[1bad69+70camaro]

well guys, here is what i have in mind. i know a majority of you are against turning a huge profit, i dont like it that much either.. my local business has went down due to maaco so this is what i have decided to do. i just ordered a new rotisserie for muscle restos. buy ruff cars and sell kind of cheap. document my time and include this with car so everyone can see i am not going to be on MTV CRIBS. it can be done i do it all the time. granted i wont get rich but i will keep food in my fat ass. one of my locals have told me i will kill the localmuscle car market but i dont see how? i do fairly good work, not the best but i hold my own. done a couple concours restos with best being a third place finish. i am ase master and have alot of icaar modules so my customers will be at ease with their baby with me. will i hurt the market turning a few quality cheapies? i know the SS cars will hold their value so no concern doing damage to them. maybe a few clones, drivers. not just chevelles either. i am shooting for the $15-$20k range.

 

[Jim Mac]

nothing wrong with making a living, just don't misrepresent a clone for a real SS or Z28. Im sure alot of folks that cant turn a wrench and would like a decent car would buy your cars. Good luck Jim

 

[1bad69+70camaro]

nothing wrong with making a living, just don't misrepresent a clone for a real SS or Z28. Im sure alot of folks that cant turn a wrench and would like a decent car would buy your cars. Good luck Jim

its this very reason i dont like the market right now. everyone is so caught up in the clone wars, and they should be. i think a few lawsuits should cure this. in my opinion there should be a sticky about what to look for. i myself am kind of dumb except on camaros and firebirds. if an extensive job i was figuring on making around $3k in labor with quick turnaround.

 

[BlackBetty]

1bad69......if I were you don't give "ruining the market" a second thought. There are guys that have ALREADY done that for you. And there guys that "support" that routine.

You go and do what you are good at, enjoy the work and charge what you want, it is your business and no one here or any where has the right to tell you otherwise. GO make a PROFIT...and don't feel bad about it. You won't ruin the market.....someone else has that title....far ahead of you.

 

[Steve340]

You know a largely untapped market?
Take Non matching cars, put nice new engines in them, with computer and all, and a nice OD trans, and make them as reliable as a new car, where you could for 20 gran or so buy a 68 camaro with a newish z-28 engine, and OD trans, and cruise as comfortably as you could in a 2006 camaro, A LOT of the people would buy them, as evidenced by the popularity of the recent big 3 retro musclecars

Could do different packages
SS
Z-28
Mach 1

etc etc

OBVIOUSLY clones, and you wouldent need SS or rare cars, just make em how you want with NOS Parts


Steve

 

[rbwjr325]

Friend of mine bought a 67 ss 7000,rust bucket,396 motor bad,int shot. Guy in Zanesville did rot. restore in and out inc. motor,everything.Car comes out as new,charged15000.Total cost 22000,car has to be worth 30000.Im doing a 66 malibu myself.Its mine and it will stay a malibu as I personally think a malibu has just as much class as an ss car but I will get a 66 ss when its done,I have the sickness,and I would gladly pay 15000 for someone else to restore it for me.I think it would be a good bussiness to get into. O,Yea,that 30000 67 ss ,on ebay make that 60000.

 

[kacp-o]

Man...that is an idea I wish I had the skill to follow. I agree with other posters about the updated musclecar - fuel injection, OD trans, creature comforts. Like the cars that Barry's Speed Shop is putting out on "Wrecks to Riches" on TLC - the "Super Muscle Cars." He sells those suckers for a nice price and starts with basically cheap, non-SS chevelles, etc.

Best of luck,
Rob

 

[2th farmer]

You know a largely untapped market?
Take Non matching cars, put nice new engines in them, with computer and all, and a nice OD trans, and make them as reliable as a new car, where you could for 20 gran or so buy a 68 camaro with a newish z-28 engine, and OD trans, and cruise as comfortably as you could in a 2006 camaro, A LOT of the people would buy them, as evidenced by the popularity of the recent big 3 retro musclecars

Could do different packages
SS
Z-28
Mach 1

etc etc

OBVIOUSLY clones, and you wouldent need SS or rare cars, just make em how you want with NOS Parts


Steve

BINGO! This is exactly what I plan for my next project. Buy a 66 Malibu and "streetrod it"

 

[Steve340]

Tons of people think musclecars are unreliable, WE know they arent when well done.
You could even do option lists, from a basic 350, up to a crate 550
lol

Ive always pondered the idea, but I dont have the time.

Good luck with it

 

[Neal Wright]

Bad69 ... It appears your already a business man, so you can see there's obviously flaws in some of the "modern" muscle car concepts!

You know a largely untapped market?
Take Non matching cars, put nice new engines in them, with computer and all, and a nice OD trans, and make them as reliable as a new car, where you could for 20 gran or so buy a 68 camaro with a newish z-28 engine, and OD trans, and cruise as comfortably as you could in a 2006 camaro, A LOT of the people would buy them, as evidenced by the popularity of the recent big 3 retro musclecars

For those that don't run a business, there's a huge difference between a hobby ... and a business. And then on top of that, you still have to keep you funds "liquid" and not too tied up into one item. Keep it simple, until you know more of what can be flipped.

As far as the market ... You'll most definitely make more money as a certified insurance shop. That's where all the rod-shops have gone in my area. This has however left quite a market for pure rod-shops again ... Muscle cars are hot, and there's aren't many shops in my area that will touch one anymore.

Cars around me sell cheap, so it's hard to keep perspective ... but I know $15-20 would be tough to reliable sell on anything besides a Camaro or Corvette. Chevelle's sell for $10-12k around me, and Firebirds far less than that.

Just know what you're getting into ... personally, I wouldn't try that market. It's a lot harder than it looks to keep shop-projects to turn a profit, let alone much extra to even live off of.

Oh well, lots of luck.
Neal

 

[Steve340]

Actually
you can have a business AND a Hobby

This is the most fun I have ever had in my life!
We had Jeeps, Old 50's Classics, Chevelle SS's Vettes, had one guy travel 6 hours to rent a bay for 2 days

And plenty of people who just needed a place to work, sadly I had a really bad choice of partners and we had to close, but someday, I am going to do this again​

 

[Chris R]

Its not so easy to find something nice enough to restore for a fair price these days. Even if you find a cheap basket case, how much time in meterials will it take to make it nice again? After all that can you still sell it to make enough money for the business.

 

[glennslanaker]

i don't know how much money would be in this biz of buying cars and putting a lot of work into them and flipping. when i buy a car, restore it, it's never worth what i have in it. and the only thing i hire out is gear work and paint/body. and i'm only buying what most would consider a decent deal to start with.

you can definitely make a few grand a year just buying and selling, i do 3-4 cars a year without even trying hard. but i don't do anything to them.

 

[Brettd85]

Man! I really wish we had do it yourself garages around here!

 

[Jim Mac]

there was a softball dad on my daughters team, his brother married a gal from peru. he was a pilot for one of the bigger airlines, and still goes to peru to visit the inlaws. they split there time between the US and peru. I guess theres a whole bunch of cars from the 40s and up, kind of like Cuba. So he started picking them up down there. has them upholstered, painted,has his brother send down rebuild kits for the drivetrain and rebuilds the motors/trannies. and started to ship them to L.A. I think he said they get 3 into a container. His brothers job is to start listing them and selling them. He moved to Nebraska so I imagine hes going to be selling them back there. Jim