Roger is absolutely right in the replies that he has posted on here. We have built cars that were completely original restorations, and we have built half a million dollar supercars. It all comes down to what do you want, because the way that pro-touring customs are going today, the amount that you can spend especially if you get into one off parts and fabrication is endless. Here is a quick breakdown of really ballpark numbers that you can go by. This is based of of if you take it to a shop like mine that does everything in house and you don't do any of the work yourself. Ths is a full rotisserie restoration plus the custom work.
Completely original restoration of a 1969 Camaro...1000 labor hours x shop labor rate (ex. 1000 hours x $60/hr = $60,000)
-Plus parts...25k
-Plus the donor car
Even here this amount can go up if you need more parts to restore it properly or if the donor car is in need of a lot of metal work
Typical pro-touring 1969 Camaro (LS3/tremec five speed, DSE suspension)
-1500 labor hours x shop labor rate (ex. 1500 hours x $60/hr = $90,000)
-Plus parts...$50,000+
-Plus the donor car
-plus custom leather interior if wanted...$10,000+
If you do nicer parts, more fabrication or a nicer interior, the cost just goes up from here. These are just basic ballpark numbers to go by, but can give someone that has never had a car built a glimpse of what it takes moneywise.
Time schedule can vary according to how busy a shop is or how fast the customer is bringing the shop money. When I have a customer that stays current on paying, a typical pro-touring build will take 12-18 months. The longest we have ever taken was just under 2 years. We built the September feature C2ZR1 Corvette in ten months from start to finish, but that is rediculously fast for a build of that level. I hope this gives you guys some insight, but just as it has been said before in this thread....take your original budget and at least add 50% because just like building a house, you are going to add things and there will be suprises when the paint comes off your donor car! These things I promise!
Jeff Page
Heartland Customs
www.Heartlandcustoms.us