Don't start with the cheapest car. Most likely the $1000 will cost you more in the long run than the $6000 car and the burnout issue goes way up.
I do it all wrong. Using my special rose colored glasses I can see the finished project, done in the near future That is probably good advice given by @sunbeam and @Mr cheater but I've never been smart enough to heed it. The 38 Chevy that I have had for over 50 years was a basket case but...I didn't need a lot of parts and at the time junk yards had the parts I was short. I broke even on a Vette, that is about as good as I've ever done. I bought three additional Studes to build the 53 coupe. Instead of a year it took four years to build it. It is a hobby. I probably should have left the current project rust bucket Ford Unibody in the driveway where I found it. All I can hope (for my wife) is that I'll get it done before I croak so she doesn't have to sell a pile of parts. While I was building the 53 Stude I got some rebuild knowledge assistance from another Studebaker aficionado. He bought. what he thought was a nice car. but upon further "inspection" his was actually just a bondo queen and not really any better than mine I guess my only thought here is to stay away from shiny paint My wife looks at my projects as a way to enhance my mental health. I don't do well unless I have "something" to do.
Be honest with yourself....with your budget, skills, space available, time frame, motivation, etc. they all come into play.
“I can see (insert project here) how it will look when it’s done in my minds eye. And it’s only going to cost (insert wildly low estimate here). And it’s only going to take me (insert foolishly short time frame here). “At least that’s what I’ve been telling my wife for about the last 50 years. But, after about 10 or so projects, she finally got wise to me. And thank GOD, she doesn’t care.
Yes, I tell people to buy the most complete car you can afford. But before you spend the first dollar, you have to be honest with your skill level, how much can you really do, and is there someone close by that can help you in a bind? The cost to build the project, the big high dollar parts add up to less the 1/2 of the cost to build a ride. The time involved, if it doesn't run, and it needs several parts, or repairs before it runs, you are talking about 2,000 - 3,000 HOURS of work time, before it can hit the streets, that is actual productive work hours spent only on the project. The time not working on the car does not count in the build time. Time flies by way faster then things get accomplished on a project. My last project was 2088 hours actual hours (like if I was billing a customer), start to finish, not counting paint and body work. The space requirement a dissembled car takes up. A dissembled car will take up 3x the space an assembled car takes up.
I honestly prefer a disassembled project even if it's missing some stuff. Teardown is a significant portion of labor on any project.
Where were you 5 1/2 years ago when I bought my project?? What a mistake that was!!! You are Soooo cirrect.
I've told my son for years to buy the best car you can afford to start with and unfortunately seldom take my own advise. The better car you start with helps with cost and burnout as the project progresses, I've spent a lot of time to save a few bucks but have more time than money.
Depends on your timescales. I see builds her that are 5-10+ years long. It's 2 years max for me, any longer and I loose interest in it. In any case number 1 priority is little or no rust. Bid expenditures for me is paint and interior. All the mechanical and fab work I can do but I leave some stuff to the professionals.
I agree with the ‘start with the most complete/finished car you can’ with one big caveat. If the chassis is not factory, make sure it was built by someone qualified. Eg Sketchy welding on a home built frame/chassis could be very painful to deal with (or worse terminal).
I learned; "the difference between ledge and rock is the size of the machine" ,in parallel, "the different between a too big project and a project is, the size of the shop, equipment and skills"
Let's hear it. I'm looking at old cars available for up to $6,000 and it'd be hard to find one that doesn't need about as much work as the below $2,800 ones.
Seems to me the bigger the challenge, the more I want it. All of my project cars have needed massive amounts of work. I'm a glutton for punishment i guess
I have a thing ford Econoline pick ups which is the better deal One is $7200 can you get any of the others to that point for $7200 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/wichita/search?query=econoline pickup
That is probably some of the best advice. Anybody that settles loses interest real quick once the new wears off. This goes with cars, girls and jobs. The other thing as everybody else has said Make sure to be honest about your skill level, What tools you own and are willing to buy, If You only have a real basic Chinese tool set You probably don't want to buy a car that needs a full rotisserie type restoration... You also have to ask yourself How motivated are you really, I mean we all talk a good line but would you rather watch tv or sports or be in the garage and do you still have that drive to want to build a car like you did when you were 15 or 16 or are you more of a Don't think about cars much anymore but occasionally you'll see a really cool one on the street and it'll make you want one again for a day or two or are you crazy passionate. You also need to be honest with what your budget is and whatever you think it's going to cost you should probably double it. Lastly if you are getting one of the orphan cars or a vehicle that no aftermarket parts are available for as everybody else has said you want to get the most complete car you possibly can. You know if you buy a Model A and it's missing a few bits you can probably buy them either used or through the robust aftermarket restoration scene. But if your dream is a 1932 Studebaker dictator coupe You need to find a really nice starting point. Lastly something that I don't see too many people mention other than their wives are supportive You need to make sure that your wife and or kids are supportive, I'm single but when I have been in relationships they understand that cars are my thing and most of them really like the fact that I let them drive them once I got them fairly reliable. Some women on the other hand really don't care about old cars and they may get cranky that you're going to spend two to $3,000 hours in a garage doing a nut and bolt hot rod restoration. For the record you can make a really fun drivable car for well under $5,000 and it will still be as fun as that car you put two or $3,000 hours into if you are into cruising. If the build is what you are into then the reality is you know what you're getting into and all of our vice is going to fall on deaf ears because you're going to be just like the rest of us and you're going to do it anyways because we all wear rose colored glasses and that rusty roadster sitting in the field you can see the vision of it done and nobody's going to stop you from doing it. Lol
I can relate to that I always fool myself into thinking it's going to be an easy project and it won't cost a lot but then I can't leave it as a beater I have to take it to that next level and as soon as it's done and honestly a pretty nice car to drive and fun to drive I sell it for a small profit and I start all over I've been doing that for 30 years now since I was a teenager. For the first 20 of those years I probably didn't turn out profit lol
All of the above plus this: Buy a set of factory service manuals. Engine/driveline and body manuals. I am NOT talking about Motors or Chiltons. Get the real deal factory manuals. They have breakdowns of all components and factory part numbers plus illustrations. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man but I find it irksome to see questions on here asking about how something comes apart or what do I need to fix this. If you have the manuals you can look it up. Having grease stained paper manuals is traditional.
Hello, I am in the minority, but, the starting point is not a rusted body found in a forest to drag home for a long time standing project, whether it is a dream or not. If you start the project, more power to you. But, those discoveries, as nice or not nice as they are, cause more start stop situations than we all like to have. Yes, it is nice to discover a 32 Ford Sedan Delivery with a couple of doors in a dense forest. So, long as you have the time and money to spend “fixing it up.” I can see the sedan delivery being loaded and unloaded to be dragged into the corner of the garage. Now, most have to move a daily driver outside to work on the new acquisition. We see this as a not so good thing. The thing that gets you, or anyone to work should be at the top of the pyramid. If one does not have a car to get to work, well, then we know the rest. So, choices have to be made. It is like the folks that have a nice two car garage and it is full of boxes, collections and a bunch of stuff that who knows what is in each box. One of our neighbors has a nice two car garage. For the last 23 years, both of their daily driver cars have been sitting in the driveway in front of the closed garage doors. One day, we walked by and they actually had their doors open. We were flabbergasted. The cars were new 20 years ago, now, they are not so nice and paint is now called flat paint, not shiny. So, the implication is, what is so important in those boxes that overpowers the important daily drivers being treated so badly? Jnaki When we started looking for a project in our twenties, we had a woody station wagon in mind. A two door Model A Sedan, a 50 Ford Coupe and a 65 Chevelle 2 Door Station Wagon… the last of the two door “Nomad” style wagons not called a Nomad. The condition of a new found project, had to be fair to good. For us, we had two daily drivers in great condition. But, had the time to do work and a space in the small two car garage. No garage/yard facilities for any long term project or heavy motor exchanges. Modifications to meet our own needs and add a few changes along the way. But, at least it would be a rolling project. We whittled it down to a old Ford Woody Station Wagon with a 283 and 3 speed. It was going to be our rolling advertisement for the photo business we had created. Then we got priced out of the 65 Chevelle Wagon, although it would have been nice for our surfboards and camping. After many months of repair/replace and detailing, 100+ miles on a weekend drive to our old Caspian Avenue house in the Westside of Long Beach, where our mom still lived, was a snap. It was comfortable in the bucket seats and quiet from the full upholstery installed. The 327 purred along the Coast Highway or if needed, a run on the freeway, which was rare. We liked the coastal drive back to the big OC area more than freeway driving. Finally, we decided we had enough time to do some minor repairs if necessary, but still have a rolling car to use as a second+ daily driver. We ended up with a 327 powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. It looked nice and finished, but it was a long way to be safe and sound as we would be using it daily. The project took months of hard work and repair bills. So, we knew what it was going to take to get a good handling, safe hot rod for our own uses…YRMV Eventually, it took a long time for a great running and handling hot rod for us. The 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery was fine for all of our needs. Cruising, daily driving, camping and coastal beach adventures all fit the mode of the day for both of us. My wife like the final finished model as much as I did and was usually the first one to grab the keys and take off for her day’s worth of driving.
The Jalopy Journal
