Who's working to build their project on a tight budget and how

well i know i throw a few dollars here and there at my project and do what i can on it

 

i bought a 72 dart for parts $400.using the engine,trans,seats,lights and anything else i can then im gonna cut it up sell the s**** and buy more stuff for my 52 dodge i have traded parts and sold my soul for this car in the last year i aint got **** for money but it will get done sooner or later...so good luck to you and post pics when ya can

 

Doing as much of the work yourself as you can and what you can't try and barter n trade for. Safety items you shouldn't scrimp on but cleaning up old stuff to use again is ok on other things. Get the car safely on the road and enjoy it, then you can hop it up later when the money is there.

 

l sell/trade other cars/projects l no longer need or will ever finish, this way they just don't sit and go to h#ll and someone can get enjoyment outta them. also l sell or trade parts that l have collected for other cars/projects over the years.

just today l sold a cl***ic fulton metal visior for a 1940's truck to buy the brake set-up for my 1932 plymouth.[ pics of visior ]

later

 

$200.00 at a time x eternity

 

I bought a '37 Buick Special rust bucket last fall for $550. Sold a '48 Ford panel truck shell I had to buy a '36 Buick engine and transmission for the Buick. Found a guy on eBay selling a heater for a '40 Buick, emailed him to find out if he any other parts and ended up buying a rebuilt '40 engine, trans, complete front and rear suspension out of recently restored car for a really decent price. Sold the '36 engine, kept the transmission. I just bought a '37 Buick Limited parts car cheap. Can't use any of the Limited parts on my Special but found some one who will trade me Special parts for the Limited.

In other words, lots of wheeling and dealing. Buying whole parts cars for just a few needed parts and selling the rest to recoup costs and get more money to put into my projects.

Also, try to figure out cheaper ways of doing things with either less expensive materials or do a lot of the work yourself. Search the HAMB for idea on DIY stuff, there are plenty of great ideas here.

I want to coat my frame but POR-15 and the like are too expensive for my budget. I read all of the posts about rust encapsulators on the HAMB and between what I read here and calling around found a product used for painting water towers and bridges, direct over rust, that does basically the same thing for 1/3 the price.

I need to rebuild the motor mounts in my Buick but having them revulcanized would cost $200 for the set plus shipping and waiting three week or more for them. I again searched the HAMB and found a couple of posts suggesting using two part polymers. I did more internet searches and found a company whose rep said he had a lot of people use his product for this exact purpose. It's going to cost $50 to do them myself. When these car were new vulcanizing was the best technology, now 70 years later there are better technologies.

Be creative and do a little research, you'll fine better, cheaper ways of doing things.

 

is there any other way but on a tight budget! and the how is patience... lots of it!

 

I'm on a No Budget Tight Budget. I'm spending money I know I shouldn't be spending cause I can't keep a budget. Is there any other way????

 

Pick a cheap car and don't give your build any deadlines. It takes a long time to build on tight budget but in the end you can get it done if you stick with it.

 

I've been on a short work week for a couple of years now so I have no budget. But thats not a big deal as most of my ife I haven't had money to throw at projects. I learned a long time ago that if I can't make it myself I can do without it. I have nothing more than the basic and it refects in the parts I make. But ask me if I give a **** what you think of my work. I didn't buy it off the shelf or have someone make it for me on a CNC.

 

I haven't been at it too long as I'm only 23, but I trade a lot of work. I traded 80 hours of work for a '48 Ford tudor sedan, then traded the '48 for my '49. I sold lots of unneeded parts to fund the shoebox, and I'm doing cheap stuff first. Ask the people around you that build their own cars, and now have nice desirable cars, what they started out with. Chances are it was something that they put a lot of sweat-equity into and sold for a profit. From there they just built their way up.

From what I've seen, if you can keep your "car money" in it's own little piggy & you're smart, patient, and self controlled, you can build whatever you want in time. You just have to work at it and make some sacrifices along the way.

 

Have had a 59 galaxie for about 8 or nine years. Sitting for about four years in the backyard. Before that my grandmas garage. About a month and a half ago, brought it to school so I could do body work and strip it. It will be a bit of a slower project to finish it seeing how im on that same 200 dollor a month budget if even that! But it will get done. It gives u more time to think about what u wanna do to the car. It slowly ads up, but u gotta be consistant about workin on it and spending that little bit. Or else it will sit......in the garage where nobody can see it!

 

What's a budget??

Lots of scrounging and trading and buying things a bit at a time. I bought two 1-1/2 ton 51/2 Chevy trucks two weeks ago for 100 for the pair to get parts for my cab and a cab to put on a rig to sell and raise a bit of cash for the projects. One was pretty rough but had a good roof and smooth back side of the cab and a few things that I can sell plus the whole frame and axles will go for s**** to pay the original investment back. The other one will either get a frame change or I may shorten the frame and set it on different suspension and build it to sell.

My biggest problem is buying stuff that I end up not using. I have a shed full of stuff I thought I could use that I picked up at wrecking yards and now need to figure out what I need to do with all of it. Use it, sell it or s**** it.

I think the biggest money saver building cars is to plan and stick to the plan and shop your *** off hunting for the best prices on things. And sell or trade what you don't need to get what you need.

 

I'm another No budget guy. Wish I wasn’t but times are tough and I'm stubborn. I told myself I wouldn't compromise, so I spend most of my time hunting and hunting and hunting for parts. The toughest part I've found, is holding back money for the bigger purchases while letting other deals slide by. I've p***ed on two buildable flatheads to save for the sheet metal I need. If I knew more I could flip things for a profit, but I'm always leary that I'd be left holding the bag and months back from my goal.

 

I actually don't even have a budget to speak of. I have alot of art work for sale, some on here in the misc. sale area "hint-hint" and what ever cash I get out of them goes right in to my car's. My pay checks pay the bills but I do side work bumper to bumper 24/7 and all that goes in to my car's. I could use some parts at the moment so if you guys would take a look at my work posted her on the hamb and help a fellow car guy out I would apriciate it. Good luck to the rest of you we gotta do what we gotta do.

 

My budget is a couple of hundred a month, averaged over time. I have a spreadsheet on my computer and I punch in every stinkin receipt I get from the store. I am just to the point of getting it inspected for out of state ***le and then I can officially drive it. Not worrying about spending a lot right now, but I imagine in a year or two I am going to bite the bullet and send it down the street to a local custom shop to do a lot of stuff I am realizing I will never have the time to do, no matter how much I want to.

I rationalize it that I could buy the tool and do it for the cost, but some guy with a shop needs to feed his family and pay his employees and I am not God - I don't have all the time in the universe to do everything I want. I have to pick and choose for the most enjoyment.

 

I build mine by having friends who can do the things I can't and I trade it off one way or another.

 

I do side work on the weekends to make money for parts.I will sometimes barter if it is an option.I try to keep my car building money seperate from the house money...keeps the peace that way.I working on something now that I am using allot of parts out of Dads garage,he never tosses anything out.

 

had the 41 since last oct. think i've spent 50 bucks on parts everything else swaped/traided for also no hurry

 

I tell everyone,I have more time than money,so I spend lots of time looking for used parts to get the best deal.If I see a good deal on a part I don't need,I get it and swap it for something I do need. I'll also occasionaly flip an OT car for some coin to put into the coupe project. And I do a little side work,too.

 

I quit smoking to fund mine. At almost $10 a pack, thats over $300 a month i can redirect....besides, maybe it'll help me live long enough to enjoy my project

 

I have no budget. And bought my car 6 years ago. I am not even half way there yeah but you got to keep chuggin along. I got my car when i was 18 and since then i have a house payment and a family to take care of. Mostly i spend my tax money and save the change, It adds up Quick.

 

After reading all of the posts so far I see I'm not alone in the no budget, wheel and deal when I can, situation. Makes me feel less depressed that I'm not alone. In most of the posts I read on the HAMB, and other boards, it seems like everyone is sticking big bucks into their rides getting the top of the line parts and custom services, this thread is refreshing to see other in the same situation.

 

I spend about $100 per month. Time is the great subs***ute for cash. I also make everything I can in house. I wheel and deal whenever i can and I have had some very nice donations over the last few years as well as some good trades.
Don

 

I made an agreement with my wife 43 years ago, no toys out of the household budget. Everything I can and do make moonlighting and resales is for the garage.
I also am one of the few guys who says build what you can afford and build to make a profit. I could save and scrounge for 15 years to build a 32 3 window but I don't have that kind of paintence.
I garage sale and auction every chance I get and have a very active e-bay account ( in 2008 it was $37,000 )
I can take my lawn mower, snow blower, rototiller or chainsaw and make $100 almost any Saturday I want.
HUSTLE, there is so much extra $ out there it's amazing.
My bandsaw had fallen of a pallet and broke the casting, I gave $10 for it and welded it ten years ago,almost same story with the drill press.4 foot brake built with s**** angle iron,ect .Be creative .
Best of luck

 

used to wheel and deal, part out cars, do side jobs. now I have a good paying job that allows me some budget but Im working so much I dont have much time to wrench or look for deals, $ gets you either way
Im still not gonna pay too much for stuff

 

I picked up my model a coupe body ten years ago for a 1000$. I've been nickel and diming it ever since. It'll be on the road in a few weeks now. Hard to believe it took that long but I definitely built on a budget and I took time to fabricate a lot of stuff myself. I didn't pay another person one red cent to work on my car for me. I turned every bolt by myself. It's still amazing how all the little parts add up over time though. I just spent 45 dollars on BOLTS yesterday. LOL I estimate I've spent about 8000 to get it on the road. Not bad I guess considering I'm sure it's worth 13 or 14k.

 

To the extent possible I build everything myself. I don't throw anything away.... The only s**** metal under my bench is metal fillings. I look at everything as though it were raw material. I made this s**** gas pedal from Model A mechanical brake linkage, an E-brake bracket and s****. Cost=Free.
Example of what I wanted to build and the raw material..

Finished ***embly..

I do my own welding/fabrication, body/paint, electrical, and as much of the upholstery as I can (I'm looking for a sewing machine now to phase into doing all of my own upholstery). I farm out engine building only. I buy only those parts and components that I can't fabricate myself, and then I try to buy used or hand made by someone else..... No 1-800 ****py Chinese **** parts....

I try to maintain a philosophy of "If I can't do it in my garage by myself, it probably doesn't belong on the car"

 

Also if you get an hour, which usually turns into two or three hours, do the little stuff like brackets, brake, fuel lines, clamps, which don't seem like much, but every small job done adds up. Letting a car just sit will stall you in a hurry.

 

It helps when you can do most of the work yourself.I do side work on the weekends building skirts for guys who want custom fit to their car to make money for parts.I will sometimes barter if it is an option. my car building money is separate from the house money...keeps the peace.