How Much Does It Cost To Restore A Muscle Car

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How much does it cost to restore a muscle car; this is a question that I get asked all of the time. Most people feel like their should be a definite answer to this question. The truth of the matter is that there is no clear cut answer to this question.

Most people think that this is like collision work, where there is an estimate standard that we follow. The truth of the matter, is that there is really no way for any governing body to come up with a standard for estimating a complete restoration project.

Yes it's true that we can estimate small things, like an engine rebuild, until you decide to modify the engine, then all bets are off. There are so many things that we can't see until we have taken the car apart, and by that time we have already started the work.

Some of the common things that will hide form an estimate are, wiring problems that can't be seen by the eyeball, rust in places that can't be seen, and engine problems usually won't rear their ugly heads until it's to late. This always causes problems for you, and the shop doing the work.

I can give average times that it takes to restore a car that is in excellent, or good condition, but this can be deceiving to the person who owns the car. Everybody thinks that they have just bought the only rust free, perfect problem free muscle car left, but that is never the case.

There almost isn't a place that you can live in this country, that won't give your car a chance to rust. Forget what they say about California being the perfect place, it sits by an ocean, this means salt water is in the air, and salt is the worst thing for a car body.

Now for the some what of an answer, my shop has a labor rate of $75.00 per hour, and the average car that is in good shape will take no less that 1,000 hours to restore. The math is quite simple, this means $75,000 just in labor, not to mention the parts, these jobs are never cheap.

To the person who says that you should look at what the car is worth before you restore it. This is not great advise, most cars aren't worth what it will cost to restore them. The one thing that you need to know, is that they never lose their value, unless you customize it beyond recognition.

For most people the restoration of a car is a labor of love, it reminds you of a better, simpler time in your life, it just has a personal value to you, that can't be monetized in a blue book. This is the reason why most people restore a car.

The question how much does it cost to restore a muscle car, well that is up to you, it depends on your idea of what the car should be when it's done. There are certain cars that are worth a lot more to me then other cars, but to you it might be a different story.

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