I have spent 10k already and you can't tell where it went. Doing a little math I need about 20k more to finish the car with comprimises. If I don't compromise on anything I am probably looking at 40k more. Sounds like alot but my car is still a very basic build with mostly bolt on stuff. I have the body and frame seperated now and am dying to get it back together. I should of listened to my buddies and kept it running and made my upgrades one at a time until I had it done mechanically and tested. Then tear it down for ground up redo.

Almost $500 and it is nearly ready for paint.

I think these topics are loaded questions, That cannot be answered on a level playing field. Or the guy with 10 billion dollars into his car, becomes the no talent jack ass that everyone says they never want to be like.

So here is my take, The worst thing you can ever do is find out what true quality and craftsmenship is. Although it is great and fabulous, Sub par products become junk. The more detail oriented you are the more things have to be right. I remember when I could go to a local car show and be absolutely excited about just seeing custom cars. Now I go and can spot misaligned doors from 10 miles away and I constantly say things like that car is nice but. I don't go out there to knit pick everybody stuff, but the flaws just stick out more as my eyes more and more trained.

Now before I get slung up on the cross and everyone thinks I'm an snob over other peoples cars. Let me give you and example. So lets say I'm raised in a home where my mom cooks dinner every night, and for the first time when I'm say 15 I eat my first meal out side the house and it is the most amazing food. For 15 years I have though I knew what good food was, sure I had never seen or eaten anybody elses food, but the food mom cooked was good, I thought. Well I eat this first meal and I go back home and eat a meal cooked by mom again and all I notice is what I'm not getting in the food I knew and thought was so good for all those years.

Cars are the same way, once you see good Chrome work up close, Your screwed, once you see a straight black car, your screwed. Once you feel true Horsepower or torque, your screwed. Why do you think you see so many young kids driving hondas with not yet painted barely hanging on ground effects and they think they are "IT" cuz either they have no clue or don't care. Well you not a true car guy unless you care.

So to answer your question, you can spend as little as you want or as much as your pocket book will bear. There is no preset spending guide line. Some guys spend more money on the engine then others spend on a painted and one car that they think rules the streets.

Can you build a bad ass 69 camaro for 2000 bucks, I suppose

Can you build a bad ass 69 camaro for 2 million, I would hope so.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Ok 2 cents is over.

I think Bob Johnson said it best once when we were listening to him at a car show, the details in a build are what cost money. Like Rodger said, door gaps good chrome, hidden this and custom that, is what takes alot more time to build and finish than most people can imagine.

Rodger is right, build what you can afford and enjoy the **** out of it and if you really want it nice I'm afraid it is just going to be expensive not matter what! So just make if what you can and have a blast doing it!!

Well said. I too liked going to car shows just to see cars. I still enjoy the local cruise nights, but I am amazed by the guys with the 68 camaro with 15 inch cragers and the back space so screwed up the wheels stick out of the fenders 3 inches, giant drag shifter mounted on the floor, with the el cheapo chrome stuff on the engine. They think (along with lot of other people, the car is bad ass!) The reality check for me is that, after spending so much time on here and reading about the quality builds, I go to a cruise in and say to myself, my car might not be the quality of Jackass, or the Ring Brothers, but I don't have cubic dollars in mine either. Build to your heart and budgets content, keep an eye on the details, that DON'T cost money, using nice bolts, gaps, taking time to hide wires etc. The other thing is don't ad the receipts!

Darren

VERY WELL SAID!!!:thumbsup: :cheers:

the man asked a simple question and is getting page long answers regarding tastes, pocketbooks and details. It'd be a lot nicer if people would post a picture of their car and some numbers as to what they've spent on their projects. I guess talking about money spent is taboo in the car world as well. I searched the pro-touring/lateral G forums for quite some time before deciding to buy my camaro, and found the same answers everywhere you look.

"How much did you pay for paint?"

"Depends how much you want to spend."

That doesn't really help anybody.

Seems like when people talk about specific components/parts theres no issue to talking about price, but when it comes down to total project cost and paint/body cost, mums the word.

When it comes down to camaros specifically. I think a nice driver camaro can be built for 30k, a nice pro touring camaro for 60k, a VERY nice pro-touring camaro 90k, and a full blown show car 120k+. Fair to say?

Or am I way off the mark?

Sorry to make you read so much, but That is like asking how much for a bag of Groceries? There is no Defining answer. What is a nice camaro? I know it is might be 30 grand in parts and no labor. But the parts don't assemble themselves. If your looking for a building a 30 grand camaro go buy one that some guy built for 60 grand.

I guess I could quote another pointless saying, "If you have to ask maybe you cannot afford it".

I get what your saying, but every car has a pile of receipts. Why people bounce around the issue rather than just stating it is beyond me...

I'd LOVE to know what it takes to build a car like f-bomb or penny. I'd LOVE to know what it took to build Mule. I think most people would. All these cars eventually end up for sale eventually, so I really don't see the harm in stating how much the pile of receipts is worth.

We're not the owners, just the caretakers.

You know when i bought my car everyone said figure up how much you think you need to spend then double it. so I aimed high I'm figuring a 100k before i die and considering I'm only 21 and hoping to live a long life i have nothing but time now if i can just find the patients