OT. Classic Car Restoration. Midlands?

I’m looking for a classic car restoration shop. Ideally local to Birmingham but willing to travel for the right garage. I’ve got a part restored bmw 2002. It needs starting again as I want a colour change.

I’ve found a couple of shops locally but they are always so so busy and can’t take the whole job on.

If anyone has a recommendation it would very much appreciated. I also don’t want to spend a fortune, if that’s ever possible. I don’t want to spend £30k on a car worth £20k once finished. I’d rather cut my losses!

It would be hugely against the flow were you to be able to pay for a professional restoration without going well into negative equity.

Agreed.

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Originally Posted by unclealec

It would be hugely against the flow were you to be able to pay for a professional restoration without going well into negative equity.

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^^^ This ^^^

I am pretty sure that restoring a ‘normal’ car from the 70s is financially a lost case: 21st century labour prices vs 70s ultimate value.

My experience is that welding, metal preparation and painting is a very large chunk of the total budget. And, a colour change will never raise the ultimate value of a car, even when you use an original BMW colour. You’ll spend ‘top dollar’ for a car that will never reach the highest value. How bad do you want a repaint?

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Originally Posted by unclealec

It would be hugely against the flow were you to be able to pay for a professional restoration without going well into negative equity.

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^^^ This ^^^

I am pretty sure that restoring a ‘normal’ car from the 70s is financially a lost case: 21st century labour prices vs 70s ultimate value.

My experience is that welding, metal preparation and painting is a very large chunk of the total budget. And, a colour change will never raise the ultimate value of a car, even when you use an original BMW colour. You’ll spend ‘top dollar’ for a car that will never reach the highest value. How bad do you want a repaint?

http://www.classicbahnstormers.com/

I was messed around by many people who told me they could restore my E30 M3 Evo 2 and was let down multiple times. These guys know 70s and 80s BMWs inside out, it’s pretty much all they do. Not the cheapest but not ridiculous either.

Changing the colour is not part of a restoration: it's money you decide to spend on the car for your enjoyment but it's not "invested", i.e. there is n significant return.
The prep work that needs doing is restorative. But if you don't spend the money to make it proper right, it's also wasted unless you sell it quick; If that was the case I would suggest you sell it asap without touching it: As others have said, until you get to £50-£70K cars, restoring is not profitable unless you factor your enjoyment, in doing (part of) the work and in ownership.

100% my idea!

I just returned here to add to my earlier posting that a search for another car that's closer to your standards is a better option, especially when you can sell your current car. BMWs are always sought-after.

My mate has an rs2000 and a booted 2002 he had an estimate on the BMW and think.it was 20k just for the body but I think he's too tight to do either car up

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Originally Posted by miniman1983

I’m looking for a classic car restoration shop. Ideally local to Birmingham but willing to travel for the right garage. I’ve got a part restored bmw 2002. It needs starting again as I want a colour change.

I’ve found a couple of shops locally but they are always so so busy and can’t take the whole job on.

If anyone has a recommendation it would very much appreciated. I also don’t want to spend a fortune, if that’s ever possible. I don’t want to spend £30k on a car worth £20k once finished. I’d rather cut my losses!

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My brother has a classic car restoration shop near Kenilworth but I think he’s fully booked for 2024. He could probably give you around realistic quote for what it might cost though.


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

A friend bought a repaired (Welded, primed) Saab 96 body. There was a 6000 euro bill (120 hrs sheet metal work) with the car, two engines and tons of new parts, still in 'Saab' boxes. Those two engines are both unique. One brand-new from the factory, one prepared for rally and racing. Both bought when Saab closed the doors in 2012. It took the guy 12 or 13 yrs to collect it all. For one reason: start a restoration after his retirement. You guessed it: it never happened. In this case, a sad reason why he didn't start.

My friend paid 10,000 euros for all the stuff. Which is a steal! But... no way he can find anyone for the whole package. No one will fork out the money for a professional restoration. Even in a situation where you can restore it with everything you need to build a brand-new car! Now he's thinking about chopping up the collection of parts. He offered me the brand-new engine for 1,500. Which is -frankly- give-away money.

Again, I would carefully weigh my chances: isn't it cheaper, quicker and more satisfying to buy a similar car that's already restored.

My friend and his son collecting the body.

https://scontent-ams2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...Uw&oe=65A1D318

I guess you’re all right but at the same time I have the car. I don’t have £30k to drop on another one in a lump sum. I’m a lot happier doing £5k every 6 months, I can loose that too/Mrs would know! 😂.

I’m looking to put the car back to factory/original colour. Fjord Blue, currently white.

I’m already invested in the car too, admittedly crap job but I should have known better. It was too cheap!

Back to original (colour) is always good! Then, a respray investment makes more sense. It is a RHD car?

The 5K/6 months is a good idea. But... I know from experience that most people who do this, get impatient and start spending more. "This job is 5k, gov. But when you spend a little more than that this time, we can also do..." Or, they they give up. You need a strong will to stay within the boundaries you've set yourself.

A 'fixed price' deal is also very tricky: there are two outcomes. The workshop charges you ±2x the money they need just to be sure not to loose on the job. Or, they've given you a fixed price that's too low: that way they'll start 'bodging' towards the end of the job. (Remember the Austin Healey I showed here? That was a fixed price restoration. And the attention to details is eye-watering... - fuel lines under the car tied with tie-wraps to the outriggers...).

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Originally Posted by thieuster

Back to original (colour) is always good! Then, a respray investment makes more sense. It is a RHD car?

The 5K/6 months is a good idea. But... I know from experience that most people who do this, get impatient and start spending more. "This job is 5k, gov. But when you spend a little more than that this time, we can also do..." Or, they they give up. You need a strong will to stay within the boundaries you've set yourself.

A 'fixed price' deal is also very tricky: there are two outcomes. The workshop charges you ±2x the money they need just to be sure not to loose on the job. Or, they've given you a fixed price that's too low: that way they'll start 'bodging' towards the end of the job. (Remember the Austin Healey I showed here? That was a fixed price restoration. And the attention to details is eye-watering... - fuel lines under the car tied with tie-wraps to the outriggers...).

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I haven’t seen your Healey mate but I would love too! I’ve got two Healey’s! One mint and one in 100 boxes!!

I’ll keep everyone updated on my progress. Might even start a thread!

I think best to have someone out first, have a good poke around and go from there. I just wish I was more mechanically minded!! That and time!!

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Originally Posted by unclealec

It would be hugely against the flow were you to be able to pay for a professional restoration without going well into negative equity.

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+1, even doing the majority of work yourself would probably take you into spending more than the final market value. You have to be realistic, it helps to just crack on with it and forget about the money if you like the car enough. Best classics to buy are those that someone else has lost money on by having a thorough restoration carried out.

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Originally Posted by miniman1983

. I just wish I was more mechanically minded!!

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Fat wallet helps to compensate.

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Originally Posted by miniman1983

I haven’t seen your Healey mate but I would love too! I’ve got two Healey’s! One mint and one in 100 boxes!!

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Here you go: https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...orkshop+healey

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Originally Posted by walkerwek1958

+1, even doing the majority of work yourself would probably take you into spending more than the final market value. You have to be realistic, it helps to just crack on with it and forget about the money if you like the car enough. Best classics to buy are those that someone else has lost money on by having a thorough restoration carried out.

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Tho only problem with that is bodges that you can’t see when you buy someone else’s car I can remember going to look at an mgb years ago that a woman had spent a fortune on having restored she thought it was brilliant but it was a bodged up heap worth half of what she was selling it for

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Originally Posted by walkerwek1958

Best classics to buy are those that someone else has lost money on by having a thorough restoration carried out.

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Very true Paul. The guy who did the ground up restoration of my TR6 which took him five years and restored to a high standard, he just loved doing the work with no interest in driving it long term. I have every bill for parts and specialist works which is at least two thirds of what I paid him for the car. God knows what his man hours amount to, but I do know it took him over 30 hours to get the drivers door gap to how he wanted it.

https://www.majestic-motors.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/ClassicAuto.../?locale=en_GB

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Originally Posted by Michael 38

Tho only problem with that is bodges that you can’t see when you buy someone else’s car I can remember going to look at an mgb years ago that a woman had spent a fortune on having restored she thought it was brilliant but it was a bodged up heap worth half of what she was selling it for

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That's always a danger, you have to really know what you're doing when buying and assessing a classic. Piles of bills don't mean much if the work was poorly done. Photos showing each stage are helpful but even that can be misleading. Lots of poor MGBs about that have been restored badly, if you now where to look you can usually tell.

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Originally Posted by Maris

https://www.majestic-motors.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/ClassicAuto.../?locale=en_GB

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Majestic is my brother's business. He is a perfectionist so you will get a good job done but probably not the cheapest and he is generally booked up a year or more in advance.

Lets have a pic of the Beemer :thumbsup: