Ed is at it again, this time taking apart a 1969 Miller Meteor 48" Classic ambulance. Additional pictures can be seen by clicking here...
Follow along with Ed
- Thread starter Paul Steinberg
- Start date
a little fresh air body shop
John Royark JR
PCS Member
The thing he didnt tell you is he is parting it out to fund his 53. After all, at your age he figured you would forget where it went anyway. 
ee_smilie:
ee_smilie:
Dan Herrick
PCS Life Member - Upstate Chapter President
There are some people that just have to take something apart to see how they work. Since he's done a Superior now he has a MM. What's next an S&S or maybe he would like to try a Chrysler Executive Limousine?
At least Ed puts them back together when hes finished playing with them. Some people just leave them laying in pieces around there shop.
Josh
Josh
Bill Marcy
PCS Member
Ed, I think you should paint it the same color as Brendan's car, don't you?
Brendan Martin
PCS Member
In addition to Ed's quality work, he allows you to view the process, online. I enjoyed this very much. It taught me a lot about how these cars are built, and also provided me with relaxation and enjoyment. Ed can't say thanks enough to you!
right now we have a fast attack ambulance with a bucket seat
ED
I am sure we all want to ask this question...
In general terms how much should one budget to restore a car that is already on the road. (not a basket case)
I am sure we all want to ask this question...
In general terms how much should one budget to restore a car that is already on the road. (not a basket case)
that would be a hard one to figure. but I would start with the determination of how much chrome you would like to get re done.right now "here" the best I can do is a average of 100 bucks a piece for die cast pieces. steel a little less. bumpers front and rear on late 60 -70s stuff runs around $1,500. I'm finding that the interior is running just about even with the exterior. the more torn up on the out side the more torn up inside also.
the paint products now increase in price right at 30% a quarter threw out the year. so hard to guess at them. then it's check locally on prices for the things you can't do. then once you have a rough figure I would double that and hope to get what I wanted for under that amount. even in this country so much of what a man has to charge is governed but what regulations he has to live by. me I get to do hobby work, if I was trying to make a living out of it I would have to charge double what I do. but right now at this point here Paule has around 6000 in this car not counting the price of the car. most all the plating is done most all of the materials have been bought. the heavy iron has been changed. we're are going to paint, change the headliner and assemble the car. when he gets it home he will finish the flooring and have him a 69 car in like new /good used condition for less then the price of new sedan. but like he always says buy the best car you can up front. $10,000 will buy you a lot more car then it will repair work. this 69 was in fairly decent shape. now Brendon got the price of a SUV in his but the condition was a lot worse and the car is a lot different. we get to skip all the repair on this 69 that we had to do on the 63 to get it to the point we are here. then the 63 has 3 to 1 for trim. but luckily all the grimes light and the Q are there. if it's missing a couple of them, you jump the price of the repair right up there. so how to budget for the repairs necessary on the car to move it to were you want it to be is a hard one to pin down. but if you start asking around I'm sure you will find that the majority of people are getting the price of a new car in rebuilding there old one. for most its a one time thing on a car they want to keep. for othere is a method of self destruction that defies all logic . but me I find it cheaper then paying the psychologist his hr rate. plus the taxes are so much less on the old one
the paint products now increase in price right at 30% a quarter threw out the year. so hard to guess at them. then it's check locally on prices for the things you can't do. then once you have a rough figure I would double that and hope to get what I wanted for under that amount. even in this country so much of what a man has to charge is governed but what regulations he has to live by. me I get to do hobby work, if I was trying to make a living out of it I would have to charge double what I do. but right now at this point here Paule has around 6000 in this car not counting the price of the car. most all the plating is done most all of the materials have been bought. the heavy iron has been changed. we're are going to paint, change the headliner and assemble the car. when he gets it home he will finish the flooring and have him a 69 car in like new /good used condition for less then the price of new sedan. but like he always says buy the best car you can up front. $10,000 will buy you a lot more car then it will repair work. this 69 was in fairly decent shape. now Brendon got the price of a SUV in his but the condition was a lot worse and the car is a lot different. we get to skip all the repair on this 69 that we had to do on the 63 to get it to the point we are here. then the 63 has 3 to 1 for trim. but luckily all the grimes light and the Q are there. if it's missing a couple of them, you jump the price of the repair right up there. so how to budget for the repairs necessary on the car to move it to were you want it to be is a hard one to pin down. but if you start asking around I'm sure you will find that the majority of people are getting the price of a new car in rebuilding there old one. for most its a one time thing on a car they want to keep. for othere is a method of self destruction that defies all logic . but me I find it cheaper then paying the psychologist his hr rate. plus the taxes are so much less on the old one
I'm charging Ed a very reasonable fee to allow him to work on my car. I am even supplying him with the materials needed to do his work. I also have taken out a mental health insurance policy for him, in case he starts to have a mental breakdown trying to figure out where some of the parts go back on the car. It is never easy to fix a car once it starts to deteriorate beyond a certain point. I would much rather have to deal with a mechanical repair than a body repair. The one reason that I purchased this car is that the body was straight, not rusted, and in overall good condition. It only suffered the ravages of having been in a dessert environment for the first 20 years High Dessert of Oregon), and then in a damp environment the next 20 years (Washington State). It has spent its last few years in a covered setting, however, there was some dampness under the rubber floor mat that I wasn't aware of, until Ed removed it. Luckily, it wasn't bad enough that it would have required new floor pans, but a simple repair.