Hot Rods where's the money?

If you're the sort who drives a $100,000 + pickup , lives in a $500,000 home, has a 250,000 boat at the marina, 1/4 mil for a " status symbol!" Is chump change !

 

84 months is 7 years!

 

Lifes too short to get hung up on what other people spend for things.
Good on the people who contract with these shops, so they can succeed, and employee skilled people.
Love this hobby, everyone can fit, no need to make it a "the haves..and the have nots".

 

^^^^This!

 

You have a problem with reality ? It is what it is .

 

Uh, no?..thanks for your concern.

 

I was at a very small but established here in our area a freind worked at. Just shooting the shit w the owner about some of the projects and the work and time involved ect.. I made a off hand comment to the tune of "man Id bet its hard to justify 100k hot rod to the ol lady hehe" Owner laughed out loud at 100k... Youd better triple that for these builds. Holy shit, I just realized why so many shop projects never get finished that moment..

 

I like to visit the SoCal high end shops when I'm out there. I get a pretty good idea how much time they put in a hi e
nd build. Troy Ladds Muholland Roadster is pretty typical of a high end build for show. Won the AMBR. I tell my friends that is a million dollar build and I would bet on it. They were still fine tuning it after the show.

 

As a person who builds $200-$300k cars for a living I can tell you that the labor is by far the biggest part of the expense.

 

The REAL problem is paying 250k, and NOT GETTING what YOU want in the build, but receiving what the shop thinks you want. I know a guy who's got 1.5 mil (so far) in a custom yacht, and he's already pissed because the builder fucked up and didn't deliver on the length and is offering lip service in place of corrections (I see lawyers in the future). I don't give a shit what a guy pays or how he got the cash to pay. That's his business.

 

it's only money - if ya got it, and want something spend it

 

And your work speaks for its self. Glad to see you still posting.

It adds up. I was just figuring my time on a set of Ford shock/headlight mounts I made for my old T. My model A has a far more complicated setup with an integrated headlight bar. On either by the time I mated the parts, blended the welds and polished for plating I had about a full days work on them. So figure 6 to 8 hours each at a "reasonable" shop rate $75/HR and my mount had between $900 and 1200 in labor BEFORE plating. Multiply that over every part of a custom or hot rod and you get those big numbers!

 

Cost $ 250,000 driven 12,000 miles asking $55,000 I don't why he is willing to take a $195,000 hickey on this car, but I would love to have him in our poker game

 

When I built that sedan to your left 30 years ago, I decided to keep track of every part and every material, every new tool needed, and every piece farmed out. I didn't keep my hours at any rate. Three months later I just threw all the receipts away. It was more than I'd figured for the whole job and would get bigger if I kept track. But I did finish it and it came out the way I wanted it. Didn't want the total to bother me.

 

You see the same customers on some of the build shows. "Build me another one". They have tons of money and a garage full of fine automobiles, good for them. My brother is an electrician, he works for a few select clients in Boston who keep him very busy. They are business owners who trust him. They have a need and he fills it. Same principal.
I am glad that in this country we can have garage builders (myself included), mid-level hacks with a shop, and high end shops employing mechanics and fabricators.

 

...with these comments I can see how the $ add up,...I'm just glad I can be happy with my low buck old cars (probly happier as I'm not sellin my stuff at a loss)
to each his own.
thanks for the comments.

 

Some folks cannot do mechanical work and many folks cannot afford a complete shop with a shear and a break, welder, huge toolboxes, an air compressor, plus all of the little stuff like band aids and safety glasses, beer and munchies. They can go to Kindig and any number of shops who produce absolutely mind-boggling cars. The nicer the nice, the higher the price. BUT, what then? can you take that stunning car to the club meeting, or to cruise night, or whatever?
Give me something like @HOTRODPRIMER ,@Jeff Norwell, or @Moriarity and his Vette... well built, nice looking, and used often.

 

I can understand people going to pro shops to have cars built. I also know skilled craftsmen need to be paid well. This Flathead powered glass Coupe is of no interest to me, and who built it isn't going to make it more desirable to me. Given time I can make a list of 12 HAMB built cars I value more. Bob

 

It’s like that in many facets of life. Even if you didn’t start off being a hotrodder, a fella may have learned to change his oil, plugs, points, etc. to save a few bucks. Hell, I’m no plumber, but never paid one for a repair, installation, etc.

Also it should be noted that highly successful people (read those with a butt load of $$) probably don’t have the time to devote building a vehicle, they’re to busy being highly successful but still want the thrill/joy it brings them to drive what they like/want.

 

I think on one of those shows their car builds start out at 250,000 and goes up from there,I do not see how the ones having them built can take that much of a loss when it comes time to sell.

 

ugh!! did not even notice that. well, at least it was not an original car.

 

I wonder how many times this topic will get rehashed.

 

if I spent $250,000.00 to build a car $175,000 of it would be the money I spent building the shop and buying the tools I needed to do it. .

 

it will stop when the day comes that people stop paying big bucks building tasteless cars.

 

Just because someone says they have $250,000 in a "Brizio" built car don't make it so.
I've seen plenty of Roy's builds and personally I don't see any of it here.
I would have to see some proof of what's claimed if I was interested in this particular car.

Mick

 

Keep in mind those "rich" people paying $250,000 for a car to be built would be able to make more money per hour doing what they are good at (whatever that is) than it costs them to have the car built.

For these people it is cheaper to pay to have it built than to take the hours our of your money making venture to build it themselves, assuming they had the skills.

 

There are people out there that have deep pockets and can afford to pay whatever it cost to fulfill their dream.

I learned early in life if I wanted something that was out of my reach I would have to work harder to achieve that dream no matter how long it took, my builds won't compare to that of Foose , Kindig , Martin Bros or many, many more.

I think the majority of our members on the Hamb build their own cars, These guy's have friends that help and they help each other and I'm sure some do the entire build themselves.

I also think driving the Hot Rods & Customs that we build ourselves has to be more satisfying, especially when some one ask you how you did a certain task or what is this part?

I'm not knocking the guys that can afford to have someone else build their dream, personally I have used some of their ideas on my cars and they do make me try and improve my builds. HRP

 

I figure if I account for the times I redo my own work, I am at about 1.8 million per car.