But everything on that car is custom... I don't think that is what the OP is after going by his wanting to preserve the current paint job.

Before I assume any more,

Rebelceb, what kind of a build are you after? A show car or a driver with nice components. That right there will tell you the scope of what your build will cost you.
For $60-75K (which is where you are headed with your 300 hour vision) you are not going to get a custom interior, detailed under carriage you can eat off of and a high point show winner.

THIS IS EXACTLY what happened to the 69 in our shop NOW

EVERYONE - Thinks its cheap then it is. EVERYONE

There is no way to get a guy to pour his heart and soul into something and work on it as if it was their own and yet give you a bid. In a job like this I want a guy to sweat the details.

If you want it built like a house, get a bid. I just built a nice shop in my back yard and found out it costs extra to have the trade guys clean up their own mess after wards. That's not included in the price. YEAH. really.

Years ago I had the cheaper guy tile the kitchen floor for my wife and every time I slide my dinning room table chair back I'm reminded that my floor tiles are not even level to each other. As it catches on every edge. I saved 400 bucks.

You almost always get what you pay for.

Vince you're correct, it's not apples to apples. My point was more of buying a finished or near finished car...it's been made real clear that these builds snowball and you get what you pay for....if you're just a check writer and don't care to be a part of the build why would you go through the hassle? If it was a Riddler or SEMA build I can see going through the build process and being part of the design process. To me, this is another 69 Camaro with the DSE catalog thrown at it that will never be more than what could be accomplished with simple bolt on's and an LS/trans swap.

To the op, be clear with what you want out of the car and do your homework. You'll either end up with exactly what you want for the price you're happy with or you won't. Lots of great info here, not just the thread but the site.
:thumbsup:

Always love these threads, brings out the guys that should have been on their high school debate teams, instead of chasing skirts and doing burn outs like I know they were doing.

Doing everything yourself is the only way I know of to build a high end car on the cheap. Even then, the parts listed alone is going to get you up there. Like a house, the framing, and big things are the cheap part, its when you get inside that the money starts hemorrhaging.

Figure an LS7 install sounds easy, hell they make mounts, headers etc. The little things you don't think about, dry sump tank, lines, and remote filter, are another 2K most people don't budget for, nor the labor to custom make mounts etc could end up another 2K.

I really don't think there are a lot of people that could build these cars cheaper then I do, but man I still spend a lot of cash on cars, and the hours easily get into the thousands. You build custom cars because you want to, knowing the budget can get stretched out of shape. That is why I would never barrow money to build a car, it needs to be something that you love, and can afford, because if it gets out of your comfort level, you shouldn't even start.

Just my 2 cents

Perfect!!! And I'm liven it!

Get a clear vision for the car before you write the first check. What will you do with the car? Why do you want to build it?

These guys are very knowledgable, but they own and build some high end stuff. Personally, I'd never get as deep as I did in one of these cars ever again. I had over $130,000 in mine and that included at least 1000 hours of my own labor. (Ground up restoration) Was it worth it? Today, I'd say no. I ended up with a car that was really to nice to enjoy safely. This hobby is like crack. Once you start, it's hard to pull on the reigns.

I'm with these guys, you are getting in to deep with your expectations. Make some tasteful modifications that won't cost a boat load of money. Then get out and enjoy the damn car. How many miles do you really expect to put on it? Would you like to leave it parked somewhere and not have a nervous breakdown. Could somebody lean on it? Are you willing to let it get chipped up?

I did this with mine but I needed a shrink. I sold mine for $85k before I folded it up into a retaining wall. Didn't miss it the day after... I just don't get attached to STUFF.

I'm not exactly sure what this reaction was for, but I'm also not sure what the negativity is about. I know you think you are the man around here because some of these guys bow on their knees for you, but you don't know my situation or what I am wanting to accomplish. You also haven't asked.

I came here asking a question, and wanting to know if my expectations were realistic. You seem to think they are not, but I have been open minded and honest about what I thought based on research I have done and other people I have talked to.

Even the builder said the end result should land less than the number of hours he quoted, I just wanted ideas on how out of range my expectation was and how I could "police" the hours they spend as well as I can. I have had guys reach out and offer their help and have offered their advice, along with actual builders stating what they thought a reasonable guesstimation should be.

One even said this- "don't get into a pissing match with guys telling you what's best for you when it's not their money."

That's probably the best advice I have gotten when it comes to a certain segment of this forum.

Thank you! I am absolutely not going after a total custom that does not even appear functional. I don't care about show, all I care about is go and enjoying the car.

I am after a driver with very nice components. I want a build that can do most anything I throw at it, from an occasional autocross event, cruise-ins, cars and coffee, date nights or Sunday drives. If it's a nice day during the middle of the week, and since I work from home, it may even get driven to the grocery store, to run errands, or out to lunch with a buddy and parked in a normal spot in the parking lot. I do not care about a high point show winner, I don't care about a SEMA car, I don't care about a shop flashing my car on Facebook and Instagram. I want a set of Recaro's for seats and the remainder of the interior the same as what I have in it now other than also a different dash/gauges. I don't want to be so scared it may get a rock chip that I never drive it. I want a car I can drive whenever I want, wherever I want, do what I want, and look good doing it. It may even accidentally get caught in the rain one of these days, oh the horror!

Vince, a PM is headed your way.

I am quite aware how much knowledge is here, that's why I asked. What I didn't ask for was people to be negative and give me a laundry list of their opinions about me not knowing what I want or what I don't know or that I shouldn't do this or that. I asked direct questions, some have given very honest, unbiased, and helpful answers. Others have not.

This is the most helpful post you have made in this thread as far as I am concerned.

I love the car, but I want to make it where I can do more with it and therefore enjoy it more. I know there are always surprises and I am prepared for those. I just wanted to know if I was off base in my thinking. I have an end goal and a vision for what I want, I just want to be sure I am taking the correct path to get there. I don't want an ongoing project for years. I want to get it done, over with, and be able to enjoy actually driving the car instead of working on it and making very little progress. I am newly signed up here, but I have been lurking for quite some time.

The biggest surprise you will find is that the paint isn't as good as you think and hidden rust in sections that will be removed during the installation of the components in your list. Rusty floor pan, upper cowl and frame rails are the most common "oh crap" sections.

The thing you are going to have to resist is that something better came out and that starts that perpetual snow ball that kills your budget and you get a car you are afraid to drive.