[carcrazy]

Five plus this year for my 67 GTO and can just now see the light! Lots of time and even more money!

[J.D.]

i bought my 70 conv. in 1990. several moves and other reasons kept me from getting started on it until 2000. then 5 years and a pile of cash and it was on the road. best before picture i have is of my bouvier (large dog) sleeping on the top of it. he went onto the car from the deck and took a nap in the sun !

[Pearlbluebird]

My first project only took me 6 months. I was laid off at the time putting 10 hour days at it. I was bitten hard by the bug. Almost cost me my mariage. Funny thing happened though. That same bug bit my wife and now she's as passionate.

[old66tiger]

I have had my car for 9 years and it is a rolling restoration. Every year it gets something new. 2 Years back, I pulled the body off the frame, blasted the underside and the frame, replaced all suspension and mounts and had the car going back down the road 3 months after it was lifted off. The top side needs paint yet, but that will be next year, or maybe the year after that.

[Mark C.]

6 years. Save some money, work a little bit, save some money......

Did all of the work my self. Except machine work. My family helped when needed.

First picture, dreaming what it would be like with all that power/torque in front of me.

2nd picture, couldn't of got the motor in without them.

[67whitetrashbird]

Thanks fellas.......It makes me feel good to know for every completed muscle car/hot rod on the road, there’s plenty more in a garage somewhere looking like mine. In my head I have about a 5-year plan to get it the way I want. At times I find my wife's empty Starbucks cups or my kids Capri Suns on my cars fender and throw them away with disgust, as if they are defacing some national landmark or something. I cant wait for the day when 530am rolls around and I start it up to go to work and wake up the neighborhood!

[glhs#116]

You know, all of these guys with the car off the road probably have perfect cars at the end of it. No arguing with that but there is an alternative:

My car was barely driveable when bought. Engine was about as strong as an anorexic mouse and third gear wouldn't hold at all. Lots of stuff was held together with string and/or stripped out.

I've been driving it almost daily since and fixing stuff as I go along. The upside is the joy of a car that gets better and better. The downside is constantly driving a car this still isn't quite right and/or makes embarrassing noises or signals. Currently, if I blast past someone at WOT they are left coughing in a cloud of blue smoke! Not so cool...

But I wouldn't give that up for three years of NOT driving the car.

Sam

[Mark C.]

Originally Posted by 67whitetrashbird

Thanks fellas.......It makes me feel good to know for every completed muscle car/hot rod on the road, there’s plenty more in a garage somewhere looking like mine. In my head I have about a 5-year plan to get it the way I want. At times I find my wife's empty Starbucks cups or my kids Capri Suns on my cars fender and throw them away with disgust, as if they are defacing some national landmark or something. I cant wait for the day when 530am rolls around and I start it up to go to work and wake up the neighborhood!

All my neighbors saw the car sitting in my garage for years, thinking that POS will never run. Ahhhh...waking the neighborhood. That is a good feeling. They know different now!

[jjscerbo]

Took me 8 months to do the frame off resto on my 65 GTO Clone. Took a year in trying to get the machine work done untill I gave it to Mr.Pbody. He took only 5 weeks.

With hope I will be cruiseing it this summer to the drive-in..

[R J Staub]

Picked my 73 Firebird up about 5 years ago, front clip totally apart, engine not running; collecting parts, blocks and heads since then; Jack Gaydosh is getting it in early summer for cage, fuel cell, mini-tub, frame connectors, etc if the $$ holds out. Then next year I'll be racing with the Outlaws !!.. We will never park in the garage !!

[Goin' Topless]

Bought my 70 convertible in 1999. Gave it a quick paint job and swapped a wamred over 400 into it, drove it for a year. Took it apart again in 2001, this time down to a bare body and chassis. Got it on the road in December and got 200 miles logged before the snow flew. It's not 100% done, but it does drive nice and runs hard.

There were times when I wondered if I'd ever get it on the road too. Just keep plugging away. If it helps, I broke my project into several smaller projects. The progress is easily marked that way, at least, for me it was.

[ho428]

I started taking my 68 Bird apart last August, took it all the way down. I did take it to a body shop in October for blasting, panel work and paint and got it back before Christmas. I'm now well into re-assembly. All suspension, brakes and from the doors back is done, I'm doing the interior now and working my way forward, should be mostly done with that in a month or so I hope, then I'll start on the engine and installing the front sheetmetal. Goal is to drive it this summer unless life gets in the way... again.
So hopefully a one year build of 1-2 evenings a week and usually 1 full day on the weekend. Persistence and having multiple projects going keeps it moving forward.

[PLAY400]

Firebird was a driver when I got it. Was off the year for 1 year for resto and 3 months for "oops".

55 has been off for 2 years. Just made and hung exhaust. Few wires to hook up, add fluids and hopefully GRRRRRRRRRR.

Not driving them in the summer was rough especially since both times I figures only 3-4 months work and only x amount of money. Of course underestimated both.

[LeighP]

Picked up a partially disassembled 67 Firebird 400 convertible 6 months ago. I've been buying and storing parts, just getting ready to start in on the resto. I figure it'll be 3 years to get it done.....

[Jack Blum]

After about a year of design for all the modifications it went from this:


To this:


In less then 3 months

Did some of the final assembly on the show field at the 1998 GTOAA nationals.

[captain42082]

good part is coming!!ordering parts from these so-called reputable parts suppliers,only to find out they sent the wrong part,which of coures will not fit!send it back,plus pay shipping,restocking fee,etc. it really PMO to talk to a person by phone,tell them exactly what i want or need and then they send the wrong thing!!!I cant count how many times it happened to me! be prepared!!! are the cars ever done?? LOL

[MetalHead175]

The 72 Camaro in my signature has been a working project for years. I drove the thing for over 2 years as a daily driver, and slowly fixed things along the way. I agree GLHS as that is a fun way to do it. The car looks great, but has had quite a few flaws that I've always been happy to fix. That 307 has to come out of there someday, but despite all my attempts and blowing it up to jusitify the 400 sbc to go in it, it still keeps on going. So maybe someday.
-Jason

[red76TA]

3 years, still not on the road, hopefully it will be by summer becuase im spending a the month of may working on it

[MrPushrod]

Originally Posted by 67whitetrashbird

I cant wait for the day when 530am rolls around and I start it up to go to work and wake up the neighborhood!

[blown 68]

the two cars i did, a 1969 gto, ram air III, and the blown 68, each took about a year to a year and a half, (was working and gigging in the meantime as well). but there is/was always little things to do. someone told me once as i showed them a pic of the 68 that i said was 'finished': 'they're never really finished ya know'...

i believe they were correct...... that was two and a half years ago, when i was 'done', and the engine is out of it now.........