The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Average restoration time

Just curious as to how long it took "bolters" to rebuild/restore their truck? Also, which portion of the project took or is taking the longest? In my case so far, stripping off the rust and paint is taking most of my time.

Just getting started on my semi-authentic resto project. Working on weekends, and maybe 1/2 hour a night after work, I'm estimating 2-3 years to get to a reliable running state. Mine was a "worked when we parked it here" bolt, but it seems complete.

This is my hobby, not my job so taking a long time, doing it right, and enjoying every minute of it are my priorities. But now to think about it, it'll never be done. I'll always be looking for something I suspect.

Five years and running.....check out my web page for a log of work. I'm targeting spring of '08 to "finish". In reality, it will never be done I'm sure.

The "BIG" stuff seems to go fast. The details take forever. Just hooking up a gauge takes as long as finishing a fender.

About six months but mine is a daily driver so my goal was to ressurect not restore.

But then again, just like owning a house... is one ever REALLY finished?? LOL

My goal is to have mine some what completed or completed to the naked eye by 2010. My daughter wants to use my truck to haul her senior float for the homecoming high school football game.

Reving my near 30 year stored 'bolt has taken me about 4 months, but I'm sort of retired (I'm between jobs) to get it driveable, however it needs a lot more work. It also has taken a lot of cash to do what I've done.

I spent about 6 months once I got into it... teardown, cleanup and reassembly... I havent done much but drive it for the past 5 years tho...

Been working on mine on and off for 5 years. I should be finished (mostly) in about 3-4 weeks. I will take lots of pics to post. It is looking good and I can't wait to get it back on the road.

I've been working on mine on and off for the last four years. It has been driveable all (well most :rolleyes: ) of that time, and I've just been making some minor repairs, trying to seal up leaks, etc. It's being painted right now, and I plan on putting in a new bed (pine with stainless steel), re-upholstering the bench seat, and fininshing a few other minor interior touches over the next couple of months. I never plan on taking it to car shows, but I do want it to look nice and original for informal get togethers and cruising. I agree that it will probably never be "finished" as there will always be one more thing.

I've been working on mine since January of this year and have just turned the corner from tearing down to putting things back on the nice clean frame. The cab is almost done with repairs and will need paint. The engine is at the machine shop and should be back together in the next month. I hope to hear it run for the first time before next summer.

I've been keeping track of my hours. I have no idea how many I've logged so far but I'm trying to work at least 5 hours a week. I'm also working a side job, about 15 hours a week to continue paying for the parts. That has been much more expensive than anticipated.

I'm shooting for a year. I was putting it on jack stands June 20th, and I got the frame back from powdercoating this week. So I got the truck stripped in about a month & a half.

The easy answer is if you can work 6 hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week, you can get it done in around a year (depending on the degree of restoration).

If you work an hour after work, and 6 or so on the weekend, I'd say between 3 - 5 years.

And get ready for the body work. If you're working under scenerio #2, it'll probably take around a year.

I have had mine for 10 years, for the first couple years I made it drivable. Now I am in the process of tearing it all down to restore it. I can only give her a few hours a week.

well this has certainly been discouraging. I've had my '48 for a little over a year and only hav e it totally disassembled and partially cleaned/primered. I though I was just lazy and screwing off. Seems I'm not so far out of line. I want to be driving this thing before 4 more years. Think I'll sell it and buy something closer to done.

Now I'm getting an idea of how long it will take to do my '66. Dad and I haven't even started yet, we've just been keeping it on the road.

Drew

Money is the majic word

five hundred years......

Took me 12 years to do mine. Was not consistant in the work ethics but kept it all origional. Looked for some part's for over 4 years,thanks to E-bay. Take your time and enjoy it. It will be worth it. And for what it's worth don't, do it if it's going to be a "trailer queen". I have no respest for "trailer queens."

I am 11 mos into mine. Doing a semi-authentic resto (thanks jhaa_lives, I like that phrase)

I am about a third done working evenings and weekends. Average maybe 10 hours per week. I hope to be aboe to drive it next summer ..although I know it will not be "done" for atleast a year or 2 after that.

Mine has just about all the parts but is the product of a failed restoration. Many hours correcting bad repairs and coverups.

I've heard that the average frame off restoration takes between 1,000 and 1,200 hours. That may include a fudge factor for inexperience or modifications, like t-5...

A full time 40/week job with two weeks off is equivalent to 2,000 man-hours. So, for 1,000 hours figure six months full time one guy, 3 months full time two guys... Now, I'm not sure if that 1,000 hour guesstimate includes all the time lost for getting up your momentum when you get started since you probably won't work 5 eights in a row, or the time you lose 'cause you discover in the middle of one project that don't have the part you need If you can work 5-10 hours a week, 2 years maybe if you start off with a good truck, plan it well and don't get crazy with the mods?

I'm almost done with the mechanical stuff and would guess I've spent a good 18k in parts/machine work and 400 hours on it between tear down and build. (rebuilt a 261, added hei, cam, dual carbs, t-5, disc brakes, power brakes, hydrualic clutch, open driveline, overhauled brakes, new wiring harness, restored guages, seat belts, re-arched springs, lowered front axel, modern tie rod ends and wheel bearings, 12v conversion, electric wipers, etc, etc, etc...)

I'm sure I'll put in over 300 hours in just body work/painting

Hmmm... now that I look at it 1,000 seems like a lot. Maybe it's less?

Anyhow... take the time you will work on the truck and add 10-20% for 'stovebolt forum time'!!

I got my first one when I was seventeen, so that makes it about 30 years. Can never seem to finish one before a reason comes to let it go. Now that my situation is somewhat stable (retired but still working and married to a supportive wife) I'll try to hang on to these two..... of course if another sweet 57-59 comes along... then I've never had a 64-66.

It took me about 3 years to do my frame-off. I worked on it almost daily atleast 2 or 3 hours a day and 4 to 6 hours a day on weekends. There was some stuff that I didn't mess with yet, like the front end (still on my to do list). After I got registered and on the road I made some changes, like an open drive line conversion with a T-5 transmission. That alone was the BEST thing that I've done to it. It wasn't fun driving it with the original transmission but now I can keep up with traffic. I'm still making minor improvements to it so it's never totally done.

They say a ship is never painted...

I say a 'bolt is never done... cuz there will always be something else to tinker with on it.

I've had my truck for 3 years... it'll never be 'done'... but then again, right now it is a daily driver. hah.

-W

3-4 years
if you put serious time and money $$$ into the project.
re-wiring, engine, tranny, frame, brakes,rearend upgrade, paint,bed, interior/ exterior, & tons more time on little items that take GOBS of time to complete and paint.

it's never done ................... ever

oh yeah
what's it worth after your done spending the better part of those years and you don't finish???
try and re-coop your $$ is vertically impossible

it's a sink or swim deal most of us figure.

oh yeah .. you should have your wifes support too

2 years and counting, Waited all most a year on the painter. Needless to say we found another painter. It is being painted now, then the reconstruction starts, expect another 6 months. My son is doing his student teaching this fall, so I expect we will get started on putting it back together in December. We did drive it for 2 years prior to the body off resto.

I have alot of other projects and hobbies so my time and money gets split up alot.I'm doing a complete rebuild with some modifications on my 53'4400.I want to do it right and hope to have it done in 3 years.Considering I said this 3 years ago I betting on another 5 years realistically.

I did my '39 1/2-ton (Frame Off) in 2.5 years.

The frame off on the '49 4400 just started it's 8th year. I have a complete rolling chassis

John

Hi, my 53 GMC took 5 years. Well worth taking my time.

http://community.webshots.com/user/53gmc1

3 years down and at least 3 more to go. I can only work on it as time or money permits. Both of which I'm frequently short.

If it was the only thing I had to do, one winter would be more than enough time. Since I have a full time job, and run two small businesses, entertain my girlfriend, have a bad back, broke my leg and have arthritis, it tends to slow me down some.

There is always some other vehicle or equipment that needs attention (and money), so the project that I want to do the most has to be moved to make room for the "have to" project.

That is why I am building a new shop. I can have a restoration or two all ripped apart and then I don't have to disturb it when it comes time to work on the "have to" projects. That way I don't spend so much time moving stuff around and looking for lost items, and spend more time playing "bolts".

Mine has taken 3 years, but I've been driving daily for a year and a half. The first year and a half it was all over my front yard and I spent getting parts when I had time. I've come to the conclusion it will never be finished. So I guess I should rephrase my answer to, "3 years so far..."

I agree with Builder. If I had the money and time I could do it in 3 to 4 months.

I bought my 54-5 window on 9/11/2005, and being retired I have clocked in 1400+ hours to date. I've kept a fairly accurate log of hours and dollars......I quit logging the dollars but have kept up with the hours. Someday I will add up all the tickets, but for now I sleep better with that part of the build a little mystery.

One thing you have to toss into the mix is the degree of expertise you bring into a project and the accumulation of tools and equipment you've collected over the years. If you've got to hunt up a welding or machine shop there will be lots of idle hours. Fortunately, I've only had to send my project out for the base/clearcoat painting....everything else was done in-house.

I discovered a long time ago that building/restoring old vehicles was like taking a journey. I've seen way too many "projects" wind up "for sale" because the builder just got overwhelmed by the multitude of steps that are required to produce a machine that is eye-catching but more importantly, safe to put on the highway. I think that first time builders should step back and take a second look at some of the "bargain projects", spend a little more money up front for something that isn't a complete basket case. A "git-r-done" attitude when you're reviving an old truck is missing the whole point. If you need a daily driver, have a family and those responsibilities that go along with a social life, you might find that a basket-case full-resto is going to create conflict and discomfort and diminish the great feeling that comes from making old iron new again.

But....this is the way I approach a project. You may look at things differently. If it works for you than you need to put together a plan, get some good advice from all the knowledgable folks on stovebolt and you'll get to enjoy the feeling of breathing life into some "old iron".

FLA54, very well put. I'm not retired. I have a fulltime job and run a small business and last but certainly not least, I'm a father and husband. Time is really the issue. I'm fortunate to have an excellent builder/mechanic as a neighbor, and he helped me get started and makes sure I am slow paced, doing things one sub-project at a time. The benefits from this are unmeasurable. For starters, I get to use the truck for the most part and you get to experience the"improvements" one step at a time. The clutter in your space and your mind is minimized. Over the last 3 years, I've done one at a time the cooling system, brakes, dual exhaust and fabbed intake heat, rebuilt tranny and added an O.D., had wheels re-made(for stock look), and converted to radials. And of course, have been using the truck sometimes during and always between each step. This winter will be spent building a warmed up 261. I still get to use the truck Next spring will be the suspension and the rear. We'll add the new motor while we are reassembling the suspension. After that, I'll enjoy the truck for a while with the mechanics done and then tear it all down for clean-up and paint/powdercoat. Then comes reassembly. I'll do the interior last. I could do it in 2 years, I would be happy but my wife wouldn't. I could probably keep her at bay if I took 3.

Fla54,
Great advise! I'm new to restoring and one thing I found out during the whole rebuild is to take...your...time! I know some guys who rebuild cars, mainly muscle cars, and they are in so much of a hurry, it shows in the quality of craftsmanship. I guess the older you get, the slower you get. One thing is for sure...I feel more comfortable working on my truck after finding out about "Stovebolt". Some of the advise I was getting from friends and family before "Stovebolt" was, and I quote, "Where are you gonna take it to get it completed" My plans are to prove the nay sayers wrong. Even if it takes me 10 years.