Restoration Costs

[chistech]

Don’t forget the “dealing with the PITA customer “ time too!

[Walt G]

Many decades ago when I started to get into an old car my cousins, all thought I was loony and my folks trying to please their only child. Why would anyone spend all that time working on a worn old car? Time passed, interest in cars increased while the cousins were taking vacations, going out to eat often in lofty restaurants etc. My folks and I went to car shows, week long meets and met others who liked what we did. We didn't change. Eventually my cousins thought I was the "rich" relative because of the classic cars I had that were valuable. Ones they once scorned. I still have the same attitude and respect for the cars I did in 1965, My relatives never understood how I enjoyed seeing something return to the way it was when new long before I was born , and function as it did when new.  They looked at what they had as "investments" , I never looked at the cars that way - they were just fun and others who felt the same were fun people to be with.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Walt G (see edit history)

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

Project truck.  under 10G. Project garage that needs more work than the truck to finish .  Stopped counting at 100G 3 years ago before all the price increases with me doing all the labor. 

 

Now you took all the fun out of it.  

 

 

Did you also count the total cost of the endless stacks of SANDPAPER for both the truck and the garage??

 

Craig

[Paul Dobbin]

When I did my body off restoration of our 1915 Model T, I kept track of the hours, not the dollars.   900 hours!

At the time of sale, I couldn't get $15,00 an hour for my wages and give the car away..

So I offered it for $1.00 a day storage costs for 70 years since new, which was nearly twice the cost of my labor @ 15.00.

So much for restoration costs.   They've always cost more to restore than anybody thinks, especially buyers.

 

[John348]

What about all of the shipping costs? At least 25% or more of the final cost

[Dandy Dave]

19 hours ago, edinmass said:

I have a buddy in California, who milks 12,000 cows on his farm..........think you had it hard? True story. He has great cars......and no time to use them.

Most of the guys I know that have gone big do not do the milking their self. They hire help. And some farms now have a computerized robotic milking system. I will tell you that having 12,000 cows is like having 12,000 wives. Your married to every one of them. Even though, owning and managing a farm is 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and 366 on leap year. No holidays. You work three times as hard on Christmas, Easter, 4 of July and Thanksgiving because the help has those days off.

[edinmass]

Dave.....your 100 percent correct. His children want nothing to do with the family business, even though it’s financially successful beyond what most people can imagine. The have over 200 people on the payroll......doing things you can’t imagine. To me the most interesting part of the place is they have only one customer.......all that milk goes to one place. Would have never imagined that. 

[Dandy Dave]

53 minutes ago, edinmass said:

Dave.....your 100 percent correct. His children want nothing to do with the family business, even though it’s financially successful beyond what most people can imagine. The have over 200 people on the payroll......doing things you can’t imagine. To me the most interesting part of the place is they have only one customer.......all that milk goes to one place. Would have never imagined that. 

Back here we had two companies that would take milk. Either you sold to Eastern Milk Producers, or Yankee back in the day. My sweetie just told me there are two here. Hudson Valley Fresh, and Agrimart. She is up on it better than I as my Dad sold the cows in 1979 or 80. (That's over 40 years ago.) You sell to either one or the other and stick with them. Price is controlled by the gooberment. There are still around 70 cows in her barn that is leased to a neighbor. We just gentlemen farmers and watch everything getting done from the rocker on the porch. Dandy Dave!  

Edited February 19, 2022 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[8E45E]

21 hours ago, edinmass said:

I have a buddy in California, who milks 12,000 cows on his farm..........think you had it hard? True story. He has great cars......and no time to use them.

I swear I drove past it on the I-5.  The smell was unbelievable!!

 

Craig

[edinmass]

Dave.....all his milk goes to a cheese factory about ten miles away................it's interesting that they call themselves a "family farm".................they have a 110 cow milking roundhouse that is 100 percent animated. 

[George K]

Don’t forget that the only reason either coast has any dairy is the antiquated pricing system based on distance away from Eau Claire Wisconsin. 

[jp1gt]

Dealership in the San Francisco Bay area needed somebody that could make a car run in 1974 I was making $8 an hour. I started in Sacramento sweeping floors at 50 cents an hour. Working on cars now is fun because I don't count the hours

[Paul Dobbin]

Definitions are real important in planning a restoration.   It's like Restoration and Conservative have many definitions.

To many people, a Restoration is a Facto-O-Bake paint job and Rayco seat covers along with a can of engine restorer.

And some people are real happy with that on a 25 year old car that they got for free.  (Shopping Center Cars")

I knew a guy who made a Model T and a Model A into Jr. National First Place AACA cars, with spray cans, after sorting out the

incorrect parts made from parts assembled cars.   I didn't realize buffing worked on spray can paint.

Edited February 19, 2022 by Paul Dobbin
accidently sent before it was done (see edit history)

[Walt G]

To many words now that describe things and all mean different levels to a variety of people who think their definition is the correct one, or trendy and keeps them up with the crowd. Restore, restoration, refurbish, fix it up  etc and frame up, or chassis up or whatever added to that. Also fad word of the month or day " patina" being the current one. A dirty wreck in a junk yard or parked in a field and not taken care of for several decades has "patina". Words used some time ago that fell out of fashion : nostalgic, nostalgia.

As an author/story teller I try to steer away from using trendy words or go to a thesaurus to add flavor to what I am trying to tell. Some people view themselves as lofty color commentators.  I just try to convey what I can in a basic but interesting manor that is clear what I am talking about and someone can picture in their mind with little difficulty. No fluff , no fancy , although there are some words I do use that can convey a good image of what I am talking about like " rust bucket" . "scruffy".................🤨

[60FlatTop]

On 2/18/2022 at 2:08 PM, Walt G said:

Many decades ago when I started to get into an old car my cousins

Walt, those cousins do tend to be instigators. I am the oldest and have a brother quite close to my age. Then a sister, oops, ten years younger than I.

 

One of my mother's 8 sisters had 5 boys. Every Summer my brother and I spent a week with them. Then they would come up and spend a week with us. It was just the next town north, about 2 miles. Now I know what a peaceful week both couple had during the exchange.

 

1959 was the car year. AMT had released their models with a fully molded body. No more glue fingerprints from attaching the sides! A new world opened. Little Harry, the oldest, had just finished assembling a 1959 AMT Corvette. I had to have one. Since the boxes were all the same with the model stamped on the end I got the Chev convrt, well, close. And we were off and running. In September another Aunt bought me the 25 cent Rod & Custom with the yellow coupes, still have it.

 

 

I like to write. The double entendres is a favorite but it has to be framed just right. And I really enjoy writing to the attentive reader. I write just like I talk. My wife and I will walk away from someone and  sometimes she will say "You know they believed you.". I just say "Those are the best jokes to tell."

 

High School made me a very formal writer. Then, shortly after discharge from the Navy, I read Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut. I have pretty much recovered from that and mostly writing full sentences. So it didn't hurt me none.

 

Toward topic, I have known a lot of second generation business owners. I sure wouldn't want a child of mine to become one. An unhappy lot.

[Walt G]

Bernie, your memories and comments about the AMT models with the separate sides, Rod & Custom magazine ( I have most of the early issues packed away under a storage eve here in the house) all part of the heritage that made us "car guys" well beyond our contemporaries , and here we are - still car guys, but "old" car guys. ( both chronologically as well as interest wise). Towards the topic - we can recall the availability of parts needed to work on the cars 'of a certain era" being available over the counter of a favorite parts house ( that sold parts - not lots of polish, wax, rims, tires and other aftermarket doo dads.  Through these forums I have been in contact with the family of the one store "Studnicks"  I always went to locally a few miles south of where I live to buy parts for the pre war cars I owned in the mid 1960s to mid 1970s era. They had them in stock or got them for me within 12 hours from their storage building. Craig a family member still sells the stuff and has commented here on the forums, has spaces at Hershey too ! I was thrilled to make his contact and know his family - him - still is the great place to be a source for stuff.

[1937McBuick]

On 2/18/2022 at 8:04 AM, Dandy Dave said:

Neither. Somewhere in between. Hated milking cows. Did like tractor work. 

People haven't lived until they've been swatted in the face by a "wet" cow's tail.   Or have the darling Bessy kick over the nearly full pail of milk!

 

Character building experiences,  you know....  the kind of stuff that makes men out of boys!

 

 

[SC38dls]

Dave 12,000 cows ! Like having 12,000 wives !
You forgot 12,000 wives without the benefits of marriage!  
dave s  

Edited February 21, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

2 hours ago, 1937McBuick said:

People haven't lived until they've been swatted in the face by a "wet" cow's tail.   Or have the darling Bessy kick over the nearly full pail of milk!

 

Character building experiences,  you know....  the kind of stuff that makes men out of boys!

 

  The wet tail was NOTHING!   One full of cockle burrs will REALLY get your attention.  And that breath when wild garlic was abundant

 

  Ben

2 hours ago, 1937McBuick said:

 

 

 

[Dandy Dave]

12 hours ago, 1937McBuick said:

People haven't lived until they've been swatted in the face by a "wet" cow's tail.   Or have the darling Bessy kick over the nearly full pail of milk!

 

Character building experiences,  you know....  the kind of stuff that makes men out of boys!

 

 

Been there. Why does it always seem they have to piss and crap when your setting the pail or milking machine. Splat, splat, splat. We had one that liked to squeeze me against a post. Some would step on my feet. My back and feet still hurt. We had a Surge Milking System with a pipe line. Our tank was a Muller. My Dad always said that the money was under the cow. Dandy Dave!

Edited February 20, 2022 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[Dandy Dave]

10 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

 

  The wet tail was NOTHING!   One full of cockle burrs will REALLY get your attention.  And that breath when wild garlic was abundant

 

  Ben

 

We had patches of wild onions in the pasture and the milk smelled like it. Did I mention some kick. 

[Dandy Dave]

Boy did we get off topic here. Anyway here's my old buddy Rex milking one the hard way. Note that the swatting tail has been trimmed. He didn't care much for tractors because they didn't stop when you hollered Whoa! Horses were better he would say. Now back to automobiles.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[trimacar]

I don't think cows are too far off topic from automobiles. 

 

I'm thinking leather here, since I'm inclined to interior considerations!  Nothing better than buttery smooth fine leather.....

 

Aren't many of our back roads old cow paths?

 

And what milks our bank accounts more than an antique car restoration?

 

Don't we call a great car a "cream puff", those always rise to the top.

 

And I would be remiss if I didn't use an old one, we've all had udder disasters in our restoration attempts.

 

On that note I'll quit...

[chistech]

I have the utmost respect for dairy farmers for all the reasons stated here. One of my best friends grew up on a family dairy farm and he had about 4 hours a day to himself if he didn’t mind getting very little sleep. Any animal/food business is a ton of work. Growing up in a family owned usda inspected slaughter house was no walk in the park either. Many of the animals sent to slaughter were sent because they were unruly and we had to deal with that. Having been caught between a big bulls head and a 2” thick ash plank fence then getting pushed right through it like it was balsa is just one of many things we dealt with. Walking by a sleeping 800lb flat sow then startling her awake to have her jump up and sink 3” tusks into my thigh then twist me to the ground is another. People who just go to the store and purchase milk or meat out of a grocery case have no idea of the work and often the dedication it took another person to get it there. Let’s not forget fishermen on the ocean either. On trimacars comment, we produced many high quality hides  because we were pushed by my dad to skin correctly. Skinning is an art and seeing the US no longer cares for quality, we sold or hides to overseas where they brought premium money. Too bad hog hair wasn’t used in car seats like horse hair. We produced over 500lbs of it per week and it was an expense to get rid of.