Setting a Proper Budget for a Vehicle Restoration

Not having enough in the budget to restore your classic muscle car can be quite disappointing. Muscle cars often bring back childhood or early adulthood memories. A proper budget to make sure that the muscle car restoration project goes as planned is vital. It takes more than just having a vision and a person that can complete the restoration. Always do your research so that you can construct the proper budget.

Create a Restoration Project List

A list is important. This is where you will write down every item that needs to be handled in the restoration. The list should include the body work that needs to be done, as well as the exterior design you want to achieve.

It will help you be more organized with the list if you break it down into sections. The more detailed your list is, the easier it will be to construct the proper budget.

Price Individual Pieces

There are several avenues available for finding parts for your muscle car. Some salvage yards may have usable parts, and of course, there are fabrication shops that can make parts to factory specifications. It is important that you price pieces yourself to ensure that you are getting the best price.

Now, when pricing parts and body pieces, search with a few different options. If the items are not local, include the shipping in your total price. Not including the shipping costs can severely impact your budget. 

Obtain Multiple Quotes

After you have the parts priced and your list ready to go, it's time to start sourcing restoration shops if you aren't completing the project yourself. Some shops will use the sources you've found to obtain parts, as this takes some time off of the project itself. The more you can provide, the easier it is for the shop to complete the project. Obtain a few quotes and select the one that suits your budget the best. This isn't always going to be the cheapest quote. Customer satisfaction, experience and understanding your vision are also important.

Base your budget upon your research and the quotes you receive. Always have a bit of a contingency budget available too. Just as with home improvement projects, automotive restoration projects are prone to the unforeseen. Once a vehicle is completely stripped, the restoration team can really see what you have to start with. More parts or fabrication may be required.