I suggest you buy some books such as Mustang resoration guides and shop manuals. Also, peruse the FAQ section above for invaluable information. The 10K ball park figure will get you a decent body and interior restoration (5K) and for about 5K more you could upgade the brakes (1K)and suspension (1K) along with a decent restomod engine and tranny (3K). This all depends on you doing all the labor. So, tell the old lady you need 15K bux to restore your car, and to cut down on the food budget. Seriously, any budget regarding restoring these cars is always busted. It is the little things that add up that make you go over the budget. It sure is a fun hobby though. Good luck with it.
Just got the VIN from my mother-in-law 5F07C267046
Now I think I have most of it figured out but...
5F Built June 5th 07 Body Hardtop C Exterior Honey Gold (Currently Ivy green poly) 26 Interior Black vinyl with black cloth insert 7 Rear end 3.80 6 Trans C4 Auto
But what is the 04 how do I determine the engine code from the VIN is that elsewhere?
Just got the VIN from my mother-in-law 5F07C267046
Now I think I have most of it figured out but...
5F Built June 5th 07 Body Hardtop C Exterior Honey Gold (Currently Ivy green poly) 26 Interior Black vinyl with black cloth insert 7 Rear end 3.80 6 Trans C4 Auto
But what is the 04 how do I determine the engine code from the VIN is that elsewhere?
I don't know which decoder you used, but here is what your car came out of the factory with.
I'm doing a 67 resto mod. Thought I could get it done for 12K. 12K is where I stopped counting. I think I'm up to about 16K. I'm hoping I can do it for 20K but realistically it will be more like 22 or 24. I'm not going to run the final numbers until I'm done. I don't want to start compromising now.
DS, you have so much downloading crap to see what you are talking about, it isn't worth it. Just post the dang thing so that regular folks can see what you have.
I don't feel so bad after looking at your bill dodgestang. What do guys do when they are not doing their own work. That has to be really expensive. I know those body and paint bills can be a lot. The only thing I have paid someone to do so far is the short block and the front end alignment.
So what you are telling me is to be afraid, very afraid. Thank you for all of the feedback. It is interesting to see the range of costs and options that are available for these cars. I will have to take some time to evaluate these options. Soaring thanks for the decode help. I realized the decoder I used was for the tag on the door not the VIN decoder.
Posts: 133
Joined: 2/25/2006 From: Lakewood, WA Status: offline
I have done everything to my car except the exhaust. I am including the cost of the car, the cost of parts, the other 73 I picked up for parts. Plus I had to pay $4/hour + 2/day while I was doing the body work at the local Army craft shop. I wish i had a garage.
DS, you have so much downloading crap to see what you are talking about, it isn't worth it. Just post the dang thing so that regular folks can see what you have.
Lazy
Besides...forum doesn't support spread sheet cut and paste...and if I turn into HTML...than I would have had to maintian it in two spots...sure I could just blather my total...but to help with an understanding of costs looking at the spread sheet lets the reader quickly ascertain I didn't build a trailer queen show car...I cut corners everywhere I could and even if you take out the full investment I made in the motor and tranny....you can easily add up the costs of parts and see a very clear estimate of what some one one might expect to pay when restoring a car to street duty.
DS, you have so much downloading crap to see what you are talking about, it isn't worth it. Just post the dang thing so that regular folks can see what you have.
Lazy
Besides...forum doesn't support spread sheet cut and paste...and if I turn into HTML...than I would have had to maintian it in two spots...sure I could just blather my total...but to help with an understanding of costs looking at the spread sheet lets the reader quickly ascertain I didn't build a trailer queen show car...I cut corners everywhere I could and even if you take out the full investment I made in the motor and tranny....you can easily add up the costs of parts and see a very clear estimate of what some one one might expect to pay when restoring a car to street duty.
GOod SHeet! I printed it to help remind me of some of the smaller stuff. :)
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1969 Mustang Grande coupe - 302, auto C4. Sold April 2007 :-(
AHA! I got up this morning, and after a cup of java, realized I didn't have MS Excel viewer downloaded. After I loaded it, DodgeStang's spread sheep popped right up. DOOOOHHHH! It's a work of art DS.....But, as you pointed out, it's scary to realize just how much you have in a car. Man, 28 grand and then the motor blows up.
Almost 2 years in the resto shop and all work done by professionals. I did some of the minor detailing , engine work and chasing the best parts. That was about it. I wanted the car as near concours as a driver can be soooooo......... almost $ 30,000.00 later, I have a REALLY nice ( seldom driven ) driver. Don't let it scare you off. They can be done much cheaper if you aren't as picky as I am. Good luck, Dean
Best advice is just do it. No matter what do it. Leave it in the garage for years if you have to, work on it every day if possible, there is always something to clean or rebuild. You will learn a mountain of information, meet interesting and exciting people, and have something that people will notice and comment on in traffic for years.
People always start a conversation about my old cars when I drive them, and the offers to buy are always there too.
MY GT 350 R clone You can see the car at http://www.roadandcustom.co.za Suspension is fully adjustable road race setup with heim joints and rollerised perches, aluminium spindles and 12" vented disks with 4 pot calipers all round, Koni adj shocks all round. Motor is 347 stroker from Engine Factory, making about 450 HP tranny is 5 spd Tremec color is Viper blue with pearl white stripes Interior is being done in black leather with full shelby R style instruments diff is ford 8" with LS and axles from Currie Wheels are Hallibrand Knock on's EVERY PART of this car aprat from the main body section is brand new. Purchase price for the car................$ 8 500 Costs so far..........motor and tranny $ 11 000 Bodywork and paint $ 8 000 wheels and tyres $ 3 500 Interior $ 4 000 Electrical $ 1 000 Trim parts interior and exterior $ 5 000 Suspension upgrades Fr & Rr $ 5 000 miscel bits and peices $ 1 000 total so far.......................................A LOT of US dollars I want ot add that this car has a much higher spec than the Unique performance GT 350 R/SR that they are selling at the moment.
Printable Version
RE: Cost of Restoring your Mustang - 
Seriously, any budget regarding restoring these cars is always busted. It is the little things that add up that make you go over the budget. It sure is a fun hobby though. Good luck with it.
