PDA

View Full Version : Restoring an old truck... cost idea?



swak
05-21-2012, 09:21 PM
Beyond,

Ive never tackled something like this before.
However, im looking at restoring my dads truck for him (motivation from that chevy commercial).
This is a '74 chev, and its sitting in a "bone yard" of my grandparents farm out of province.
So its pretty rusty, and engine probably needs a reallll good overhaul / or just swap.

What would a ballpark figure be to bring this back to life?
im looking at doing most of the labor myself, but will probably buy a new engine block (exhaust etc), a lot of interior components, plus the body work.

i know its not thatttt old, so i can probably find a lot of the parts in good used condition for cheap, so im thinking the 10-12k range?

Or would i be way off?

Any experiences with restoring anything?

rob the knob
05-21-2012, 09:38 PM
whats body like? and frame?

and was is expect from end result? a paint job can be cost $10,000 for nice restore? on the other, $10,000 can do full basic restore if much is in order to start

corsvette
05-21-2012, 09:50 PM
Gotta watch the floors on that style of truck, they tend to rust bad. other than that all the body parts are easy to find new or aftermarket. I did a 85 a few years back, new doors, fenders, one complete boxside and paint, cost me $3k for the paint job and about $1200 for the parts. It'll be worth it in the end, especially to the old man. :thumbsup:

swak
05-21-2012, 10:08 PM
Originally posted by rob the knob
whats body like? and frame?

and was is expect from end result? a paint job can be cost $10,000 for nice restore? on the other, $10,000 can do full basic restore if much is in order to start

I honestly have no idea.

Being out of town, i haven't seen it in a while (i'll be dropping by this summer though).

What i expect from the end is a minty OE restoration. With the only extras being "chrome extras" or something of that nature that the dealership would have offered.


Originally posted by corsvette
Gotta watch the floors on that style of truck, they tend to rust bad. other than that all the body parts are easy to find new or aftermarket. I did a 85 a few years back, new doors, fenders, one complete boxside and paint, cost me $3k for the paint job and about $1200 for the parts. It'll be worth it in the end, especially to the old man. :thumbsup:

shit. Yea, i imagine itd be pretty rough. Guess you can weld a new floor on, but we'll see when the time comes.
But that sounds rad! I cant imagine parts being that hard to come by (haven't really looked much into parts yet).

I guess i'll find once i check er out fully though.

That.Guy.S30
05-21-2012, 10:10 PM
it really depends on how far you want to take it. Maybe 2-3k to get it running, but is that the condition you want it in?

my 73 Z will end up costing more than a NEW car to get it the way I want. And depending on how much rust there is, sometimes its better to let it go.

Edit: just read that this is an out of province car. It will need an OOP to insure and register. That might be something worth considering.

swak
05-21-2012, 10:14 PM
Originally posted by That.Guy.S30
And depending on how much rust there is, sometimes its better to let it go.

Edit: just read that this is an out of province car. It will need an OOP to insure and register. That might be something worth considering.

Yeah... Thats the other side of things here... If its rusted to hell, which i really hope it isnt haha... Then it'd probably be better kept where it is. However, i really dont think it'll look all that bad, i cant see it having more than some surface rust. I dont remember the condition of it though.

And yea.... OOP is the other thing for sure. However, if everything is up and running, i can't see there being any problems getting it in AB.

firebane
05-21-2012, 10:55 PM
Originally posted by swak


Yeah... Thats the other side of things here... If its rusted to hell, which i really hope it isnt haha... Then it'd probably be better kept where it is. However, i really dont think it'll look all that bad, i cant see it having more than some surface rust. I dont remember the condition of it though.

And yea.... OOP is the other thing for sure. However, if everything is up and running, i can't see there being any problems getting it in AB.

Old chevys especially those left in wet environments rust out like crazy. Your probably looking at rotted cab corners, floor pans, box, fenders.

I'd say probably 2-3k in restoring the body alone unless you can find good used salvage parts.

Then you gotta think mechanical.. brakes, fluids, shocks, etc..

It'll all up very quick and could cost you well over 5k when all is said and done.

J-hop
05-22-2012, 06:24 AM
To do a minty restore I'd say 20k (at the bare minimum). It's amazing how quickly things add up. If the body is rusty you aren't going to restore the body for less than 10k, it just won't happen unless you are a great welder and have your own shop to work in. Add in another 8-10k for a full power train restore. So yea 20k sounds like a reasonable estimate.

Also look at how sentimental this truck is to your dad. There is a good reason it ended up rusted out on a farm so unless he is always bringing up the idea of restoring it he probably doesn't really care that much.

Tik-Tok
05-22-2012, 08:46 AM
Originally posted by firebane



I'd say probably 2-3k in restoring the body alone unless you can find good used salvage parts.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

That was a good one. Try 20k-30k. You can't even paint for 3g these days, unless it's a DIY.


Originally posted by That.Guy.S30
it really depends on how far you want to take it. Maybe 2-3k to get it running, but is that the condition you want it in?

my 73 Z will end up costing more than a NEW car to get it the way I want. And depending on how much rust there is, sometimes its better to let it go.

This. By the time my wife's '72 Goat is done, we could could have bought her a SLK.

gogreen
05-22-2012, 09:42 AM
I have a '62 Mercury pickup that needed floor pans, cab steps, lower door pillars, and cab mounts, plus some extra repair to the toeboards/kickpanels, etc. (it had been sitting outside for 15-20 years). I purchased aftermarket repair panels and hired someone to weld them in for just over $2000 (parts and labour). That got me a solid floor, painted and undercoated. A replacement engine was $300, and after scouring swap meets, wrecking yards, and eBay for parts I'd estimate that I have over $5k into the truck already. I have most of the mechanical parts needed to get it running, driving, and stopping, but it still needs a new fuel tank, wiring, glass, and tires at a minimum.

If I wanted to complete a factory restoration I'm still looking at chrome ($$$), some additional rust repair to the doors, bed floor, tailgate, fenders, etc., new window seals and hardware, upholstery, headliner, and of course bodywork and paint. And then an engine rebuild on top of that.

If the '74 is a basket case I wouldn't be surprised if it cost $7000 to $9000 just to get a solid, running and driving truck that will pass a safety inspection. It will all depend on its condition, how complete it is, and how much of the work you can do yourself.

Graham_A_M
05-22-2012, 10:30 AM
I'd say $20k is a fair estimate.

You may want to look very hard for a couple good parts trucks. Rather then fixing a badly mangled/rusted body & frame you can just pull parts off the donor trucks, which saves a pile of money.

Also you need to be completely sure you want that '74 Chevy. Are you picking it just because it's available? Or is that REALLY what you want? I know of at least 40-60 good trucks from 1930 on up in southern sask if your interested. Most are in very good shape. Tell me what you're interested in (anything) and chances are I can find it.

Another good site for that truck is www.lmctruck.com

swak
05-22-2012, 11:27 AM
Graham,

More-so picking hte truck up due to its availability and family history actually yes.
Theres reasons its where it is, which i wont get into... But while a '56 Mercury (also somewhat available, again out of province, just some more foot work to get my hands on) would be more ideal for a restoration, IMO... The 74 is growing on me.

Graham_A_M
05-22-2012, 12:13 PM
Ah, I know the feeling, we have a '64 international that's mint that we've had since new. I'm on my iPhone out at our farm so I can't provide a listing of links that would be a great help, but I'll do that when I'm back in Calgary. Thankfully as a 74 it won't be hard at all to get repo parts for. I'm trying to think of other sites but only that LMC one comes to mind.

The best thing to do is join a few hot rod forums and build a network of people that can help that work out of their garage, or trade & barter for their work. That'll really keep the costs down. For my '38 that's exactly what I did. Just find people that do great work for a reasonable cost. So when ever (let's say in terms of bodywork) whereas when you run into a bump; you can always call upon a pool of resources.

Anomaly
05-22-2012, 12:26 PM
My friend did a late 70's chevy a couple years ago, and as far as resto's go they're generally much cheaper to resto than cars from that time period. All panels can be found through LMC truck, or cross canada. Even cab corners, rockers, etc are very inexpensive to buy. Depending on how far you want to dig in, I would say 10k to get a solid running truck with panels. (Obviously body work $$$ on top of that)
Remember, on a truck that old every piece of rubber\bushing will need to be replaced! Probably need ball joints, etc etc.

All that stuff definitely adds up!

:)

Supa Dexta
05-22-2012, 01:23 PM
Cheaper to buy an already done truck, if you don't need the specific one that he owned.

swak
05-22-2012, 01:25 PM
Originally posted by Supa Dexta
Cheaper to buy an already done truck, if you don't need the specific one that he owned.

That cuts out all the "RAD" though :D

... im the kind of guy who wont buy anything modified/done up. Thats part of the game.

Graham_A_M
05-22-2012, 01:59 PM
Another good tip would be to look at buying new components rather then trying to restore the old ones.

For my '38, rather then use the very old (& now horrendously obsolete) original front end (steering & suspension) that it came with I just bought a whole new Mustang II front end, complete with coil overs, disks, brakes and everything (EVERYTHING) for $1200. (Check on ebay, tons of front end kits and the like available for your truck and others). That way its much cheaper to go that route & much less frustrating trying to hunt down parts.
Also, then you have the performance aspect that you gain, and parts availability.

So "Restoring" a truck is cute & nice, but making it modern & usable as a DD is a lot of the other portion of the equation you have to consider.
Then there is the parts availability & cost factor. Keeping a truck all original to every nut & bolt can be brutally tiring & very strung out trying to find all good OEM parts.

I guess the best question to ask is, what do you intend on using it for? A nod to the good old days while building a good DD truck or do you want to keep it bone stock original?

swak
05-22-2012, 02:47 PM
Good advice all around Graham! I'll definitely look into that...

But more-so a truck for weekend cruises, not so much DD. And stock, stock, stock is what im aiming for though.

gogreen
05-22-2012, 03:20 PM
The 73-and-up Chevy/GMC trucks are actually quite modern already IMO. I would expect they already had electronic ignition, and they should be available with power brakes and steering. And the 2WD pickups are already an independent front suspension with disc brakes.

So there may not be too much that really needs to be upgraded if you're going for a bone stock resto. I don't think a front end kit is really necessary on those trucks unless you want to do something extreme like drop it into the weeds, which you clearly don't intend to do. If you did want a mild drop it's comparitively easy because drop spindles are readily available.

Parts availability across the board should be pretty decent since that's a pretty popular bodystyle.

Graham_A_M
05-22-2012, 03:59 PM
^ Absolutely, but 4 wheel discs are definitely nice, as is an upgraded steering set up.

We have two Chevy farm trucks from that era, and man.... a good small block with EFI would be worlds nicer then the 366ci big blocks they have. Their awesome engines and ultra-reliable, but I'm starting to love EFI like no other (how rough they run when cold & how often they stall if not babied can get to you in a real hurry).
That and quite a few other improvements. Compared to modern trucks they're starting to really show their age, and not in a good way.

swak
05-23-2012, 01:16 PM
Nice!

Pics, graham??
Definitely come from a chevy family too...
Do you still drive those trucks regularly? Or are they more of a "weekend ride truck"?

There's actually a really nice one by my sisters place... Tastefully modded but looking pretty stock still.

... Also, I see this giving me another good excuse to make more trips to the Snap-On truck :D

Graham_A_M
05-23-2012, 01:26 PM
^ everyday out here. No pics, I could snap some today before I head back to Calgary. Their the very big brother to yours though. Their the C65 model, so their 3tons, that we regularily load up with 12 tons in the back.... Yeah lol. Even at 4 times their max payload they never break down. I'll snap some today before heading back. The cab is the exact same as yours. One is a 76 the other is a 77.

gogreen
05-23-2012, 03:20 PM
Originally posted by Graham_A_M
^ Absolutely, but 4 wheel discs are definitely nice, as is an upgraded steering set up.

We have two Chevy farm trucks from that era, and man.... a good small block with EFI would be worlds nicer then the 366ci big blocks they have. Their awesome engines and ultra-reliable, but I'm starting to love EFI like no other (how rough they run when cold & how often they stall if not babied can get to you in a real hurry).
That and quite a few other improvements. Compared to modern trucks they're starting to really show their age, and not in a good way.

True, but I don't think rear discs are necessary for safety or even performance, especially in a truck with a heavy forward weight bias. I do agree that EFI would be nice for driveability and fairly simple to add.

Of course, my truck has a straight axle with parallel leafs, front drums and manual steering box at the moment, and it's likely to stay that way. :)

swak, just to give you a further idea of what you may encounter, some other issues that tend to plague trucks that have been sitting a while are seized brakes, bad wheel bearings, corroded cooling systems, mouse infestations, and water infiltration into the engine, particularly if it's been sitting without an air cleaner on it (not sure why people randomly remove air cleaners and leave them off, but I see it ALL the time).

My basic advice would be to make 100% sure the '74 is what you want before taking on the restoration. Something like the '56 you mentioned will likely cost about the same to restore, dependent on initial condition of course, but is bound to be worth more when you're done (I'd expect the '74 to be worth not much more than $12,000 even after sinking upwards of $20,000 into it). I'm not trying to discourage you from doing it, but rather just giving you an idea of what to expect. I also don't expect my truck to be worth too much when I'm done either, but that's not really my goal.

In simple terms, approach it as a labour of love, not an investment. :)

Also, if you can get it running and driving first, then improve it one piece at a time, you're more likely to enjoy the process. A lot of guys pick up a project, get really excited about it, then completely disassemble it in an effort to finish it in one fell swoop. That's an easy way to get discouraged and lose interest.

Rat Fink
05-23-2012, 04:44 PM
.

swak
05-23-2012, 05:50 PM
Originally posted by gogreen


swak, just to give you a further idea of what you may encounter, some other issues that tend to plague trucks that have been sitting a while are seized brakes, bad wheel bearings, corroded cooling systems, mouse infestations, and water infiltration into the engine, particularly if it's been sitting without an air cleaner on it (not sure why people randomly remove air cleaners and leave them off, but I see it ALL the time).

My basic advice would be to make 100% sure the '74 is what you want before taking on the restoration. Something like the '56 you mentioned will likely cost about the same to restore, dependent on initial condition of course, but is bound to be worth more when you're done (I'd expect the '74 to be worth not much more than $12,000 even after sinking upwards of $20,000 into it). I'm not trying to discourage you from doing it, but rather just giving you an idea of what to expect. I also don't expect my truck to be worth too much when I'm done either, but that's not really my goal.

In simple terms, approach it as a labour of love, not an investment. :)

Yea i expect the worst, its in a pile of weeds, untouched since it was used as a farm vehicle (probably in the 80's.... However, i do know it was very well maintained).. So i do hope for the best... sorta haha. Even though it has a history of being waist deep in lake winnipeg.


Originally posted by Rat Fink
I'm into my '83 Dodge roughly 6,000 bucks now over the years, and counting the original purchase price. It's approx 4,000 dollars worth of parts over the course of my love affair with this goddamn thing and that doesn't include any labor time with that either since all that work was done by myself or one of my friends giving me a hand. Not all the parts are currently on the vehicle as I have a backup 360 block and a pile of parts to build my engine #2 when this tired old thing finally packs it in. The next one will be slightly on the raunchy side since I no longer need it for a daily driver. :love:

Where you are ahead in the game is the fact that it is a GM. You can pretty much buy parts from 7-11 for that thing. oh hey, I'll grab a pack of Marlboros and that crank seal hanging up over there!; 20-30K for a full resto wouldn't be a crazy figure at all. Doing it yourself would cut that down HUGE. If you want a stock overhaul of everything then it'll cut it down even further. Speed parts and bling will eat up your budget really quickly.

With all of that said, I still love my truck and time seems to stop when I go for a drive in it. :thumbsup:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Sick man! Pics of the 83???

Yea, i plan on doing 100% of the work myself (minus the possible welding and paint for the most part (and some possible machining, chrome plating etc...).
and do plan on taking my time with it. Now outta school and want to finally tackle the truck.


.... and inevitably, later down the road some slight mods will probably inevitably happen

Rat Fink
05-23-2012, 09:23 PM
.

Graham_A_M
05-24-2012, 09:29 PM
Hey Swak, okay back home now so here are all the websites that'll be a huge help for you. Good thing Im also into the Chevy trucks as well, since I have all this handy.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresources.htm#parts

http://www.chevsofthe40s.com/shop/search.lasso?group=Exterior&Dept=Truck

http://www.scottssupertrucks.com/index.asp

http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cart/index.asp?cat2=9723&path=1934+-+1946+Truck+Parts%2FDecals%2FReproduced+Factory+Original+Decals
^ I dont know how helpful these last three sites will be, its geared towards cars & trucks a lot older then what you're rocking.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/search-chevy-truck.html?first_answer=321

http://www.stovebolt.com/
^ Thats a pretty good forum, I dont know what the year cut off is but its worth checking out.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/t.aspx