average build time? im stressed out

[TX58]

Nicely put, wish I had the money to let a shop do this truck. The next car/ truck I get might be a restored vehicle. I think it's less money in the long run and that way I can just maintain it and add to it as I like.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Dunenutt]

I did my 69 in 2 1/2 years. I work Thurs - Sat, and every other wed, so I am off 7 out of 14 days. I worked on it almost every day I had off. The only thing someone else did on my truck was the windshield. My wallet emptied WAY faster than my need for parts, so alot of it was financed by Visa.

This truck is a driver, so it moved along pretty fast. I have done a couple of show quality trucks that took considerably longer. There is a huge difference in body work time between driver, and show truck.

Set a goal, and stick with it. Enjoy your time spent working on it. Like others have said, you will feel like something is missing when it's done.

[Dunenutt]

Also...

If I know that a project is going to take many years to finish, I save all wet parts for later. Wheel/ master cylinders, water pumps, lip seals, ect. will be junk if they sit for a long time. I mock up everything, and save buying those parts until final assembly.

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by Dunenutt

Also...

If I know that a project is going to take many years to finish, I save all wet parts for later. Wheel/ master cylinders, water pumps, lip seals, ect. will be junk if they sit for a long time. I mock up everything, and save buying those parts until final assembly.

Good point, I am on my second new master cylinder.

[pvienneau]

great information on the wet parts

thx

Pat

[hb32]

Almost 11 years and still not finished this...

[duwem]

I come to this website for motivation.

I have a lot of irons in the fire, always working on 3 projects at once so its hard to spend a ton of time on one.

I spent 4 hours saturday fixing up an $80 gokart I got on craigslist, in 4 hours I had a running driving and stoping fun toy, in 4 hours on the truck, I get a few more holes filled and smoothed out on the frame....

[_Ogre]

custom takes longer than stock, depending on fit and finish.

[paulspickupparts]

I have been selling truck parts for over 30 years. Almost all used. I charged for the parts but often times provided counseling . One of the quickest frame offs was three months but about 4 people worked on it. I always considered a 3 year build fast. People would look at me cross eyed when I told them. Then would spend the next 6 doing theirs. So anywhere from 6 months to 10 years. A friend just finished a high end project that took 10 years. Saw a lot of burned out people who set deadlines, lost track of a budget, watched too many chopper, boyd, street rod shows where trucks were built in two episodes. Had a different friend who tore one apart in two weeks, had the motor in after 6 months and sold it in parts after 6 years.

Observations:

5 minute dream is 5 years of hard work.

It takes $40,000 to make a $20,000 truck.

Take baby steps or be overwhelmed.

Be realistic-frame offs are not easy or inexpensive.

Happy truck owners work on them an hour , drive them 3 hours.

Like em or not , rat rod or beater trucks are almost pure fun. Drive em, work on em , drive em, drive em , work on em, drive em , drive em , drive em. Truck magazines hate them as their advertisers hate them and have trouble selling parts to rat rodders. Dirt roads , bad weather , hot , cold , daily driver to work, sit in the work parking lot all day, not a problem.

Beater trucks often get more looks than 100 point trucks. However they are driven a lot more as well. Most restored trucks sit in garages or on trailers.

Buy a finished truck, you will save half in $ spent. Insert key and drive. Then buy a second truck to restore. When your sic of the second truck take the first one for a drive. Many builders get sic of seeing their truck in pieces. So sic of it they sell it a week after they finished it.

Throw away your receipts or buy an antidepressant . Choice is yours.

Don't let a possession possess you. Possess it. Have fun.

Good luck

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by paulspickupparts

I have been selling truck parts for over 30 years. Almost all used. I charged for the parts but often times provided counseling . One of the quickest frame offs was three months but about 4 people worked on it. I always considered a 3 year build fast. People would look at me cross eyed when I told them. Then would spend the next 6 doing theirs. So anywhere from 6 months to 10 years. A friend just finished a high end project that took 10 years. Saw a lot of burned out people who set deadlines, lost track of a budget, watched too many chopper, boyd, street rod shows where trucks were built in two episodes. Had a different friend who tore one apart in two weeks, had the motor in after 6 months and sold it in parts after 6 years.

Observations:

5 minute dream is 5 years of hard work.

It takes $40,000 to make a $20,000 truck.

Take baby steps or be overwhelmed.

Be realistic-frame offs are not easy or inexpensive.

Happy truck owners work on them an hour , drive them 3 hours.

Like em or not , rat rod or beater trucks are almost pure fun. Drive em, work on em , drive em, drive em , work on em, drive em , drive em , drive em. Truck magazines hate them as their advertisers hate them and have trouble selling parts to rat rodders. Dirt roads , bad weather , hot , cold , daily driver to work, sit in the work parking lot all day, not a problem.

Beater trucks often get more looks than 100 point trucks. However they are driven a lot more as well. Most restored trucks sit in garages or on trailers.

Buy a finished truck, you will save half in $ spent. Insert key and drive. Then buy a second truck to restore. When your sic of the second truck take the first one for a drive. Many builders get sic of seeing their truck in pieces. So sic of it they sell it a week after they finished it.

Throw away your receipts or buy an antidepressant . Choice is yours.

Don't let a possession possess you. Possess it. Have fun.

Good luck

Words to live by, I will never do another "frame off". I always drove old cars, not show cars, just old reliable cars. Current DD is a 64 Chevelle, before that 66 Caprice, before that original 41 Chevy, before that my 59 truck. Your comment about the advertisers and magazines had never occured to me before, but does make sense. Be bold, go stock....

[hb32]

Originally Posted by paulspickupparts

Like em or not , rat rod or beater trucks are almost pure fun. Drive em, work on em , drive em, drive em , work on em, drive em , drive em , drive em. Truck magazines hate them as their advertisers hate them and have trouble selling parts to rat rodders. Dirt roads , bad weather , hot , cold , daily driver to work, sit in the work parking lot all day, not a problem.

Beater trucks often get more looks than 100 point trucks. However they are driven a lot more as well.

I could not agree more with you on these points. My 55 is not quite a beater but is far from a show truck. I have no problems loading the back full of what ever as it has several dents, scratches and the wood looks to be original. The rest of the truck has faded paint, surface rust or "patina" as it is now labeled. It is a good 100 footer to say the least. The inside is sparce with no updated options and not even a radio. There is no sound deadning material so I get to listen to all the road noises and the not so quiet 5 speed in od. I feel every bump along the way but it drives and stops straight with its original suspension. I get lots of thumbs up and probably more people wondering whay the hell am I driving such a antiquated vehicle

[Handfull 54]

All these comments while different are correct. I bought my truck in 89 and it's almost done. You have the time and no money. You work a lot and now have the money but no time. Life, family, kids, house, sickness, etc. get in the way. When I got tired of working on it I would go to a car show and get inspired. Don't stress, like one guy said do a little every day. I did my truck in my 2 car garage. Mechanical,engine building, paint, wiring etc. all take time. I had some mechanical skills but I never painted anything or wired anything other than an extension cord so you learn as you go or pay someone to do it for you. I have 550 miles on it now and I am making up for lost time by driving it as much as I can. Trust me though there were days that you could have come buy with a chain and 50 bucks and taken it away.

[_Ogre]

paulspickupparts post should be a sticky/must read for every new guy on this forum.
very well written, very realistic too.
maybe, the first post everyone sees with a check box that reads ''i read and fully understand this post'' before they can enter this forum.

my next project is going to be a beater. i drive truk a lot, but there are too many dirt/salted roads that are a blast to drive.

[duwem]

THe drive it build it idea is kind of how I'm working.

I bought a complete truck and fixed it up to do 60mph reliability, but I'm also building a hot rod frame on the side. At some point the 2 will probably come together (that was the original plan at least), unless I find nicer sheet metal an just put that on the rolling frame I'm working on.

[coralhead]

My Pop passed away this last weekend and he was always asking what I was up to. I would always tell him I was working on the truck and he said he was always meaining to walk over and see how it was coming along. After 84 years and a brain operation 10 years ago I always seemed to have the same answeres for his same questions. He wanted to be the first rider when done but now it will have to be mom and I to go visit him on the hillside. I am hoping to be rolling again this spring and some fresh paint after that. It just takes time and patience. ( The last time pop was in the shop he looked around and said "you got this thing scattered out pretty good, can you get it back together?" He was a mechanic most his life and I said I better be able to.

[Handfull 54]

Coralhead,

I am sorry to read about your Pop. I had a father in law who had his own plane and he would ask me about my truck all the time. "How's it going?" I would hear every time I saw him and I would always say "OK." He died of cancer before he ever got to ride in it. You appear to be a good son and I'm sure your dad was proud of you. Now you get to take your mom in it. The Bible tells us that "Time and unforseen occurances befall us all." So continue on and do your best as we never know what's going to happen in the next ten minutes.

[rollinrooster]

Originally Posted by coralhead

My Pop passed away this last weekend and he was always asking what I was up to. I would always tell him I was working on the truck and he said he was always meaining to walk over and see how it was coming along. After 84 years and a brain operation 10 years ago I always seemed to have the same answeres for his same questions. He wanted to be the first rider when done but now it will have to be mom and I to go visit him on the hillside. I am hoping to be rolling again this spring and some fresh paint after that. It just takes time and patience. ( The last time pop was in the shop he looked around and said "you got this thing scattered out pretty good, can you get it back together?" He was a mechanic most his life and I said I better be able to.

Sorry to hear about your Dad,but thanks for sharing your story. I'm in the same boat as you but i lost my farter in law also a mechanic. Theres not much time spent on my truck (his old truck) that i dont think about him or the times we spent out in the garage together.

[DransportGarage]

I suppose paulspickupparts' words are for the majority here, but I don't look forward to the day when there is not a major project in the garage waiting for my next 100 hours. It will mean that the bones have creaked too much and don't want to go on. Although I know the difference between activity and output, I guess I wasn't born with the "instant gratification" gene.

Even as I sit here on this Friday morning I think of some of the welding I've done this past year, and I appreciate the progress. I think it builds character to reach for a goal, pay the price of time and effort and then achieve that goal. Well, back to porting these heads (another 30 hours or so...).

I won't comment on the rat rods. Some are interesting. Those owners -- and many admirers -- love their trucks too.

Bob

[Dunenutt]

"Throw away your receipts or buy an antidepressant . Choice is yours." Paulspickupparts.

So true! When I built my 55, I never looked at the reciepts. I started with 1 Quaker oats can, and stuffed it with the reciepts. I finished with 3 of them. I drove the truck for a couple of years, then sold it to a friend. When he bought the the truck, I handed him the cans, and said heres the reciepts. About 6 months later, he said he added up the reciepts. He laughed, and said "you were robbed when you sold this truck to me". To this day, I have no idea how much was spent.

My sister insisted on adding up the reciepts for my 69. They are all in a nice book, with a total on the last page...

Not knowing bugs me a heck of alot less, than having no doubt!

[tttuba]

I have had my 47 gmc about a year and a half now. Done lots to it already but still looks the same as when I got it. I figure another 3 or 4 years before done. And mine was professionally restored about 12 years ago by the guy I bought it from. My 78 El Camino took me 4.5 years to do . So it all depends on what you want from your truck and how much time and money you have. There is no set time.

[av8tr33337]

I've had my truck well over 10 years, but just actually started working on it in the last 2 years. All it takes is money which in my case always seems to be needed somewhere else a whole lot worse. I am making progress though. Should get it into a complete rolling chassis in the next couple months.

[Detroit3100]

good thread. Here is my story...
did my first valve job on the OE 216 when I was 14.
Drove the truck to high school once. I was 16
Took truck down to frame...alot of disassembly.
I am now 35 and after my storage garage fell on it, I am back. Setting goals and taking small steps. Keep working, it helps the entire group! Truck now has painted frame, MII, air bags, and a 6.0L with a 4L60e...

[nebdrummer]

I'm 24 right now, and this March 5th will be exactly 10 years I've had mine. It was painted and driving in 4 years on a super tight budget from the age of 15. Thats the whole reason I'm going through it again. I didn't want a stock restoration, nor did I want a butchered "shortcut here and there" kind of job either. Last August?, I started tearing into it again to make it how what I want to drive every day. Getting rid of all those short cuts. Something that is done right, and done the first time. I've been broke for the last few years just because of parts buildup, but man that really made a difference. So sometime this year yet, before my 26th birthday, I'm fairly set on getting this thing running/driving again and to be DONE working on it, other than regular maintenance, ect. I just keep that picture in my head, and keep busting my hump to make it happen. This way, I wont be one of those old guys that said "man I wish i had that car yet"!

All in all, I would think for a personal frame off (not stock), 5 years is pushing it with having bills/family/no time. But it can be done. Set your goal and see where it takes ya.

[53lochevy]

This is the fifth year of my build,, all depends on what you want in the truck and how far you gonna gon in the pocket book heheh

[Tntruckguy]

I have been on my 50' 5 window since the fall! You have to stay after it constantly. I did "sub" some of the work out but I did consider that in my original budget. Having this forum and your local truck guys for a support system is a plus. Hang in there!

Here is my build!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=511181