Restoration Cost Advice - 69 Imperial Coupe

Yeahrightgreer

Yeahrightgreer

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Okay Ladies and Gents, looking for a bit of advice. The car in question is the 1969 Imperial Coupe featured in this thread. Please see Post #21 for my full write-up and assessment of the car including photos.

Now in your guys opinions from experience, roughly how much do you think it would cost to get this car to be a decent driver? I know that project cars can very easily exceed what you initially expected. I'd only want maybe a 10 footer. I have 4 other cars so unfortunately there isn't the time or money to give it a Barrett Jackson/Concourse restoration. Just a clean and beautiful car that can be driven from spring to fall. For example, driving to a NYC Opera Theatre on a summer night. Assuming the car isn’t taken to a professional shop and the labor can be done from a buddy. I would plan to keep the car forever, so I am not interested in resale value. I'm fine with it being a labor of love. Here is what I’m thinking it needs:
  • Full prep and repaint
  • Bodywork including roof, deck lid, and passenger rocker panel rust repair as well as making the passenger side door straight
  • Possible engine rebuild
  • Complete brake system
  • Fuel system
  • Complete front and rear suspension including body bushings
  • Interior including seat covers, headliner and rear shelf
  • Heating and air system
I'm sure there's a lot more odds and ends. I'd love to get the experience of some of you guys who have taken on full projects like this. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any cheap/easy shortcuts around it. In my head I'm thinking $30,000, but I feel I might be coming in too low.

IMG_5919.jpeg
 
15-20k will burn up quickly on fabrication, body woek and paintjob.
IIRC, 69 Imps still had Budd susc brakes. So thats another 2 grand.
Vinyl top removed along with trim and glass, prep roof and repair any rust damage over estimate another 1500- 2 grand.
Engine rebuild depends on several factors but assume the pisrons are usable and cylinders just need a honing.
Hot tank and nee cam bearings, etc etc yayda yada.
But you can blow between 2k up to 8k.
Trans rebuild 1500.00.
You want AC? If she has Auto-Temp a lot of those parts are almost non- existent. 2k
Any trim missing will be NOS or good used pieces.
You can scour demo derby sites as some guys do sell off trim and interior pieces.
1 wentvthrough this with my car
Yiur 30k budget can run out quicker thsn you think!
Hope this helps
 
Yeahrightgreer said:
Okay Ladies and Gents, looking for a bit of advice. The car in question is the 1969 Imperial Coupe featured in this thread. Please see Post #21 for my full write-up and assessment of the car including photos.

Now in your guys opinions from experience, roughly how much do you think it would cost to get this car to be a decent driver? I know that project cars can very easily exceed what you initially expected. I'd only want maybe a 10 footer. I have 4 other cars so unfortunately there isn't the time or money to give it a Barrett Jackson/Concourse restoration. Just a clean and beautiful car that can be driven from spring to fall. For example, driving to a NYC Opera Theatre on a summer night. Assuming the car isn’t taken to a professional shop and the labor can be done from a buddy. I would plan to keep the car forever, so I am not interested in resale value. I'm fine with it being a labor of love. Here is what I’m thinking it needs:
  • Full prep and repaint
  • Bodywork including roof, deck lid, and passenger rocker panel rust repair as well as making the passenger side door straight
  • Possible engine rebuild
  • Complete brake system
  • Fuel system
  • Complete front and rear suspension including body bushings
  • Interior including seat covers, headliner and rear shelf
  • Heating and air system
I'm sure there's a lot more odds and ends. I'd love to get the experience of some of you guys who have taken on full projects like this. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any cheap/easy shortcuts around it. In my head I'm thinking $30,000, but I feel I might be coming in too low.

View attachment 679453
Click to expand...

My first thought was 30 ish too but it's not 2019 anymore. 40 is likely more like it.
 
Yeahrightgreer said:
Okay Ladies and Gents, looking for a bit of advice. The car in question is the 1969 Imperial Coupe featured in this thread. Please see Post #21 for my full write-up and assessment of the car including photos.

Now in your guys opinions from experience, roughly how much do you think it would cost to get this car to be a decent driver? I know that project cars can very easily exceed what you initially expected. I'd only want maybe a 10 footer. I have 4 other cars so unfortunately there isn't the time or money to give it a Barrett Jackson/Concourse restoration. Just a clean and beautiful car that can be driven from spring to fall. For example, driving to a NYC Opera Theatre on a summer night. Assuming the car isn’t taken to a professional shop and the labor can be done from a buddy. I would plan to keep the car forever, so I am not interested in resale value. I'm fine with it being a labor of love. Here is what I’m thinking it needs:
  • Full prep and repaint
  • Bodywork including roof, deck lid, and passenger rocker panel rust repair as well as making the passenger side door straight
  • Possible engine rebuild
  • Complete brake system
  • Fuel system
  • Complete front and rear suspension including body bushings
  • Interior including seat covers, headliner and rear shelf
  • Heating and air system
I'm sure there's a lot more odds and ends. I'd love to get the experience of some of you guys who have taken on full projects like this. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any cheap/easy shortcuts around it. In my head I'm thinking $30,000, but I feel I might be coming in too low.

View attachment 679453
Click to expand...
I think $40k is a better estimate.

IMHO, go find another car. A nice one will cost you half of what you'll spend on this car and you'll be up driving and having fun right away. A driver quality (which is what your goal is) would be even less.
 
Yeahrightgreer said:
Okay Ladies and Gents, looking for a bit of advice. The car in question is the 1969 Imperial Coupe featured in this thread. Please see Post #21 for my full write-up and assessment of the car including photos.

Now in your guys opinions from experience, roughly how much do you think it would cost to get this car to be a decent driver? I know that project cars can very easily exceed what you initially expected. I'd only want maybe a 10 footer. I have 4 other cars so unfortunately there isn't the time or money to give it a Barrett Jackson/Concourse restoration. Just a clean and beautiful car that can be driven from spring to fall. For example, driving to a NYC Opera Theatre on a summer night. Assuming the car isn’t taken to a professional shop and the labor can be done from a buddy. I would plan to keep the car forever, so I am not interested in resale value. I'm fine with it being a labor of love. Here is what I’m thinking it needs:
  • Full prep and repaint
  • Bodywork including roof, deck lid, and passenger rocker panel rust repair as well as making the passenger side door straight
  • Possible engine rebuild
  • Complete brake system
  • Fuel system
  • Complete front and rear suspension including body bushings
  • Interior including seat covers, headliner and rear shelf
  • Heating and air system
I'm sure there's a lot more odds and ends. I'd love to get the experience of some of you guys who have taken on full projects like this. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any cheap/easy shortcuts around it. In my head I'm thinking $30,000, but I feel I might be coming in too low.

View attachment 679453
Click to expand...
I would buy the best car possible and pay it off before taking on a restoration of the type you want. Mechanical repairs and polishing can be done by you, body and paint is a farm out job that may never return.
 
30k is plenty if you are doing stuff yourself.

If you gotta pay a shop to build the engine and trans. Pay a shop to do the body work and paint. Etc. It's gonna eat your budget.
 
Having just done two different c-bodies I can say that even with a good car to start with expect to pay 30-40k for a good driver restoration and that is doing much of the work yourself.
With c-bodies you will be buying lots of NOS parts (if you can find them) or restoring originals. When I'm done with the 500 I'll probably be about 40k into it and I didn't have to do a engine, trans or seats. When I did the CHP car I had about 30 in it and that included an engine and trans rebuild along with seats, what a difference 10 years makes.


Alan
 
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I'm with the buy a restored turnkey go car crowd. Just pay the money if you definitely know what car you want.
That looks like a very good parts car to me.
Even if you paid for all the work, the headache and aggravation will be a nightmare. It would probably be finished just before the turn of the decade.
It needs every square inch addressed. And it's too far gone for even a good patina car.
A real money loser in the end.
 
I am sure you'll be north of $40K when looking at the list you provided in today's US dollars for this Imperial.
The cost for car parts and services have gone up on everything over the last five years from my own experiences. Just engine parts alone, not to mention the fewer supply channels for common items have increased significantly.
5 years ago I paid $18 for a valley pan at Summit, and today they're $38.
Body and paint cost will shock you. Most body shops don't have a "book rate" on what to charge for a 50+ year old car, and most would rather do collision work than a restoration paint job.
I'm in agreement with the others on finding another car to pursue. With the time & money spent and pursuit of parts it will take to restore this Imperial, you will have found a better candidate with less work required and can be enjoying driving it a lot sooner.
Your OP asked for our experience, and the general consensus from everyone that has gone down this road seems to be the same.
 
Thats looks like a really challenging restoration. What you now see, is just the tip of the iceberg. Unless you just want to bondo over the whole thing and in a year it's goona look worse than now. Spend 20kusd now on a good ride, instead of 40kusd over the next few years in restoration work. Not to mention the frustration and time invested. Just my advice ;)
 
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$25k for a driver and that is if you are thrifty and have years on your side to do the work.

Wow you guys really know how to spend money, lol! I’m $18k into my project and it still needs paint, but I’m also in year 14 and have done most of the work myself. I DO NOT recommend this approach. Like said above, buy better and enjoy it now or your estate will be dealing with a parts car for scrap value.

Seriously, looking through your the thread, there’s a reason why the guy has had only one looker in 7 years. I don’t know what the current ask is now, but this one is the proverbial $2500 c body.

Now on to the flip side, if this was the “one”, and you can get it cheap, and can get the mechanical stuff done (engine tranny rebuild, brakes) with you doing most of the work, I’d say $10k to get it running. Power wash, pull and clean the interior, chase the mice away, fix the chewed wiring, get it running , now you have a ratty C.

My biggest issue with one is the Dutch panel rust, and the huge bubbles under the roof. If you are not a fabricator or welder, count on another $10-$15k for a shop to just to get it “there” to driver status.
 
Determine parts, their costs. Paint line and cost. Add together, multiple by three for a guesstimate
 
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