Monday, October 4, 2010

Winter - the cold stops the project.

So I have to move the truck today and clean out the garage.  I will store the truck outside over the winter and then move it into the shop again next spring.

I have kept a list of everything I bought this year for the truck.  This is the first project I have done that for and it has been a real eye opener.

This year I spent $1695.09 on tools.  But if you take out the welder and accessories then it was $590.83 for things like paint, drill bits, sandblasting media, etc. 

I also spent $1604.24 on parts to put the frame together.  I would say that 2/3 of that was to rebuild the front end.  Wow.  I was hoping it would be less.  $500 of that was to have shops remove and replace the bushings.  Again, not something that i had counted on.  That makes a new $1200 MII front end from Fatman or Heidts seem reasonable.

Next time I will know better.


Soooooo, when you add the $1604.24 to the $3862.11 from last year you get:

$5466.35

and when you add up the cost for tools and supplies you get:

$1240.83


Wow.  I have a budget of 10 grand. 
Nest year we are going to have to work smarter and try to keep the costs down.  This truck is going to get finished - whatever it costs.  But I still would like to keep the budget in mind.

Most people working on Dodge trucks say they are more expensive because there is less support for them in the aftermarket.  I would agree.  Nothing here is off the shelf.
That said, it has been a learning experience.  And the knowledge gained on this project means the next one should be easier and hopefully cheaper.

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