Restoration

Was watching TV today. They were doing a 39 112 convt. coupe. They said at the end it cost $130.000.00. You got to be kidding. Just to win a trophy? 

Comments

  • 46HudsonPU
    46HudsonPU Administrator
    edited February 2017

    Talk to Mike Sheridan - His car, and he made at least a couple of appearances in that episode.  He's in the HET Club Roster.

    I recorded the show on my FIOS DVR.  Quite a few inaccurate statements in the episode, and I thought that the cost of the restoration was a bit high, but not that surprising considering...

  • Fellow had a 50 Pacemaker sedan done in Mt Pleasant, IA. several years ago by a shop, car was beautiful when done, but at $75.000.00?. 

  • ski4life65
    ski4life65 Expert Adviser
    I saw it in person and it is spectacular! Big $ but as long as Mike is happy.......
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor

    Saw Mikes car at the National in Colorado.  It is a great restoration.  You have to remember if you take a car to a professional shop the labor rates are going to be higher.  The shop that did Mikes car is one of the top shops in the world and they did a fantastic job.  Well worth every penny....  By the way, if you have Kindigit (another top shop on the same channel) do a car for you it will be above $500,000.  Only Chip Foose (overhauling series on the same channel) is working for free--for the car owner......

  • After 65 years fooling with cars, I still have not figured out this restoration thing, Saw some weird things at Hershey in the early 60,s that made me question it. A fellow won top honors with his Model T, I asked what kind of paint used, IMRON. Just one of many examples, plus all of the forign parts used. A lot of these people would not bought their cars even when they were new.  Go figure.
  • Not to boast, but I'll have probably triple $ into our Hornet, by the time it's done, than it's worth (if it ever gets that far). You can't do this stuff figuring to make money at it. We're on the wrong end of that deal. If you are going to do it, you must do so because you want to. My heirs can worry about how much of their inheritance I "invested" in it. I'm not into trophies......I couldn't care less, and I'm not into exact correctness. We're not headed for Pebble Beach any time soon. We just want a nice Hudson.

    Frank

  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    We are on the same page Frank!
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    By the time you disassemble an old rusty car, catalog, tag and bag the parts, you have a lot of hours, more if its really rusty. They don't come apart as quickly as a new car!
    Clean, blast and prep each part for painting or plating. Start the rust repair and body work on each section of parameter frame, floor pans, body panels. Many hours depending on repair requirements.
     Box up and ship parts out for plating, document each part in case the plater loses one.
    This is just getting started, didn't include the drivetrain, glass or interior,  a lot more expense for parts and time.
    I really don't think most people have any idea what even a good restoration (not concours)
    can run in time and material if better material and proper repair methods are used.
    These aren't 500.00 Maco paint jobs.

  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor

    AMEN Kerry. Having "been there and done that".

    The definition of Restoration can range from the correct nuts and bolt to just throw the floor mats over the windshield and paint it.  The cost of just "being in business" insurance, licenses, permits, taxes, capital equipment, and God help you if you have employees!

  • russmaas
    russmaas Senior Contributor
    I agree on the above, Most people think a restoration cost is around 25K.  They are still stuck in the 1980's on material prices. My cost on my last 2 personal resto's is around 50K w/o my labor.  We are talking about rotisserie restorations not just chrome is good enough  leave the rust scale on the bottom of the car type. I easily see a turn key complete restoration in the 55-75K range, depending on rust and incomplete issues. Most people going this way have a certain color, interior and preference for how they want their car to be.
  • I met a wealthy older gentleman at a car show as he came over to look at my Hudson.  He was telling me about a Commodore he had (among other cars), that he spent $40K on just the paint job.

    I repeat:

    $40,000.00 on just. The. Paint. Job.

    He saw that my eyes were probably as large as saucers and said "well, I wanted it done right..."

    The $500 MAACO job is more in line with my budget!
  • Thanks for the support. I was bracing for a tongue-lashing over my post but I see that I'm not alone.

    Frank

  • I have a $100k budget (NZ$ so $72kUSD) for my Hudson. I doubt it will get everything I want done. Should be everything other than paint.
    The car once done will be $50k-$60k i guess market value.
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor

    Ice, that statment from the old guy is too generic to actually know what what was done. I bet anything, it was a lot more than just "paint". Wanting it "done right" more than likely required some disassembly and some repair work. I'd love to ask the shop what work they performed on it,  I bet the answer would be quite different then "just a paint job".
     And im not saying there is anything wrong with a "cheap" paint job if one is happy with that. Id rather see a car that is safe and being driven then setting and rusting.

    iceblade10 said:
    I met a wealthy older gentleman at a car show as he came over to look at my Hudson.  He was telling me about a Commodore he had (among other cars), that he spent $40K on just the paint job.

    I repeat:

    $40,000.00 on just. The. Paint. Job.

    He saw that my eyes were probably as large as saucers and said "well, I wanted it done right..."

    The $500 MAACO job is more in line with my budget!

  • Kerry, that may be true.  But, in his own words, he was very clear that his paint job was $40K.  He could have been exaggerating and leaving out the other work that was done...
  • hudsn47
    hudsn47 Senior Contributor

    Well I started out to fix the rear seal oil leak in the Hornet and diagnose the clutch chatter.  Decided to pull the engine/trans to do the job right.  While the engine is out better take care of the front end/coil springs/bushings/king pins/shocks/sway bar.  Get into the engine and better do the timing chain/oil pump gear/gaskets of course the rear seal. Clutch disk/PP/TB etc.  I kept track of the parts on a spreadsheet, about $3.5K parts and then about 6 months of my spare time.  What I get for this is not resale value but the satisfaction that the car is right and I did learn a lot from some great Hudson people.  Doug

  • $40K for a paint job? That's cheap compared to Australia. One of our HET guys did ALL the body work for a E-Type Jaguar. He sent it out to be painted and it cost $60K for a car a 1/4 size of a stepdown. (That's just the painting) The work goes into all the sanding between coats which I'm sure the apprentice gets to enjoy anyway. The body then comes back to be assembled.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Ridiculous!  I have painted at least a dozen cars with lacquer for around $1,000.  I painted my Essex with nitrocellulose 43 years ago, and my Jet with acrylic (Dulon), and they still look pretty well as good as they did then, apart from normal scratches and dings form normal usage.
  • I did mine for around in acrylic for around $1000 also including all the sanding between coats. Of course, my time is free.
  • dougson
    dougson Senior Contributor
    My '54 cost about $35K to restore, have since spent about $1000 on better quality items than I originally used. Still looking for a pair of decent rear window belt trim, The ones that came with the car were warped but I used anyway. Also still looking for door sill plates. The kid that painted my car charged $5K, did a nice, presentable job and he had to do some sheet metal work as well. He's now in jail for the long term so I've had to look for another reasonable painter. Forget MACO, they want a lot to paint a "Classic" car.
  • Browniepetersen
    Browniepetersen Senior Contributor
    edited February 2017

    I have a good friend (we were in Auto body school at the same time in the 60's) that managed a MACO shop for years (he retired two years ago). I would do the prep work, bring the car to his shop and his team would do a final inspect, sand and spray primer/sealer on the car.  Then, on a Saturday morning he and I would go in and spray the car, go to lunch, and then pull the car out and inspect the work.  They did a lot of cars for me and my cost was only the paint (we used the ditzler system.)  Paint in the last few years was at or just over the $1,000 mark.  I see my friend at most car shows and we often talk about how much fun and excitement we generated.  I too am looking for a new gun man; but, most likely will do my next car in my yard.


  • Jay_G
    Jay_G Expert Adviser

    Well get ready for sticker shock.  I am having my 53 repainted from the belt line down and that is 5K.  But I am in California with the crazy air regs.  Any more good paint is many hundreds of dollars.  The days of cheap paint are gone unless you do it yourself in the garage and buy the paint in AZ and don't get caught.

    Jay

  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    The costs being quoted are sufficient reason to think about the cost as a element of moving the car to a place where reason trumps the greed of people/ government impact.
  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    The late great Janet Kale described the paint job on "Satan" a hornet coupe ... spray the enamel on heavy.  The result was orange peel and sags.  After a time lapse to cure the paint, it was properly sanded and buffed.  I saw thus GK car and as Janet said...is it nitrocelose laquer?  Great cheap
    paint done by someone who realizes how to use paint.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    We are blessed here in N.Z.  where we can still spray lacquer in the back yard.  I can still get nitrocellulose, acrylic, spraying enamel, and fast-dry enamel.  I don't use the two-pot stuff, too dangerous.  IMHO lacquer gives the most authentic appearance, but it does need compounding after spraying.
  • I once painted a car for less than $100 but I'm nearly deaf now from all that rattling.

    F

  • All them cans the same color, Frank?

  • They were on the $1 close-out table so I didn't have much choice. I rent it out as a "clown car" for parades.

    F

  • And you drove the car,i love your big red nose
  • oldcarnut
    oldcarnut Expert Adviser
    Frank.

    Maybe you were on the leading edge of technology. A pioneer of the fade to different colors in custom paint jobs.

    Chuck