In general, what kind of costs & time-frame should I expect for a frame-off restoration?

 

Let me start by saying, I really have no clue. But I bet it's going to depend on the car, the labor rates of shops in your area, and what they need to do to it. A 65 Beetle is going to be cheaper than a 55 Caddy. Syracuse would be cheaper than DC. A straight car would be cheaper than a heap.

So what do you got? Where are you (roughly)? What kind of shape is it in? Maybe someone here w/ experience can give you a good idea of what you'd be in for.

I'll say that DC rates aren't cheap. Most shops are ~$100-150 an hour. The place that did my stripes also had a classic Charger in, doing a full rotisserie, period correct paint (orange peel and everything), etc. Set up to be a total time machine. They told me by the time it's done, it would be north of $60k. Hell, there was a guy with a early 2000's BMW 3 series that he wanted to have changed from black to BMW arctic silver. $8000. They had to disassemble the car enough to repaint everything from the engine bay to the trunk to door jambs. The shop owner was shaking his head at the whole thing (its not much more to get the same year car in the color the guy wanted) but its what the customer wanted.

 

I have a '65 mustang fastback. It was fully restored back in '89. It's been garage kept or under a cover, sitting for about 15 years now. Nice condition. One small dent in the quarter panel and a little rust in that area. Definitely needs paint and engine rebuild. Guy who wants to do it wants to do a complete frame-off restoration. His rates are $60/hr. Is it normal for restoration businesses to not give an estimate in the contract He verbally said around $35,000 but said "each build is different."