How Much Does a Car Restoration Cost?

The costs to restore an older vehicle or classic car can vary widely. It depends mainly on the following factors:

• The condition of the car when you buy it
• Whether you’re restoring it to be a show car or a weekend driver
• Whether you’re doing all or most of the restoration yourself, or at a shop

The most expensive restoration job example is an older car that needs a lot of repairs, and you want to restore it to show quality. Most likely you’d get that type of restoration done in a shop. However, if you just want a weekend driver and plan to buy classic car restoration parts and install them yourself, then your cost is going to be a lot less.

Let’s take a look at some items and costs for different parts of the car restoration process.

Buying a Project Car

The first cost you’ll encounter is the initial amount you pay for a project car. This can vary widely depending on what car you buy and what condition it’s in. Taking the example of two popular and classic muscle cars in the Camaro and Mustang, you can probably get one in decent driving condition for around $5,000. If you get one somewhere between somewhat drivable and not-drivable but still not junk, you might pay around $2,500. If you’re looking at one that only needs minor restoration, you’re probably looking at least $15,000.

Tools and Supplies

The second part of restoring an old car is having the right tools. Again, it depends on what exactly you’re planning on doing to the car, but the following list is an example of automobile restoration supplies that you might need for a full restoration project:

• Auto body kit
• Engine hoist
• Paint booth
• Electrical tester
• Safety glasses
• Jack stands
• Socket sets, ratchets, socket wrench extensions
• Screwdrivers
• Engine puller
• Engine stand
• Wrenches
• Transmission output shaft cover
• Pickle forks
• Spring compressor
• Transmission jack
• Code scanner (only if your project is newer)

The prices on these items can vary, but you can also potentially rent some of them such as a paint booth, or build one yourself. Engine hoists and pullers can also be rented.

Engine Costs

If you’re planning to put a new engine in your project car, this could be one of your biggest costs. There are lots of different engines available to choose from, depending on your vehicle. However, let’s look at three of the most popular ones.

The Chevy 454 was used in the Camaro, Malibu, and Chevelle among others. It’s a powerful engine and in high demand, which means it’s fairly easy to find at engine builders and retailers. A new crate engine will cost somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000, while a refurbished engine will be between $1,500 and $3,000.

The Ford 351 Cleveland was found in the Mustang and other Ford muscle cars. Refurbished engines run between $1,300 and $3,500, while new ones start at around $5,000 and go much higher.

The Chrysler 426 Hemi is considered one of the best muscle car engines of all time. It was used in the popular Charger and Challenger cars among others. A refurbished version runs between $2,500 and $5,000. A new crate Hemi will likely start at $7,500 and go up to as much as $20,000.

Interior Restoration

In many cases with an old car, you’ll need to do some interior restoration on top of everything else. This might include upholstery, car sound-deadening materials, car door molding, trim, and automotive weather stripping among others. One of the most common interior replacements is the upholstery. Your main options there are leather, vinyl, or fabric. Leather will be the most expensive option, but it’s not necessarily the best. Fabric and vinyl come in a lot more colors and give you more freedom to have the color scheme you want. These materials are also considerably cheaper than leather.

Other Important Parts

Along with exterior and interior restoration parts and the engine, there are other common parts you’ll likely have to replace. There’s a good chance that you’ll need a set of new tires. Classic car tires usually start in the high range of $200 per tire and go up from there. You’re also likely to want matching wheels, and those also generally cost at least $200 per wheel. An exhaust system overhaul is another common restoration job and can cost between $500 and $3,000. Carburetor swaps are also very common. Depending on the size and brand, you can expect to pay between $200 and $450. Intake manifolds can get you better fuel economy, plus more horsepower and torque. Depending on the brand, you can expect to pay between $75 and $800 on the high end for the ultra high-performance manifolds.

If you’re a performance enthusiast, then you’ll probably be springing for headers and heads. For headers, you can pay on the low end at $150 and go well over $1,300 for high-performance. Heads also vary widely in price. You can pay as little as $400 apiece or well over $2,000.

Transmission and Suspension

Suspension restoration parts will depend on what kind of vehicle you’re restoring. For example, restoring an old 4X4 will require some different parts from a muscle car. Suspension parts prices vary depending on the vehicle and type of part. Buying a remanufactured transmission can cost between $1300 and $3400. If you know your way around a transmission and can get it out of your vehicle to work on, you can probably rebuild it yourself for a cost of around $500 for all the necessary parts. Shops typically charge between $1,500 and $3,000, but much of this is labor.

Finding automotive restoration supplies all in one place is easy with Collectors Auto Supply. We have a wide range of parts for many applications, whether you’re restoring an old muscle car like the Camaro or Mustang, or a Jeep Wrangler