[QUOTE=Taily;80805]To me therein lies the crux of the whole question. A DIY complete restoration is achieveable even to someone who doesn't neccessarily have the requisite skills as long as they are prepared to get stuck into learning those skills properly and getting out of their comfort zone and having a red hot go at something.

When I started on my ute over three years ago I:

1. Started with something that was already in VGC as it had been completely corrosion proofed when brand new, garaged, maintained and generally well cared for its entire life both before and after I inherited it. I was very lucky to start with something in such good nick.

2. Already had many of the skills needed to do most of the work myself as I completed a trade as a mechanic many years ago. The skills I didn't have I sought advice from those old school people who did and learnt from them while respecting the fact they didn't have to show me the right way of doing things such as dolly work, welding in repair sections and even the remaining body work and paint. I learnt what I could from them and was prepared that if I made a mistake I would strip it down and start again - which I did do a few times I can assure you.

3. Only used the best quality parts/panel steel/welder/bodywork consumables/paint/materials and even tools I could get hold of as I didn't want any one thing being the weak link in the chain. And,

4. Took the time and patience it needed to get the job done right first time - though I will say I should have hired a paint booth rather than build my own one to paint the ute as it would have actually been cheaper to hire one for a day. In fact while you're there grab the painter as well as they can save you more money than they will cost...






So you had a awesome car to start with and ability to do it all yourself and the body alone cost $5K before you've done interior, driveline etc?