I thought I would throw in my two cents worth here. Some of you may think my numbers are high, but it is how much I spent so far. Keep in mind that my car sat for eight years.
Mechanically; all fluids changed, gas tank redone, master cylinder, brakes, radiator, water pump, tune up, belts and hoses, battery, approximately$5,000.
New American Classic radials $700 plus mounting and balancing.
Paint, body work and bumpers rechromed, bought another rear bumper, fender skirts, lights, lenses, mirrors approximately $11,000
Front seat upholstered, new rubber mat in front and armrests recovered $1050
Exhaust system $350
Drive shaft redone, new u-joints $350
Plus what I paid for the car $4,000. Not to mention shipping costs.
And lots of little stuff, too. And truthfully, the car is far from perfect, but it still gets lots of attention and it runs like a bear.
So, you can see how quickly the money spends, to say nothing of hunting for parts and the time spent waiting. It is something we do for the love of it, but it is always better to buy a car that has had some, or all of the work done to it.
No doubt, some of you can do some of the work, or might get better prices, but in my area, this is what it costs.