Media | Articles
6 Sneakily Expensive Upgrades for Your Classic Car
Playing with cars is expensive. There’s really no two ways to get around that. From the vehicles themselves to the tools and parts to maintain them, there’s not much that can truly be done for free if cars are the toys you decide to fill your personal sandbox with. Of course, not all projects are wallet-draining, but occasionally our brains lie to our hearts about the true price of the modifications and projects we want to undertake.
Some of the most fun projects and tasks that we might desire to undertake on our aging iron are also some of the most expensive, but they don’t always appear that way. Here are six examples of projects that can pull more than expected from your wallet than you expect if you aren’t careful.
Engine swap
This is one that gets people more than you might think, especially with all the internet-documented swaps out there. While it’s possible to buy an engine, even an “exact replacement” for short money, it is not the big parts of an engine swap that will drown your mind while emptying your bank account. Small parts and “while I’m in there” bit can spiral the effort out of hand rapidly—simple $5 here and $20 there for hardware, gaskets, or sensors all conspire to inflate your budget well beyond initial expectations.
Paint job
Tatty paint is a feature to some people, including myself, because it often makes caring for a car a little bit easier: Bumps, nicks, or scratches can be forgotten about more easily on something that already has a little character. “Patina” is not for everyone though, but if you want fresh color and clear on your vintage ride, it’s often best to prepare for the final bill well in advance. Good paint jobs are not cheap, especially if you are not able to do the prep work yourself. Cleaning, sanding, and masking eat up mountains of time when done right, and time is money.
Custom wheels
Not aftermarket wheels, custom wheels. The set I put on my Corvair back in 2017 required a lot of measuring before plunking down my cash—they were made to order, as there was no option for off-the-shelf wheels that I liked. I could have saved literally thousands of dollars if I would have been okay with a used set of Cragars, but the fitment and look of this set suits my tastes perfectly and I could not be happier. It just took a surprising amount of time to recover financially.
Marketplace
Buy and sell classics with confidence
Cam swap
If you are tempted to make large changes to your existing engine in light of reading how off-the-rails an engine swap can go, I’ve got bad news. Engines are fancy air pumps, and the camshaft controls the air and fuel as it enters and exits the cylinders, meaning a camshaft change can completely alter the power potential and character of an engine. It’s also a swap that often requires far more than just a new cam. Supporting mods like valve springs, rocker arms, and pushrods will add up quickly if you’re not careful, and suddenly a simple swap turns into a full engine rebuild.
A good stereo
The way chords and a rhyme mesh with cruising in a vintage car is one of life’s great pleasures, but if you want to upgrade the stereo in your aging car, you might be in for a frustrating mix of adapters and ill-fitting parts, all of which require work to fit even close to properly in an old structure. Items that are proven to fit right often have a matching price tag. Just putting new speakers into old openings doesn’t always yield the results expected. Getting modern sound in an old car costs real money.
New upholstery
Much like a custom suit, unless you know what you are looking at, custom upholstery can sometimes hide in plain sight. Even simply replacing tired interior components will often spiral up in cost because new materials make old, even only slightly worn stuff look even worse. That means it often comes down to tolerating the mis-match or refreshing as much as possible all at once. Missing interior parts are often hard to find, and matching materials can be near impossible if you have a rare option fabric or finish. Nice interiors are made of fabric, and so is paper currency … maybe that’s why I’ve never had both at the same time.
Find more values
Search for prices of other cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles
New paint often requires new door handles and trim pieces for the desired look, assuming those pieces are available.
I am going through this right now. before my car was painted the bumpers and trim were the highlights. Now after paint they stick out like a sore thumb. Just a having a front bumper straightened and re chromed is around 1000 bucks.
I had my ’70 El Camino repainted AND the old badging looked like crap. What’s another grand. At my age, just spending the kids $$ 🙂
😂🤣👍
Same problem under the hood, after replacing valve cover gaskets I repainted the covers and the engine compartment looked worse, so after 2 K I love to open the hood.
El Camino parts are getting hard to find
,especially the 78-79 , some stuff impossible, & fi you do find the and WAIT, the quality is poor.
Yes they are expensive. But for bumpers of common cars, I just buy an aftermarket for about $200. I priced a shop to chrome my AL valve covers and they told me 250. I drove 40mi to the shop only for them to tell me that it’s 250 each. I declined. Who chrome only one valve cover on a V8?
Finding a place to even rechrome is getting hard
Regardless of the project, it is the “while-you-are-at-it” stuff that busts the budget.
If you have never read the children’s book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, read it. It seems that one thing invariably leads to another.
Your correct sir ! After spending $12000 for a new paint job on my 54 Chevy 210 Delray it appears the bumpers need redun and I’m about to order new side trim. Didn’t look bad before but the new paint made everything stick out.
These are only sneaky if you don’t do your homework work.
Plan out your project and know what you need to do before you do it. Also account for the what if’s like rust hidden on a body panel etc.
Yes, custom wheels are expensive but it really sets your vehicle apart from the others if you chose wisely. I get asked frequently about the Raceline wheels on my Javelin since most others settle on Torq Thrusts.
Yes Absolutely! I Got Lucky And Came Across A Set Of Beautiful Staggered Chrome AMG MONOBLOCK Wheels For My Vintage 1990 Black 560 SEC MBZ Coupe !!! Looks Stellar!
Wheels and tires were a primary feature on my ‘66 C-10 stepside. It had the spare mounted over the left rear fender and She Who Must Be Obeyed said it had to stay. Okay, sourcing a new left rear fender was out given it isn’t something the OEM suppliers had stamping for, and the resulting body repair on a surprising GA rust bucket was considerable. Then there was the need to buy 5 [!] wheels and tires instead of just 4. Not thinking about available 6-lug wheels verses 5-lug wheels resulted in a considerable delay in finding 17” chrome smoothies and more money. Then covid hit and it took 10 months to get the rims, tires and baby moon hubcaps to keep the truck “old school.” What I budgeted for wheels and tires suddenly became a $5000+ cost. Yeah, learned a lot by the time I finished this truck. Need to keep it just because I’ll never get out of it what I ultimately spent on it. Oh well, the grandson is licking his chops.
Well my 54 Chevy P/U had the spare wheel like yours over the left rear fender. I never liked that so I took the fender off and had a body shop pound out the wheel dimple and smoothed it out. Then I went to the Daytona Turkey Run swap meet and found somebody who was selling the rear fender without the spare tire dimple for around $300.00. (This was about 25 years ago). And he told me that he would have bought mine if I still had the dimple for $1500.00. Live and learn I guess.
Kyle, buddy – I enjoy your columns and (having been a biker nearly my entire post-adolescent life) I fully support your motorcycle habit, but –
titling a column to reference upgrades for a “classic car” and then picturing dirt bikes in the title photo is just not cool, man! 😜
Probably didn’t have the cash to stuff a 3″ exhaust pipe on a big block …;-)
Good point. I sure wouldn’t!
The following photo had me wondering if he was attempting to swap a bicycle into the Corvair’s engine compartment.
I scored on a set of 140 HP heads at one of the past Corvair national convention’s swap meets. They came with a fresh valve job and cost just $125. It doesn’t come close to balancing out against all the money pits I’ve filled up. But being such a good deal, it still gives a good feeling when thinking about it!
Of course now you need new intakes and carbs. Air filters, linkages, etc.
Although there’s a few inexpensive pieces still needed, I have everything else. The upgrade would be mostly labor intensive. And I don’t charge myself much for my labor 😀
Most normal Corvair (now there’s an oxymoron) owners have tons of parts stashed away. Finding the extra parts only requires a few hours of rummaging thru the piles of ‘valuable merchandise’.
Corvairs don’t have intakes – unless you do as I did and put an AFB in the center…
I finished (kinda) my hot rod a few years ago. Purchased back in the early 90’s. Life got in the way house,kids,college etc. But along the way I gradually accumulated parts. Swap meets, eBay Craigslist blah blah. Being on a tight budget made me scrounge for good deals Once retired and with boxes of parts ,time and some extra cash built up it all came together. Prices on car parts have definitely gone way up in my lifetime but there’s still good deals to be had
So spill the details, brother! What’s this (kinda) finished hot rod?
PS – my story is similar to yours, Scavenger. I had always wanted a fenderless Model A rod, finally found a deal in 1994 on a rust-bucket project hulk. Thought “okay, this will be my retirement project”, tucked it away, and began acquiring parts. Life intervened, and am only now really getting into building the car. Of course, retirement pay means slower going in the spending department, but every once in awhile, running across that bargain can be a real boost!
That’s the way to do it…I 1994 my 2002 was at 180k miles, so I knew a rebuild was on the horizon–eve.tually
So I started glombing onto parts–especially the expensive ones–at great prices as I found em. Pistons, hot cam, clutch set, NOS oil pump, perfect crankshaft, etc. When the engine announced it was ready for a rebuild by blowing its head gasket at 204k, I was ready.
Sir Yes Sir! So True!
Original parts – especially if they’re for a real Shelby GT350 0r 500 or a mostly original C1 or C2 Corvette
can get very pricey!
I hear you on the paint job. That’s why my 66 Corsa coupe has forty year old cracked lacquer paint. I get in it and drive without having to worry about dings and chips.
The small parts mentioned in the engine swap strikes me. Many times, in all sorts of different kinds of projects, those costs can escalate quickly. The relatively inexpensive bits and pieces in total frequently add up to quite a lot. So while people think this job won’t cost too much in pounds they ignore watching the pennies.
Yep. I’m currently trying to assemble an exhaust system for my van using off-the-shelf pieces. A Jackson here, another there, and it adds up. I’m currently stumped trying to find the gasket that joins the exhaust pipe to the manifold. It would be about the cheapest part, but apparently it’s no longer available.
The lifters have to be done as well, this is critical for cam break-in. Time for a roller cam to go with the lifters and a gear set and chain. See, it really does build up!
Good points. I’m putting an LS1 in my C4 Corvette, or rather, it runs, but it’s still not finished. Aren’t you doing something similar? I am AMAZED at how much needed to be done to put a “Chevy in a Chevy”… I don’t even want to think about what it’s cost.
I’m not sure I agree on the stereo as an example here, that is one of the few things that has gotten cheaper. I’ve been playing with car audio since before even getting into wrenching. Instead of plunking down $350 for a head unit at the stereo shop, you can buy a nice used Alpine off eBay for $50. I run these in all my old cars. I have shelves full of amps in the garage attic. Add speakers that fit, also from eBay, and away we go. My systems range from 2 4” Infinity speakers in the SL to an old school ground-pounder with twin 12” subs in the 540i…
That’s great – but I wonder if what Kyle is talking about is the cost of buying a refurbished original radio, or worst yet, having the guts inside your original radio replaced to function with bluetooth, a kangaroo storage stick, Serius, etc. In the case of 55-57 T-Birds, that kid of rebuild starts at around $800 – with your original radio
Who needs a stereo when one has the Song of Combustion?
Wanting to keep the original radio in my C2 I sent it off for service, cost me $300 plus shipping. Got it installed along with a new speaker and turned it on, nothing, it was dead. I pulled it back out and removed the side cover on the radio for a peak inside. It still had all the dust and dirt in there as it had when I sent it off. Still trying to get my refund. Going with the upgrade to replace all the internals to modern technology.
Those Corvair wheels are fu-gly.
In your opinion.
Which ones? It keeps changing.
I had my ’67 repainted at ‘One Day Paint and Body’. All the trim was removed, and the paint job was unacceptable, with bubbles. It was repainted, but the trim was left on, showing overspray.
LOL–we used to have a Maco paint shop here–got two cars painted by them–One was pretty dam good–the other looked like it was done with a Roller & housepaint
I’ve had 4 cars painted by Maaco. All turned out great, except all 4 cars had one area that didn’t turn out so hot. For what I paid, I wasn’t upset. Yes, I removed all trim on all 4 cars first.
Having my ’05 Red SSR, which had nicks, dings, being meticulously painted by old school shop in Orlando area. With 221k mi & nearly all replaced mechanicals & electronics, {engine block, stainless steel exhaust only original parts} I didn’t have the heart to not have it done right. Retired at 75yrs old, I wasn’t about to do it myself, as I was a dealership painter as a kid. This old school guy, stripped off everything, primed throughout and so far waiting on clear coat after great paint job. No regrets for $$$ of replacing everything over 20 yrs.
Building cars has always been a passion for me. It seems somewhere around 2010 things went bonkers. The paint and upholstery people were the first followed by chroming. Wheels weren’t far behind.
If it’s going to be a driver learn to paint it yourself. Worst case you sand it down again and repaint and again and again. It’s mostly your labor but you will get better. Also, you feel more comfortable about driving it as opposed to $10000 or $20000 paint job. Usually less than $500 in materials.
Paint is not cheap! 8 years ago I spent over $1500 for base coat/clear coat. It came out really nice but it surprised me at the price of materials and this was on a mid-size car.
I wanted a C5 Z06 corvette for track days. But I found a manual transmission base car with under 50k miles for more than $10k less than a high mileage Z06 would cost. Great deal. I found the springs and sway bars from a z06 from a junk yard for about $600 (with tax and shipping). Still down 50hp over a Z06, but way better than spending 10k more.
Well, need new shocks to go with them. $500 for new ones. Oh, only another $100 for custom valving. Ok. Bushings are old and tend to pull out when you track the car with stiffer springs and sticky tires. Ok. $650 for new poly bushings. Need new poly bushings for the sway bars and spring perches and shocks “while you’re in there”. Ok. $100 more. Need to get it all aligned afterwards. Might as well spend more for performance alignment and corner weighting.
Will be into it for more than $2200 by the time I’m done. Plus the tools and supplies I’ve bought (bushing extraction tools, zerk fittings, ball joint separator, etc). And first track day of the year is in two weeks, and I’m not going to be ready….. it’s all about the experience though, right? Can’t put a price on that.
Less than $500 in materials? Where do you shop, Krylon.com? Just sandpaper, tape, and a few throwaway incidentals alone can cost that much.
What are you painting with, latex house paint? $500 won’t even get you all the primer and sealer.
I painted my 62 Austin Healey Sprite with 2qts of Rustoleum hunter green and a 12 dollar Harbor Freight HVLP gun. Instant British Racing Green. This car is a driver and never intended to be a show car. It’s a 5 to 10 footer and I get lots of positive comments at the local cars and coffee. With primer, paint, sandpaper masking tape less than two hundred bucks. And I can touch up dings with a rattle can.
For got to talk windows nothing looks better than fresh paint and scratched up or delimited glass
The way to avoid unexpected cost is to plan and know what to buy.
When buying a car look the body over and see if it is hiding something before you buy. Magnets and good eyes can pick up bad body work. Also if the frame is crusty the body is too.
When I bought my Chevelle SS the new body panels took the risk out.
Know that paint is not cheap if you want good paint. Best to buy a car that is already done body and paint wise.
Building an engine. Know what you want to do and check the engine before you start to see if it is rebuildable or a boat anchor.
Radios. If you don’t know what you are doing ask for help to build a system. It may be a bit more but it will be cheaper in the long run.
Don’t use bad questionable condition parts or cheap parts as you get what you pay for. If unsure call Blueprint and just buy an engine with a warranty.
To restore and build a car today it is more a labor of love nor economics. If you want to save you need to go out and find a car that is done and let someone else pay the bulk and you detail it out.
My Corvette was a good buy. I found one with low miles but it has some issues like the seat rock and a mouse nest in the heater. It also needed tires and detailed. The owner was not mechanical and bought a C6 to replace it vs having it worked on.
For less than a few hundred dollars I got my car up to show condition because I found one that needed some work in my wheel house but also one the present owner did not want to pay the price to fix what needed fixed for much more.
I plan to put a Damper on the crank primitively. They all go bad and I can do it at my cost. I have it all planned for all the parts and tools needed so going in I know the price. No surprised if you plan. Also if I let it go it could take out the steering rack or the timing cover so do’t wait for failures.