1. 1. 1. How much will it cost?
      2. What parts will need to be purchased?
      3. This vehicle only has a little rust. How much will that cost?
      4. Can I finance the project?
      5. How are payments made?
      6. If I bought a car really cheap, then it should be cheap to rebuild, right?
      7. I’ve found body shops at $44/hour, how can FantomWorks claim their hourly rate is affordable?
      8. Can you give me a fixed price quote?
      9. How much does it cost to fix my electrical problems or rewire my vehicle?
      10. How much does it cost to do an engine swap?

1. How much will it cost?

The total cost depends on the cost of parts and materials as well as our hourly labor rate for the work the customer agrees to have us do. Once we have reviewed the vehicle, but before we start work on it, the customer is given an estimate of costs that they agree to.

Estimates are just that, estimates. They are not a final bill and can fluctuate depending on customer additions/subtractions and other factors.

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2. What parts will need to be purchased?

Believe it or not, this is mostly up to the customer. If the customer wants us to re-use the parts they have then we can; however, if in their present condition the parts are less than ideal, the customer will accept that every piece will not appear “show car ready” or “factory floor new”. Parts typically represent about 25% of the total cost of the repair. If the customer wants every piece to appear “show car ready” or “factory floor new” then we will rework, repair, and rebuild every part to those conditions. Something to consider is that when a customer gets their car back with show quality paint, slightly dull or pitted chrome will look considerably different when attached to perfectly aligned and painted panels on your “new” classic. The same holds true for interiors.

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3. My vehicle only has a little rust. How much will that cost?

Unfortunately, rust repair is difficult to estimate; especially if the vehicle has been painted within the previous ten years. Paints and fillers can hide a tremendous amount of corrosion and we won’t be able to adequately ascertain the amount of damage until after we’ve removed everything covering the metal through soda blasting. Rust is insidious in nature and tends to attack panels from the inside out so by time you see the damage, there is considerably more you don’t see.

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4.Can I finance my work?

We do not offer in-house financing for repairs. Generally, after the customer agrees to the estimate, we begin with a down payment. Other payments can be made as we make significant progress on the project. We are very flexible, so if a customer has specific concerns, we can discuss them and come up with an agreeable solution.

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5. What is the payment schedule like?

We will send the customer reports of the progress made. At these junctures, we generally require some payment toward the total bill. We generally require about 25% as a down payment. Note: We CANNOT accept checks as final payment for new customers.

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6. If I bought a car really cheap, then it should be cheap to rebuild, right?

No, in fact, this is almost always the opposite of the truth. Vehicles are generally sold cheaply for one of two reasons. Either the vehicle is very unpopular or the vehicle is in very poor shape. Both of those conditions result in more expensive repairs. If the vehicle is a traditionally “unpopular” or non mainstream vehicle then replacement and repair parts are much harder to find and are generally more expensive. As an example, it would be more expensive to repair a 1976 AMC Pacer than a 1965 Mustang Fastback.

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7. I’ve found body shops at $44/hour, how can DRS claim their hourly rate is affordable?

Body shops operate under what is typically referred to as a 2:1 rule. They estimate the hours to paint your vehicle based on a set of look-up tables. Any good body man can fix your vehicle in one half to one third of the number of hours quoted on your estimate. If a body shop estimates the vehicle’s body work at 50 hours, they will most likely be able to do the work in about 25 hours (but they will still charge for the 50 hours). The result is that even though their “posted” rates are less, their “effective” rate is about double our rates. We estimate your vehicle based upon realistic estimates not the industry “look-up” tables. If we work 25 hours on a vehicle, the customer pays for 25 hours of work, and not for 50 hours like the rest of the industry. We also provide more than just mechanic or body work into our rate as well. If the car needs parts, we have a person whose only job is to find the required parts needed for the job. Our rate includes their services which is normally extra at most other shops.

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8. Can you give me a quote?

The short answer is no. The long answer is a customer would need to make an appointment with us to go over their vehicle. Then we can create a realistic estimate based on what we saw when looking at the vehicle. An over the phone quote or estimate will always “cost” the customer more. In order to give a quote or estimate without seeing the vehicle, we have to anticipate everything that could potentially go wrong and then “bill” the customer for that scenario. The probability is that NOT everything will go wrong, so the quote or estimate given without seeing the vehicle is going to be far higher than if the customer brought the vehicle for us to inspect. There is great variability in the work when dealing with antique cars, and that requires a complete understanding of all the required work, we will not commit to a “sight unseen” quote or estimate for major repairs.

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9. How much does it cost to fix electrical problems or rewire a vehicle?

The nature of electrical problems are intensely variable. When we’re asked a question like: How much does it cost to completely fix all my electrical problems, or better yet, replace my electrical harness? Even upon inspection there’s no way to give a completely accurate estimate. In one case, a man brought us a classic Bentley with massive electrical issues following a vehicle fire. He had received estimates from other shops ranging up to about $10,000.00. We were able to find all the problems and fix all of his electrical issues for about $500.00. In another case, a customer brought us a classic Impala with some wiring issues that originally looked simple. When we dug into the harness, we found it had been badly cut apart by a stereo/alarm installer and we were forced to remove and replace the entire harness. Along with the harness replacement, we had to repair a number of systems (instrument lights, gauges, wiper motor) which had a failed because of the previous chop job. In this case any estimate based upon fixing a few systems would have been badly erroneous. Without an inspection of the vehicle, harness, and the devices to be connected (stereo, lights, alarm, wipers, etc…) along with a fairly involved question/answer session to discuss the customers expectations, there’s no way to get an accurate idea of the cost. We would need to ask the below questions to get an idea, without seeing your car or truck, and then we still could only get an extremely vague notion. If we guess too high, customers get upset and tell people we’re too expensive even though it was just an estimate; if we guess too low and the final repairs come in higher, customers get upset then too. The fact is that there’s no way to give an accurate guess and a bad guess gets customers upset. (See “Can you give me a quote?”) Questions would include:

• Are you expecting us to get your vehicle running after the wiring work is completed?
• Did the vehicle run before the wiring work was done?
• Did the alternator charge before the wiring work started?
• Was there any parasite draw before wiring work began?
• Do you want us to fix all the things we find wrong besides the wiring?
• Do you want the OEM parts (date coded alternator, generator, voltage regulator) repaired or do you want us to replace them?
• What’s wrong with the original harness and why are you removing/repairing it?
• Did every light work before? Are you expecting us to get the lights working?
• What if the lights were the problem and not the wiring harness; do you want us to fix the lights?
• Same question as above for (starter, alternator, gauges, distributor, sensor switches, windows, turn signals, door locks, stereo, power antenna, many others, etc…)
• Is the interior in the vehicle (the interior must be removed or at least moved to facilitate some wiring)?
• Is there any damage to your vehicle that would preclude us from wiring it as OEM?
• Do you want the harness to look like the OEM?
• Do you care about wiring color mismatches (in a generic wiring harness compared to the OEM)?
• Is it ok if we have to wire the harness into a different ignition switch? Can we buy the new switch?
• Do you want to use a correct harness or a generic un-terminated end harness?

There are many more questions and in many cases the answers to these questions can generate additional questions. So, please understand that the only way to even get a vague idea of the job involved is after a thorough physical inspection of the vehicle along with a question/answer session done first hand.

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10. How much does it cost to do an engine swap?

Engine swaps are generally divided into three categories:

1. Same Size, Type, and Era: This is the removal of the original engine and then replaced with the same engine rebuilt or an exchange with an engine of the same specification (Size, type and transmission interface) as the one we remove. Example: we remove a carbureted Ford 289 and replace with a different carbureted Ford 289 or Ford 302. It is critical in this type of exchange that the replacement engine should be of the same era and of somewhat similar power. A carbureted 350 Chevrolet engine pulled out of a 1968 Camaro cannot be replaced with a tuned port injected 350 engine from a late model Corvette.Cost category: This is the lowest cost swap. We reuse the transmission, drive shaft, engine mounts, and most or all of the motor accessories (alternator, pulleys, etc). In this case replacing the motor mounts and transmission mounts requires only a bolt on exchange.Costs include:
   • Motor: It is up to the customer what is spent here. We will provide an non warrantied used salvage motor or a crate, warranted, re-manufactured motor, or the customer can provide their own motor).
   • Installation: This typically ranges from about $500.00 to about $2,000 depending upon reusing parts.
   • Consumables: Things like oil, plugs, wires, carburetor, distributor, motor mounts, trans mount, etc. usually costs around $500
2. Same Era and Type, New Size: The removal of the engine and replacement with a same/similar period motor of the same type (e.g. both engines are carbureted). Example: a 1957 Bel Air with a carbureted 283 is swapped out with a mid 1970’s stroked 454. Because both engines are carbureted, using about 6psi fuel pressure, the fuel systems are compatible and a 454 will “bolt up” to the same transmission that the carbureted 283 bolted up to. Cost category: This is the mid grade cost swap. We reuse the transmission if it interfaces AND can handle the power of the new engine. The parts are reused on a case by case basis including: the drive-shaft (if possible) provided that the transmission doesn’t mandate a drive shaft change, the frame mounts (if possible), any of the motor accessories (alternator, pulleys, etc) that are compatible. This case may require re-welding the motor mounts and transmission mounts. This type of swap virtually always requires a new distributor, carburetor, intake, starter, exhaust system (headers or manifold and pipe and mufflers), as well as all of the peripheral items (plugs, wires, air cleaner, etc.). Additional modifications can involve changes to the cooling system, steering, and suspension. Costs include:
   • Motor: This is up to the customer what is spent here.
   • Installation: This ranges from about $2000.00 to about $5,000 depending upon reuse of parts.
   • Consumables: Things like oil, plugs, wires, carburetor, distributor, motor mounts, trans mount, etc. usually costs around $500.00.
3. New Size, New Type, and New Era: This is the removal of the 1950’s or 1960’s era carbureted engine and replacing it with a late model computer controlled, fuel injected, roller cam, hardened valve seat, aluminium head motor. This is many times referred to as a “Resto Mod.” The advantage to this type of engine swap is that it brings the best of today’s motors (fuel efficiency, reliability, power) into yesterday’s more classic vehicles.Cost category: This is the highest cost engine swap. We generally have to replace everything with which the engine interfaces. It requires SIGNIFICANT modifications including (but not limited to): fuel system pressures and pumps, fuel system wiring, gauge interfaces, transmission interfaces, engine wiring upgrades, Computer (PCM/ECM) interfaces, intake integration, and motor mount/engine mount welding. Other modifications to the inside of the engine compartment including: cutting the firewall, modifications to the cradle, steering, suspension, etc. Additional modifications will generally involve modifications to the cooling system and every electrical component in the engine compartment. Costs include:
   • Motor: Generally it is better to get a full donor vehicle for this case. For example, the purchase of a GM Crate motor would be missing so many components it would not be the most cost effective starting point.
   • Installation: This ranges from about $5000.00 on up depending upon the interfaces we exchange. This type of exchange can easily grow to a multi-system exchange including: fuel system, cooling system, transmission, cradle, suspension, differential, gauge/electrical system, and sometimes even more systems.
   • Consumables: Things like oil, plugs, wires, carburetor, distributor, motor mounts, trans mount, etc. usually cost around $500.00

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