Dumb question but would people be willing to pay about 1200 bucks for a kustom grill. Reason i asked is i went to a local cruise with my 58 chevy truck which i modefied the grill by adding 7 57 chevy hood bullets to it and i painted it red. When i got out someone asked me were i bought it as he would be interested in one. I told him i made it myself. He asked why i didnt chrome it and i told him that i will be my sons truck and he didnt want it chromed. He then asked how much it would be if i made him one and had it chromed for him. I told him that with everything added as for materials parts time and cos i told him 1200 bucks. He then told me it would be way to much and he wouldnt want one. So i ask would people be willing to pay 1200 bucks for a grill thats almost one of a kind. I added a picture of the grill so you can see what it looks like.
if he told you it was way too much and he isn't going to pay for one, then why would you ask this question if he himself just answered your question? LOL
I've seen people spend more for lesser thing's. But, i think it all depends on what's being purchased. For the grill you did, i think 1200 would be a lot.. I say that only because being painted and not chrome, and fairly simple in design it could be made for a fraction of that price.. Just being honest as i see it, NOT slamming your work.
Those Chevy truck grilles aren't that expensive, I'm sure one could be scored from eBay for $100 or less without much fuss. And '57 Chevy hood bullets are plentiful also, as restorers often just buy new ones so used ones are always availible. Drill out 7 holes, screw them together and paint it red. Anyone could make this for $150 and an afternoon of working. Granted, if you were planning to chrome it, it would be more, I'd guess about $350 for the grille bar and just buy all the bullets new. But I still can't figure out where you're getting a $1200 price tag on that. (and not to be a jerk, and I probably should just keep my mouth shut here, but I think it's ugly)
Yes, I think that it's over priced at $1200. Besides the guy should/could make his own, or maybe he wanted Billet (ha-ha).
Jeez, do people ever actually READ the whole post before answering? SDRodder built the grille pictured, and (obviously) painted it red. Some guy at a show asked if SDRodder could build him one and have it chromed. SDRodder pulled a number out and quoted him $1,200 for a grille just like the red one, only freshly chromed. The guy thought that was too much, so he's asking our opinion on the price of a CHROMED grille, not an identical painted grille. My uneducated guess is that it'd be about $4-500 to chrome the grille itself, and then buying four sets of reproduction hood bullets is probably better than $400 (I doubt they sell them for $100 per set). Given that math, I think your asking price for a chrome grille is probably close after figuring costs to for time (including trips to the chrome shop), on a cost-to-build basis, but nobody ever wants to spend that kind of money, so you're gonna be told you're way off base and too expensive. I think it's a pretty good look. I usually don't like goofy-concept grills (like cabinet pulls and some of the other dumb things people do), but I like that one. Very unique, and has a factory-feel to it. -Brad
repop chrome grilles are $350.00. don't have a 57 chevy catalog handy, but repop hood bullets couldn't be too much.. even at 50 bucks each X 7 we're into this thing for $700.00... plus parking lights and some hardware. this of course ***umes the guy does not already have a chrome grille. so yeah... $1200 sounds a bit steep. sometimes it's better to over estimate a price and have them say no than to underestimate it and say yes.
Brad thanks. I guess i wrote it wrong or people didnt read it right. If i were to sell i painted one sure it would be half the price but with chrome 1200 dollars is about right. The new bullets come with the chrome buckets and harware and bullets and cost 200 bucks. The used ones i bought cost me between 15 to 20 bucks perr set but some pitted lightly to badly. I also talked to another chromer and he said 350 for the grill, 35 for deach bullet and then the cost of the grill itself and bullets. As for mounting its not 2 holes drilled in the grill and then mounted to that. You have to make plates so they fit. But i have to agree with one comment why woulnt he make it himself? I agree with that.
You made a 'undesirable' grill look kool and i truely love the creative idea behind it but even if it was chromed you wouldnt get $1200 for it!... Not for nothing...but lets say the roles were reversed--Would you? HELL NO RIGHT!.. Welcome back to reality & enjoy the rest of your stay here...
Once you make another one it's no longer unique. Tell your son you can get $X for that one AS-IS and that guy can have it chromed (It will be very expensive I don't think 4-500 is a bad estimate). Then that gives your son more money to work with and build a new one that is even better. Then you go back to cruise night and the chainer you sold the other one too will be pissed because your new one is better, everyone who matters wins. Of course, if your son REALLY likes the one you built, refer back to comment #1, don't build another one.
Heck with the guy. You got the only one in town and he can't have one. Those flowered shirt no sock leather shoe guys think they can buy anything. Oooops! off the soap box now....
How many hours did you have in it? Multiply by $70 or $80.... thats why lots of guys do things themselves -
I don't think $1200 is unreasonable considering your out of pocket expenses are going to be $600 to $800 for chrome and parts, plus there's shipping if you cant find parts locally, and someone will have to spend time and fuel to get it to and from the chrome shop. Sure he could save himself the labor cost, but if he is asking you then he probably doesnt have the skills to do it himself.
I agree with valkokir...sell the guy the damn thing (after talking it over with your son) and that way he can build or buy something better and maybe have some money left over for something else...besides if the guy really liked it he will probably knock it off himself if he has the knowhow so the uniqueness is out the window anyway... coming soon: rodtees.com
Thanks for the comments. For those who said it can be made for alot less how do you figure. Not one thats painted but one that is chromed. I dont know if he was more if a billet guy which will only drive his car once a week or if he was a real hot rodder. Right now i talked with my son and he doesnt want to sell it but what he was thinking bout making a 63 gmc grill chromed with the 7 or 8 bullets in it. As he figures if someone would be willing to pay 1200 bucks for it he could use that money to buy headers for the truck, lakepipes, affor to have the rear spring rearched and afford new bed wood. I mean hes not able to drive yet(one year off) but he wants to drive this thing till it wont drive anymore. So right now its just a debate if i should do the 63 gmc grill or not.
Well, i generalized the question i guess. When you asked "do you think someone would pay 1200 for a one of a kind grill" i wasn't just thinking the one you posted. I was thinking, in general, would someone pay that for ANY custom grill..that's why i stated that i've seen people spend more for less. As far as buying the new item's and putting it together to replicate what you have, you are probably damn close on cost's due to the expense of chroming alone. Obviously painted is a much different story as you mentioned..
Anyone check the cost of getting stuff chromed lately? I doubt you'd make anything on them trying to get original stuff rechromed. Totally unecessary these days anyway... New chrome '57 rockets are $89 a pair. New chrome '58 truck grille is $319. Plus shipping. Virtually no labor cost because they can just bolt onto the grille, right?
Its not just lets go buy those bullets and bolt them to the top grill bar. If you do that the top of the bullets fin will interfear with the top of the grill opening. To make it work you have to make 7 plates and weld them to the back of the grill. Then you bolt the bullets to the plate. The plates i made are just big enought for the bolt spacing and with the bullets mounted you dont see them. So once you weld on chrome you burn the chrome and still need to rechrome it. As for the new bullets i have not seen them sold seperatly and the complete sets cost around 200. As for the quality of the chrome. The chromer i have talked to has been in bussiness for bout 20 years and no complaints have come up. Even saw some of his work.
Why do they need to be welded? Why can't they "clamp" together? I did a search on Google for '57 Chevy parts, and in about 2 minutes I found several places that sell separately the 3 pieces that make up the bullet ***embly. Thats how I came up with $89 a pair... Its alot easier to re-chrome something that had good chrome on it to begin with.
Get the repop grille for 4 bills and 4 pairs of bullets for another 4 bills and do $400 worth of work drilling holes and t******* parts and getting the trimmed parts replated...there you go....$1200. I think the grille looks kind of funky with those bullets on it, but that's not the question here
http://www.cl***icparts.com/1958-59--Grill/productinfo/61-029/ http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~partsort
The Jalopy Journal
