Im going to be dumping a **** load of $$$ in to my 83 gsl....I was just wondering how much $$$ u guys spent on your cars since u bought it, till you were finished. I know these cars can never be finished, but i mean with redoing the whole body/engine

 

I depends largely on how much patience you have and how much time you have. I have very little of each.

If you are willing to wait for a good deal on a part you'll save money. I'm not.
If you are willing to do alot of time consuming body work yourself, you'll save money. I didn't.

I've spent between 8 and 10k on my FB over the past two years and it is not quite finnished. But it's getting there.



If I had it to do over again I would have bought one that was already how I wanted it.

 

well, the engine i originally built myself for about $1k and put into my 808. but since wrecking it, it's now in an '84 gs that i got for $50. u can check my gallery here: http://www.theforumlounge.com/v/rxtasy/, for how it looked when i bought it. pretty much all it needed was an engine. i did have to replace the brake and clutch master cylinders tho. for now, it's pretty much done and driveable, just don't have the money to insure it yet. i don't plan on putting too much money into it except for the usual that need replacing every now and then. if u had seen the 808, u'd realize that for me, it being a DD, it's more of a reliability issue than mearly looking good. plus it adds more to the sleeper look.

 

I got a 1980 w/a blown motor, noisy trans, seats ripped, alloy wheels deteriorated, quarter panels rusted out, I got a replacement 12a
remanufactured from mazda (i work there). I had the trans rebuilt by a
mazda master tech. I had the car sanblasted and painted. Im in the
6,000$ and I have stopped there. I do all work myself
I got the seats reupholstered. Mine was a former road rally car w/a
history - one of a kind
mine has an electric fan - holley carb w/racing beat header and exhaust
flat out turn key

 

I got about 10K into it so far and still have a ways to go. Done all the work myself except the painting.

 

Well, I'm not "restoring" my 82, more or less modifying it but still bringing it into a "new" condition. So far I've got about $4500 into my car, and I have yet to even do anything to make the car look good. I've even gotten great deals on many parts. I picked up an 84 for parts that had a streetported 88 NA engine in it plus a few other usable parts for about $700. Other than that, most of the money has gone into some interior parts, at least $1000 in the fuel system, and a few other things. I still have to put about $1000 more into it before the car can even be driven on the road. In all, I figure I'll have about $10K in the car when its all done.

 

$500 to buy
$64 to transfer the title
$75 for fluids, cap, rotor, filters, and a couple spray cans of primer and black
$120 for new tires
$25 for inspection
-----------------------------

$784

 

$1600 for the car

$3000 between brakes, radiator, exhaust and other little fixes

clutch is next

 

About 8k so far. Most stock replacement, some upgrades. As follows:

Brakes:
- Brake Master Cylinder
- Front Brake Calipers
- Front Brake Pads
- Front Brake Rotors
- Inner and Outer Bearings w/ Grease Seal
- Brake Hoses (front and back)
- Rear Wheel Clinders
- Rear Brake Shoes
- Rear Brake Hardware
- Rear Brake Hard Line

Suspension:
- RB Springs all around
- KYB GR-2 Gas Shocks
- Sumitomo HTR200 205-65-13 tires

Front Bushings/Steering:
- Inner and Outer Tie Rods
- Adjusting Sleeve with Nuts
- Pitman Arm
- Idler Arm
- Ball Joints
- Control Arm Bushings
- Sway Bar End Links w/ Bushings
- Sway Bar Bushings

Fuel/Intake:
- Rx7Carl/Sterling Carb (Powdercoated)
- Rx7Carl/Sterling Ported Manifold (Powdercoated to match Carb)
- ISCRacing Airbox and K&N Filter (Also Powdercoated to match Carb)
- Mallory Comp 70 Fuel Pump
- Holley 1-4psi FPR

Bling:
- Powdercoated Rad Panels
- also PC'd Battery Tray
- PC'd Coolant/Vacuum Tubes along firewall
- PC'd Thermostat Housing
- Mazdatrix Rotor-shaped oil cap
- PC'd '+' Rims

Cooling:
- Replaced ALL Rad/Coolant Hoses ($100+ !)
- Rebuilt/Recored Radiator
- Mazda Thermostat and Gasket

Electrical:
- New Battery Cables
- FC Fuse Box
- New Battery
- FD Alternator and dual pulley

Ignition:
- FC Leading Coil
- Transistor Trick Box
- NGK BR8EIX Iridium Plugs (Leading) BR8EQ-14 Copper Plugs (Trailing)

Other:
- Catalytic Converter
- ALL fiters and fluids (RedLine MT-90 for Tranny, that stuff's $40CDN/bottle!)
- OMP Rebuild Kit
- And more money than I care to count on Simple Green and Shop towels
- Smoked Glass Sunroof

Clutch:
- Clutch Disc
- Pressure Plate
- Throwout Bearing
- Clutch Master Cyl
- Clutch Slave Cyl

I'm sure I've missed *something*. I'll have to go back and check.

So that's about 8k and I still have not done my engine or paint (my next 2 years projects) and I still want to swap my rear end so that I can get discs and LSD.

Jon

 

i've spent about 4,000$ right now, rebuilt SP motor done by a pro(that alone was about 2500$) the rest was suspension parts, brake parts, fuel lines, brake lines, fuel tank, my soon to arrive holley carb, new rubber ...

 

IF you guys think about it. $10,000 isnt all that much to put into one of these cars. 10 grand is just chump change, i dump nearly 400 bucks every two weeks into my car trying to do anything i can to make it better. In one year il put almost ten grand into the car and i bet the only things il have is exhaust, new rims and tires, a new rear spoiler, supension and a turbo. Maybe a body kit.

 

Wish I had 10k worth of chump change. I bought mine for 1500 with a little surface rust on the buttom of the driver side door, so far I've spent 200 on it. Im not looking to turn it into a racecar, but I will make it look nice and run well. I plan on putting about 2k more into it to accomplish this. After that I plan on saving up for another car so I can drive it during the winter and save my 7. Then after that, I will turn the 7 into a race car .

 

While you *can* do quite a bit for 2k, your goals are similar to mine when I first started. I paid nothing for the car, though it was sitting for 5 years and everything had sized. Just restoring the car to running condition took 4k. The rest has been for replacing parts that needed it, and getting it running well and looking clean.

Believe me, if you let these cars get ahold of you, you'll spend more than you ever imagined you'd spend on a car. And you'll love every minute of it.

Jon

 

Bet your wife is thrilled with it.

 

My neighbor has a 67 Biscayne 2-door, fairly rare and in good condition for a 39 year old car. Neesa some rust repair, minor panel replacement, one dent in the fender and some trim pieces. He shopped around town for a paint job. The lowest one was 12k, the highest was 18k, no guarentee it wouldn't go higher.

He says the car might be worth as much as 25k the way it sits, last year he offered it to me for 2500, I'm still kicking myself.

I have around 6k in the widebody, with more to go, doing all of my own work. Had I paid for someone else to do it, tripple the 6k.

I still want to do the TII swap, redo the interior and eventually a nicer paint job. that will probably double what I have in it now in just parts and materials.

 

She left me. No joke.

https://www.rx7club.com/canadian-forum-42/car-deer-%3D-bad-news-both-522884/

Jon

 

man, you guys have spent a lot.

$500 for the car

$100 to get it from new hampshire to connecticut

$650 for the exhaust (not really necessary, but awesome!!)

$1500 (maybe a bit more) for everything to get it running, new brakes, rad, paint and bodywork supplies, interior stuff and other misallanious things

BEFORE:





AFTER:



w00t

it was definetly worth it!! and you can't put a price on everything i have learned

 

^I want a white SA.

$2750?

 

Lets see.... Where am I, money wise?

Exhaust (RB streetport system) $800
Springs (RB) $200
Shocks/struts $150
GSL rear-end $280 shipped
4 new rotors and all new pads $150
Wheels/Tires $1000
Sidedraft Dellorto w/ manifold $300 + shipping
New sunroof $50
Glass moonroof $50
New starter $90
New battery (Optima Red Top) $110
Fabric for redoing entire interior $100
New bushings $160
Assorted other ****, probably another $1000 or so.

That's $4400 and I haven't even done the bodywork and paint yet.

 

I'll let it go for a firm $15,000

 

Oh yeah, and it's not drivable, either.

 

too true!

 

I am not really sure why the question was asked, but you can always trade time for money; it is entirely a matter of your skills and resourcefulness. I have two very nice 1984 GSLs.

I have invested $1600 in one, including a freshly built street ported engine, 14 inch Limited Edition wheels and new tires. I painted it myself with paint I found in my paint cabinet. I tore down several junk motors to get the parts I needed. I did the porting and other work myself, except for the main engine assembly which was done by my friend Ken Durkee. I built a custom manifold to use an RX-4 carb, rather than spend money on an aftermarket setup. It has about 150hp and has run flawlessly for 7 years.

I have about $10,000 invested in the other car, including about $5000 in a modified Ford 302 and a major brake conversion. But I did it right, and I have in fact been offered $10,000 for it after driving it for 4 years.

How many of the cars described here could actually be sold for the money invested? That is the hard part - getting your money's worth for what you have invested. You can rationalize all you want, but if you have $10,000 invested in a $5,000 car, or $6,000 invested in a $3000 car, you should do some careful analysis before you start on the next project. Of course there is satisfacton is creating something nice with your own skills, but life is short - don't waste your time on the wrong projects. I spent one summer of my spare time and $5000 building the red convertible shown on the site below. I drove it for a few years and sold it for $11,500. That was time well spent.

www.cardomain.com/ride/646433

 

so far since my restoration project:
new tires 4x60 = $240
new vb cmc $39.95 +10s/h
used air pump $0
used omp rubber connectors $0
omp rebuild kit $21
champ air filter $9.95 +10 s/h (rip i think)
air pump fan belt $21.95

labor.... thanks to my cuz for installin (and not bitchin) the cmc a couple bowls of pho. so far no mechanics want to touch my car unless i pay for a new rebuilt engine. at first i said f that but now i dont know it such a bitch havin multiple oil leaks especially since my omp is still leakin sheesh. carb might need a rebuild soon i need another air pump. and this is just the engine if you didnt notice. next is interior which i kinda started.

a couple factory premium sound systems about $150.. ya im stupid i should focus on gettin my engine to function like new (which it does.. but oil leaks..) and new plugs and wires...

GRAND TOTAL $502.85 and more... blood, sweat ,tears and new knowlege but all worth it

once engine is complete and legit... interior overhaul, then ext paint overhaul.. btw i have sunroof rust.. surface i think and inner hood rust.. should i treat these now? next first gen i get it better have a good cond motor and decent interior and exterior and this one i will mod a little and have fun with.

 

between 8-9k for me...and not much to show for it...so much work...