn't mind, if I put too much into the car, she gets the life insurance. -John