What kind of car do I want?
We have created this page to help guide you along the way. We get asked a lot of questions, and there’s a lot of assumptions about building classic cars so we want to help you along your journey, so grab a pad of paper and a pen and we will help you make some basic planning so your build is a success. Answer these questions for yourself first, then talk to a builder, see how close you guys are, see their work, not just the pretty glamour shot, can they show you pics of the process, are they hands on, or just there to collect your money and forget about you. We love this hobby, and while we can’t build them all, we can certainly help some folks with critical information to help them along the way.
What kind of car do you want?
New technology or old school? Do you want the roar of a pushrod motor, or do you want the reliability & dependability of a coyote engine?
Do you want the warranty of a crate engine from Ford, GM or Blue Print? Having an engine custom built usually doest offer much of a warranty. A lot of these bigger companies are offering 2 years 24k miles. Something to consider over a pull out, refreshing a motor, or having one custom built for you.
What Creature Feature Comforts matter to you? Reclining seats? 3 Point Seat Belts? Audio system? Power Windows? Power Door Locks? Viper alarm? Remote Start? Push Button Start?
Wheels, tires & Brakes? This one is going to be getting tricky in California in a few years, keep an eye on the laws and how they plan on enforcing them. This will affect what your options are.
Carb vs EFI, some folks like the struggle of a carb, it’s not as efficient as fuel injection. Fuel injection has hidden upfront costs, but that’s all parts. Once that’s done you’re going from 9-12 miles per gallon to 18-24 and that will add up over time.
Manual Vs Auto? This boils down to what you like, choose wisely.
Electrical Nightmares, what creature feature comforts do you need. Plan for the future. Nothing worse that seeing a beautifully done classic, and under the hood a million and one add ons to the battery for power. A good clean power distribution system, options for keyed on and constant to supply your aftermarket needs in a harness is the way to go. OEM harness just don’t have the support options in them and are almost as pricey as an after market harness within a few hundred dollars.
Interior: OEM VS Custom, driveability in comfort or just for show, leather, suede, vinyl, German cloth, tweed. There’s a lot of options in custom interior, but it gets expensive quick. TMI upholstery keeps it OEM looking, and the price down, but it won’t be custom just for you. Interior kits alone start around 3500 in materials, you can easily spend 15k or more on a custom interior. Make sure this is part of the conversation early on.
Body & Paint: are you looking for lipstick on a pig, show quality, elite builder, or driver. There’s a huge difference in expectations vs reality. Body work, rust repair and paint can break a budget quickly.
Colors, I like to tell everyone it’s gonna sit in your driveway not mine. The best advice I can give here is go to multiple dealerships, see cars in person, colors change under different lighting, what you see online, doesn’t neccisarrily represent what you’ll see in person. So take the time, go look and see what you like, and if you see a car that you hate, but love the color you hit gold.
Is this the right builder for me? Every builder has his or her own personality, you’re going to be dealing with them for a hot minute, so make sure you like their attitude, how they talk, and what they represent, because if you don’t, its not gonna work, you'll clash, and a build will get lost to time. Make sure you guys click.
Whats my budget? Let’s have an honest conversation. Not everyone can afford a car build for half a million, two hundred and fifty, or a hundred thousand. To build a car right its not cheap, ever. Asking a builder to cut costs, and get the price down is hard to do because it’s compromising a build, cutting corners, sacrificing on quality, materials and time. You can not expect a builder to build you a top of the line build on a shoe string budget. It’ll never get done or be back burner work. No one wants this, so if your budget is a concern, consider tackling the project in phases. Like a home, get your foundation solid, make a plan, and stick to it. Don’t change it. Thats when it gets really really expensive.