The first step with any build is simple: determine what you want to build! If you’re a real Gearhead, that list is hundred’s if not thousand’s of cars long. Even within a specific model, there are lots of options. For example, a 1969 Camaro could be built as a bad ass COPO replica, a Pro-Touring machine, a nice Restomod, or maybe even a killer Pro-Street car. There’s so many different ways a classic can be built. And in our case, a Tri-Five Chevrolet has been built just about every way imaginable.
After you’ve determined what kind of car you want to build and how you want to build it, the next logical question is what’s your budget. Building a car can quickly add up. Usually what happens is you have a budget in mind but end up throwing that out the window and diving in. It’s like going to McDonalds; Small is $5, Medium is $7, and Large is $8. You really only wanted a Medium, but for only a dollar more, you get the Large. You might only need a basic disc brake set up, but then fall down that rabbit hole and end up with six-piston mono-caliper brakes with slotted two-piece rotors for six-times your original budget.
Sticking To The Budget
But what if you could really build a budget-friendly car? And we aren’t talking about a $100,000 budget or something like that, we mean building a car for pretty much as cheap as we can.
For us, driving the car and enjoying it is the most important thing. Hot Rod Power Tour? Count us in! Building the car is certainly fun, but driving it is where all that hard work pays off. So what if we focused on the driving part instead of the glitz and glamour? Good tires, not good paint?
About a year ago we did some trading and ended up with this 1957 Bel Air two door coupe. The car had been taken apart at some point and had a crappy paint job at some point. But it was mostly complete! We instantly started dreaming of LS swapping and tubular suspension and the whole nine-yards. Looking at our bank account showed us that wasn’t going to happen.
So we switched gears. We said let’s just build this car and get it drive-able then go from there. Facebook Marketplace and eBay have become our friends, scouring for bits and pieces to make it all work. It is so much fun! What amazed us was how cheap we were able to score some used original parts for. While most are going with a more modern “Restomod” build, we are going against the grain a bit and keeping it pretty much stock.
The “Budget Bel Air” Build
That’s where the idea of a “Budget Bel Air” build came into play. How cheap can we build this car? The goal is just to get it running and driving down the road so we can enjoy it as soon as possible, then we can redo things later as time, money, and desire allows.
Now I will say that I have been in the automotive aftermarket for over a decade, and have worked with lots of companies within the industry – I do marketing. It’s fairly easy for me to call up a friend at a company and get some parts sent to me for little-to-no cost. There’s two reasons we aren’t doing that.
First, that requires extra work. I have to document and write stories for every part received and promote them for years.
Second, that sort of defeats the spirit of the challenge for me. If I call it the “Budget Bel Air” build but then get all new suspension sent to me for the car, that’s not really “budget.” That’s not what the average gearhead can do. Most are looking for deals, saving up, and spending wisely.
All the parts on the car we will be bought off Facebook Marketplace and eBay. That means they can come for any number of Tri-Five parts retailers or even the local auto parts store – I’m just looking for the best prices and availability. There will definitely be some cases where there were cheaper options, but we chose a more expensive option too. For example, rewiring the car. We could find the cheapest universal harness out there. But then we’d be fighting it with minimal instructions, and then we’d still have to buy all the new terminals, etc. etc. For a few bucks more, we could buy a harness made for a Tri-Five that has perfect instructions and all the terminals. Sometimes, time is money.
“Cheap 1957 Bel Air? HA!”
One thing I want to touch on here. Yes, this car is by far not the cheapest classic I could have picked up. Even as I acquired it, the car was worth about $10K or so I’m guessing. But here’s the thing with these old cars. Remember way back in your high school economics class? There’s a theory called supply and demand, and in this case also, economies of scale. First, they made roughly 1.5 million 1957 Chevrolet cars in their various trim levels and options. Second, it’s a popular car that drives up the demand. Lots of them made and highly desirable.
When a manufacture is going to reproduce parts, they want to make a part and sell a million of them, not one hundred of them. When you make one million of something, your costs go way down compared to making only one hundred of them. When there’s a large demand(a popular car) and lots of them(economies of scale), the prices drop for parts.
Here’s a small example. Like any gearhead, I own more than one classic car. Years ago I could rebuild the entire front end of my 1966 Chevelle for about $500. To rebuild the front end of my 1962 Cadillac, it was about $2,000. Why? There were more ’66 Chevelles made than ’62 Cadillacs, and more people want the Chevelle.
While the initial buy-in here is higher than lots of other cars, we will save more than that with cheaper parts. You have to sometimes look at the bigger picture. Even within this platform, parts for a two-door car will be cheaper than those of a four-door wagon.
Anyways – follow along as we build the “Budget Bel Air!”