Car customization and restoration is a complicated process with many variables which make planning and estimating almost impossible. Though it is difficult to create transparency for accurate pricing from the beginning to the end of the project, we succeed in doing so by practicing continuity, accuracy, honesty and communication. This page was created to give you an idea of what things might cost. The figures listed are not a quote. A formal written estimate catered to your car is needed for accurate pricing.
When comparing our pricing or estimates to other shops, it is important to remember that we are a “Full Systems Solutions Shop” meaning that we repair and rebuild the entire system that we are hired to work on. If you have not read the page on our site “What is an Estimate” please go there and read it! For example: we will not just replace one bad wheel cylinder on a brake system if the rest of the system is working but is sure to fail soon. Our experience has show us that when we remove aged parts and rebuild the entire system, our clients enjoy years of trouble free use which is less expensive than taking many trips back to the mechanic.
All of the figures we are using here are based on REAL estimates that we have COMPLETED, we have been in business for 25 years, and we want to share accurate, honest and real work information with our clients.
Simple ball park: Here is the range of the last few hundred estimates we have written and completed, each and every vehicle is different but this should get you close.
I have a vehicle that is painted, assembled, and “almost done”…. it just needs chrome, wiring, brake lines, fuel line, etc. this is a car that visually looks complete, but essentially needs everything. Many clients come to us and describe their project like this, and unfortunately set themselves up for some shocking news. 60 - 70% of the cost comes AFTER the paint and assembly is done, engine is in, and it is a rolling car. On average cars like this the estimates we have written and competed run from $30,000 - $50,000. You should always expect some rework if the car came from multiple shops so there could be more.
Cost to restore a vehicle i.e. currently has a running engine and transmission in excellent shape, everything else needs work: $75,000 starting, do not focus on that, it’s the minimum, to $95,000.
Cost to upgrade and restore a vehicle: new engine, new transmission, everything upgraded and high end custom paint, $100,000 starting, these projects can easily get up to $150,000 to $200,000 and up, you are custom building a “new car” at this point.
Brakes
Basic System Rebuild or stock style disc brake upgrade: $2,500 - $3,000
Custom Brake System: $4,500 - $6,500
High performance or show quality brake system $10,000 and up.
Our brake system rebuilds consist of new brake lines, new brake hoses, rebuild or replaced hydraulic parts such as wheel cylinders, calipers, and other important items necessary for safe and easy stopping. Upgrades help here, such as a boosted master cylinder or dual reservoir master cylinder. These can give you much improved braking performance and safety. Keep in mind that many standard aftermarket disc brake kits are using Camaro or similar mid size type brakes, and so installing them on a full size car from the 50s and 60s is not a safe decision. Since the stock brakes were designed to stop the car safely and easily, when rebuilt properly they will work well to stop the car. Ball park for a stock system rebuild including parts is $2,500 to $3,000. Most vehicles have some kind of stock style disc brake upgrade, this is what you see most commonly for a brake upgrade “kit”. Most of the time these can be installed for about the cost of a factory system rebuild, $2500 - $3000 depending on the cost of the parts. New brake lines are $800 - $1,000 and disc brake upgrades run from $4,500 - $6,500 complete. High performance or specialty brakes can and will cost more for parts and installation, really the sky is the limit as it is with upgrades. If you are looking for a full high performance brake system do not be surprised if parts and labor get up to $15,000 or more.
Suspension
1950s and older front and or rear suspension rebuilds run from $2,000 and up, normally less work than the mid 50s and up.
Standard Wishbone Suspension rebuild $3000 - $4,500
Custom Front or Rear Suspensions $5,000 - $7,000
Air Suspension cost of style of suspension + $4,500-$7,500
Show car front and rear suspension, chrome or custom painted $20,000 and up.
Suspensions are often overlooked, but they are a very important part of many upgrades to a vehicle. If we are rebuilding a suspension to stock or even installing an air suspension, the first and most important part is that all of the parts, A arms, spindles, etc. are cleaned and coated. New bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints, and other wearable parts must replaced be after the parts are restored. We do not do “budget” suspension rebuilds where the parts are not cleaned and painted first. If a client wants us to install an air bag system into their car, the first thing that must be addressed is the suspension health itself. So almost always a full suspension rebuild is needed before any upgrades can be done. For a standard wishbone suspension a full rebuild with the refurbishment of the parts runs from $3000 - $4,500. A straight axle or early style suspension is normally less, around $2,500. The rear suspension could be a parallel leaf, around $2,000 to rebuild, or independent or link style, $3,500 and up. We an de-arch your rear leafs, and rebuild or replace the springs to bring your ride back to the right height. We also make custom front or rear suspensions in house and can install them. Installing or converting the front or rear to a modern independent rack and pinion system is typically around $5,000 - $7,000 but keep in mind that there are quite a few items that also must be upgraded to support this new addition to your car. Do not be surprised if you need new engine pulleys and brackets, new engine mounts, wiring and frame modifications, and even new radiator support and front end mounting. When thinking about an upgrade like this please consult with us to get all of the right information before you make a decision. If you would like to know the cost for an air suspension, add the cost of the rebuild of your style of suspension, and then add $4,500 - $7,500 for the air suspension itself. We do not buy kits off eBay, these are professionally installed high quality suspension parts and components. As with any work that we do we will verify that your car can handle the upgrade, your alternator, electrical system, suspension, etc. is ready and will safely take the upgrade.
Wiring
Factory Style Harness $3,500
Typically $300 - $500 in parts for the factory style harness needed.
Chassis Harness Replacement $4,000 - $9,000
Power Cables: new body, engine, frame and battery grounds and power cables, recommended if you are doing new wiring. $400 - $800
There is nothing more frustrating or annoying that a beautiful car that does not start, or has flickering lights, a battery that drains…. Wiring normally is a complex solution to some simple problems. We are set up and have the experience to wire any type of specialty or vintage vehicle. One important thing to remember is that the act of replacing the chassis harness, is not a magic wand that will make everything work when done. Chassis harness is used to describe a specific part of the wiring because many people do not realize that these cars have a separate harness for the power windows, heater, AC, wipers, etc. The harnesses are separate because these items were added on the assembly line depending on how the car was optioned. This means that when your car is wired you may need to do the chassis harness, window harness, heater and AC harness, and more, so using the pricing here you should expect more if you have a complicated or accessory laden vehicle. Headlight switch, floor dimmer switch, door jamb switches, ignition switch, starter, starter solenoid, fuses, circuit breakers, all of these items should be replaced when the wiring is done, and can easily add another $800 - $1,000 in parts and labor costs above and beyond the ball park pricing for a harness. We also need to understand if you want a “factory” harness or a “custom” harness. The biggest difference is that the factory one is a copy of the original harness in every way, and will install and mount as original. When you ask for a factory harness the cost for the wiring harnesses are significant, you can easily spend $3,500 or more just for the wiring harness itself, vs $500 for an aftermarket harness. This would only be something that a purist would want so that they can compete in something such as an “original” car show. We tend to direct most clients to a custom harness. On average a chassis harness replacement runs from $4,000 - $5,500 (add $3,500 if you want it original). Another very important part of the electrical system is the charging system, that we typically upgrade at the same time, normally around $1000 for a new one wire alternator adapted to your application. last but not to be forgotten are the power cables, and grounds. Without proper and correct grounding and power cables you will quickly run into problems even with a new harness, lights that flicker, low charging, slow starting, lots of weird ghost issues come up. Our new cables are hand made in house to last a life time and handle the high power charging and system demands on our projects, and run from $400 - $800 installed. Almost every car requires a cable from the battery to engine, battery to frame, engine to frame, frame to body, engine to body, and transmission to frame, sometimes more.
Metal Work
Average repair cost for basic rust repair on 50s-70’s Vehicles $3,500-$5,500
Metal finished rust repair $6500 and up.
Full body restyle or building a body out of metal $20,000 - $60,000 and up.
Chop Tops, metal work only, including internal and external trim, $4500 - $8000
Edge work, fixing gaps with metal between doors, fenders, hoods, and trunks, necessary for a show paint job $2500 and up.
Custom made fenders, patch panels, etc. Varies by piece
Metal work can transform a car not worth the ground it sits on to a fully functional, beautiful classic, it can also transform the look, shape and style of a car. It would be hard for us to list all of the different things that can or could be done to a car here in this list, so we will hit the big ones. First off, if you have a California car, it does have rust, contrary to popular opinion. It just has rust in specific areas. Corners of the doors, corners of the quarter panels, rocker front or back edges, basically any part of the body that has a place that organic matter (from all the plants and trees that stay green all year) can collect and hold water. On average we find from $3,500 - $5,500 worth of metal repair needed for a standard size vehicle from the 50s to the 70s. Custom made metal parts are quoted by the piece but for reference a hand fabricated fender for a 1936 ford would cost around $3,500 for the fender alone. We have made custom hoods, trunks, even half a car, none of the clients that entered this process were really worried about price, they were focused on getting what they wanted and understood that it would not be cheap. Chopping the top of a car is a exciting way to really get a great look, most 40s to 50s cars the cost of cutting the top starts around $5,500. Do not forget you need to get the glass cut, around $1,500, the inside trim pieces must be chopped and fit, another $1,500 or so, new weather stripping, glass run channels, modifications to the regulators, etc. correctly chopping a top is not a cheap or easy process. If someone has quoted you $4,000 to do it, run the other way because they do not understand the process. If you are looking for extensive custom metal fabrication to be performed on your vehicle, be prepared to spend $10 - $15,000 just getting it to the point where the metal work can be started, as most of the time the entire body is stripped and all parts removed then the custom metal work can be done. A full custom body, with lots of custom work done and hand formed panels can easily run $30,000 to $50,000 and up. Normally a car requiring this kind of work has a rendering and a very specific build plan, and would be part of a much larger estimate.
Body Work
Panel Alignment necessary for correct bodywork. $1,500 - $2500
Bodywork for a high quality OEM paint job $4500 - $6500
High end show car bodywork $6000 and up.
For a full warranty we will need to do the bodywork for you, that means bare metal and up is performed here.
There is a common misconception that bodywork is just a paint job. Realistically the body work expense for a paint job is 75% of the cost a “paint job” or more. Here is a good overview of the imortant things needed, of course there are more or less things that can be done, so a consultation is always important. We do spray cars that you have prepped and are “ready to spray” typically this runs from $1000 - $3000. Normally the clients have me work with them through the prep process so that when we get to the end it is actually ready to paint. The first and most important step in prepping for bodywork on a project is the panel alignment and set up for bodywork. Without the panel alignment, essentially us verifying that your doors fit, trunk fits, doors open and close without hitting or rubbing, there is no slop in the hinges, and many other items, you cannot have a paint job that will last. You should always plan on and include $2,000.00 - $5,000 just in panel alignment, hinge repair or replacement, bending and fitting, and set up for the bodywork to start. There is more than one way to perform bodywork, one is the OEM style, where the panels are individually prepped and sanded, leaving the body straight and dent free, but there will be remaining “natural” waves and imperfections over large areas. This comes about from the fact that the panels are wrapped around the door frame, body or quarter panel, crimped on you could say, so this makes the panels bulge slightly. As you could imagine you would see a slight bubble in the door, fender, and quarter panel. When you look at a high end show car this “bulge” is normally removed in the prep process, and all of the panels are bodyworked as “one” panel. It is important that you make it clear what level and quality you are looking for as there are many items that must be done from the beginning for this to work properly. The most common bodywork process, performed after the body is properly prepped in metal, aligned, stripped, and cleaned, involves us doing a pretty comprehensive “skim coat” over all of the exterior panels. This skim coat is blocked smooth, then all of the parts are primed with a DTS sealer primer then a high fill primer. The bodywork portion does not end here, normally the blocking process is repeated at least one more time then it is primed again. Bodywork runs from $4,000 - $6,000 for a 50s - 60s car. The blocking process is normally around $2,500 for each session and the priming process is $1,500 for each session. Most commonly our clients spend from $5,000 - $10,000.00 for the “bodywork” portion alone. On a show paint job you could spend $20,000 on bodywork. A properly prepped car requires at least 100 labor hours to start. High end or custom paint jobs typically have 3 to 4 blocking and priming sessions, and we spend more time on the prep work and bodywork because it is done in a different way, and all done by hand.
Paint
“Ready to spray” paint jobs $1,500 - $4,500 and up
Most paint jobs, masking, sealer, and spraying paint only. $5,000-$7,500
High end pearls, graphics or custom work add at least another $3000 - $10000 to the job.
Candy paint, again this is when the car is ready to spray Starting at $15,000
Color sand and buff $2500 - $6500
No, Satin paint is not cheaper.
Paint is the final cosmetic proof that you have a “high end” vehicle. Many a expensive and or very nice vehicle was undermined by blotchy, stripped, bubbling, or just plain ugly paint. We only use the best materials in the industry, House of Kolor paints, primers, reducers all the way from the metal to the top of the clear. We Never cocktail or mix in cheaper materials to save money, and we always hand mix all of our colors in house, because the paints that we use are not offered “premixed”. Paint really is something that can have almost no limit to what can be spent, keep that in mind when you start asking about the more exotic finishes, custom graphics, or rich colors. We specialize in candy paint, and yes, hands down, it is the most expensive paint you can purchase for your car. The labor, skill, and materials needed are extensive. Most paint jobs (spraying the paint, car is ready to spray, and set up in the booth, that is where the paint job starts) run from $5,000 - $7,500. Candy paint starts at $15,000.00 just to spray the paint. When you combine this with the processes above you can see that the metal work, bodywork, and paint on a professionally built car can run into the $30 - $45,000.00 range pretty quickly. Materials alone for paint are at least $2,000. After the paint is applied, the paint must be processed, color sanded and buffed, so that it can be polished before the car is assembled. Although we do spray the paint nice enough that it does not have to be color sanded and buffed, it is more the norm to see “glass smooth” paint now a days, so you should plan on spending at least $3,500 for this part of the process. This gives you a good introduction but please consult with us in person before jumping to any conclusions. We have many happy clients that have spent less and ended up with much more than they would have received from a “cheaper” shop.
Exhaust
Average $2,500
The exhaust systems that we build here are custom systems, all stainless, that would be above and beyond what you would get from a standard exhaust shop. If you just need some mufflers for your old truck, please just go to an exhaust shop, there are a ton of great ones here in Southern California. If you would like someone to build you a tuned, mandrel bent, tig welded, highly polished system for your custom car, we can help. On average our exhaust systems start at $2,500. We also build custom headers, flanges, mechanical and electrical cut outs, and even flame throwers.
Heating & Cooling, Air conditioning
Average cost for upgraded cooling system, radiator, fans, thermostat. $2,500-$4,000
Custom high performance radiator, fans, and other important parts. $4,500-$6,000
Rebuild or fix factory Air conditioning pre 1970, or factory accessory system $2,500 - $6,000 and up
Aftermarket under dash AC $2500.00
Aftermarket HVAC in dash custom unit $5500 and up.
Heating and cooling system included many aspects of the vehicle, from the climate inside the vehicle to the cooling of the engine while it is driving around on a hot California day. We have a lot of requests for cooling system upgrades, typically these consist of a new high capacity aluminum radiator, removal of the factory mechanical fans, and the install of high power electric fans. On average this runs from $2,500 - $4,000. We can get a radiator for any car, or we can even have one made if you have something really special. This would include new hoses, new coolant, thermostat, and the wiring needed to operate. Almost all of the systems that we install have fans that turn on and off automatically. For the inside climate of your project we can install custom heater and AC systems. Most under dash units cost $2,000 - $3,500 installed, and a custom in dash unit runs from $4,500 - $6,000. We will need to make sure that your other systems can handle the upgrade, you will need new engine brackets and pulleys if you do not have a provision for a AC compressor, another $1,500 or so, and you alternator and engine heath can be a factor. We also work on and service original ac and heater systems and can make all of them work as they did originally. Be aware, though, that rebuilding an original system is the most expensive choice to make, typically requiring $5,500 or more in parts and labor to start, many times running up to $10,000. After all that expense you will have a system that will not really perform up to the standards of a new custom system. Yes we can integrate your original controls, no that is not cheap, and not that would not be included in the pricing above, because, simply speaking it would need to be a custom one off conversion. In fact we can install a custom system that performs as new but looks original and works in place of the original system.
Engine
Basic service to get a engine running that has not run from a long time, if possible $1,000 - $3,500
Rebuild vintage engines, machine work alone $5,500 and up, takes 4 - 8 months at least.
Timing and tuning, with the correct things tested and verified, with a report of engine health that you get back $300 - $1,000 and up
Breakerless conversion $250 and up
Sniper style fuel injection conversion $3,000 and up, normally requires some fuel system work.
Engine swap to a small block ford or a different (than wants in the car) vintage style engine, $3,500 and up for the labor alone.
Right off the bat it is important to understand that we do not work on or install modern engines, we are not even sure if we like modern engines. We focus on vintage engines, ran as perfect stock original, mild hot rodding, or converted to fuel injection, or rebuilt as performance, and set up and installed with modern drive line components like a overdrive transmission. Do not call us if you want a LS swap performed on your 1964 Chevelle, we will not be able to help you. Do call us if you have a vintage Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Mercury, Ford, Packard, or any of the classic brands, and you want someone to rebuild and hotrod your engine, using vintage speed parts, and you want something that no one else understands nor has the patience for. It would be hard to list all of the different things that we can do to a vintage engine but here are the big things. Basically a rebuild of a 50s - 60s engine to mid performance is around $6500, this covers most of the machine work and parts, but your engine could require more or less depending on what we find. We can tune multiple carburetor set ups, and just a simple one barrel on your vintage Buick. We specialize in timing and tuning engines that you cannot hook a computer up to, where you need a mechanic that can diagnose using age old techniques that will show the real health and potential of your vintage engine. The installation of a Offenhauser intake, or Edelbrock heads on your flathead or FE engine typically runs around 1500.00 not including the parts. Ignition upgrades are a wonderful way to make your engine run better, start faster, and have improved gas milage, and typically we can do a full breaker less conversion with a purpose built modern distributor, high power coil, new wires, and spark plugs, for around $1,500. We can also do a simple in distributor breaker less conversion for $500 or so. Fuel injection conversions are a very common item that we install, it gets rid of hard starting, choke issues, vapor lock, and other common carburetor problems. We recommend that you get a new fuel tank and install the in tank pump, these items run about $2,000 for parts and install for most cars. The rest of the system, the fuel injection unit and the wiring and install is typically another $3,000. We have great feedback about the installs we have done, with nothing but good things reported. We can pretty much install fuel injection on any car from 1900 to 1975. If you have an original engine and would like to do a swap to a more modern or powerful engine, which is always a good choice, we can help. Most commonly we swap out 6 cylinder engines for v8 engines in 50 - 60s, but many times our clients just want to replace the original 302 or 350 with something new or freshly rebuilt. In this situation EVERYTHING surround and supporting the engine must be new, in perfect operating order or we have to replace it, keep this in mind, so many of the previous mentioned items like the cooling system, fuel system, engine mounts, ignition, wiring, must be addressed during the engine swap. Because of this the pricing is very broad, but essentially labor only, the cost of swapping the engine is $3,000 - $5,000 most of the time. Due to the complicated nature of all of the things that can be done to an engine please call and consult with us after reading this.
Transmission
Rebuild manual transmission alone $600 - $2,000
Rebuild vintage automatic transmission $3,500 and up
Removal or other related labor is additional.
Conversion from a vintage transmission to a modern overdrive. $6,500-$8,500
We offer upgrades and custom transmission installs, since we love vintage engines, and tend to stay away from modern Modular engines, we offer access to adapters and custom set ups to allow the installation of modern overdrive transmissions to vintage flatheads, railheads, early Hemi engines, etc.. We know and understand what it takes to make these tranmsisons work right with the old engines and love the way they make the cars so drivable and give you back horsepower lost from your old heavy hyrdomatic or power glide. Most transmission conversions run from $6,500 - $8,500. We also specialize in rebuilding stock manual transmissions from 1900 to 1975, and even earlier or for custom applications. Most manual transmissions cost around $3,000 to be removed, rebuilt and installed. Keep in mind that you will need a new clutch, bearings, and many other wearable parts and be prepared to spend another $1,000 - $1,500 on these items. We do not do the automatic transmission rebuilding in house, but we do all of the other related service and installation that you would need for your project. We can help with the install of custom items like help support the building of a high performance driveline, custom converter, custom trans crossmember, shifters, transmission control units, coolers and other items.