Monday, July 9, 2018

Message from the Boss - Brad

When picking out your next project, make sure you do your research. There are so many projects available out there right now because people buy their project car first and then do the research on it only to find out that restoring and or redoing the car is not feasible in many ways. There are many things to know that will effect your pocket book.

  • Choosing the vehicle! 
Remember that all years are not the same. A 1939 Chevy is much easier to in regards to parts availability and price then a 1939 Buick would be. These are very similar cars but they have a World of difference when it comes to availability and cost to restore them.

Car makers that are no longer manufacturing cars or cars of rare models make neat builds and cool cars, but to redo one of these cars, often times means that there will be quite a bit of in house fabricating because parts are few and far between or not available at all. In house fabricating takes time and time, in turn, is money. We love doing these types of builds because it is what we do every day, but prepared to spend additional amounts on these type of projects.
  • Always look at the vehicle! 
Sometimes, we find vehicles online or far away that we have wanted for a very long time. The price is good and we want it now. Sometimes when that happens, we have to purchase the car site unseen, and that can become a whirlwind of unknowns when it arrives. So, my best advise on that would be that if you are going to spend more then $10,000 on a vehicle to start your build, it would be worth the few hundred dollars for a a airplane ticket to ensure that the car is worthy of restoration. It can save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run because if you don't see it first, it could end up being packed full of bondo, rusted all the way through and other major issues that could arise.

Not all cars are built the same. Frames, original drive trains, electrical, mechanical and more all effect the cost and time it takes to do a build. If you have a project vehicle that you like, then try look at the potential parts. For some cars front fenders maybe under a hundred dollars others maybe $700 and yet other may not even be found or available. Try to make sure that the build you would like done has available original or aftermarket parts. Or ensure that you have prepared for a proper budget if parts need to be fabricated. We can always fab parts for any build, but again remember the cost you are willing to spend
  • What will it cost? 
 I get several calls a week from potential customers saying I have a 1969 _____ how much would it cost to redo it? That question cannot be answered via a phone call. There are so many factors that go into a build and so many unknowns that may arise. These are a few things we look at when we do a build estimate for a customer: Hows the body? How is the inner body? How is the drive train? What kind of shape is the interior in? What is the make and model? What type of work and or restoration is the customer wanting done? Does it run? Is this going to be a stock motor/trans. or upgrade/swap? And so much more. We try to ensure we have as much detail as possible and ensure that we speak with our customer about all options and requests. But again, no matter how much we look or tear it apart to rebuild, we may still run into a few snags here and there. We work with our customers on everything and always figure out the snags. It is easy to spend $10-20,000 with a plan. It is very easy to go in and say I want it to look like whats on the cover of a car magazine and spend well over $100,000.00 also.
  • How long will it take? 
Well, sometimes we have vehicles in for a few days and some others take close to two years. Some of the small and easy stuff can be done your own as well. It's truly up to you. Do your research on your project a head of time, set the style you want and what you want ahead of time. Is it a mild restoration or do you want a full blown resto-modification? All of these factors add to the time it will take to do the build. Now, if you have a time "limit", we can sit with you to see what we can figure out on that. But try to keep a reasonable time limit in mind. The shows we see on TV don't show all of the time it truly takes to restore a car. We also have anywhere between 10 and 20 other builds in the shop at a time and we have to coordinate each build as we go along.

I hope this helps so your next project gets completed and you can enjoy your ride. If you need an estimate or would like to talk to us about your new project build, please do not hesitate to contact us via the contact methods below.

Thanks,

Brad

Email: goodfellazmotors@gmail.com
Phone: 573-693-1707
At Our Shop: 835 Highway 42 - Iberia, MO 65486
Monday through Friday 6 am to 4 pm
At Your Place: Schedule a time by calling or emailing us!
Website: www.goodfellazonline.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodFellazstore/

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