How Long Do Restorations for People With Decent Skills Generally Take? (1 Viewer)

[landcruiserrich]

Mines been apart since 2007 and is nowhere near done...My main problem is money and time are always inversely proportional. when I have money I have no time and when I have time I have no money.I could tell you all the stupid stuff I've done that causes a stalled build but there's just too much to list. Number one is don't get caught up trying to build the perfect rig the first time unless you have lots of money to burn and limitless time or you are a professional fabricator (ie pirate 4x4 builds) It's easy to read a bunch of build threads on here and other forums and say to yourself "I want that!" ....the "I want that" stuff adds up quick and for an average person with limited time and money it just means you wait longer for a driveable rig. It's better to just build it all up within a budget to a stage where you can drive it , make it look as pretty as you want then add things like power steering, disc brakes, lockers etc later. Two; buy things in stages as you need them, not all at once. I made the mistake of buying many thousands of dollars worth of lockers, gears , wiring harness , power steering box etc all at once when I started out ....now I'm married and broke and have no rolling chassis to bolt them on because I can't afford to get my frame sandblasted and it's too rusty not to......life gets in the way of projects so the faster you have a driveable rig, the better. looking back I should have just bought a cruiser in better shape that someone had already put the money in to and go from there. Having said that, when this ones done I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

you hit on the most important part about any build - don't let others set your schedule. It will be done when you say it will be done. My dad has been working on a Sunbeam Tiger since 1980. Every year it gets a bit closer, and he's done lots of projects in between. Will it be done before I inherit it? don't know, but I do know he's enjoyed every minute of its build. I have a 50 Buick that I set an optimistic "don't ask me about the schedule until 2016"... it's not done, but I didn't have the skills to do what I wanted, so I've done several projects in between. Now, I'm almost there, I want to chop the top and it's a compound curve - kind of the genius level of metal work - but those skills can't be hurried or rushed. I build because it's fun, if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it (which also informs on why I have little tolerance for trolls... they take the fun away.)

 

[Gumby]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/biodiesel-piggie-2-buildup-was-sad-sad-day.92355/page-47

This guy has skills and space and life just got in the way. One of the oldest build threads on mud. Buy something that drives and drive it and plan.

 

[grapestomper]

you hit on the most important part about any build - don't let others set your schedule. It will be done when you say it will be done. My dad has been working on a Sunbeam Tiger since 1980. Every year it gets a bit closer, and he's done lots of projects in between. Will it be done before I inherit it? don't know, but I do know he's enjoyed every minute of its build. I have a 50 Buick that I set an optimistic "don't ask me about the schedule until 2016"... it's not done, but I didn't have the skills to do what I wanted, so I've done several projects in between. Now, I'm almost there, I want to chop the top and it's a compound curve - kind of the genius level of metal work - but those skills can't be hurried or rushed. I build because it's fun, if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it (which also informs on why I have little tolerance for trolls... they take the fun away.)

You have to ask yourself if you want to drive it while you work on it or let it sit in your garage and take up space. I preferred to drive it so I bought one that needed some body work and interior work and some items to make it safe and fun to drive. Sounds like you might want to work on it more than drive it. Good luck and have fun.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

You have to ask yourself if you want to drive it while you work on it or let it sit in your garage and take up space. I preferred to drive it so I bought one that needed some body work and interior work and some items to make it safe and fun to drive. Sounds like you might want to work on it more than drive it. Good luck and have fun.

Did you miss the "My dad is working on a Sunbeam?" not my car - I've actually offered to make it drive for him and he's refused. With that said, and much to my wife's dismay. I pull them from fields, build them, drive them for a couple years, then sell them... that said, my current 40 is going to stay around awhile. So far, no one seems to be upset at my hobby... and it does make me money - not a lot, mind you, but it does allow me to build some pretty cool stuff.

 

[grapestomper]

Did you miss the "My dad is working on a Sunbeam?" not my car - I've actually offered to make it drive for him and he's refused. With that said, and much to my wife's dismay. I pull them from fields, build them, drive them for a couple years, then sell them... that said, my current 40 is going to stay around awhile. So far, no one seems to be upset at my hobby... and it does make me money - not a lot, mind you, but it does allow me to build some pretty cool stuff.

More power to you then. If you didn't like doing it you wouldn't still be at it. Keep up the good work.

 

[watrob]

You can achieve this build with limited skills and a limited workshop (home garage), it just takes longer, is more expensive and you will have to outsource some prefab work. Your talking full Saturday & Sundays and a couple hours each night, around 9 months work.

I have done a couple but you have to remember there is probably 4 months work it getting the parts required and the knowledge base pre starting the build. And its still going to be a $40k cost and that's not including your labour.

The devil is in the detail. Built this in my back garage.

Then moved it to my house garage to the body work.

Couple months later

And finished.

Its just how much detail do you want , the more detail the for money you need.

 

[shelfboy1]

dont forget the money have a ton of it handy

 

[NCFJ]

Time & Money!! Fortunate is the man that has both simultaneously.