how much is a resto?

[Edward.21]

hi all
i know it'll be a best guess senario but how much do you reckon a really nice (but not conosure) resto for a mot'd fair condition travaller will be? or for a less than fair un mot'd van. just looking at a couple of moggys and checking out my options. i know it wont be anywhere near presice or correct i was just hoping for a guess to the nearest £2000.
thanks

[LouiseM]

Are you talking about a 'professional' resto or one that you are planning on doing yourself? And a 'full' resto eg floor, panel, wood replacement, respray etc? Best thing to do is post up the details of the specific vehicles you are interested in as that will enable people to make a better 'guesstimate' of the costs.

If you're planning on buying a vehicle with a view to having it restored 'professionally' why not buy a restored one in the first place as it will work out quite a lot cheaper. Or if you don't have a particularly big budget just buy the best, most solid, Minor that you can afford and then drive it and improve it as you go along and as funds allow. That's what a lot of owners tend to do

[Edward.21]

hi sorry i should have been more specific im thinking of a professional resto the first car is a 1967 traveller the wood is good but needs oil/varnish the floors are all good(there is very little welding on the traveller as i've done most of it myself when i got her up to mot standard. she probably wont need a full respray as she was "resprayed proffssionaly (insert sarcastic smile here)" just before purchase.the areas that do need attention are the as so often neglected engine bay and interior as the bay is a mess (it really needs all ripping out and cleaning up and re-spraying) and the interior is basicly all missing apart from seats.
the second one is a nice little van my father brought me for my birthday to restore (bless him ) im afraid the news is not as good for the van. she has been stored in a shed scince 1966 and the engine runs and she rolls but thats about it. she will need a good bit of welding on the underside, new cills. and weilding in other places although the rust is not rusted through but id not be happy driving to far in it. she will need a full respray and mostly new interior.
thanks again

[irmscher]

Hi Edward if you look in the spares for sale section Paulgriff is breaking a traveller and may have what you need

[Edward.21]

hi thanks for you reply but the only item i really need is alot more time which is why im thinking of getting it done proffessionaly
thanks

[LouiseM]

The traveller sounds as if it needs cosmetic work rather than a 'resto'. Don't you have any spare time available? I don’t have much spare time either - it took me over a year to get round to fitting some new quarter light rubbers, and a new headlining has spent over 10 years in it’s original packaging - but the way I see it is that as long as the car is roadworthy the cosmetic things aren’t a priority so can wait. Best to treat the wood quickly so that it doesn’t deteriorate but does the interior and engine bay need to be done quickly? Can’t they wait until you have a bit more time available?

New interior panels are available from most of the Minor parts suppliers such as Bull Motif, ESM etc or direct from Newton Commercial so take a look at their websites to price up how much the interior will cost. A brand new, complete interior kit for a traveller including seat covers, carpet, headlining etc is approx £1,500. Obviously it will work out a lot cheaper if you don't mind using secondhand parts.

It would only take you a couple of hours to fit a new carpet and door panels. Some on here have had 'non standard' interiors fitted by local upholsterers so it might be worth contacting some in your area for an estimate. It's possible to do a good job of cleaning up the engine bay without taking out the engine, plenty on here have done it, and it would take maybe half a day to do this. If you're not planning on trying to win prizes with the car as long as everything is kept well maintained nobody else will be looking underneath the bonnet so I wouldn't worry too much about what the engine bay looks like. Not sure how long it would take to oil or varnish the wood but hopefully someone on here will be able to advise.

With regards to the van, if your dad bought it for you to restore perhaps he will be able to give you a hand with it? Cost wise, difficult to say how much a professional resto would be but as the van needs a lot of welding, a full respray and a new interior I guess you could be looking at upwards of £15,000 for the "really nice job" that you want. It’s the labour charges that make up the bulk of the costs so best if you can do at least some of the work yourself. A full professional respray can cost upwards of £3,000, less if you do some of the prep work yourself. You might be able to get a cheap ‘blow over’ for less than £1,000.

I don’t know how much labour charges would be in your area - they’re £40 per hour and upwards in London - but if you’re set on having someone else do the work for you I suggest that you ring round and get some quotes locally as this will at least give you a ‘ballpark’ figure. Bear in mind that costs can increase significantly if more rot than expected is found, which isn’t unusual when restoring Minors. Only you know what your budget will stretch to so think things through carefully before making any decisions.

If you do decide to go for a professional restoration please take a look at this thread first for some useful advice: http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41608

[Edward.21]

thanks very much louise i think i might have to find some spare time for the traveller and ill think abit more about the van.
thanks again