Hello All,
Looking for some feedback on my current internal struggle. I originally bought my 73 Tii 15yrs ago at the age of 18 with the intention having it be a rolling restoration. I can due the mechanical aspect and was going to learn the body work and paint.
About 6months later I started seeing the first good restorations hitting into the $20's on ebay and decided I should not muck up a good car with shoddy beginners body work. The plan was to drive it around, taking care of what was needed to keep it going and wait until I got a big boy job to send it to the pros. I figured if I helped with as much of the process and provided all parts I could keep the costs reasonable. At the time an unofficial estimate from 2 different shops put me around 10K so I figured 15K with a buffer.
Fast forward 10 years and the climate has changed quite a bit. With restored Tii's going up above 6 figures, restoration costs have followed suit. I have heard numbers for a car of my condition well above 50K. One of the shops I had originally talked to wouldn't even entertain my car, said it wouldn't be worth their time!
So with a big boy job in hand, I have enough stashed to do something with the body. It runs and drives great and has honestly been a blast to drive as is. Interior, bumpers, and trim are out and I have some cheap knock-off racing seats in it. Rust is certainly present but not terminal by any means. Fenders, rockers, rear quarter arches, and chin spoiler need new metal (and whatever lurks behind). Frame rails, floors, trunk, shock towers, doors, windshield, etc is all good. I also have many of the patch panels needed and an extra hood and trunk. I would absolutely be keeping the original color Riviera. My real problem with all of this is that I do not really l do not really like the idea of driving a high dollar restoration car around. And I certainly dont want it to sit around just for looking at.
And for 50K or more I would rather keep it as is and buy an e34 M5, 1st Gen MR2, 78' Lincoln, Merkur XR4Ti, 944, and a crappy XJ6
So with this, I have a new idea of having some less expensive body and paint done, put a roll bar in it, and go to track days and have fun with it. Does anyone have any recommendations for a shop around the NYC area? I have been keeping tabs on other peoples restorations on the faq for many many years so I have a good idea of whats needed, and can work with them where possible.