How much does it cost to be a gold chainer???

OK, here's the question.

How much would it cost to have a completed hot rod built for you? My wife asked me this question and upon contemplation, I don't have a clue.

I'm talking something like the awesome blue rpu on the cover of Street Rodder.

New corvette, np, go to the Chevy dealer, Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, same thing, go to a dealer and ask and sit your **** in one.

But how about these super clean hot rods?

Anyone with real first hand knowledge of the price of a custom built ride?

 

figure any project will be at least 30k parts plus 30k labor.....then be prepared to spend more...much more for a killer ride.

 

A friend that works for Roy Brizio told me that high end roadsters with a bunch of one-off or collectible stuff on them are running as much as $140K.

 

Hatch, might be closer to twice that, most of them big buck guys lie!...........OLDBEET

 

I don't believe you can get a turn key car for under 120K. I know a guy pretty well and he has had a few cars built in one of the major name shops. He was there when some guy walks in and says he has 100K and wants a Deuce roadster. The owner tells him that he would not be interested in building such a low buck cheep car and he would have trouble finding anybody else that would.

 

I'd venture a minimum of $80,000 for a turn-key..depends on where you are in the country tho...prices vary...Cali would be hi-end...Denver would be relatively cheap right now! Everyone's out of work here!
R-

 

I'm no Roy Brizio so the cars I have built for people in the lst couple of years have ranged from $60,000 for a gl*** 3 window with alot of polished stainless suspention and cataloug parts. Another ws a 39 wescott convertible that came in around the same kind of money.
I built a all steel three window three years ago that needed tons of body work. o that one took quite a bit of time and the owner wanted all the best parts and of course it had to be black and "near" perfect, (no car is perfect)
BElive me. And this one was just over $90,000.

You can buy these car done with a few miles or seasons on them for less than half the build cost.

 

Rudy's right. The more these things cost out the gate, the more they seem to depreciate. You'd probably be able to pick up a fresh carfor 50 cents on the dollar. An "almost-done" project might be even less. Some guys can get cold feet when they get the paint estimate. There are a lot of "hidden" cars out there, too. They're lurking under goofy paint jobs, weird wheel and tire combos, and funky stance. Good luck.

 

I would think a basic drop axle 32 roadster built but a named shop would start around 80k and go up as you add chrome, leather, Krugel components etc..

Rolling 32 Brooksville body and ch***is $27k + another 50k for labor and everything else

or more detailed

Steel 32 Brooksville Body 11.5k (w/ crating & shipping)
Hood, sides, grill ***y 1.5k
chrome windshield frame 1.3k
gas tank .6k
32 frame package (stage 3) 8.5k (w/ shipping)
Brake line kit .4k (unpolished)
9" pumpkin - posi .5k
Rear brakes .2k
ZZ4 motor 3.9k (no shipping)
700R4 ****** 1.1k (no shipping)
Radiator .7k
Electric fan .1k
Misc lines and hoses .2k
Wiring harness .5k (ron francis)
A/C .8k
Steering column & Wheel .5k
Lokar Shifter .2k
head & tail lights .3k
gauges and insert .3k
Tires and wheels 1.0k
Interior 5.0k
Paint 10.0k
***embly Labor 25.0k
Misc stuff 5.0k
total 79,000

 

you'd need 45.00 + 8.00 in shipping look here
http://www.poutbabies.com/
o yeah and 100k,
and no taste whatsoever
or have a clue about cars
but really some guys get in their ride for cheap and it looks gold chainerish.
How about that gold truck with the fake blower in R&C he spent less than 10k, didn't he?

 

Yeah, 80,000-120,000 for the full billet blingin' big name build.

The thing that kills me about that is:

I can have a kick ***, traditional style rod built for me by someone else for 15-20k. Not even touching the thing myself other than turning the key and hauling ***.

And for that 15-20k I would get a car that was far more true to what rods are about than Joe Billet would with his $120,000 CAD designed money pit.

If said car got scratched, you can knock down the primer and spray it in your driveway too. Now that's gotta' be worth something

 

Guess I will just always be a rusty -steel chainer. I was looking for something today found a file folder of stuff from 1967. That gl*** 23 T you see under my name, found the receipt for the body, purchased new for $49.00. Looked thru catalog T frame sold for $79 (built mine out of an A.), etc etc etc. Spent 3 hrs yesterday getting visiting with an old friend hadnt seen in about 30+ years, mentioned car he had last time I saw him, very nice full fendered A roadster PU with a built flathead. Said he sold it for $250 pay doctor when his son was born.

 

If a hiboy roadster costs 80-120 what should the whole car cost[full size- "mastered metal"-full fendered/non catalog car]?Id say in reality 150- 300 would be more in line with the reality of high expectations of "Riddlerdom"........its all about time-[THE TIME IT REALLY TAKES TO ACHIEVE OVERKILL].

 

We are doing a 29 touring for a gent right now. Nothing wild, crate motor, some shiny stuff. He will have 40-50K into it. This is a car anyone here would dig the look of. Much of the cost is in the labor, this particular car was driven into the shop as a "restored" car. When we tore it down we found that someone had hidden very well, the fact that the bottom half of the car was shot.

I love that Brizio built blue RPU. I dont know their shop rate is or what a Hollenbeck paint job costs. Nor do I know what Sid Chavers gets for his skills. But would we rather the owner bought some overpriced piece of modern art than to grace us with that fine RPU? I think Not!

 

the price of the parts will be the same regardless who builds the car, but the labor can vary a lot. there are many "no name" builders out there with reasonable shop rates doing outstanding work. not to knock places like brizio's....but i do feel guys pay for the name,and the bragging rights afterwards to their buddies.

 

what'd that Grandmaster thing foose designed cost.....like 1.5 million!?! when it came to GG's Columbus 2 summers ago, it was the "****", then last year was mostly ignored. hmmm...money well spent?

 

The Silver Chainer report:

31 A Brookville body. & grille shell.
American Stamping 32 rails & A crossmember.
Rootleib hood top.
Junkyard 455 Buick & T400.
Donated 9".
Dutchman axles.
New steelies & powder.
Inexpensive radial tires.
39 taillights.
Dietz headlights.
SoCal shock & headlight mounts.
SuperBell dropped beam axle, steering arms & spindles.
Deuce Factory stainless batwings.
SoCal pitman arm (Vega).
Camaro disc brakes on front, Magnum caliper kit.
Grant steering wheel with quick-release.
S-W instruments.
Auto Meter tach.
Flaming River steering u-joints.
SoCal 40 Ford rear main leaf.
SoCal chrome front shocks.
Speedway chrome rear shocks.
SoCal spring shackles, front chrome, rear plain.
Deuce Factory rear sway bar.
Brookville 32 dash.
Harley mirrors cut down.

That's all the store bought stuff. Granted, a lot, but you gotta get what you gotta get sometimes.
Prices starting from about three years ago to just a couple months back.

Lots of owner built stuff have got it to this point and there's some more stuff to go.
It's a roller that looks drivable.

It needs, finish the windshield frame, gl***, plumbing, wiring, build the seat, get Mexican blanket, rebuild the engine & trans, shorten the driveshaft 1", one driveshaft U-joint, mufflers and a few pieces of exhaust tubing.

$12,000. to date as it sits.
Not cheap, but not crazy out of sight either.
I didn't list the stuff I did nor some engine parts I have, but it looks like it could be up and running for another 3 grand.

This is not a half way done car, but one I think most would enjoy owning.

Primer now ... glossy later....

 

Guess I don't really mean a gold chainer kinda car, that Brizio built blue rpu just blows me away.

So lets dupe that car, but use joe schmedly paint, interior, nicely rebuilt small block and a tb350, 8" ford rear, go easy on the chrome and coated headers, steel is nice but i'd be ok with 'gl***.

Guess the biggest dollar would be for the rpu body.

 

Damn, I'm so poor that I can't even afford a rusty steel chain.

I've just got a dirt ring around my neck....

 

[ QUOTE ]
.but i do feel guys pay for the name,and the bragging rights afterwards to their buddies.



[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't it also true, if you are going for the big trophy, you can't have any "no name" names on the sign next to your car.

 

A gold chainer won't cost you much money. All you have to do is sell your soul, and buy some lawn chairs. Hehehehe Pageing El Diablo!!!

 

[ QUOTE ]


I can have a kick ***, traditional style rod built for me by someone else for 15-20k. Not even touching the thing myself other than turning the key and hauling ***.


[/ QUOTE ]
I kinda doubt that.

 

a trad nothin special flatmotor a on deuce rails starts at about 30k where im at, brizio probely spends more time on detailing than we spend on a whole car though

 

Grumpy, you're right,it was ignored, but the guy who owns it( Grandmaster) also owns a few dealerships and if I remember correctly, " he drives it and parks it in the showroom once in a while" according to an article I real a while ago, so, the guy uses the car as a business writeoff, and also puffs his ego at the same time...and Im sure that part of that car was written off on his taxes.IMO and its hard to put a $$$$ amount on vanity

 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
.but i do feel guys pay for the name,and the bragging rights afterwards to their buddies.



[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't it also true, if you are going for the big trophy, you can't have any "no name" names on the sign next to your car.

[/ QUOTE ]


sure, if all you want is trophys

last summer at BTT50's a `32 ford roadster i built ended up parked next to a `32 ford roadster built by brizio...the owners talked....and compared,and discovered the brizio car cost 3 times as much....sure it had a few nicer details...but three times as much???? if he wants the trophy that bad...i hope he enjoys it

 

I think I could build one to sell for 45-50K.This would be a NICE very basic gl*** 32 roadster.Paint would be seconf to none,Interior would be NICE,crate motor,not a ton of billet.

 

Wes Rydell the owner of the Grand Master ( I heard $800,000)
has a stable of cars, with a work shop with two full time employes in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He has millions invested in cars, Gold chainer?? I guess, but he still down to earth kind of guy and easy to talk to.

 

You just have to sell your soul to the billet demons.......

 

Pretty basic car 351, 5 spd, quickchange rear, gl*** body rootlieb hood etc etc. all the standard 1800 stuff

pretty neat car till we put the stupid "streetrod" script in the lower corner of the grill..


It was my understing that this one carried a price tag over 100,000 before it rolled out the door. Obviously most of the cost involved the cost of labor.. (too bad my cut was so small )

by the way this car was finished to debut at york in 1996. so prices today would most likely be a bit higher

 

I've seen a '56 that is supposed to be somehwere in the 200,000 range.
The last time I read statistics it said that the average street rod cost around 100,000 to build.
Here's a good one, the summer before last I ask a friend who owns a shop about winning the Riddler Award. He said the last winner cost about 1.5 Million to build. So he figured it would cost more than that to win.
At that price I won't make it past the rusty chain set, perhaps aluminum chain if I want to go High Performance.