After I spent many years as an ASE certified master mechanic, 30-something years of teaching auto mechanics in high schools and state trade schools, and building racing engines as a sideline, I "retired" from the public education system and spent the next 15 years as a mechanical inspector. That job included doing "pre-purchase inspections" of classic and special interest vehicles in several states- - - - -sometimes for international buyers who were spending $50K+ on their purchases. Most of the "resto-mod" cars and trucks I inspected ended up selling for pennies on the dollar of the original builder's investment. Their quality varied from "excellent" to "OK", to "rolling deathtraps". The real money was in "number-correct" restorations. A 59 Corvette I spent 4 hours inspecting went to a collector in France- - - - -for $90K. A 68 Dodge Charger went to Australia for $70K, but the seller had over $100K invested in it.
Bottom line- - - -if you don't have the experience and the shop facilities to do a ground-up resto mod yourself, you'll be money and time ahead to buy somebody else's turnkey project. Your checkbook will still need CPR, but not nearly as much as if you try to do a project from the get-go!
Jerry
