Hi, All....
I've noted various forum departments have questions on costs and availability of materials for restoration. If I may, I'd like to use this and present various thoughts about the subject for the benefit of those visiting who are not club members and/or are looking for a car...
I am not a mechanic. I can diagnose some ailments and offer suggestions based solely on my 35+ years around this stuff and being an assistant helper to Dale Hammon and some other well versed mechanics during that time. While the prices of restoration services have shot up over the years, it seems that the labor rate is the same for a Kaiser as for a Corvette...some things may just take longer to do and time study books support that. Problem is parts. Because demand for K-F stuff is so limited, either nobody wants to re-run something or the cost of accurate reproduction is VERY expensive. Having worked on the production side of this (Trim Parts was a company I was involved with while at Ken-Dec; we cast the 1957 Chevy Grille Bar with the opening in center for the USA map plastic) I know the cost of making a mold and with so few parts to spread the cost over, well, what can I say but that's the reality of the situation.
Bottom line is that, unless you can do the labor yourself and have a well equipped garage, I personally recommend two courses of action. Unless you are extremely lucky and find something really good for next to nothing, you will probably end up paying more for a complete and good restoration than the car would sell for when finished (in other words, it will probably end up a labor of love) or check out the CARS FOR SALE section of the KFOCI Monthly Bulletin and see what pops up. There are still good deals to be found there.
