Restoring 1949 Fargo

Greetings all;
I'll get right to the point,
As I'm a student, and a mediocre one at that - I'd like to know how much I'm up for restoring the ol' beast.
My plan is to buy an old Jag, complete (or atleast mechanically) and use the front and rear end.
Rack and pinion from some Holden and go from there...

I assume it'll take me over a couple of years - due to funds and time... Or lack thereof.
Thankfully, I live next door to a mechanic, who builds race cars and rebuilds old cars - so this will help greatly.

So, back to the question; doing a good job, how much am I expecting to overall pay - between 10, 000 and 20, 000?

Thanks all.

Can't advise you. As how you describe your intention is that you intend to create a hot rod more than restore the Fargo.

Generally most of the people on the forum will restore the truck to original condition using the original or replacement mechanicals from another similar vehicle.

Not as you suggest using a Jag and/or holden parts.

As to costs for restoring it to original condition including mechanicals depends alot on your (or friends) skills and the condition of the vehicle to start with.

There's an open ended quetion. What your talking about is hot rodding not restoring. One things for sure, it'll take a lot of time, and cost some dollars. Might be easier getting a Hyundi.

How much of the orignal truck have you got? Is it all complete or just panels and chassis? What size is it (ie what is it rated to carry?

If you are going to do the modifications you suggest you will need to get an engineer's certificate and it may get downrated in load-carrying capacity.

If money is an issue it may actually be cheaper to select an engineer and talk thr project through with him. That way you don't buy parts or build bits that need to be replaced later and saves you money inthe longer term.

Also depending on the size of the truck the chassis alone may weigh too much for the Jag/Commodore components you have indicated you want to use - an engineer would be able to advise.

As a very rough guide the finished weight would end up similar to the tare weight of your truck (should be on the build plate) as you will only save a couple of hundred kilograms at the most. Remember some of the new components you put in ( eg seats) may weigh more than the ones you take out and you wil probably add a stereo, heater, maybe air con, etc.

You would also have to engineer seat belt mounts etc into it

Of course you may be able to selll some of the parts you are not using here to help finance your project.

I have spent around $17K on my purchase and restoration and haven't needed to touch the drivetrain except to rebuild the brakes. It is on the road but I still have a couple of small things to finish off (headlining, floor coverings etc.) so expect to get out of it for under $20K

I hope this helps to some extent

Mr Incredible - The fellas are right, there seems to be some confusion in your mind as to what you wish to indulge in.
"Restoring" is returning an old vehicle to the condition and specifications as it left the factory.
"Hot rodding" is taking an old vehicle and modifying it with much later and totally different components to what was fitted originally.
Hot rodding is an expensive and time-consuming business. I see many completed hot rods now up for sale, for asking prices anywhere between $35,000 and $60,000. I'll wager not one of these figures represents the actual cost to build.

I have a mate who has just finished hot-rodding a 1946 Oldsmobile. It took him 18 years and cost over $60,000. He also had to put up with a lot of restrictions imposed by licensing authorities. He eventually paid professional hot-rod builders to do a lot of the work, because they get approval to carry out many modifications that involve major driveline and body changes, that need engineering scrutiny by the authorities.

The licensing authorities in your state are the ones who will say yea or nay to your project, and you'd better consult with them before you start any major costly work, in case you end up with modifications that will never never meet with the approval of authorities.
Nearly everyone likes to see beaut hot-rods, in their final form .. but not everyone has the unique skills and experience to carry out major structural changes to vehicles. Good luck.

Cheers - Ron.

Now THAT'S Incredible

Now THAT'S Incredible