Clubby99

I've read countless posts about owners starting frame-off restorations. We follow in pictures while the car is disassembled or stripped of paint. Then nothing. We never hear from them again. I'm just assume another failed restoration.

It is much, much easier to take a car apart then put back together. That is probably 5% of the job. I'm thinking owners get over their heads not realizing the amount of work required. That is the quickest way to lose interest when the hobby becomes a dreaded full-time job consuming all free time. Or maybe the owner ran out of money.

Props to all of you who successfully completed a restoration.
I admire you. I bet more C-3 Corvettes are permanently taken off the road by failed restorations rather than accidents.

What percentage of body-off restorations fail? I'm guessing 70%?

...Roger...

70% seems pretty high.

forman

I dont know I am restoring a car I never posted pictures . I dont need ncrs looking over my shoulders and I like to take my time..I always ask for advise and find this fourm very helpful ,These cars are like giant puzzles some times you just have to walk away form it for a while and regroup your thoughts ,,I must agree with you some people walk away from there cars but then again if they didnt we would not have a parts supply!!

joewill

mine failed, started in 2003, gave up 2007 after it sat in the garage for 2 years with parts in tubs in the attic. got an pretty penny for the basket case.. frame was shot, rust in all the usual places...

yup, kid in sports, overtime at work.. no way i was going to find 2000 hours to complete the job.

sold it and bought a completed car. it is absolutely true that you can buy someone else's restored car for alot less than you can restore yours. I came out many thousands ahead and saved the 2000
hours.

Clubby99

My limited restoration (interior, exhaust, and now suspension) has taken very much of my time. I just can't imagine what it would take to do a frame-off.

My one rule? Keep it drivable!

Easy Mike

They don't. No need to feel spooky about it.

arkus

This is a good thread . Assuming you are talking about first timers , I would guess about 70% fail also . What about the restorations that look complete but dont perform well at all and are unsafe ?

shrekviper

Now we're talking about Bubba

mar

Define 'restorations'? Rehabing an interior...refreshing an engine...redoing suspension & brakes...paint. Is that a "restoration"? What are you pointing at? Body-off??? Let's establish an understood set of ground rules before we all start shooting from the hip...

markids77

Unless the car ends up buried in weeds with a tree growing up through the floorboards, I suspect that most "failed" restorations (where the base car is worth the effort) might pass from owner to owner for a couple or more cycles, but eventually wind up back on the road again. I have reconditioned many many "project" vehicles in my time, starting with vintage British sports cars, then graduating to Datsun (yes Datsun... pre-Nissan) Z-cars, followed by a number of years doing vintage Triumph motorcycles... and now my first Corvette. Those projects mostly started as "projects" in varying completion for the POs as well. I have never cared to afford complete ready to register and drive projects because the cars are not a family priority in this house... I build what I can afford using side work as funding. Lost interest and a fed-up life partner have garnered me some killer deals on vehicles I could not otherwise even consider!

JW3101

I 've found my '69 with 3 previous owners had some prior work done which saved me from having to do major work if it had not been kept up with over it's first 40 years.

I use all sidework money on my cars as well and follow a priority list for repairs/replacement, etc. as I drive them.

It's also a good stress reliever to go out to the garage and work on the car - as long as you leave and take a break when something's not coming together as planned, etc. and come back to it later with a clear head.

KTKelly

I'm betting the number is higher....


Look around Craigslist, Autotrader, Ebay classifieds, etc, etc, and you'll find thousands of projects.


Project.

Another word for failed restoration, forgotten relic, junk yard selling some very old rusted out hulk..

gkz

Yeah, tell me about it; after 3 yrs of body work, just laid down epoxy primer today...

Clubby99

Congratulations. I would call your car a successful restoration.

Mick71

It's easy to get overwhelmed staring at piles of greasy, rusty parts and being a million miles away from actually driving the thing. Twice I was offered tempting trades for my car when it was completely apart. Once for a black '66 SS Chevelle and once for a Ducati 998s. REALLY glad I kept and finished (LOL)! mine. Quite a sense of accomplishment!

milo30

Mine will be done when it is done. I lose interest and put it on the back burner then will get the bug and can't stop working on it. Money is an issue to. The key is to not have a deadline.

BBCorv70

I took mine apart in 1992, frame off. It is just now becoming roadworthy again, far from done. It sat apart for many years, no work being done for several. For me the delay was arrival of kids, new house, and comfortability spending money on this hobby which is mainly for me, not much in it for the rest of the family. Now much depends on confidence in the economy. Some years I spend a bit and make some good progress, others I find myself holding back.

onaqwst

when i started mine i made a decision to make it a street car that i can drive and not get pissed if it gets scratched....so it's not a trailer queen but built to be a cruiser... i also limited my funds into the project.... but there were times where i wanted to bail on it

Alan 71

Hi,
I think the number of "must sell, lost interest" cars is distorted because those are the cars we hear about. There are many cars that dissappear into garages and pop out years later...done.
I agree that many people find that it's far more work than they thought, and takes far longer than they thought.
I think there are people working on restoring a car for whom it's not a race to get it done, or don't always need to have a drivable car.
There are many people I've met that have gotten great pleasure from doing a complete restoration.
Regards,
Alan

arkus

I agree with alan as always . Here is a thought , would you buy a car that has been frame off restored by an unknown person ? if the car was taken completely apart and put back together , wouldn't you want to know who did it ? Unless you did it yourself and know exactly how it was put together , I would want to know who did it and I would like to have heard of them before . Nabors or a well known experienced shop ?