QuestionI am looking to totally restore my 1969 Buick Skylark, inside and out. I realize that this is a classic car and have been afraid to venture out and seek services because I don't know where to go and I don't want to be taken advantage of because I am a woman with a classic car. My question is how should I go about my quest. I need everything under the hood repaired although the car does run now. The only thing so far that I have had done was dual exhaust pipes and the fuel line. I was told I would probably need a new engine. Do I keep my engine and have it rebuilt or do I get a brand new engine. Will it deplete the value. The body work definitely needs to be done also the interior restored (30% damaged). There's also some rust on the body. My mission is to restore this classic to everything original or close to it's original form. Please advise.
AnswerThis is an enormous question, and one that no one can answer for you. All I can do is give you some advice.
#1. Every single person you put this question to is going to give you a totally different answer, so please realize you are only getting my opinion. However, I have restored about 10 cars, and am currently about 3/4 through doing what will be my last one (I'm way too old for this sort of work now!)
#2. Unless this particular car has some specific emotional meaning to you, you would be much better off financially and time wise to find a much better car to start with. They ARE out there, and they are not that expensive. If you shop the cars that can prove they are from the western states, you will avoid the rust repairs, which will be a big part of your task. If you limit yourself to proven low mileage cars, (say, less than 80,000 miles), you will avoid any major mechanical cost. This will leave you with just the cosmetic restoration to pay for, such as paint, upholstery and the like. If it is a car from the western states, it may not need much chrome plating redone, this is another very large expense. Make sure, however, that the condition and history claims made by the seller are documented!
#3. If, however, you are determined to do this particular car, you have to be made aware of the financial committment you are making. These numbers will seem outrageous to you, but they are based on years of experience, and when you are done with it, you will see that I am not far off.
Mechanical work: Rebuilding the engine by a professional will cost around $3000 minimum. New engines are no longer available. When someone offers you a "new" engine, he is really talking about a rebuilt engine, or a "crate" engine, which is rebuilt in a high volume shop. These are very cheaply done engines, which often fail spectacularly very quickly due to shoddy workmanship and substandard parts. If you want a good engine, you need to find a gray haired mechanic who knows what he is doing, and tell him you want it done right.
The engine is only a small part of the mechancial work. You also have to renew the suspension parts, the transmission, driveline, rear axle, exhaust sysytem, shock absorbers, braking system, all engine accessories such as alternator, carburetor, starter, water pump, distributor etc. None of this is included in the $3000 - add another $2500 to take care of the.
Body: I've just completed the body and paint work on a somewhat similar car (a 1967), and I did all the disassembly (right down to a bare rolling chassis, with no doors, glass, front or rear fenders, hood, trunklid - a totallyl stripped to every last removable part) so that expense is not included in the paint and body work cost - which was $5500. Now I'm putting it back together - I'll have approximately 200 hours in it by the time I'm done. Shop labor rates for the sort of work this takes are at least $30 an hour - you figure it out!
Interior: To restore a tired interior to original appearance and quality will cost you another $5000.
Chrome: You can easily spend another $3000 in Chrome plating and trim polishing.
Glass: Count on another $500 if you need to replace the windshield and any other glass.
Top: If the car has a vinyl top, or if it is a convertible, there's another $500.
Miscellaneous: Next you have to deal with tires, interior hardware (window and door mechanisms, hinges, lockes, wiper motor, parking brake - whatever. Cars have hundreds of thousands of little parts, every one has to be gone over and renewed.
A 69 Skylark is a very nice car, but it is not a high dollar collectible. If you do a perfect job, resulting in a car which looks and drives exactly like it did that day it left Flint MI, it will be worth at most $15,000, unless it is a convertible, in which case it will be worth maybe $20,000. But it will cost you nearly $35,000 to restore your car. Are you that committed to that particular car?
Whether or not the car has its original "numbers matching" engine is important to some folks, but not to all. In the case of the famous $2,000,000 69 "Cuda" Hemi Convertible, yes it is very important. In the case of your car, it isn't a big factor, but I would have the original engine rebuilt for the reasons explained above.
One more thing somebody needs to tell you. Your car is not a "Classic". It is an old car, a nice car, a special interest car, or whatever you want to call it. But Classics are cars that are on a list maintained by the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA), and the last one was made in 1942, with a very few exceptions extending to 1948. This term (classic car) has been so diluted by people misusing it that it has almost no meaning anymore.
I'm sorry to throw a wet blanket on your plans, but I think someone needs to tell you all this before you dive in, find yourself buried in the car financially, and losing interest in completing it. There are about 4 cars ruined by aborted "restorations" for every one that is ever completed, and the cost is always way above what the car is worth when it is done.
So, good luck to you whatever you decide, and please don't shoot the messenger!
Dick
