What are your goals for your car?

Mine are simple yet complex. I have a friend that likes to build cars and bikes and he has a tendency to go all in. He has built a Factory Five Cobra, an Early Landcruiser and the last one was a 76 Tran-Am. All were very nice cars but in the end he took a big loss on every one of them.

My goal for this car is a budget build that end up as close to or under 10K. I want a car that is a nice driver but will turn heads and be a comfortable and dependable ride. So far I have accumulated many of the pieces I need (most need love) and now it's time to get after it. I have a spreadsheet with all of my purchases as well as my extra part sales and I'm just under $2,500 including the purchase if the car.

Once I have it together and I have made my point about a nice car for WAY less than he has done it will be game on!!! That's when it will get fast.

The orange car is his old Factory Five, I had the pleasure of wiring it as well as the Cruiser.

 

You're gonna find that these projects are money-pits. It never ends, and you'll spend 20k on that car over the course of time if you keep it.

 

I certainly understand what you are saying...............and although I've built dozens of cars......and sold more than two dozen........none of my cars have ever made a magazine cover. I've helped build two Factory Five cars, a Cobra and a 33 Coupe. With the Cobra you start out with a frame/body and a lot of parts for $13k........then you need a donor late model Mustang and with the 33 you spend $10k and need a lot more. My friend easily spent over $30k for the Cobra to be finished and it still isn't painted. The 33 Coupe was sold unfinished.
I guess my point is anyone who has $$$$$ money can throw it at a car and build something very nice........but it takes a real "wizard" to build a nice car on a small budget...........and my is off to you, I hope you get what
you want for the budget you have set.
Unfortunately I have always set a budget for every build I have started, but always end up going way over............mainly because I want HP....and the more HP the more money.......then you need to beef up the trans and rear end to hold the HP...............I guess that's my downfall.........I'm addicted to power
Keep us informed as it progresses.

 

obviously you're not setting realistic budgets for that type of build...

mine is my...hobby...what ever the cost is what it is...I can live with that...I will be finished the day I die...

 

never understood the...Kit Car...thing and as you can see, when he was done there was another one just like it...

 

Well said. I agree completely.

But somewhere in the near future, I would like something I can hop into, that is quick, comfortable, and handles well.

I am already at or just over the $10k mark, and maybe 12 hours away from the "quick, comfortable, and handles well" mark, but nowhere near "finished".

 

My long time goal is, of course, to completely finish my Maverick but the short term goal is, this coming spring, the car has to roll out of the garage on 4 tires

 

I set no goals, and I keep no running record of any costs associated with my Grabber, (I do know what I spent in my head) I do/did what I want/ed to and let the dollar bills fly where they need to, I am building it to have fun and enjoy, for me and no one else!

 

I plan on having a stock-appearing body/car that is representative of the era (70's). Aside from that, it would be great to have some subtle modern updates like 4-wheel discs, and a mild V8. I don't need to do the quarter-mile under 14.00s but just a nice cruiser that I can drive and feel safe in. I am hovering slightly under the $10K mark with my build so far. I have a big pile of new parts, but at least two more similarly-sized piles yet to purchase before I reach the point to where I'd say my goals have been met.

I am certainly not concerned with resale, or how much money I put into it over time. It's cheap therapy...

 

My plan for my car is the same today as it has always been, to build the best car I can. Yes in the end there are things I would like to do a little different, like a four link rear etc. But for me it all comes down to justification. If I can justify in my head the cost of a certain part, then it's worth it. Some things I can do easily, others things not so much.

So far, not too many things that got cut. For me it isn't about the $$ figure but more about how I want the car in the end. If that costs me more, then it costs me more. At this point I am already past the 20k mark (without labor), so whats a little more to get it right where I want it.

Could I have built a similar car for less? sure, but it wouldn't be as nice or as detailed as what I am doing.

 

I don't set a goal, I enjoy working on my cars, that's how I relax, as for the money, if I have it I spend it, not like I can take it with me. I tried to set a budget, but as with anything else, i"m not going to get there for that...

 

Larry, I know all too well how fast it adds up! My GTO had more money thrown at it than I care to remember and it still looked worse than my Maverick does now. The paint will be the big expense and I'm not sure what I will do there yet. My budget is a pie in the sky number and if I can get close I will be tickled, if not I will still be tickled.

I have the very same issue. With my GTO I built a stock engine, trans and rear end and it was a nice driver but that got boring real fast. When I made my first pass in it and it went 15.25 I was devastated! Fast forward a few years and a ton of money and it was in the 11's but no longer enjoyable on the street. It's all about compromise and that's the hard part.

 

Looking at Spring projects:
1). install 3:55 rear end w/locker
2).wire in frnt Fog lamps
3).Front Disc. conv.
4).possible up grade to 15" rim and tire
5). Complete buff and hand wax mmm-m Spring

Think Spring

 

I'm kinda like a shark.. and similar to most of the other guys around here.. cars are merely a necessary distraction to keep myself swimming forward so I don't drown and start decaying away. Being a power freak only compounds the issue and makes it more expensive and time consuming. It can be very artistic and allows great expression with roots in spirituality at times. Pretty healthy stuff in my book.

But.. just about every day of my life I notice that there are far worse ways to spend large amounts of time and money. The car hobby is much more of a lifestyle and has many positive benefits, IMHO.

 

I just what to get started on mine. A pile of goodies await me in the extra bed room. I can't wait for Colorado Springs. Heated garage.