If you can fix a car like that AND make a profit, then you haven't fixed it to a high standard. By all means, cut corners, save a few quid where you can. But a RESTORATION will cost a lot. And you did say restore.

30,000 with cowboy mechanics? We spend most of our days sorting the bodges cowboy mechanics have done. Customers bring us a car they've had 10k spent on elsewhere, and ask us to spend 20k putting the first bit of work right, and improving the standard.

Remember, a lot of bits aren't available anymore. A lot of the chassis will have to be hand made, which unless you are a skilled panel beater (and by panel beater I don't mean a kwik-fit bodyshopper who knows how to bolt on a panel from a shop) will be a difficult process.

A racing car we are preparing (a Fulvia, but not that much older than the Beta, and with less Fiat intrusion) we have estimated 6 weeks work just for the bodywork. It wasn't a bad car to start with, and certainly won't be concours standard by the end of it. The suspension work (custom bushes, designed and made by yours truly, recambered springs, adjusted ride height and corner weights, additional negative camber........), engine work (tbc), are all on top of that. Plus we are using plastic for the majority of the windows (which is a lot cheaper than sourcing Lancia glass anyway).........

And that car was in daily use!

Now imagine trying to restore (i.e. return to original condition and specification) something that is worse to start with (by the looks of it) to a higher standard. It costs.

If you will admit by 'restore' you actually meant 'bodge back to MoT standard as quickly as possible to make a cheap buck on some unsuspecting youngster' then I will admit you can do it on the cheap. But you will also make yourself look like a fool in the process (in my books, not that that counts for a lot).

Hmm, what does come with 10 000 paint job?

I have car painter in family (rather distant relative really), he has been competing in Toyota's World champion car painting competition in Japan and he is quite good I believe, but I can't recall he charging such amount any time from paint job.

If car is a rust bucket, surely bodywork need to be fixed and that might cost really a lot of money if one can't do it by himself, but that is again quite stupid to get project car and pay someone else to do project part in it

Quote from theirishnoob :

hmmm workin on bmws all my life , mainly e30's and classics though ive restored old audis/mercs also , you pay 500 to rent the gear needed for the day/'s , besides 30,000 is complete rebuild by a crew of cowboy mechanics , tbh , stripping it yourself and putting everything you need in box's saves you tons , ordering all the parts you need saves you even more , just replace it if its cheaper and bolt it yourself cause i don't know about you but if i was driving an Italian car id like to know that i fixed . Italian cars have a bad history with reliability.


the point im making ( unless your dunce and havent read right ) is that do it yourself , screw your social/gaming life , just fix it and before you know it you got a great car and if you need to sell it you know what you Will make a great profit off it

theirishnoob
Date of Birth: 16th December 1991
Age: 15


p.s learn to type.

Don't be so childish, remember that anybody can set any birthday they want.

Firstly, i'm not being childish. I fail to see how that is childish.

Secondly your birthday is supposed to be YOUR birthday. And it is supposed to be real. Remeber that giving personal infomation, which is incorrect, such as your date of birth is a felony

remember the part where i said in a post " i may be 15 but i can do my with a spanner then 10 " fully qualified " mechanics " ??

also *note to self * remove personal info....

Quote from JTbo :

Hmm, what does come with 10 000 paint job?

I have car painter in family (rather distant relative really), he has been competing in Toyota's World champion car painting competition in Japan and he is quite good I believe, but I can't recall he charging such amount any time from paint job.

If car is a rust bucket, surely bodywork need to be fixed and that might cost really a lot of money if one can't do it by himself, but that is again quite stupid to get project car and pay someone else to do project part in it

On a new car, you can just throw some primer, some paint, and some rubbing down compound. Assuming the panels aren't painted or damaged to start with, it might only cost you a couple of thousand pounds.

But now start with an older car. Panel imperfections need to be fixed, the old paint has to come off. All filler (we hate that stuff, but it is a quick fix) has to come off too. Then you refill (if unavoidable), rub down, refill, rub down. Prime, rub down. Paint, paint, paint, lacquer, nib and polish....

And that's not including the time it takes to remove every last ounce of trim, glass, doors, bonnet, boot etc etc, or for painting the interior.

Of course, you can paint over old paint. You can mask off trim. You can cut corners. But it WILL show, and it WON'T be a restoration (and I must stress that the 15 year old who has, at most 5 years vague experience [on the same token, I've been working on cars since I was about 8, and am now 26, so perhaps 18 years experience?] did mention the term restoration).

Quote from tristancliffe :

On a new car, you can just throw some primer, some paint, and some rubbing down compound. Assuming the panels aren't painted or damaged to start with, it might only cost you a couple of thousand pounds.

But now start with an older car. Panel imperfections need to be fixed, the old paint has to come off. All filler (we hate that stuff, but it is a quick fix) has to come off too. Then you refill (if unavoidable), rub down, refill, rub down. Prime, rub down. Paint, paint, paint, lacquer, nib and polish....

And that's not including the time it takes to remove every last ounce of trim, glass, doors, bonnet, boot etc etc, or for painting the interior.

Of course, you can paint over old paint. You can mask off trim. You can cut corners. But it WILL show, and it WON'T be a restoration (and I must stress that the 15 year old who has, at most 5 years vague experience [on the same token, I've been working on cars since I was about 8, and am now 26, so perhaps 18 years experience?] did mention the term restoration).

Typically with older cars it is owner that does that hard part so there is not much more to do as with new car, haven't really heard that anyone had paid for restoration from o state, it would cost a million, but it could be different in UK indeed.

Doing things by self does cost too, but nothing compared to that if you pay someone to do it.

Of course some 15 years old can't do real restoration, it takes really sometime until one can make fender from sheetmetal for example.