If you’re finally considering restoring that muscle car that’s been sitting in your garage with a tarp over it, well then you have a few things you’re going to need to think about. Before you make any decisions on parts, the first thing you need to do is set your budget, and keep the budget in the front of your mind throughout the entire project.

It is possible to restore a car on a budget, but the problem with used muscle cars is that the repairs can range from minimal to “break the bank.”

6 Tips for Restoring Muscle Cars

1. Determine your goal. Think of how prepared you are for a restoration project. If you’re just buying a car off the lot, this is important because you get to pick your poison, essentially. So, you want to look at the age, condition, and type of vehicle because that will help determine how much work you’ll need to do.
2. Set the budget. Before you even go shopping around for cars, do a little bit of research on restoration projects. This will help you gauge your price range, and it’ll give you an idea of the general pricing. Once you’ve set a budget, add 30 percent to it because there could always end up being one more step left, and you want to have the money for it.
3. Consider what YOU know. Think about what you personally know about muscle cars, vehicle restoration, and mechanics. When restoring a car, you at least want to be able to disassemble and reassemble an engine, so be brutally honest with yourself to see if this is a project you truly can and want to undertake.
4. Do as much of it by yourself as you can. People take great pride in bringing a classic vehicle back to life, and they should. It takes a lot of persistence, patience, and perseverance to get that engine humming like it used to. When you do the work yourself, there are no labor costs, but if you feel like you need some professional assistance, find an auto-body shop that specializes in vehicle restoration. They’ll be sure and cut you a good deal because they understand you want to get as much of the work done on your own as you can.
5. You get what you pay for. You want to make sure the price is right for the vehicle you’re planning on restoring. So, before you make the purchase, have a reliable mechanic come out and assess the car, that way you can put your budget and the mechanics estimated price next to each other. However, keep in mind that you tacked on 30 percent, so you do have a little bit of wiggle room. Just don’t go overboard.