TheSamba.com :: View topic - How much did it cost you to "restore" your bus?

Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:56 pm

I love the "before and after" and "progress" threads and always wonder how much it cost to get that person's bus to its current state. So, let's see some good before and after/current pics and a ballpark of what it took to get there!

Here's mine:

Purchased 9/05:

Now:

Purchase price: $1300
New tires, brakes, various sheetmetal, glass and electrical pieces: approx. another $1300

Driving my split: priceless :)

It's still in primer though.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:45 pm

$1300 not bad at all. But how many hours do you have in it? I`ve never counted the hours I have in my truck but if I did and put a price on it I think I would cry. PS. your bus looks great.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:49 pm

faster wrote: $1300 not bad at all. But how many hours do you have in it? I`ve never counted the hours I have in my truck but if I did and put a price on it I think I would cry. PS. your bus looks great.

Thanks and good point. I didn't really keep track of my hours, but rough estimate would be 40-50 hours.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:52 pm

I don't even want to know.... :lol:
Too damn much (time and money).

Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:57 pm

arthurnugen wrote: faster wrote: $1300 not bad at all. But how many hours do you have in it? I`ve never counted the hours I have in my truck but if I did and put a price on it I think I would cry. PS. your bus looks great.

Thanks and good point. I didn't really keep track of my hours, but rough estimate would be 40-50 hours.

50 hours at $100 shop rate an hour, $5K labor.

Or is it lower or higher shop rate these days. It seems every place I go the rate is different.

tj

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:00 pm

I dont count time its a labor of love. :roll: I just keep telling myself. :?

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:14 pm

Nurgen got lucky, to the point id say hes being a bit optimistic. id wager hes in that bus ALOT more than 2600 bucks. prob more like 6k, just missed some items.
My bus, its hard to put a real price on. I traded the mightymouse ghia for it.
So i had the ghia for sale for 6500 for a whole year. it was a turnkey 12.20-12.50 car consistent on radials.
BUT, i built that entire car myself, in 98 or so. It was flawlessly reliable, and i loved the car. but had owned it for almost 10 years, i got the shell for free, and then put stuff i already owned under it.
So to me, it had gotten my use out of it and it was someone elses time to enoy it.
so what price do i put, on what i traded for the bus? 5k,maybe less, since no one would buy it for 6500?
So i got the panel, and brought it home.... just the trip to get it from idaho, 600 bucks.

i have prob 2k in it, now that its on the road. 500 of that is tires. then all the misc stuff ive picked up, divider from hibbler (300 shipped), new brakes, list of NOS stuff a mile long. If i added it up, may be a bit over 2k, but whatever. point is, i have 7500 or so in the bus, depending on which way you add it up.
not bad id say.

BUT, back to what i said about nurgen, im not adding my labor into that equation. i have AT LEAST 100 hours into this bus. from cleaning all kinds of crazy stuff, to soaking stuff so it comes off without breaking, welding, and repairs, gathering crazy parts, TONS of time on samba looking for odd stuff that was missing, running around gathering items, fluids, breaking tools, wearing out bits and disks... dude. theres another 5k plus in labor, to get this bus where it is now.

but now all thats left, is metal work.

im quite happy with where im at now. my bus RULES!

later

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:18 pm

amishman wrote:

50 hours at $100 shop rate an hour, $5K labor.

Holy shit, $100/hr is steep as hell

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:27 pm

This topic is gonna get "interesting" anyways.
What is meant by "restore" .
a payed for restoration, at a shop that does that specifically, or do you mean, bringing the bus back up to roadworthyness.
Which these days, means restore to alot of people, because they, like myself, dont think many busses should be fully restored.
original paint is important, to the bus, its history, and its value.
To me, when my bus is done, it will be "restored" to how it should look, with 50 years of wear. clean, but not clean as new. all metal work done, blended, and in perfect mechanical condiition.
That will make me happy. My successful attempt at keeping the bus on the road for another 50 years, rather i own it that entire time, or someone else does. Ill have kept it from being destroyed.
:D

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:27 pm

fuck yeah it is.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:34 pm

Cost me Half of my snowboarding season, half of the mt. biking season, oh and some $

worth it

... ready for the next one

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:54 pm

VWsArent4Hippies wrote: amishman wrote:

50 hours at $100 shop rate an hour, $5K labor.

Holy shit, $100/hr is steep as hell

Any shop owners here willing to state what shop rate is these days?

For whatever reason, I have a range of $75 to $100 in my noggin. I could be wrong.

tj

Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:59 pm

Mightymouse, that's why "restore" was in quotes! :) Whether it's pulling a rusty heap out of a field and just getting it running and driving, or a project like Krisbalfe undertook, I was just curious to know.

So Krisbalfe, how much $ are we talking, approximately? Great looking bus by the way!

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:07 pm

amishman wrote: VWsArent4Hippies wrote: amishman wrote:

50 hours at $100 shop rate an hour, $5K labor.

Holy shit, $100/hr is steep as hell

Any shop owners here willing to state what shop rate is these days?

For whatever reason, I have a range of $75 to $100 in my noggin. I could be wrong.

tj

pro shop, yes 75 to $100. non-pro shop, like a shade tree mechanic with his backwoods shed, $50 an hour.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:13 pm

mightymouse wrote:
What is meant by "restore" .

Maybe a better word would be refurbish or renovate for those not doing an off body replace everything kinda restoration. But, I like the wording of restore better.

I have been searching for the word myself. Tell family I am restoring my bus, but it is more like, I am fixing it up to make it roadworthy as I have no plans to do a full restoration.

Maybe I will say I am doing a 50% Restoration. :lol:

And today, I am at 25%. :twisted:

tj

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:33 pm

KrisBalfe wrote: Cost me Half of my snowboarding season, half of the mt. biking season, oh and some $

worth it

... ready for the next one ...and it still looks like shit.. :wink: :wink: :lol:

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:34 pm

I can see counting hours if your intent is to rehabilitate a bus and resell for a profit but if you are doing it for yourself it's more along the lines of a hobby and keeping track of your time seems beside the point. I personally haven't found too many aspects of working on old cars to be enjoyable in themselves but the results are the part that is rewarding and make it all worthwhile.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:43 pm

ekimikem wrote: I personally haven't found too many aspects of working on old cars to be enjoyable in themselves but the results are the part that is rewarding and make it all worthwhile.

I find it real fun when things just seem to fall in place. Fun knowing I did it and am doing it and it worked by gollie. 8)

But, when shit don't go right, that is when it sucks.

My shop becomes a swearing factory with an overstock of inventory.

tj

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:58 pm

I had over 25,000+ in my 60 DC not counting my labor including the purchase price of 2500 :lol:
before

after

I have over 15,000 in my 58 SC including purchase price but not counting labor
before

after

I have over 4000 in the 56 off road DD including purchase price and still have another 2 to 3k to spend to get it on the road, not counting labor or finish body and paint. Rockers and short rockers are done

Shop rate of 65 an hour rust/metal repair (I'm a glutten for punishment), 85 an hour mechanical and assemble, we keep pretty busy so maybe I'm to cheap.

Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:58 pm

amishman wrote: ekimikem wrote: I personally haven't found too many aspects of working on old cars to be enjoyable in themselves but the results are the part that is rewarding and make it all worthwhile.

I find it real fun when things just seem to fall in place. Fun knowing I did it and am doing it and it worked by gollie. 8)

But, when shit don't go right, that is when it sucks.

My shop becomes a swearing factory with an overstock of inventory.

tj

You definitely have to appreciate those days or moments when things go smoothly because they can be few and far between.