My 1968 Camaro - builder?

[MarkM66]

Cost to much to have built.

Sell it to me,

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by pimlico

Wow thanks for all the feedback. The prepare your anus was hilarious!!!

He wasn't really trying to be funny......they're spendy.

Maybe I'm just crazy but if these cars cost $150K to $300K, why do we see so many people doing it?

Simple answer.......because they can!

Also you can find these types of cars on eBay for around $75K. Maybe the the parts are exactly the same, lord knows that can vary greatly! LS3 vs LS9, RideTech vs ChassisWorks, etc, etc.

You're on to something here.

Is it better to build your own through a shop or just buy one that's already been heavily worked on and customize a few things to your liking?

That really depends on you and your resources. See above.

How long do these projects generally last? Some threads I see poor guys taking 7+ years

This also depends on the person and their resources. The ones that stall appear to be due to lacking of financial resources or builder issues.

I want to stay motivated and get my 1968 Camaro started. It's a good car, but all of the fenders and quarters would need to be fully replaced. But I'm sure that's just the start of it!!

OK, here's a moment of truth that states priority.....exterior appearance. Price all you bodywork and paint out first at the level you want and prepare for the worst case after blasting.

Then price out the suspension and brakes you envision.

Then the motor, trans, rear end.

Then the gauges, HVAC, and interior other interior features.

It's a double edged sword, put a lot of thought into your desires vs the reality of how you'll actually use and enjoy the car. It's not easy, yet done right it's very rewarding.

I've had my car 25+ years now and thoroughly enjoy every drive. If I was driving it in the green group at a Nor Cal Shelby track day it would be an embarrassment. I'd like it to hold it's own in that group but how my time allows me to use and enjoy it most doesn't justify building it to that level. As is I can comfortably sell it at a profit, if I built it for the occasional track day I'd be upside down in it and not thoroughly enjoy it.

Make any sense?

[GregWeld]

I completely agree with those that said 100k in PARTS.... That's spot on.

Labor is the unknown. Depends on who's building it and what part of the country you're in - and where you send the car. Some shops are $50 an hour - some are $100+

Cheap labor quote per hour can end up costing as much or more - because all of that depends on the shop and their skill level and on and on.


So the answer is -- there is no answer. How much of the work you can do yourself versus professionally done... how carried away you're going to get (you will).

If money is your issue - buy one that is done. Even then you can get taken.... so then it depends on how much you really know about cars - and what to look for, or if you're the kind of person that sees decent paint, you don't look beyond it, and you drop your drawers.

[GregWeld]

To answer the time question..... Cubic time or Cubic Money. If you have cubic money you can get things done because the shop can jump on the job order parts and keep someone on the car until it's done. Then it's 2 years worth.

There's only so many hours in a day - if you're building it yourself - and that is 1500 hours -- that's a full work year. Got a real job too? Oh - now you're 4 or 5 years out doing it yourself.

[YAMATHUMP]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

.... so then it depends on how much you really know about cars - and what to look for, or if you're the kind of person that sees decent paint, you don't look beyond it, and you drop your drawers.

Funny....but oh so true.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Originally Posted by Sieg

He wasn't really trying to be funny......they're spendy.

correct.. no comedy in my post.. just facts.

[WSSix]

pimlico, I commend you for asking this question because a lot of people are not in touch with reality when looking at these cars or starting these builds. My recommendation before starting is to decide the goal you have for the car and the build. You're going to have to be brutally honest with yourself in all aspects that matter to you. Once you've identified that goal, then you can start working towards it. You may find that buying an almost completed car or even fully completed car is the smart way to achieve your desires. Or, you may be more interested in the journey and want to learn the different skills necessary to be able to say you built it. That's the path I'm taking for what it's worth.

One thing I would mention/caution against. You don't need a fully equipped DSE car with 700+ hp to have fun or go fast. I'm assuming you're an average Joe here and not an experienced racer. A very simple build still using leaf springs, normal size one piece wheels, and a 400 hp engine will be loads of fun to build and learn how to drive. I'd like to think that goal is what brings most of us together on this site.

Good luck to you.

[GregWeld]

Good post Trey!!



The difference between buying a car done - or building it (pro or self) is the journey. Some love the hunting and the gathering and the journey... Some people would be FAR better off if they'd just shop for a decent car and be satisfied. Whatever level that is. Not everybody needs or can afford a "SEMA" quality car.

These are "toys" for boys... and it's a hobby - regardless of what route you choose.

Just be forewarned that it's not for the light of wallet unless you have good skills and time and some talent... or lots of perseverance... and some friends to help and guide.

Beware that these cars are 40 years old. They were cheap junk when built at the factory. They suffered thru a time when they weren't worth 1200 bucks... Floor's - trunks - lower body areas are all subject to rot. Rot is easily covered over by people in an effort to cover it up. If you're going to buy a 40 year old car - you'd better know what the hell you're looking at. You better learn to look at EVERYTHING with a jaundiced eye! There's more to this than shiny chrome valve covers and shiny paint.

A buddy of mine wanted a '32 Ford hot rod. He had a budget of 25 grand. We looked at maybe 200 cars over the course of a year plus.... then one day a car came up on Ebay that was only hours away... off we went... he got his VERY NICE '32 Ford Hiboy for his budget. We did NOT bid on eBay - we went and put EYEBALLS ON THE CAR!! When we go on drives and to shows.... he's having every bit as much fun in his as I am in mine that cost 10 times as much. I think he's smarter than I am.

If you buy a done car -- and the seller claims "body off" etc -- don't just rely on pictures! I can cut and past lots of pictures off the internet of bodies in bare metal and claim it to be of "my" build. So unless you can positively identify the car - or talk to the shop that did the work etc... you can get screwed. Don't get screwed! Be smart! There's "trust" but you need to VERIFY.

In the end -- if you want to build one -- and can write a check for 100 grand today to get started and write another 100 grand check in a year... then you can start one of these builds if you don't get project creep. 100 grand in parts including a body purchase of some kind for say 25 grand.... paint and upholstery will be 50K.... and labor - lots of labor.

Easy isn't it.

[GregWeld]

Where are you located roughly?? Let us recommend some shops to go talk to near you... you can then go visit them and look and see and discuss directly about "a project" and you'll get a feel for what it takes and looks like. It's fun - you'll meet some great people. It might be an eye opener for you in terms of whether or not you want to build a car vs buy a car. Maybe they'll even know a car for sale that they know the history of etc.

[bentfab]

Mr. Weld should be and ambassador for the hot rod/pro-touring world.... Got a question call 1-800-WELD.

Mr Weld nails it on the head every time... Why because he has grease under his nails ,has money to build a professional car buy the best, and plain old knows from experience and knowledge...

I've actually copied and given some of his quotes to customers to read. I suck at being a sales man, but have a passion for what I do... This business and my work ethic and pride in what I do has taught me to be brutaly honest in every thing I do ! If you don't think and act this way it will bite you in the A$$! Not only for Me but the customer as well.

I have a $60,000.00 ebay buy in my shop that I can atest too. Person A had the car built with all the best. Everything DSE from front to back, LS3 and trans from Street & Perf. Brand new trim , interior, electrical Etc.. HRE rims, Big Brakes, Everything on the car was brand new. Probably well over $130,000.00 in the car. Car was never finished. It so called only needed a few things to get her running (that was a joke in it self) Person A ran into financial problems. Person B bought it off e-bay for $60,000 with the intent to get it running fairly quick (NOT !!!).

Well.... Now the car sits in my shop on a jig table with the hole-ass end ripped out. The paint job was so bad we ended up blasting it and found extremely poor work and unfinished rust everywhere. Hood fenders the rear quarters look new but were installed so poorly they look origanal. And on... and on.... and on....

So in the big picture (truth). Find a good solid original car and expect to spend the $ 250,000 to $350,000 for a proffessionaly built car that will start-run-drive from the first week you receive it to 5 years down the road. If not you will having to keep calling back the shop for all those fixes as if you had it built for a GOOD DEAL !

I'm not saying you can have a bitchen little Resto-mod bought and built for under $100,000 or less(depending on skill level) and enjoy the heck out of it !! But if you wanna go big there are a TON of things that will effect how you approch a build and the final out come.

Hope this all made sense ?????

Mark