Are Trucks The New HOT Classic?

Antiques were sought after, classics from the 1950's were hot, then came the muscle cars, which have dominated the field the last decade or so. Now, with the economy in plunders, and the classic car industry taking a hit with prices and values falling, we get an eye-opening piece of news that was released today.  Old trucks are HOT!

For many years, buying and restoring an old truck was something done primarily only by those who truly love them. It wasn't seen as much of an "investment". Trucks have always tended to be an overlooked commodity, but I invite you to read the story which appeared in PickupTrucks.com. Perhaps you'll change your way of thinking about trucks!

To sum it all up, basically insiders were stunned at the prices that some of the old trucks were fetching at last week’s 2012 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. A 1932 Ford pickup went for $250,000. The 1958 Chevy Cameo (shown in picture below) sold for $93,500. A total of 25 different trucks sold for more than $50,000 (including commission)! See the complete sale list by clicking the story link above.

“We have been watching classic pickup values steadily go up for a few years now, and this was definitely the year of the pickup in Scottsdale,” said McKeel Hagerty of Hagerty Insurance, which tracks auction sales throughout the country. “Compared to 2011, the average prices are up, and the buzz around pickups was talked about just as much as the multimillion-dollar sales.” (requoted from post by Mark Williams in PickupTrucks.com)

“Classic pickups are currently one of the hottest trends in collecting,” Hagerty said. “For many years, old trucks were primarily used for utility purposes, but collectors are now buying them to restore and show. The great thing about classic pickups is they are affordable, easy to work on, have great style similar to the cars of the era, and appeal to a wide audience.” (requoted from post by Mark Williams in PickupTrucks.com)

Motorheads Performance have always been interested in classic trucks, and Guy and I own four ourselves. Yet we've always heard the same old story, "Why waste your money on that!"  In the eight years we've been repairing, maintaining, upgrading and restoring all types of projects from the 1920's through the 1970's, we've had a great share of old pickup trucks that have been lovingly repaired and/or restored for our customers.  Not every old truck will attain values like those reported, but we're pleased that this may be a boost to the values these great, often overlooked, vehicles.

While the news may be good for those who already own an old truck, news like this certainly will bring about demand for them, and we may soon find ourselves with inflated costs to purchase them, raising prices on parts, as well as difficulty in finding parts. When certain "investors" get involved, they're doing so because they can pick something up cheap, fix it up and turn around to get big profits. We've seen it happen with the classics and the muscle cars. Will it now be the hillbilly hotrods?

Guy Algar and Andrea White are owners of Motorheads Performance, a classic car repair shop located in South Central Texas. They specialize in classic cars and trucks, muscle cars, antiques, hot rods and street rods.

The Right Ride

How do you know what classic car or truck is right for you?  For some the choice is obvious.  You've been lusting after a particular vehicle for as long as you can remember because it has really captured your attention.  For others, it may be a car that they had during high school or college, or one that they dreamed of owning back then.  Surprisingly though, some KNOW that they want a classic car or truck, but they're confused over how to decide.  It may be that they've got so many likes that nothing seems to jump out as an obvious favorite.  Or, it may be that the logical side of their brain steers them away from favorites that seem out of reach financially. 

At Motorheads Performance, we don't believe that there is any one "right" ride.  Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and it is important to listen to them when making your decision.  You don't have to feel like you need to go along with the crowd, get the most popular, think only of resale value, etc.  Take the time to look at many of the classics by visiting local car shows, going on-line to sites that specialize in classic or antique vehicles, look through magazines such as Hot Rodder, Classic Chevy, Corvette Fever, etc., as well as the many books laced with hundreds of classic car photos and descriptions.  One is bound to strike your fancy over all the others.

Choosing the "right" ride will make your project that much more enjoyable, and the money you invest will seem well spent.  If you need help finding your vehicle, give Motorheads a call, or visit our website at http://www.motorheadsperformance.com/. 

Has Economy Affected Hotrodders?

We're seeing that while the down turn in the economy has affected some enthusiasts who have been saving up to do a restoration or upgrade to their classic car or hot rod, many are going ahead with their dream plans. We're seeing that the true enthusiast has included their project in their list of essential priorities.

Even if finances are tight, there are many ways you can proceed with your dream project without risking financial ruin. Motorheads Performance will be offering suggestions in upcoming articles which will help save you money on your project.

October 2008 Update

So many wonderful things have been happening at Motorheads. It's been a very busy year, and Guy and I have been working hard to continue our quest to give our customers the best service and product available. We're busy with building and installing performance engines, performance upgrades, car and truck restorations, body-off restorations and repairs.

We've welcomed many new customers with exciting rides: several Corvettes including an all-original '62 Corvette Roadster, an incredible and extremely rare '69 GTO Royal Bobcat which has won the heart of my non-interested daughter and turned her into a true "Motorhead" (now we have the difficult task of finding one for her project car so if you know of one let me know!), a stunning red hot '70 Camaro SS will be finishing up soon with a 400 short block that delivers over 500hp, the '70 Chevelle SS that just got freshened with a beautiful custom paint job with airbrush detailing, a unique '30 Chevy Dually Pickup in for a total restoration, and a one-of-a-kind '72 Lincoln Mark IV Convertible with quite an interesting history.

And let's not forget about the projects that are being completed with the help of their owners! The '71 Chevelle SS was a father-son project that began as an engine swap, turned into an engine rebuild and performance upgrade, which lead to a custom paint job. We'll be posting pics of this beauty shortly. The '74 Charger being transformed into a '71 Charger Clone's engine work is complete and will be going in for bodywork and paint by year end. The Model A, complete with rumble seat, was fired up with the owner present to experience the moment he'd been waiting for for over 40 years...what a hot rod she'll be! She's scheduled for paint at the first of the year and will hit the road when done. The owner of the '58 Desoto, undergoing a total body-off restoration, painstakingly located and obtained all the parts and pieces for what will be an amazing transformation he'll take part in.

Hot rod heaven!

We're excited about the coming year, and what great things are in store and look forward to more frequent updates. We hope you'll join us regularly.

Warning: You Get What You Pay For!

I know we've all heard this old saying time after time, but darned if it isn't true! Once again, we see first hand of a person "just trying to save a buck" who took a short-cut that they probably shouldn't have.

We recently had a customer who we had done some performance upgrades for in the past. Not wanting to pay what he thought was an unjust amount of money for a professional paint job, he took his prized ride to "a local guy" (you know the type...a friend of a friend of a friend...who could "do the job cheap"). Well, the ghost flames he wanted for his ride didn't turn out quite right. In fact, they were horrible. Not only were they "off the shelf" flames, you could see where the paint was applied right over the stencils! This left unsightly ridges which provided something far from "ghost". The owner has brought the vehicle back several times, but I guess the shop just doesn't know how to make it right. After sinking a pretty penny into this "cheap" paint job, there's no money left to take it to someone who knows how to achieve a decent ghost effect.

We hear these horror stories all the time. We know it's not cheap to restore a vehicle, or to have a quality paint put on your ride...we've had to paint our vehicles too! It doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend an outrageous fortune on it either. There are some shops out there who still provide quality work at reasonable prices. Do your homework carefully and be wary of shops that sound too cheap, who can't tell you what brands of paint or primer they use, who don't use a spray booth, who don't strip down your car properly, or who rely solely on plastic fillers.

Remember, a paint job gone bad will end up costing you much more in time and money than a quality paint job done right the first time. And, you'll be a lot happier with the job done right!

Cost of Restoring a Classic Car or Truck

Having been on both sides of the fence, I've been both customer and shop owner. I sympathize with both sides, and offer suggestions to customers looking for a fair shake at a restoration shop.

First, it helps to have thoroughly considered your wishes for your ride. Everything should be thought out, even if the job is to be done in stages, for your bottom-line budget will be affected greatly by some of the choices you make. What are you trying to accomplish? Do you just want a great looking ride that you can take out on occasion to impress passer-bys? Or are you looking for performance and a great sounding engine? Do you want to take it to the strip for an occasional pass to satisfy your need for speed? The more specific you can be (and don't be afraid to be completely honest with the shops you talk to) the better your chance for complete satisfaction...within your budget.

It's a good thing to talk to shops and get an idea of what they recommend for your particular car or truck. This not only gives you ideas and a sound platform for your restoration, but it will also give you an idea what type of emphasis the shop places on their work (i.e. do they favor traditional/stock restoration, custom fabrication, or the latest bling-bling available?). Your choice should be one that is close to how you'd like to finish your vehicle and what you're trying to accomplish (custom, performance, racing, classic restoration, etc.).

Be wary of shops which over-inflate the value of your vehicle so that you'll feel better about the costs of your restoration. We tell all our customers that the first and fore-most reason for the restoration should be for love of the vehicle, not to have the vehicle as an investment. With the crazy ups and downs in values, and the amount of money that it typically takes for a restoration, you're usually lucky to break even on a project if you're restoring it for resale. If you're doing it for the enjoyment of the ride, or the sentimental value of the vehicle, you're in it for all the right reasons. We've had customers come to us with stories of how a shop told them that their car was worth two to three times the average and low-balled the estimate to get them hooked. Imagine how they felt when their "estimate" turned out to be two to three times what was quoted! It's something we're all afraid of, but taking the time to prepare will help you avoid these pitfalls.

Beware also of the quotes which seem ridiculously low. For instance, there's really no such thing as a $2,000 paint job anymore (unless you're looking for something that'll most surely involve Bondo and paint that could slide off the car within 6 months). Costs of paint itself can be $1,000 and it usually takes a minimum of 100 hours to properly prep a car for paint. Most classic or antiques cost $6,000 and up for a decent paint job, and a show quality paint job can cost $15,000 or more. If body work is required, costs are certain to be more than the norm.

I think that this is generally one of the most difficult parts of restoration to justify to customers because such a large part of the cost is labor, and most people have no idea just what is involved in properly prepping and painting. Sometimes engine restoration or upgrades are easier since such a large part of the cost is the price of the parts themselves, and there are usually low-end and high-end alternatives which gives you much more flexibility when putting your "ideal" car or truck together.

Going into your restoration with a realistic idea of cost is essential. You wouldn't want your shop to cut corners at the end of the job because your spending limit was exhausted before all the work was done. Labor is labor and while a professional shop can generally get the job done a bit faster because they have the proper tools and equipment, it still takes time. Restorations can typically take an at-homer 5-10 years to complete. Cutting the time to a few months to a year is one reason why owners turn to a professional shops. Another reason is when you come across something on your at-home project that you don't have the experience or know-how to do yourself, don't have the equipment to do yourself, or it is something that you simply don't like doing.

Once you've decided on all the components of your restoration - engine work, induction system, exhaust system, interior, exterior, wheels, suspension, steering, brakes, heating & cooling, etc. - and have an idea what each will cost, form a final plan by cutting or modifying where needed so that everything fits your budget. It's always a good idea to add a bit - say 10-20% - for unexpected surprises which always seem to crop up in any type of restoration, whether partial or full. Remember - an estimate is just that...an ESTIMATE.

At Motorheads Performance, we try to give as accurate a quote as possible, given unforseen parts failures, or some evil lurking in the engine which we cannot possibly know about until we attempt to fire her up. The shop you've decided on will give you a timetable where they'll be able to take in your project, and also give you a rough idea of how long it will take to complete the job. Shops have different policies on how they handle payments, and it is a good idea to make sure you are very clear on how payments and/or billing is handled. At Motorheads, we get clear agreements at the start on whether this is a complete start-to-finish all-at-once restoration which usually requires a deposit and payment of the initial parts order, or one that is to be budgeted out over time (i.e. $1000 per month, etc).

Once you have these details worked out, stick with your plan! I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. One of the most difficult things for a shop to deal with is a change in direction when the job is already well underway. Second-guessing, or adding "what if we do this" to the project can stop a project in its track and derail much more than just your project. Projects are painstakingly planned out and the slightest delays such as a part not arriving on schedule, coming in damaged, or a hold by the customer, can mean throwing the schedule for each and every vehicle off. If the delay is more than a few days, it means that your project can get bumped off the schedule for weeks or even longer, since other jobs must stay on track so that they finish on schedule. Delays can also cost you financially, since quotes are all based on cost of parts at time of quote (at Motorheads Performance we do not mark up our parts, preferring instead to pass the savings on to our customers, and do not have any type of wiggle room and must pass increases on to you), and labor is estimated based upon things going as scheduled without change.

You can help immensely by being well prepared, and by forming a concrete plan of action. Be as honest as you can about what you are trying to accomplish and what you intend to use your finished vehicle for. When it comes to final negotiations, be honest about your budget so that your restoration shop can help you with your choices and help you stay within your budget. At Motorheads Performance, we enjoy helping you with your decisions by going over options, discussing the pros and cons of each, and trying to develop a plan which will deliver the exact type of performance you are wanting from your ride.

For more information on Motorheads Performance, contact us at 830-424-3883 or e-mail andrea@motorheadsperformance.com.