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History How many years did it take to build your current car or truck?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HOTRODPRIMER, Mar 26, 2017.

  1. exterminator
    Joined: Apr 21, 2006
    Posts: 1,695

    exterminator
    Member

    I never have finished a car.Never have wanted a show car,only a driver-their more fun!
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  2. edcodesign
    Joined: Mar 30, 2007
    Posts: 4,716

    edcodesign
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    My 31 - 15 month re-due.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. From this...
    20150522_184651.jpg

    To this...
    20170222_154613.jpg 20170222_154641.jpg 20170222_154553.jpg

    In just under a year and a half.
    It was a big task and consumed all my spare time.
     
    Chavezk21, kiwijeff, staleg and 7 others like this.
  4. joeycarpunk
    Joined: Jun 21, 2004
    Posts: 4,446

    joeycarpunk
    Member
    from MN,USA

    I read in Hemmings a while back that the average time to restore/redo a car was 3 years. According to that I likely have more projects then I can finish in my lifetime.
     
    deucemac and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  5. liljoe
    Joined: Feb 26, 2013
    Posts: 36

    liljoe
    Member
    from detroit

    10 years and will be on the road this year
     

    Attached Files:

    mkebaird, kiwijeff, staleg and 4 others like this.
  6. Dennis D
    Joined: May 2, 2009
    Posts: 851

    Dennis D
    Member

    Seven years and counting. Losing some time now due to some health problems. Hope to be back at it soon. D
     
    staleg and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  7. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    I'm still driving my first hotrod! Sometimes in the same spots as when I first drove it!.
    Depending on how its added up,hummm,longway or short? Well had to read a lot of hotrod an custom mag's,build a lot of modelcar kits to form my taste. Look at lots of cars I thought I liked in the 1950s.[maybe shouldn't count]. Then the big hunt! Find enough free or real close too free,parts that may become something.
    Took about 2 ,1/2 years as a teen in the late 1950s of finding an putting parts together, too actully get a running rod by 1959 to drive to highschool. Then over the years upkeep/rebuilding it between having fun. The last restore/rebuild took the most time,now in my 70's took 3 years. I got side tracked so to say racing many other cars an building for others as well. MHSfrontage.jpg
     
    mkebaird, kiwijeff, staleg and 4 others like this.
  8. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Usually only a couple of years by past experiences. 4yrs for my OT 66 Fairlane convertible and it was a ground up resto and RHD conversion, then my 85 Thunderbird languished for a year after RHD conversion and repaint then 5yrs for my 35 Chevy with family, work and other commitments.
    Damn over 10yrs now on the 46 Olds; divorce and settlement, workplace injuries etc etc. This is the year to finish it I say!
     
  9. LongT
    Joined: May 11, 2005
    Posts: 968

    LongT
    Member

    5 years, but I was unemployed/underemployed for most of that time. I know for most of you it would have been a weekend job!!

    As purchased:

    [​IMG]

    Now, on the road 12 years this August:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Barn Find
    Joined: Feb 2, 2013
    Posts: 2,312

    Barn Find
    Member
    from Missouri

    Depends on when you start counting. This coupe was taken completely apart in the 70s for restoration. Not much happened for four decades. Once work commenced, Dad put it together and got it on the road in 21 days.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Little over a year, 1,400 hours.
    Busters 1.png
     
  12. woodhawg
    Joined: Apr 11, 2009
    Posts: 1,021

    woodhawg
    Member
    1. S.F.C.C.

    Spring 2009 until June 2016 to get it where I can drive it First day home 001.jpg DSC_0825.JPG
     
  13. 19Fordy
    Joined: May 17, 2003
    Posts: 8,025

    19Fordy
    Member

    15 years for avatar car.
    Copy of DSC02545 (Small).JPG
    Still working on the Merc.
    Last driven Dec. 29, 1994.
    IMG_9699b.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Mar 27, 2017
  14. bowie
    Joined: Jul 27, 2011
    Posts: 3,098

    bowie
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    My Dad and I got the 3 window in 1972 , when I was 15. Been on and off the road, probably a dozen times since then. Blew my 301" in 1976, built the current 1960, 294" in 1978-1979. Put in new all steel floors about then. '34 Terraplane fenders, then no fenders, now '36 spare cover fenders for the last 20 years or so. Rebuilt the '61 T-10 a couple times.... Are they ever done??
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2017
  15. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,086

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    IMG_4269.JPG 14 months from a ragged shell to driving.
    To this photo about 5 years.
    Hoping that year six gets it more or less finished.

    That first year was 12 hour days, driving an hour to the shop and working all night during the week. I hammered in a good 35-40 hours every single week.

    I've been driving it and changing/updating it since then. The finishing slows down when you can go for a drive, but that seems to keep with the idea of how these cars where put together back then.
     
  16. Bought in July 1974, working on it in fits and starts since then. Son will graduate from college in May, so hope to free up a little money there. Big things to do: Engine, driveshaft, fuel tank, radiator, glass, paint, just enough upholstery to sit on, roof and the titling process. 29 AA June 11  2016.jpg
     
  17. push_rod
    Joined: Jul 22, 2013
    Posts: 110

    push_rod
    Member

    It's always depended on time, money, and having enough room to work...

    1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe - 15-1/2 years start to finish.
    1930 Ford Sport Coupe - 29 years, it's never been on the road, will sell soon!
    1940 Ford Deluxe Tudor - bought 1/2 finished, completed in 2 years.[​IMG]


    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  18. Fedcospeed
    Joined: Aug 17, 2008
    Posts: 2,011

    Fedcospeed
    Member

    Bought my 47 in 81. Do the math
     
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  19. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,263

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Still building it, although it has not been off the road, save for waiting for a part or two to come back from the machine shop, and that was 4-5 days per, max.
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  20. I've owned my O/T for 7 years & have been working on it ever since I bought it.
    2 years ago a good friend & I did a frame on resto./rebuild which took about 12-14 months, give or take a day or two.
    This officially is the first car I've ever finished complete.
    All the others have been works in progress.
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  21. Lil32
    Joined: Apr 4, 2012
    Posts: 2,598

    Lil32
    Member

  22. 327Eric
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,116

    327Eric
    Member

    Attached Files:

  23. Flat Six Fix
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 1,270

    Flat Six Fix
    Member

    Do these things ever get 100% completed?
    Reckon I will be working on mine for a long time.
    Trouble is sometimes we get em burning gas, then we wanna drive am more than finish em...
     
  24. fordf1trucknut
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 1,174

    fordf1trucknut
    Member

    Mine are all over the place time wise.

    My black 52 f1 took a year to be mechanically done and in primer... Drove it for a few years like that then tore it apart and replaced a lot of the body with nicer stuff and painted it. Which took another year.

    My green 52 f1 4x4 I built in 3 -4 months but I needed a 4x4 for winter and worked on it amost every night after work.

    My hotrod coupe took me 7 years to get,on the road...though I didn't touch it for 3-4 of those years ...one year was while painting my black 52. Another was replacing windows and siding my house. And another year or more was spent on 3 of my other cars that weren't total frame offs.

    My problem is i usually tend to work on 4 or more projects at the same time....I'm not very smart.
     
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  25. Flat Six Fix
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 1,270

    Flat Six Fix
    Member

    Yup, been there we sometimes need to switch projects to get things going and to keep the women happy...
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  26. Some long builds and a few fast ones. HRP
     
  27. cheap-n-dirty
    Joined: Jan 28, 2002
    Posts: 896

    cheap-n-dirty
    Member

    When I bought the body from Ravon in 1995 32rdstrbody-2001.jpg top 003 (800x600).jpg How it looks after 20 years of slow work and 5 moves.
     
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  28. dana barlow likes this.
  29. cheap-n-dirty
    Joined: Jan 28, 2002
    Posts: 896

    cheap-n-dirty
    Member

  30. AV8 Dave
    Joined: Jan 3, 2003
    Posts: 680

    AV8 Dave
    Member

    Started the avatar Jan. 20, 2001. Mockup close to being done. Have most of the pieces for a '27 turtledeck TBucket as well. Got them in 2013 (I think!). Done a bit to the frame and rear end and put together a front spring but only have single car garage. Have time now with recently becoming retired, but money is the big holdup currently. Regards, Dave.
    IMG_20170320_161709.jpg
     
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