Am I Crazy or Is This the Going Rate???

[70rag383]

That's crazy! $4K CAD!

[cudaize]

While this is a nice restoration, I want to point out a couple of items I see that should be considered with the restoration of this heater.  I'm not pointing these out as criticisms, but observations.

The first thing I see is that the fresh air vent by the passengers feet was cracked, which almost all are, and just trimmed not fixed.  In the last 30 years I have only found 2 that were intact.  Both of these had little cracks but all the pieces were attached.  The one in the car I restored for my 71 cuda convertible and the one without the stamps I sold last year. 

The piece of cardboard going over the floor vents looks to be wrong.

All of the 70 and 71 original cars I have seen had silver zinc plated motors.  I don't believe the black motors came out until 72 or later. The silver stamps for the molding dates of the pieces, 1669, is the 166th day of 1969 so this would presumably be for a 1970 car.

There are many good points about this restoration.  The finish of the boxes looks great and correct.  The rivets holding the brackets on look to be correct.  The finish on all the brackets looks correct as bare steel, not zinc plating or stainless steel paint as many do.

In my opinion, to command this price the vent opening should be as original.

[torredcuda]

How many hours to restore that box - disasembly, fixing parts, bead blasting, sending them out plating and reasembly? Even if it took 10 hours, which I don`t think it would take half that, at $100/hr that is $1000 labor which means there is over $1000 in parts, materials, plating etc.? Still seems way high to me.

[340sport]

Agreed, but they aren't charging $100/hr anymore.

[YYZ]

In my opinion, to command this price the vent opening should be as original.

This.

[jimynick]

Here's a question- who in the hell is ever going to see, know or give a damn unless you're in some concours deal? I mean that, unless your current box is demo'd, fix it and install it and in future prevent anyone from lying on their back when in your car.

[70_440-6Cuda]

I guess I was more commenting on the super high prices of anything Mopar compared to everything else - you can restore a fastback Mustang out of a catalog, and most parts are good reproductions and the average Joe could afford - just seems everything I come across is $2K.....

I get it, supply and demand, ebay fees, cost of time and labor etc etc.... I suppose that all plays into why ebodies command the prices they do....

So to answer my original question by the responses here, yes, this i where we are now  

[mtull]

I guess I was more commenting on the super high prices of anything Mopar compared to everything else

it does take some of the fun out of this hobby. 
 

[70_440-6Cuda]

Here's a question- who in the hell is ever going to see, know or give a damn unless you're in some concours deal? I mean that, unless your current box is demo'd, fix it and install it and in future prevent anyone from lying on their back when in your car.

While no one will ever look, and I plan on driving and enjoying my car I still want to "restore" it as accurately as possible.  I am taking EVERYTHIGN apart down to the body shell so I just figure while everything is apart, do it right. 

I just didnt plan an EVERY part costing $2K and up!

[torredcuda]

Agreed, but they aren't charging $100/hr anymore.

Even at the high rate of $150/hr I still don`t see that price being justified.

[1970Cuda]

I did the cosmetic restoration myself on a decent Non-A/C heater box and it turned out pretty fair and for a LOT less.

- $300 (To have the blower motor rebuilt/replated/tested - so that it doesn't whine or make noise)
- $210 (Glen-Ray Radiator rebuilt original heater core, which is a lot better then a replacement core)
- $190 (For a new POS plastic housing cover)
- $120 (Gasket set and clips set - although I ended up re-anodizing my original clips and using those)

Total was around $820, but that doesn't include shipping and such for some of those items.

[MoparLeo]

Ford built more Mustangs the first year of production than Mopar built E-bodies for all years of production combined.
And remember that the Mustang was just a rebodied Falcon. The lowest car in the Ford line.

[JH27N0B]

Restoration prices have really gotten crazy for most everything now.  Having done a ground up restoration on an E body that I started down the primrose path on in the late 90s, I thought costs were pretty high at the time. But I say they may have tripled since then.
I am not going to opine on if that ebay listing is reasonable, but I will say that the situation is sad in that by and large everyone but the richest car enthusiasts are priced out of being able to do a full restoration.  And that also means that with few exceptions only Mopars like hemis, 6 packs, and wing cars will get restored. 
When I started my project, I estimated I could get it done, having a restoration shop focus mostly on extensive body work, and paint, while I gathered parts, restored myself or had restored, various components, and my doing most of the disassembly and reassembly myself, for around $40K.  After various setbacks, 15 years later, I estimate I have a tad over 100K in the project when it finally was done.
If I had delayed it such that I was starting the project now instead, it would be close to 200 maybe even hit 250 grand.

[70_440-6Cuda]

@JH27N0B You are right on point and exactly what I was getting at - I am in the exact same position - the car is at the shop now getting the needed metal and body work to have a good platform to start with and I plan on doing all of the disassembly / reassembly and restoration of as many parts as I can.  I am 2 years in and have made very little progress until now and have been diligently collecting original parts along the way and have quite a good collection to get me going, but man EVERYTHING is soooo expensive.

I am not saying the price is too high, but I am starting to wonder if it is worth even finishing my car as I will be completely upside down for sure.... what is a '70 V code Cuda worth with broadcast sheet but NMN engine?  $100-125K on a good day if it is restored REALLY well?

I feel like I am heading towards the $200K mark considering a damn paint job in California will set you back $20K or more

[RzeroB]

I just noticed in the ad's fine print that this box is for a HEMI E-body!! That explains why it is so expensive!!