How long does it take to restore a car?

[captcolour]

Well if you start the restoration clock at the time you buy the car, then I've been restoring this one for 5-1/2 years already!

Back in 2016 and having the 'cuda already that was already restored when purchased, I decided I wanted a '69 Road Runner to do myself when I retired in 5 or 6 years.  As the 'cuda isn't all original, wanted a numbers matching RR if possible.  Started going to Carlisle and of course back in 2016 I see a '69 RR (painted sublime so entirely wrong) that was a 10 foot car at best.  Got thinking instead of buying one that needed immediate restoration, what if I bought one that I could drive now and restore later.  Hadn't been shopping, so go back to the hotel that night and search the interzwebs for '69 RR.  Sitting in a hotel in Carlisle, I find a '69 RR, numbers matching, 383 4-speed, original owner, build sheet, fender tag, original bill of sale, etc. needing full restoration located 20 miles away from my house back in Kentucky!  Auction was ending on Tuesday and I wouldn't be back in KY until Thursday.  Contact the seller through ebay and he gives me his phone number.  Call him the next day and turns out he isn't the owner but is selling for an older guy that doesn't know ebay.  Tells me all about the car and the fact that he would buy it but doesn't have room.  He is currently restoring a '68 Super Bee.  Also tells me not to worry about the auction since the reserve was set high.  Just testing the waters.  Car didn't meet reserve.  Went to look at it on Thursday and bought it on Friday.  Met the original owner of course and he bought it when graduating college up in Flint, MI.  He moved around dragging the car with him.  He got divorced and remarried.  Current wife is from Florence, KY so they moved there when he retired.  Car had been sitting in a storage unit right around the corner from where I work for 15 years!  Drove by it every day.  Didn't want a RR so soon, but how could I pass on this one!

The guy who listed it on ebay, Tim, was a building inspector for the county.  He had just been to my house back in April for final inspection!  Tim does concours quality work.  He paints outdoors with the understanding of having to rework due to the occasional gnat stuck to the paint.  He was invited to a concours show in Cincy with his blue '68 Bee and the only ding in judging was that the hood latch was painted and not zinc plated (something like that).

Tim is willing to help me with the RR.  I will do most of the tear down myself here along with component restoration.  When time, will move the roller to his place to put on the rotisserie for body work and paint.  Tim will charge me $50/hr which is great.  Equally important, he knows where to go for parts dipping, block/head work, transmission work, etc.  He will come to my place to help as needed, and I will go to his place to learn and help on the bodywork/paint side.

Tim is retired too and is currently finishing another '68 Bee.  He is searching for his next project now.  My RR will help fill the gap.  Both of his Bee's have taken him about 7 years which is why I asked the original question.  Based on the comments above and me doing some of the work, I'm really hoping it will be more like 2 years.

[anlauto]

Well that's a great story, but unfortunately now I see one major RED FLAG in your plans, if not a red flag then at least a possible "fly in the ointment" ....

Seeing how you are "outsourcing" the body and paint, your project will now be at their mercy....by your description, the guy sounds like he does really nice work, but admittingly it took seven years to do his own car, and he's now older and retired ? Can he put fourth the effort needed to get your car done in a reasonable timeframe ? Hopefully it doesn't take YEARS just to get the body done...sometimes having "friends" do work for you is not always the best scenario

ON A POSITIVE NOTE: With the body and paint being done elsewhere, it gives YOU plenty of time to restore all the components 

[moparroy]

How long IS a piece of string? yea that nailed it for me. LOL a good laugh on that one!
Well I bought the '74 Cuda back in January 1998 - WTH 24 years ago - well fitting it was 24 years old when I bought it and it might actually see the road this summer.
I had the garage space to work on it and it went straight in there on that day as the fellow I bought it from had to move it. And I started on it right away - and I started buying parts I knew I needed right away - from the old buy and sell (kijiji on paper) - and my first trip to Moparfest that year.
Initially I started a "quick" reconditioning - being my first (and only) such project. Thought I'd get it done by 2000 - next target was before it was 30 years old in 2004 - LOL - somewhere in there I realized if I am going to do it I should do it right so I ripped the whole thing apart - and around 2004 was sandblasting the whole thing in a poly tent in my garage - with my little compressor.
I did not follow the "do something everyday" for sure - sometimes months when by and I was just too busy at work or had other things to do (like rebuilding the tranny in my '95 Intrepid ... ).
A few years ago I realized I would not get it done till I retired. Well here I am - 3 years plus into retirement and it should be done this year. I still had a lot of body work to do when I retired in 2018.
And I am still finding parts I need - well now mostly fasteners and such details - and buying parts I knew I would need to replace a long time ago - like the headliner today. Being a rookie I spend as much time researching as doing - but love every minute of it and very happy with how its coming together.

Add one thought - is it just me? - seems it is easier to find parts for this car now than when I started - sheet metal for sure is more available - and the internet has helped for sure. At the start it looked to me like Year One was the only game in town but I really have not bought much from them. I remember my first time going through swap meet at Moparfest and there did not seem to be much for e-bodies - so I made the trek to Carlisle a few years later and that proved more fruitful and I got better at recognizing it. Seems to be much more reproduction stuff available now.

[7E-Bodies]

You mean that it actually happens? Finishing one?   

[SRT392]

So when I did my wife's 65 mustang I was retired just flying part time and as it was her car I didn't have to worry about the budget. I did the work (she actually helped quite a bit) and I sent it out for paint. I did all the metal work after dipping and rebuilt the eng. I did all the assembly and working out the bugs. This took 2 years. It took 25 for me to do my numbers matching 66 vette. So with her writing the checks and me doing the work 2 years is not bad. I've done a number of old airplanes so if you stick to it they get done.  Good luck.

[tparker]

Not sure when I officially started restoring and I don't really know what will constitute done. LOL. I've had the car for 30+ years. It sat almost all that time. About 20 years ago I tore much of it down. about 10-12 years ago I would get cash here and there and do some things. I've been seriously spending time and money for the last 5 or so years restoring. Almost "done" in the sense that the interior is redone, the car is painted, and the motor in in the garage waiting to be put in. Then the last few final things and it should be on the road this spring.

I guess it depends on how bad the car is, how much money you have, and how much man power/hours you can throw at it.

[nsmall]

Triple your budget, well that is what happened to me.

Yes, find a body shop that will complete it within 2 years.

2 years seems reasonable for the restoration, it just seems hard to find a body shop that honors their word.

[Rdchallenger]

I'm currently on year 4 for mine.

[Dmod1974]

This is a loaded question.  It all depends how fast YOU will move, how fast OTHERS handling portions of the resto will move, how much work it REALLY needs after getting it down to metal, and how long it'll take to get PARTS given the current supply chain issues. 

I'm 3 years into mine with the goal to have it running this summer, and while I really cranked on it the first 1.5 years, the second half has been a lot of hurry up to wait.  My car is currently at a body shop awaiting final paint, and while they moved fast on it initially to final fit the panels and put it in primer, I think it is collecting dust while they work on other cars with owners jumping up and down.  I'll be hounding them next after I get my garage cleared up enough to fit the car in again.

[js27]

It took me 2 years to do my 67 GTX--18 Months in the body shop. Just keep at it. It is easy to get discussed especially these days with parts shortages and crazy prices. Order everything you can afford now to avoid waiting on parts. While it is in the body shop Just spend the time cleaning-polishing-buffing-painting what ever you can. It will be worth it in the end.
JS27