Labor of Love

jr.S_old · April 27, 2010 at 10:57 AM

Many people believe that performing mustang restorations is a good way to make some good money. I'm sure many of you know how frustrating this may be along with money and time consuming (Especially just doing this as a hobby like myself). Seems like you're constantly forking out money for this and that, and never get anywhere. When I sold my K-code, it was the first time that I made any decent money. I'll show you why. These are the last 4 cars I have restored.(not including the K-code) If the honey gold GT convertible looks familiar to some of you, it was the centerfold in Sept '07 issue of Mustang and Fords Magazine...

1965 Fastback with a Boss 302 engine: Spent out of pocket not including labor--$21,000--. Sold for $21,000

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1965 True GT convertible: Spent out of pocket not including labor

--$26,000--. Sold for $30,000

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1965 289 Rangoon Red coupe: Spent out of pocket not including labor

--$14,880--. Sold for $12,500

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1965 289 Honey Gold coupe: Spent out of pocket not including labor

--$12,500-- Sold for $10,500

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I had over 3500 hours in these 4 cars, and have all out of pocket expense receipts. The average labor rate around here is about $40/hr. If you add that up, thats about $140,000 that i have pretty much given away.(I have alot of friends now..LOL) I do all the work myself, except for the engine rebuild, and those are included in the prices spent.

I titled this "Labor of Love" because thats just what this is. I restore these cars not for a buck, but to enjoy the time spent doing it and showing off something that I LOVE to do. It's never about the money with me. This is something my family enjoys together whether it be my son welding for me and going for test drives, my wife listening to me cuss and throw a tantrum while she helps me install a hood.[Blocked Image: http://i40.tinypic.com/f53pm8.jpg]

Edited by - jr.S on 04/27/2010 11:06:21

mcfly_old · April 27, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Great Pics.I really like that Honey Gold and I take it so do you.

mike

CharlesTurner · April 27, 2010 at 12:25 PM

Thanks JR. While I may not necessarily agree with the way the K was done, that is my personal opinion and I respect the choices you made. All the photos you took and the time spent looking for details are priceless and adds credibility to the car.

While the actual time spent actually working on the car can be measured to a certain degree, there is an enormous amount of time that is often overlooked. Time spent looking for and acquiring parts can often approach or exceed actual wrench turning time. I can't even imagine how many hundreds of hours I have spent surfing the web, going to swap meets, etc... Of course, we wouldn't do it unless it was a passion and something we enjoy. Lots of folks prefer to buy cars already done and "enjoy" them, but for a lot of us, the restoration journey is just as or more enjoyable!

66gtk · April 27, 2010 at 1:45 PM

Somebody likes Honey Gold! Are those hues correct, because they look fantastic in the photos. Especially against the white. Holy cow. Makes me rethink my own factory Honey Gold '65 fastback. Very nice job - I like the white dash in that one pic as well.

jr.S_old · April 27, 2010 at 8:41 PM

Thanks, Yes Honey Gold is my favorite mustang color. The coupe is a standard Honey Gold mix, the fastback and the convertible was mixed without the green tint to give it more of a gold hue, with the fastback being my favorite. So you can bet the next car I build WILL be another Honey Gold Fastback with white interior.

66gtk · April 27, 2010 at 9:49 PM

Thank you for clarifying that hue on the vert and FB. I couldn't see the green myself, which is why I asked. I like it that way alot!!

My fastback door tag indicates Honey Gold with Ivy Gold std interior. It presently is a Shelby clone (WW/GB with blk interior) I think it would be pretty done like your fastback with the Shelby Hood and shaved emblems. Maybe on the next resto round...

Are the HG cars you've done all original HG cars?

Edited by - 66gtk on 04/27/2010 21:52:51

mcfly_old · April 27, 2010 at 11:35 PM

I will be painting my 64 Econoline in the near future and Honey Gold is my choice as of now but I really like the way that FB looks.Any chance of getting your recipe on that color so I can get a sample made?

mike

oscart_old · April 28, 2010 at 7:30 AM

Yes, I would love to have the paint code as well. I am looking at a couple colors for a 1961 Futura I am building for my daughter and I really like the look of the modified HG.

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I will be painting my 64 Econoline in the near future and Honey Gold is my choice as of now but I really like the way that FB looks.Any chance of getting your recipe on that color so I can get a sample made?

mike

Kman_old · April 28, 2010 at 7:38 AM

Beautiful cars all! The two coupes (I am a coupe guy!) look like beautiful cars and I was very surprised at the relatively low prices you got for what look like extremely nice, well done cars. Even in this poor economy,where I live both of these cars would have done a much better selling price than you were able to get. Around here 10k will still only get you a decent driver V8 coupe that would still need a lot of work to get to the level that these cars look to be at.

Jack

zray · April 28, 2010 at 8:52 AM

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Beautiful cars all! The two coupes (I am a coupe guy!) look like beautiful cars and I was very surprised at the relatively low prices you got for what look like extremely nice, well done cars. Even in this poor economy,where I live both of these cars would have done a much better selling price than you were able to get. Around here 10k will still only get you a decent driver V8 coupe that would still need a lot of work to get to the level that these cars look to be at.

Jack

I'm unable to find any dates listed on the sales, might have been 3 or more years ago.

Z.

Edited by - zrayrichter on 04/28/2010 08:53:20

jr.S_old · April 28, 2010 at 7:13 PM

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Thank you for clarifying that hue on the vert and FB. I couldn't see the green myself, which is why I asked. I like it that way alot!!

My fastback door tag indicates Honey Gold with Ivy Gold std interior. It presently is a Shelby clone (WW/GB with blk interior) I think it would be pretty done like your fastback with the Shelby Hood and shaved emblems. Maybe on the next resto round...

Are the HG cars you've done all original HG cars?

Edited by - 66gtk on 04/27/2010 21:52:51

NO. The coupe was an orginal HG with white interior. Fell in love with it and started *tweaking* my own HG color and wanted to paint every mustang I owned that color. The convertible was vintage burgundy with black pony interior and the fastback was caspian blue and white interior. Couldn't help myself had to change them. Truth be known I had thought about painting the K-Code HG and white also, but after researching the car, changed my mind.

Edited by - jr.S on 04/29/2010 11:56:10

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