Restoration time?

[quintenebersole]

Ok so my 74 bug has been taking me three years as of last month. i have mostly been working on the body to. Please keep in mind i got this for 700$ and i did not know what i was getting my self into. Here is what ive fixed so far

rebuilt the complete front part of the frame
rear quarter panels
door hinge pillar
patched lots of holes welding and with bondo
floor pans
heater channels
Fixed a huge dent on the drivers side door.
I have to redo the wheel wells because i didn't make them long enough the first time around. Then i can weld in the heater channels and move on to paint.

So my question is how long should a restoration of this take? How long has it took some of you guys to do your first big project? I am doing alot of my own customization so its definitely not stock, but still doing it the right way! ill give your more varibles to take into consideration when giving a answer. Im 17, only have about 100 every two weeks to spend on this project. about 95% of the work i do myself.
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Go BIG or Go HOME

[skills@eurocarsplus]

depending how bad the car is, a shade over a year is average.
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[Mike Fisher]

Never too soon to start stripping some paint with a wire wheel etc & using filler on the dents. Buy some longer sanding blocks, so the dents disappear better. Bodywork can take a long time to get perfect!
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https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[theKbStockpiler]

Use every type of safety equipment needed, glasses ear plugs ,mask ,jack stands ,ventilation ,common sense ,etcetera. Speed is the least important factor in your situation. When you have some spare time , try to do some quality work on your vdub.
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My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[andk5591]

First of all - good for you! You are learning a lot about your car, developing skills and learning a lot about life (hard work, saving, budgetting, planning).

As far as build time there is no hard fast number. Theres a resto shop that I had used for some paint and body work on a previous project. The cars in his shop have birthday parties and many of them.... I have done a project that spanned 4 years and have built cars in a couple months.

It really gets down to how good and fast you are and how much time and money you have. Perfect example is the current project (radical custom). I have final body and paint that needs to happen in a couple months. If I did it, would probably take me a month or two spending 20+ hrs a week (at least). Farming this out to a pro and it will probably take him 1/4 the time and it will be a much better job.

The one thing were I see a lot of people get slowed down (me included) is not having your plan nailed down really well and then you end up going back and re-doing things. Take the time to think things through and do it right the first time.
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[Thrasher22]

Took me 3 years I had zero knowledge going in and most of the time I was on a very strict budget. Paint was my big expense, but you can get decent auto paint for MUCH cheaper in the states.

If you're just learning and on a budget, it takes a while to make head way. If I was to do it again, I bet I could do it in a year.
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1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701

[quintenebersole]

thank you!
That is one thing especially that im excited for is that if anything goes wrong when im done I know the whole car inside and out. I just wish i did my research before buying this vdub, but lesson learned.
I am going to give it a try painting it myself if it doesent turn out exactly how i want it then i will eventually have it professionally done. It will be a fun time when im done.
My next project is a 49 chevy fleetline so I better get learn some of the ropes!
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Go BIG or Go HOME

[andk5591]

What I like to do is push my skills to a new level on each project. Like I REALLY wanted to get a lot more involved with welding and fabrication and the current project was the perfect way to develope that. Try to do something similar.

And I gotta tell ya - theres a lot of decent paint jobs that come out of backyard garages. Had a neighbor quite a few years ago. Was a lineman for the electric company - not a car nut by any means. Well he ended up with the 71 Mustang that was his mothers. Was a good solid car - but needed paint. Well, Rod decided he was gonna shoot it himself. Borrowed a decent spray gun. Asked people how to do this and that. Did some practice on a few things. Prepped it and shot it. Car came out VERY well.

And the Fleetmaster sounds cool - Love that body style.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[quintenebersole]

YES! That is what im hoping for. The main problem ive been having was bondo it takes me a couple times to get it smooth and perfect. I have got pretty good welding thats what im looking for in a career. A couple years back i got a nice 120 v welder and a argon tank. I also joined my neighboring schools welding class. However I have had some big troubles with the hammer and dolly, need a lot of practice. My vdub needed alot of welding so i had no choice but i love it!
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Go BIG or Go HOME

[andk5591]

Slinging mud is an art - try to hook up with a small shop that you can look over someones shoulder - maybe in exchange for sweeping the floor or something.

My younger brother was a master at it years ago. Had all kinds of tricks and could do the most amazing work. BUT its one of those things that take a lot of practice. Tr
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[Air-Cooled Head]

[Bobnotch]

[marklaken]

Good job - sounds like you have completed a lot of the heavy lifting. Three years for part time limited budget work is right on track.

There is a lot of rework when you are learning and the learning curve is very steep. Don't let that stop you from moving forward. Consider this car as practice. Don't worry about getting everything perfect, your first project is going to have some rough spots. With practice, you will learn some tricks, acquire some tools, and be ready for that next project with a lot more confidence and know-how.
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Wish List:
1967 Wesfalia SO-42 Parts Needed: Kitchenette, Cot Poles

'65 rear left beetle fender

15" Bus Wheels in fair condition

Mark Laken
Fort Collins, CO

[quintenebersole]

Thanks! Ive alreadly learned that my first car is practice. Its not to bad from what some people who have done it before have told me. It'll be fun when im done. BRAAAAP. I will also look into the leading i know eastwood is a very good brand.
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Go BIG or Go HOME

[toddgsanford]

Some really good advice here from some seasoned people I will give you mine
Working on vw since 1987
Have restored completely 5 cars start to finish each progressing with quality and budget.
Average is 3 years longest was 5
Years advice is break it Into portions
Body
Brakes
Electrical
Engine
Mechanical other
Interior
Reassembly

Some areas are more time intensive than money intensive
Ie
electrical time intensive
Body time and money
Interior money and time and highly skilled
Engine money



Make a whiteboard list and work through the list.
When your broke focus on the stuff that's time intensive

Seek help from fellow enthusiasts if your good at one area trade that work for something on some one else's project.
I have traded electrical work for upholstery work
My son and I put his car together in about three and a half years my time mostly my money but he learned allot.
The absolute most important thing in restoration is to follow a plan and finish one thing before moving on to the next major part or at least have things at a stopping point. I have bought a bunch of cars that were taken apart because they were going to be restored and parts got lost as well as interest and I paid very little for the car. Don't let your project overwhelm you and lose interest.

[raygreenwood]

May not help you....because I'm working on something different. Mine has been a 13 year projext. Actual amount of time for serious work.....about 7 years. Its a VW 412. There are virtually no parts available to buy. Its been about 60% fabricayion and 40% research and design into what to fabricate. It may be back on the road this year.

It depends on what it is and what you are doing to it. Ray

[panicman]

Like Todd said, stage the work out so it doesn't become a never ending story, allowing you to focus efficiently on one job at a time, then move on. I made body maps for when I was doing the body work on my car, breaking the car up into zones. I would check off each zone when I thought I was done, and move to the next numbered zone. Before I did this, I was just haphazardly jumping from one part to another, and felt like I was making no progress.

A year + in, and you'll start to feel like it will never be done.

I would also use an image to keep me going. Car projects that lose focus always wind up being a storage space for junk; old clothes, books, boxes, maybe bags of empty cans and bottles... When I would take a break for whatever reason, and NOT have a strong desire to get back out and continue, I would imagine my bug stacked with all that crap like a million other stalled projects, and that would scare me back into action.

Hey... It worked for me!
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Plate of shrimp

[miller0358]

Both cars I restored (73 standard, 71 super ) took me a little over 3yrs each. Both full body off restorations. Took my time and did everything right the first time. Good Luck. Jeff