Even for a shop, team, group of guys who know what they are doing and are good at it...
One of these cars can easily take between 400-1200 hours. That's a wide range I know..
If it's just an all over paint job you're on the lower end
If it's sheet metal replacement, undercarriage, interior and drivetrain it's in the upper range..
And some (quite a few) in really bad condtion can
go upwards of 2000 hours...
and this is for "Good" restoration guys...
Add significantly more time for a DIY guy...
People ask "Why does it take so long?"...
Here's one classic example:
To guide coat and block sand (by hand) an entire car (B-Body for example) 1 time can take 24-40+ hours
And these cars might need that step done 2 even 3 times...
to get it straight..
Thats 120 hours of block sanding..alone!
Not including the prep time to put it in the booth and prime it..
So with no real repairs/metal replacement at all
it can be 200 hours just to sand the car down,
fill/ prime/block to get it ready to paint...
Then there's the paint job...
Most people think its 3-4 coats of base
then 3 coats of clear and then they are done...
In reality..alot of guys will spray 2 coats of base, then evaluate
the car... If there are any issues, dirt, runs, tiny scratches from
blocking etc... They stop and water sand them out and then
repeat...
Why?
Because this is what you have to do to get these cars looking as
good as they do...
Noticed we havent discussed the clearcoat work!
Think you can buff one of these cars perfect in 1 hour... HAHAHAHA
only on TV....
Even the best professional sprayers get runs/dirt/dry spots/issues etc... It adds up really fast...
400 hours for an allover -non repair paint job is not out of the
question... What's out of the question is:: How many people are willing to pay for this?
Notice too... Most body shops today will NOT do an all over paint job..
Why? because they can't make any money doing it...
What they end up charging for it... Most people won't pay...
I think before anyone gets into the mopar restoration hobby,
should take several body work classes at a local community college.
So they can get a feel for what they are getting into.
When you want to redo one of these cars...
you are signing up to either
1) do
or
2) pay somebody to do....
hundreds and hundreds of hours of work...
If you aren't into it, you better have a fat wallet that is into
it... or it is just going to sit and languish....
These cars are beasts in more ways than horsepower and torque...
My
Best of luck to you
