About how?when i dinged? aka all the posts i made asking the same q, combined

[EAST SIDE LOW LIFE]

I would get a couple quotes from reputable shops and go from there. Sounds like your going to need a lot of tools and money. This might be more of a cost for you to restore then the next guy who has a well equiped shop in his back yard. You do NOT want to get to know people for just what they can do for you. It's a two way street and the people that help me I help back as this is what it's all about. You can find some good deals out there for $3500.00 to $6000.00 that would actualy save you money in the long run. Just my .02 worth.

esll.

[chip46wis]

Just a thought on the cost of resto-----a local that has had his work featured in the Dupont calender 3 times tells people to drop the vehicle and a check for $10.000 he will call when it is used up.many restos from him are over $50,000 depending on condition ect.

[jkaylor68gmc]

I would say a 1,000 or so from a shop but you can replace the front sheetmetal with used stuff for 1/3rd of the price.

[special-K]

You can do this front end repair yourself...cheap.

[70' GMC]

I know I may need a decent floor pan and and some doors that are in good shape and a good bedfloor and that metal thats in front of the bed. Today in my auto tech class we had to change the oil in a pontiac vibe 05 to 07 model and when put on the lift the whole class walked under the vehicle and there is something kinda like bondo or plastic coating that is on the welds dont know what it is.

[wibilly]

that would be seam sealer used to keep moisture out of seams and joints

[ND_guy]

I do not know how to answer your first question about how much it will cost to restore because there are so many different ways to "restore", but the front end damage can be fixed pretty easy with a socket set and some used parts. Having a pickup sprayed profesionaly sprayed can wait till you have enough money. Until then give it a coat of the finest rustoleum flat black your hardware store has to offer and enjoy the pickup.

[70' GMC]

Originally Posted by wibilly

that would be seam sealer used to keep moisture out of seams and joints

did they put it on the 67-72 chevy and gmc trucks????

[72freak]

Originally Posted by special-K

Cost of restoration:$5,000-$30,000.
Just fix the truck and restore some other time.Get a cheap coat of paint on and let it shine a few years.You`ll either restore it later or move on.There`s all kinds of patched-up trucks rollin`around out there that may never be restored.Do what you can within your means.

GREAT ADVICE!!!!

I try not to spend more money than I can sell if for. Hunt the parts to repair the damage..used or new. Find a GOOD small paint shop or back yard paint guy, have the bad rust repaired or panels replaced (rockers, cab corners, doors, bed) and have a good middle of the road paint job put on it. Drive it for a few years and if you still have it when the paint starts to look bad or rust starts to pop through and you want to keep it........THEN do your nice restoration. I have had several $1500-$2500 paint and lots of body work jobs that lasted 5-10 years on garaged trucks. Most of them were sold before they needed to be re-done or touched up.

[grayw0lf]

I'd say, about double to triple whatever you'd figure it'll cost.

[70cst]

If your like me (mechanically challenged ) then go have it done. Get various estimates. I would do it in stages with safety issues first. Be patient. I am now ready to take my truck to the body shop this winter but my truck has been in storage since 2001. Then again my truck is not my daily driver. Others on this board have waited a lot longer than I to fix up their truck. As has been mentioned get an estimate on repairs and then see what other trucks are selling for in you area. One can easily get more $$$ in these trucks than what you would get out of it should you decide to sell it. Stay within you means. Don't spend $$$ that you don't have. Your approach can be as follows...
1) address safety issues first, 2) fix body and any rust issues, 3) upgrade mechanics etc etc. These are only suggestions. As far as restoration cost...as mentioned what is your goal? My truck will be a DD and not a show truck and my estimate will be about $20,000. This is rebuilding the 402, redo suspension, new interior, upgrade factory ac, new trim and paint. I cannot afford two separate trucks so I am fixing 1970cst and selling my 99 Taco TRD 4x4 w/55,000 miles. Driving my 70 cst is going to be a lot more fun than my toyota. Good Luck. Don't be afraid to ask qustions. That how we learn.

[stllookn]

"How much does it cost to restore a truck?" Wrong question! You are in HS and just scraping by. All you really want to do is just fix your truck and drive it for now. Find a fender, bumper, hood and core support (if it is damaged) in a junkyard and bolt them on....or take a hammer and beat them out so they are close to their original shape and run them until you can afford to find a replacement junkyard part. Once you have graduated from college or trade school or whatever you can start to think about restoring the truck to its original "show room" condition if you decide that is what you really want.

I have a decent hood I would give you if you would come pick it up! Fender from craigslist $25, rusty but straight core support $25, old bumper $15...pride in having fixed it yourself...PRICELESS!

[Tynee]

It'll cost a couple grand more than you've got, no matter how much you've got.

Seriously, you're getting good advice from others. I put off doing things to my '71 figuring I'd get to them when I started the rebuild. Weell, now I've had the '71 for almost 6 years, and its parked in a barn, still waiting to start the rebuild. Its frustrating to me, but if I had done the stuff that should have been done as I needed to do it, the truck would still be on the road.

[Blue71LWB]

Here is all the parts you need to fix that ding for less than 2 grand.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/c...ct=1976&cat=12

[BAGGERSOCAL]

like others have said go find some good used parts and drive your truck .
some were down the road you will have the Money to do a complete resto.

[70' GMC]

All I ever heard from my dad was original is better? but dont it have rust if its an original

[ksjh1316]

Hey first step is go and get those free and cheap parts the other members offered you after you crashed it before they forget about offering them up and sell them to keep their wifes happy. Then bolt them on and get her to a solid primer color or flat black.

Your taking classes for auto repair you may also check into votec progams they sometimes use classic vehicles to teach body work and paint to students on and you may be able to get a cheap paint job to get you by for a few years.

[70' GMC]

this is what im wondering about and it looks like caulk

[70' GMC]

ttt

[gkolmatycki]

Originally Posted by PanelDeland

How much does it cost to build a house? The answer is the same, it depends on how far you want to go with it. If you want a show stopper you can spend a couple hundred thou and still not have the award winner you want. Or you may just want a very nice driver that can cost under 10-15 thou.
Also an issue is how much of the work can/will you do yourself? How quickly do you want it done? Is quality of work important or do you just want to get it done? Too many variables to answer this one.

Yeah, I'm proud to call my '69 C/10 "MY OWN". Restored the whole thing myself.....Minus the paint job. Put roughly $15,000 into it and I'm still not done!!! It's appraised at a little over $17K though.

[70' GMC]

I was told that the truck is unreliable. The first time it left me on the side of the road with a flat tire. the the second time at the walmart gas station cause something was not hooked up to the battery properly. then the third time the truck cut off because the choke was pulled out and it vapored locked and the motor cut off at the walmart parking lot. then the fourth time I hit a pole which was my fault. SO why does people tell me that my truck is not reliable?

[Dingfodgy]

Originally Posted by grayw0lf

I'd say, about double to triple whatever you'd figure it'll cost.

Word! Restoring a car is alot like renovating an old house.
A. You never really "finish" the job.
B. What works on paper rarely translates to reality without little tweeks.
C. It will ALWAYS cost twice as much and take three times as long as you think it should.
D. If you can't afford or have the time to do it right the first time- how will you ever be able to do it over?

[Ackattack]

Well I'm on my second truck

My first truck (72 GMC) seen here:

I've owned it for over 10 years. I got it in HS, and managed to "restore" it in the time I've owned it. I've pretty much managed to keep it it on the road the entire time, except for the 6 weeks or so it was in the body shop. I've spent over $20k on it, but some of that includes different sets of tires, cams, and engines that I've swapped out or just had to replace. I now have it for sale, and I ain't getting anywhere near what I've spent on it, and its still a pretty nice truck.

Now that I've been out of college for a few years and have a good paying job with a garage big enough to support it, i'm doing a frame off restoration on a 68 chevy :


Hopefully this will be an award winner at shows. I'm planning to do a vast majority of the work myself, and I'm fully expecting to spend well over $20k on it before it even leaves the garage.

Like others have said, money wise, it's probably cheaper to buy a truck that is already fixed up. But for me now, I enjoy doing the work on them.

[Morgsie]

Originally Posted by 70' GMC

Such as my 1970 gmc that I dinged on a pole

YOU HIT HER PRETTY HARD RICK.

[streetstar]

For $2000, you should be able to find a decent driver and use your truck as a parts truck for it, since the floors are bad

--- Fixing yours requires a welder, the ability to use it, and a few hundred dollars in parts

good luck with whatever you decide to do -- working on a budget is a bear