Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted
Picked this up for $1900 this morning to use in a birthday rally of sorts with my YouTuber neighbor next week. It needs to survive various torture tests. 
IMG_3297.thumb.jpeg.3d10dce97f897eb6b0141e86a3fbe0b7.jpeg
1999 528i 5-speed, 265K miles 

Pops had a ‘97 540i Sport as his company car (man, things were good for these boomers).

Anyway, I pushed that thing well north of 140mph on multiple occasions… just a blast to drive!
  • Hook 'Em 3
Posted
I have a beat-up POS 1999 F-150.  Missing hubcap, faded paint, dents and shit.
It is now over 25 years old, and eligible for "Classic" license plates.  I kinda think it would be funny as shit to do so.

I’ve thought about getting them for my 1997 Z71.
Posted

I arrived at my cousin’s house in Germany and this was in the garage. A friend of her husband’s was out driving in his 1960 190SL and had some brake issues so he asked if he could park the car until he could get it sorted. 
 

 

IMG_1929.jpeg

IMG_1928.jpeg

IMG_1918.jpeg

IMG_1915.jpeg

IMG_1914.jpeg

IMG_1922.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 5
  • Drool 1
Posted
12 hours ago, Party_Taco said:


Pops had a ‘97 540i Sport as his company car (man, things were good for these boomers).

Anyway, I pushed that thing well north of 140mph on multiple occasions… just a blast to drive!

Rojo Jr drives a 2010 328i. It was a bit of a maintenance headache when we bought it, but it’s so fun to drive. 
IMG_4857.thumb.jpeg.c251b0d05665ad632dfa22560e36d99e.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Posted
13 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said:

I’ve never been a huge BMW guy. Our family has always thought the Bavarians were too whimsical but, some of their cars are awesome. I love the old 635 and 2002. Just beautiful 

If I ever stumble into fuck you money, I'm planning to have a barn full of project cars I wrench on with no timeline for completion. One of those will be a 2002 in rally trim, probably a resto-mod with something like a modern B48 turbo 4 under the hood and nothing resembling a muffler underneath. 

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 2
Posted
3 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

If I ever stumble into fuck you money, I'm planning to have a barn full of project cars I wrench on with no timeline for completion. One of those will be a 2002 in rally trim, probably a resto-mod with something like a modern B48 turbo 4 under the hood and nothing resembling a muffler underneath. 

Her dad has a beautiful 850 and an M6.  Fantastic cars

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Posted

Probably not the right thread, so a pointer to a better one would be appreciated.

I finally wrestled my wife's 2015 4Runner away from her by buying her a new vehicle.  Now I want to do a little cosmetic refurb (on the 4Runner, not the wife, but . . . never mind).  Mechanically, it's pretty sound, 175K miles, just a little bit of Toyota oil burn so far.  Interior is great.  Exterior has a couple of dents, etc.

What I want to do is bondo or replace any body parts that need help and then paint the whole vehicle a different color.  I am NOT looking for a show car, but I do want a good paint job.  Any recs for a local (Austin) body shop that does a good job at a fair price?  I'm guessing parts and paint will come in $7K-$10K but I could be off.  I don't care about the investment value, the way I'm tearing myself up this might be my last car.  Hey to startups.

Posted

I think your price is too low. I spent more than that on my roadster in this thread but it did need a lot more. However changing a different color is a real challenge. You are looking at engine compartment, door jams etc.  You probably would be better off selling and buying the color you want

Posted

Getting real close. Door panels and kick panels are in. The seats are the 45 year old ones. They are going to upholstery this week. The only real issue is the missing trim on the dash. It is still back ordered but the national MGA convention was 2 hours away from the garage and the owner went over to discuss this with the vendor (in addition to being at the convention). Optimistic it will be shipped soon

 

IMG_8326.thumb.jpg.432db0e0209ae08d0a89a385a54687de.jpg

IMG_8331.jpg

IMG_8332.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 3
Posted
1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Probably not the right thread, so a pointer to a better one would be appreciated.

I finally wrestled my wife's 2015 4Runner away from her by buying her a new vehicle.  Now I want to do a little cosmetic refurb (on the 4Runner, not the wife, but . . . never mind).  Mechanically, it's pretty sound, 175K miles, just a little bit of Toyota oil burn so far.  Interior is great.  Exterior has a couple of dents, etc.

What I want to do is bondo or replace any body parts that need help and then paint the whole vehicle a different color.  I am NOT looking for a show car, but I do want a good paint job.  Any recs for a local (Austin) body shop that does a good job at a fair price?  I'm guessing parts and paint will come in $7K-$10K but I could be off.  I don't care about the investment value, the way I'm tearing myself up this might be my last car.  Hey to startups.

IMG_2406.jpeg.b07350eb7aef5252956937b10294b137.jpeg

  • Haha 1
Posted
2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Probably not the right thread, so a pointer to a better one would be appreciated.

I finally wrestled my wife's 2015 4Runner away from her by buying her a new vehicle.  Now I want to do a little cosmetic refurb (on the 4Runner, not the wife, but . . . never mind).  Mechanically, it's pretty sound, 175K miles, just a little bit of Toyota oil burn so far.  Interior is great.  Exterior has a couple of dents, etc.

What I want to do is bondo or replace any body parts that need help and then paint the whole vehicle a different color.  I am NOT looking for a show car, but I do want a good paint job.  Any recs for a local (Austin) body shop that does a good job at a fair price?  I'm guessing parts and paint will come in $7K-$10K but I could be off.  I don't care about the investment value, the way I'm tearing myself up this might be my last car.  Hey to startups.

wrap it

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
On 5/28/2025 at 8:26 AM, davidg said:


Nice! My first truck was a ‘65 stepside with a 283 and 3 in the tree. Lots of memories in that old truck.

Thanks. This a '65 also , straight 6 that was a 3/tree but had been moved to the floor before I bought it. No hanging now though between 1st/2nd.

My first vehicle was a 64 GMC long bed stepside that had the same straight 6 but was a 4 spd on the floor with first being a granny gear. Could pull anything out with that 1st gear. 

I had plenty of friends in school with these or the 50's series Chevy/GMCs and I always liked them (50s series) and that was what I almost bought a few x's. More I looked though, the more I kept coming back to the familiarity of what I had in high school. This one is far from perfect but it gets quite a bit of interest due to it's original look. So many people come up and say either, "My dad (or grandfather) had this truck", " I learned to drive on our families ranch in one of these..."

It's been fun going to shows or just the Cars/Coffee weekend get togethers.

 

  • Like 1
Posted
9 hours ago, Party_Taco said:


I honestly don’t understand what’s driving those costs… it’s ALL expensive, but GOT DAMN painting is bananas.

Experience and materials two things that can be in short supply, and cost YMMV. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Mother mopar said:

Experience and materials two things that can be in short supply, and cost YMMV. 

I bet it's tough to find a real body guy (not just a fender swapper) under 50 years old these days. 

  • Like 1
Posted

i've prolly got 50 hours in the roof of my 67 coupe with at least another 15-20 before i install the new  vinyl . and roughly 500 in materials ( not including tools needed ) . body work ain't hard but super time consuming . when in doubt sand it again ! 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
33 minutes ago, mr.goodkat said:

i've prolly got 50 hours in the roof of my 67 coupe with at least another 15-20 before i install the new  vinyl . and roughly 500 in materials ( not including tools needed ) . body work ain't hard but super time consuming . when in doubt sand it again ! 

I made the hard decision to skip vinyl on my 65 coupe when I did it.  I had to put an entirely new roof on.  The metal under the vinyl was just rusted out Swiss cheese.  Granted, that was after 50 years variously living in and outside, which is murder on that vinyl/steel combo.  That vinyl is just like a sponge that holds water against the roof with inevitable results.

I was torn knowing that (a) vinyl was original to the car, (b) it was never going to live outside again, and (c) I really like the period look of the vinyl top.  But in the end, the heartburn and expense of even the chance of having to go through body work on the roof was enough to put me off.  Maybe I'll rethink it later, but...probably not. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted

it was never a choice for me . vinyl was happening . thankfully it was prepped correctly previously and i had very little welding and filling some filler but i was shocked how good it was under there . i do not have that warm and fuzzy on my 69 . that one i may replace the roof entirely . that sounds like fun 

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
6 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I bet it's tough to find a real body guy (not just a fender swapper) under 50 years old these days. 

That's kinda what the garage that is working on my MGA said. Their comment was that the current shops only want insurance works since it is quick. Luckily my shop has a body shop in the same town that does older cars. Not quick or cheap though.  

  • Hook 'Em 3
Posted
9 hours ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I bet it's tough to find a real body guy (not just a fender swapper) under 50 years old these days. 

Guy at my old shop was telling me how hard it was to find labor that can work on old cars now. Said all the new ase guys all they could do was just read the code and do what the book said. He said old cars are like sick kids before they can talk - you gotta figure out what’s wrong yourself. He also said a big part of his business was redoing whatever some dumbass had done through the years on these cars before someone realized they were valuable. Said young guys really struggled with that. He moved into an air conditioned shop just for the recurrent advantages. He did a lot of Barrett Jackson cars  His shop rate was up to like like $135/hr I think when I sold my Firebird.

 

Had the chance to meet Gary Meadors, founder of Good Guys, a few times a while back. He was telling us the worst thing that ever happened for car restoration costs was that Lexus commercial where the rolled the ball bearing down the gap between the hood and fender. Now everyone wanted their 69 cuda to fit like that. And they absolutely were not built or engineered to anything resembling that kind of tolerance. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 2
Posted
10 hours ago, Anastasis said:

I think that the right kid with the right mentor and some staking could make a very good life for themselves in the right region.

https://www.mcpherson.edu/autorestoration/

 

 

My wife and I were watching a story about McPherson on 60 minutes or Sunday Morning or something she records.  We weren't even halfway through when she turned to me and said - no you can't apply.  Place sounds awesome - kind of like Hogwarts for classic car people.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

More pron..

Seats are done. I honestly think the custom seats from 1980 looked better when new but 45 years is a long time. Only remaining item I can think off is the center cockpit rail. You can see where it goes on the first pic. The door rail just ends in open space. Soon....

image.thumb.jpeg.8a492fab5919a29e64e84c8916ee3747.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.7e29615d35232083f718debb8ef25109.jpeg

Edited by AUinHsv
  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 4
  • Drool 1
Posted
1 hour ago, AUinHsv said:

More pron..

Seats are done. I honestly think the custom seats from 1980 looked better when new but 45 years is a long time. Only remaining item I can think off is the center cockpit rail. You can see where it goes on the first pic. The door rail just ends in open space. Soon....

image.thumb.jpeg.8a492fab5919a29e64e84c8916ee3747.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.7e29615d35232083f718debb8ef25109.jpeg

Looks fantastic 

Posted

Just got an email that the backordered part arrived. Of course there is always a new issue. Do I want to live with a flaky speedo or send it out? Last month I said live with it but am thinking about it. I can always send it later. Removing the speedo is literally five minutes and requires no tools t all unless the cable is too tight and needs pliers

Posted
On 6/9/2025 at 11:03 PM, royiv said:

IMG_2406.jpeg.b07350eb7aef5252956937b10294b137.jpeg

That brings actual tears to my eyes because my grandfather had Earl Scheid paint his 1968 Riviera, and it was such an awful paint job. Not even close to the original color. I think it was $29.95.

I took it back to original 

  • Like 1
Posted
7 hours ago, AUinHsv said:

Just got an email that the backordered part arrived. Of course there is always a new issue. Do I want to live with a flaky speedo or send it out? Last month I said live with it but am thinking about it. I can always send it later. Removing the speedo is literally five minutes and requires no tools t all unless the cable is too tight and needs pliers

I say, make it right. You’ve made the whole thing right, don’t leave a straggler to bug ya

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Posted
I say, make it right. You’ve made the whole thing right, don’t leave a straggler to bug ya

This. The absolute worst is getting almost what you want, when you could’ve had exactly what you wanted.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

For those of you who need old school body work, a hint: Mexico. Seriously. Take it across the border. You’ll get 3x the quality for 1/3 the price. When I was a kid and one of our cars would get damaged, dad would 1) take the insurance money, 2) we’d head down to Eagle Pass to spend a weekend seeing family while the car was being fixed in Piedras, and then 3) he’d pocket 2/3 of the insurance payout.

Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

For those of you who need old school body work, a hint: Mexico. Seriously. Take it across the border. You’ll get 3x the quality for 1/3 the price. When I was a kid and one of our cars would get damaged, dad would 1) take the insurance money, 2) we’d head down to Eagle Pass to spend a weekend seeing family while the car was being fixed in Piedras, and then 3) he’d pocket 2/3 of the insurance payout.

I used to take our cars to Mingo’s Body Shop in North Austin back in the day when all three of our sons were still at home… and driving. 
He was a first rate artist.

Just checked…he’s still in bidness.

Edited by Armybrat

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...