How to build on a budget

[pinkpanthr]

Reading and talking in some of the other threads got me thinking. There are alot of us guys on here that are new or newer to RoadRunner ownership. And many of us have to start with a car that needs some work, or in my case, alot of work. I'm nearing the end of my restoration and looking back only wish I had known some of the things when I started that I know now. For example which reproduction websites produce good quality and which don't, etc. Seeing as how there are so many knowledgable folks on here, why not give some of you best tips for saving money on a project car and ending up with a better result. I'll get us started.

My number one tip is to do what you can for yourself instead of farming out. Labor cost is extremely expensive and sometimes the work returned is no better that what you could have done in your own garage. There are always sites like this one where folks are willing and able to help walk you through a lot of you projects. That doesn't mean to try and paint it yourself because you did a good job with a rattle can on you patio set. Some things are still better left to pros.
Also, be patient and shop around for the best parts at the best prices. When in doubt ask someone on a forum such as this.

 

[Basketcase]

did it need more work than this one I drug home about 10 years ago?
I traded a buddy a 383/727 that came out of a '67 Charger, that another buddy had given me, for the road runner shell. It was someone else;s half assed project, and about the only good thing about it was the price, the new 1/4 skins, and an original 4 speed car. what other else was either missing, rusted, or pure junk.
I spent 5 years spending alot of time at the swap meet at the Mopar Nats, scrounging thru the classifieds of MCG,moparts,ebay.Did some horse trading.Got it close to sending it to the painter, then Found some really great deals. $150 each for fenders, totally rust free,$35 for a perfect front bumper,and had a grat 440 4 speed from my '68 Charger I sold. Had a blast with it,
good idea on the thread!

 

[pinkpanthr]

I hate that it burned Dave. The ones you do yourself always mean just a little bit more. And mine needed quarter skins , a passenger fender, outer wheelhouses, trunk extensions, rockers, and both bumpers. Had no exhaust, no fuel system, the interior, was complete but had so much urine smell in it that I had to trash everything except the hard parts. Had to replace nearly all the suspension, still need rear leafs. Luckily it has an original driveline, with 63644 original on the ticker. Oh and it needed every piece of the brake system replaced. I spent 4 years digging up all my stuff and still have some things I've yet to tackle. So I guess you can say we were kind of in the same boat.

 

[Basketcase]

lets see...
fenders and hood were junk
front bumper looked like someone used it to bash out fence posts(got a buddy that used to do that with his Power Wagon)
engine,rad,drivshaft,shifter,all clutch stuff mia,bell and pedals were there
doors could have been fixed with alot of work
trunk lid junk
windshield,rear bumper,gas tank mia
trunk floor was cut out with a rusted piece of sheetmetal tacked over the hole.....
any interior was shot
and the list went on. but when I got that sucker on the road, man was I proud of myself! even scored a super sweet deal on a set of Cragars and tires. I really like the car I have now(at least I think I do..been a while since I got to do anything but shell out $$) but that one was special.

 

[69383RR]

We are doing everything ourselves including the paint , and we are beginners not pros .Some of the stuff we didn't want to do but had no choice . I did find out one rather interesting thing and that is you can accomplish a hell of a lot more then you ever thought you could when push comes to shove, and there's no one else around to do it but you . My message is you can do it with patience and some research, sometimes a lot of research .

 

[69383RR]

did it need more work than this one I drug home about 10 years ago?
I traded a buddy a 383/727 that came out of a '67 Charger, that another buddy had given me, for the road runner shell. It was someone else;s half assed project, and about the only good thing about it was the price, the new 1/4 skins, and an original 4 speed car. what other else was either missing, rusted, or pure junk.
I spent 5 years spending alot of time at the swap meet at the Mopar Nats, scrounging thru the classifieds of MCG,moparts,ebay.Did some horse trading.Got it close to sending it to the painter, then Found some really great deals. $150 each for fenders, totally rust free,$35 for a perfect front bumper,and had a grat 440 4 speed from my '68 Charger I sold. Had a blast with it,
good idea on the thread!

Sorry to hear about your car burning, I don't know the story but I feel for you

 

[Basketcase]

it turned out OK..or will just as soon as this one sees some color...

 

[pinkpanthr]

Just thought of another great tip. 69383RR can back me up on this one. Take plenty of pictures of the work done. Once everything is buttoned up and painted all you have is your word for the quality underneath/inside, etc. And keep your receipts. Invoices from places like year one and classic industries will keep, but parts store reciepts like auto zone orielly and advanced auto fade even if kept in an album, so make copies while they're fresh.

 

[mcmopar]

1. Make a plan before you ever start working on the car. This includes a starting budget. Then do all the research you can and get advice/help from friends, forums, and company tech lines. Know what you want to do with the car before you ever buy a part or turn a wrench. When tempted to deviate from the plan go back and re-asses your plan and budget. Sometimes opportunities come along which are affordable and possible but remember what you started out to do and weigh your options. What will this cost? How much more/less time will it take? What other things will I need to do to make this deviation to plan work? THINK IT THROUGH! Then proceed with the old/new plan.
2. Also, when disassembling, pics are a MUST! BAG AND TAG EVERYTHING! Sometimes it takes a lot longer to get everything put back together and if you don't keep track of things you are going to be lost and confused when it comes time to reassemble the car. Stay organized.
3. Remember, you get what you pay for. When I rebuilt mine back in 2000-2003 I wanted to go with headers so I looked for an affordable set. I went with Hedman and ordered them. When it came time to test fit them on the engine they would not clear the starter - by a large margin. Nor did they work with a mini-starter - even when I "dinged" them. #3 tube was WAY off - so much so that I actually flattened the tube by almost half - and they still would not fit. I called Hedman to talk with them about the situation and got hold of a very understanding engineer/rep there. He told me to send them back and he would send a replacement set. He also told me - "don't mess with these - just let me know if they fit or not." Well, the new set had the same problem so I packed them up and sent them back. Hedman paid for the shipping back to them for both sets, too - and I got my $$ back on both sets. He told me that something was wrong with the jig they were welded up on and that he was going to have to look into it. So I decided right then and there to bite the bullet and pay for the good stuff. I ordered a complete tti system after talking with their tech line and describing my build, including the chrome 1-7/8" big block Mopar headers and 3" mandrel bent pipes. I ordered Magnaflow stainless steel mufflers from another vendor and a set of oval tips from Mancini. All told the system cost around $1500 but it all bolted right up and has been rock solid since '03 with NO leaks. Yeah, it is expensive but in my opinion it has been well worth it.

 

[Basketcase]

or save yourself a ton of hedaches and buy a done car.....

 

[pinkpanthr]

or save yourself a ton of hedaches and buy a done car.....

:yeathat: But you can save yourself a ton of money by restoring for yourself. The way my car sits right now, and including all of the interior that I have yet to install, I'm into it for just over 10000. I have a friend that owns a paint shop so that will be done for basically the cost of materials. And I still need a few things to get the car in the shape I want it to be. But I figure I can have it mostly complete for around 14-15000. It's hard to find one for that price. So you have a choice, ton of money, or ton of headaches! I didn't have a choice but to take the headaches.

 

[Basketcase]

oh definatly you save a bunch of $$ if you can do the work yourself. interior is fairly easy,even covering the seat. If I can do it, anyone can! If you are a wiz with a welder, you are really ahead of the game. And if you can use a spray gun, there's a hugh saving$.

 

[Big John]

Here's a big one....

The factory service manual (abbreviated FSM) is your friend. We have one here in the reference section that you can download. I like the paper copies myself because I'm old and like books.

Your next friend is the factory parts manual. Part numbers and exploded views. Again, we have it in our reference section.

Next, learn the lingo!!! Geez... it's not a "posi", it's a "suregrip" etc. Best bet to get someone to help you is not to sound too stupid when you ask questions.

 

[Basketcase]

Next, learn the lingo!!! Geez... it's not a "posi", it's a "suregrip" etc. Best bet to get someone to help you is not to sound too stupid when you ask questions.

:rules::jester:

 

[69383RR]

Here's a big one....



















Next, Best bet to get someone to help you is not to sound too stupid when you ask questions.

That's a hard one ! Whenever I have to call summit or jegs I tell the tec right up front " I don't no what the hell I'm talking about " please help me !!!

 

[Basketcase]

Here's a big one....


question: what did the groom say to his bride on their honeymoon?

 

[Big John]

That's a hard one ! Whenever I have to call summit or jags I tell the tec right up front " I don't no what the hell I'm talking about " please help me !!!

Admitting you know nothing is OK. I get a little frustrated with guys that don't try to learn anything by themselves or try to "talk the talk" by BSing their way through a conversation.

 

[george68hemirr]

or save yourself a ton of hedaches and buy a done car.....

right now is a buyers market.....people out of work losing the homes....selling there toys.......you cant build a car for what they are selling them for