adoornbosc Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) I have a 88 Conquest that hasn't run in over 9 or 10 years with rust. I can't get rid of it. I want to bring it back to life. How much do you guys think it will cost me for a full Restoration if I take it somewhere to have the work done. Thanks for the help. Edited March 16, 2010 by adoornbosc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convette Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 way more than it worth. Your better off buying one thats done or closer to your goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome_Rush Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 A full restoration job depends more on the work than the car really, metal work, paint, alot of it isnt car specific, going to be the same price whether its an 86 escort or a 69 mustang and these cars are hard to find part for which will cost more of there time tracking down parts. a good shop, doing all the work. I dunno, the price for it would be around the price of the car brand new I would guess, or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starquestG54B Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 it depends on where you take it. its better if you have a freind that does bodywork and that will cut you deal then taking it to someone you dont know that will charge you a arm and a leg and probly your left nut. so have a freind do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pc85 Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 Going through the exact same thing. I'm original owner of an '85 Flatty, had some rust and wanted to rebuild engine, I'm not a mechanic so I have to pay $$$. Definetly depends on the shop and how detailed you have the resto done. I've already spent over $10k and haven't even touched the engine. The shop that's doing my resto does $100,000 Ferrari makeovers and will work on cars valued over 1/2 a million $; way too rich for my blood and poor Conquest. They do amazimg work but charge just for looking at the car so I'll be lfinding another mechanic/autobody shop as soon as I pay off this last bill, lol.SHOP AROUND-AND SIT BACK FOR A LONG RIDE. Parts are hard to find but there are sources on line and on these car clubs. Bottom line probably going to spend between $5-$10k on a good paint job depending on the rust and another $5-$10k on the engine rebuild between parts and labor depending on how involved you get; it'll probably need to be bored out, new pistons, some head work, camshaft, and new turbo for starters, hard pipes, exhaust, suspension and brakes as well as lots of miscellaneous. GOOD LUCK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 (edited) It all depends on what your definition of restoration is. I used to work at a restoration shop and saw all kinds of stuff go thru there. There were some custom builds that pushed $150k and some basic factory restorations that were close to $80k. They did some nice frame-on restorations for $10-20k. Of course, they charged $60+ per labor hour and used all the top notch parts and materials, and made money martking those up as well. That being said, there's many more cheaper options. I'm a body guy, not a mechanic, o I can really only speak about what it will take to get that aspect of it done. Most "good" body shops are gonna want $3k+ for a nice repaint, and that's assuming there's very little body or rust repair. If you've gos some rust and other issues, it's not uncommon to see the bill hit $5k. Of course, there's plenty of people out there who do their own thing or do work on the side for cheap. Of course, finding those people requires you to know someone, or to know enough about the processes to where you can "interview" the guys you find and see if they really know their stuff or not. Suprisingly, You can find quite a few knowledgeable people on Craigslist offering work (about 60% of my work comes from the CL). You just have to be able to know they know what they're doing, either by asking lots of questions, or seeing examples of their work IN PERSON. Pics don't show flaws well, so a car that looks good in pics might look like complete a** in person. If you find the right person you can save a bunch of coin on the body for sure. I can restore the bodies on SQ's usually for under$1500-$1700. Even ones that need bodywork and rust patching rarely go higher than $2200. That's about half of what the "good" body shops around here would charge for the same work. If you want to study up on some of the processes that go into a restoration, go check this out... http://www.26liter.us/forum/index.php/topic,1604.0.html Its an online body manual I wrote up that discusses most of the processes that go into body and paint work, and also show how the stuff is done. You may read some and realize that you want to try and do the work yourself, which is why I started it. Even if you don't decide you want to do it yourself, if you know the processes of how everything works, you will be better informed, and will be able to know better if people you interview to do your really know what they're talking about. Links to each of the 21 chapters in the manual can be found at the bottom of the first post. Edited March 19, 2010 by Burton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptracy26 Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 The shop I went to fixed rust/dinks/repaint etc.. I believe they fabbed their own rails for me too total cost 10k. but it looks good, I get compliments/questions whenever I take her out. (well when she runs - ugh) mechanical next, probaly another 3k than I can sell her for 4k total, atleast that's what people are willing to pay now. Yeah, I'll think I'll keep her around for another 20 years. (by that time all the ricers will be looking for her at the Barret Jackson auction. ha ha) Seriously, to me its worth it, but not an investment. Just don't go out of you means to get there. I'm 42 now bought the car brand new when I was 22 or so. Wasn't till last year where I spent the money to do this and not hurt my lifestyle. She sat in the garage the last 10 years waiting so I followed through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adoornbosc Posted March 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2010 The shop I went to fixed rust/dinks/repaint etc.. I believe they fabbed their own rails for me too total cost 10k. but it looks good, I get compliments/questions whenever I take her out. (well when she runs - ugh) mechanical next, probaly another 3k than I can sell her for 4k total, atleast that's what people are willing to pay now. Yeah, I'll think I'll keep her around for another 20 years. (by that time all the ricers will be looking for her at the Barret Jackson auction. ha ha) Seriously, to me its worth it, but not an investment. Just don't go out of you means to get there. I'm 42 now bought the car brand new when I was 22 or so. Wasn't till last year where I spent the money to do this and not hurt my lifestyle. She sat in the garage the last 10 years waiting so I followed through. Thank you for what you wrote. I don't want to be kicking myself in the a** 5 to 10 years down the road if I get rid of it. I want to drive her again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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