[sick472]

Here is my example of a frame-off restoration and the time it required...

It took 6 years of almost daily attention to go from a $850 rust bucket to a $45,000 finished project doing almost all the work myself. I had someone else install the front and rear glass, exhaust, rear-end and tranny rebuild, and mount the tires, but everything else was done in my shop (not a garage, but a 30x30 shop dedicated to the project.

A friend of mine said "it's not a hobby unless you spend at least 10 hours a week doing it and it will take 20 years to restore a frog into a prince at that rate". I spent at least 20 hours a week and sometimes 25 hours in just a weekend in order to do one in 6 years...I bet I averaged 25-35 hours a week. Keep in mind I left nothing unexplored and took the project to the extreme as far as detail was concerned...full frame-off, everything rebuilt or replaced, every piece of available trim added back, many modifications, and a complex paint job. I did this in my late 30's and early 40's with good hobby money, kids part time, and mostly single. I worked my 40 hours making my living and then went home an obsessed in the shop. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING And I enjoyed it immensely, but it was a big dedication to time.

I nice truck can certainly be done otherwise, but a frame-off project starts something that is very hard to undo should you change your priorities. There are alot of projects out there for sale that "come in a basket" due to this phenomenon. Consider a different Father and Son project that can sit without the sadness of non-use.

These trucks are one of the most affordable to restore along with the Mustang, Camaro/Firebird, Nova, and, dare I say, VW Bugs...(motorcycles too).