$$ How do you fund your project, when you don't have expendable cash???

[old_skool]

Being disabled and on a fixed income, wife disabled as well, we barely have any money left over after necessities and bills, but get by, and even help our kids and grandkids when we can, so sometimes, just having extra money for gas to go to a car show or out the dinner, becomes far and few in between, I usually have to find something to sell, replace this for that to have any cash for my cars normal repairs, let alone toys. I do a lot of craigs bartering and selling at the moment, some ebaying of old parts etc.

So, what advice do you have for those who want to remain in the hobby with little or no extra cash? If you're in the same situation, what have you done to generate wasteful cash, or even if you're not in this situation, I'm sure there are plenty of people with many ideas for generating some extra income...and I'm not talking about big $$$ stuff either, a few hundred extra $$ a month type of stuff. I'm not afraid of hard work, but physically need to work smarter, as not healthy enough for serious labor.
It sucks getting older and even more when your body starts to fail, hoping with all the experience out there, some simple suggestions out there might help some of us.

so, what ways do you use to make extra $$

oh, and don't mistake this for some kind of charity thread, my wife and and I at times have given all we have to those who have none and will never take from anyone.

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[old_skool]

Tried that....how do you think I got disabled:downtown:

 

[Budnicks]

With out disposable/extra income or cash to spend, you can't really buy or build anything, it's not like it was 30 years ago, when you could do allot more with very little, you will need to build & do all your own work, might be hard if your disabled, it's "nearly impossible" to build a car on any small budget, if you have to pay someone else to do work for you & remain on any realistic budget without getting screwed... Some will get away with it, some will argue it can be done on the cheap too, but that not the norm, it's very rare, most will run into allot of issues & long waits for stuff {IMHFO you get what you pay for, you go cheap, than you get cheap stuff, lessor quality work}... But you could go after 4drs or less popular models maybe, they are cheaper at-least... I'm not trying to discourage you, just being realistic, brutally honest...

 

[pistol_grip_polara]

I have an agreement with my wife.. any parts I need for my car, come from bartering or selling other parts/projects I have.. IF we have money left over after bills are paid, and its not a high dollar item then I can swing it sometimes.. but most of the time.. my hobby has to support itself..

occasionally I do an odd job or two to get some extra cash as well.... Sometimes it is even finding the occasional abandoned/junk car for $50 and hauling it to the scrap yard.. usually an easy $100-$150 profit..

 

[kb67mopar]

I have at times bought cars/trucks and sold parts off of them for profit. It takes lots of effort between craigslist and other sites as well as dissasembly and storage. However, you need the initial capitol to buy the vehicle up front and then the patients to take months to make the return on investment. Also you need to really know what parts are selling and for how much to know how much the vehicle is worth.

I have also bought, fixed and sold a few vehicles for a quick profit.

Other than those things I have not found a good way to make disposable income...it all has to come from your skills, abilities and motivation. The big question is, how much can you do being disabled, what are you good at, and is any of it marketable?

 

[Budnicks]

I can only afford to still do this stuff, only because I do "all my work" myself, I won't & don't ever pay someone else to do what I can do or what I can learn to do myself with just buying some tools or books etc., except some necessary machine work, tire mounting, some interior stuff {just because I want it perfect} & final wheel alignments {but I can get it really close}... That I don't have tools for... I also sell old take off parts "sometimes" or other stuff that I have had laying around I'm no longer using or need, sometimes trade stuff but that's really rare, most people are after $$$ not willing to trade much, but that stuff helps a little to fund my projects, helps others to get their projects going to, I don't try to gouge others, I live by the credo "do unto others, how you expect them to do unto you"... I will never use my house or other dedicated money for my car projects, if the funds aren't there I save or sell, or earn enough, until I have enough $$$, to actually do it right... "Penny pinching or being cheap", trying get a storming deal, has always "bit me in the A$$", every damn time, never fails...

 

[old_skool]

I have an agreement with my wife.. any parts I need for my car, come from bartering or selling other parts/projects I have.. IF we have money left over after bills are paid, and its not a high dollar item then I can swing it sometimes.. but most of the time.. my hobby has to support itself..

occasionally I do an odd job or two to get some extra cash as well.... Sometimes it is even finding the occasional abandoned/junk car for $50 and hauling it to the scrap yard.. usually an easy $100-$150 profit..

that's identical to what we do now, and Bud, I do all my own work, and don't farm anything out, also, I'm not talking restoration work, daily driver type of stuff. I like my Charger and have no intentions of getting a 4dr 6cyl grocery wagon etc, no offense to those who have to or like them, I'm just talking about being able to afford materials, repair items, I drive my Mopars and cars of the past like they did from the factory, on any road in any weather condition, so , not trying to do a Foose restoration on a shoestring, but normal repairs, body work, hell, my car will get a Macco paint job for $299 when the time comes.

 

[plum70coronet]

Barter, Barter, Barter my friend!!! It's all about bartering.. There is always someone out there wanting what you have, and has something of more value they are willing to trade... Dedicate yourself to checking the free ads on craigslist.. You have to be quick, but some people will give away good stuff.. I refresh the free section constantly.. Pick the good stuff up, clean it up/fix it, and then I start combing the wanted ads.. Usually there is sopmeone with a want ad for the same thing I picked up a week/few days ago.. And BAM!!!! Money in the bank.. Works every single time.. Last week I picked up a set of valve covers and air cleaner for a GM..Paid 15 bucks for them. Was 2 minutes from my shop, and I sanded them up, threw some paint on, and sold them yesterday for 80 bucks.. Now that's not bad for a little labor, and gas money.. I reckon I made a profit of 60 bucks for 2 hours of time.. If that.. Times are tough for alot of people, just be creative.. The money is out there, you just have to think outside the box..

 

[old_skool]

My disability is mostly my lungs, causes issues at times, and at times...strong like bull...some back and knee problems, but not so much I can't overcome or work around.

 

[Seax440Dodge]

You don't want to know what I do for car part money.......


Mostly I swap parts and do some horse trading, mainly deal in cash... wifey can't keep track of it that easy (and she likes it that way... the less she knows what I really spend on my hobby, the happier she stays... her own words!) :toothy9:

I DO know that she yells at me.... ALOT when she sees a charge from the airport show up on the bank statement ::argue:
(I tell her the airport's gas smells better...)

 

[old_skool]

You don't want to know what I do for car part money.......

uh...yes, I do...lol

Going to go through the garage, a lot of extra misc items, MC and old four wheeler stuff, some vw bug pieces, some parts coming off my Charger like the oem seats, going to have to get back in serious buy/sell mode again, have to wait till the weather gets a little better, been raining a lot here and I'm getting over pneumonia right now. I get yelled at every time I go outside to work on the car.

 

[pistol_grip_polara]

Barter, Barter, Barter my friend!!! It's all about bartering.. There is always someone out there wanting what you have, and has something of more value they are willing to trade... Dedicate yourself to checking the free ads on craigslist.. You have to be quick, but some people will give away good stuff.. I refresh the free section constantly.. Pick the good stuff up, clean it up/fix it, and then I start combing the wanted ads.. Usually there is sopmeone with a want ad for the same thing I picked up a week/few days ago.. And BAM!!!! Money in the bank.. Works every single time.. Last week I picked up a set of valve covers and air cleaner for a GM..Paid 15 bucks for them. Was 2 minutes from my shop, and I sanded them up, threw some paint on, and sold them yesterday for 80 bucks.. Now that's not bad for a little labor, and gas money.. I reckon I made a profit of 60 bucks for 2 hours of time.. If that.. Times are tough for alot of people, just be creative.. The money is out there, you just have to think outside the box..

kind of like the small block shorty gm headers I found at Value Village for $7 and sold at the swap meet for $100..

 

[steve from staten island]

Yours is a question I've thought about very often. Some folks have expendably income some don't. Some neglect there obligations to fund there hobby car and some also don't. Years ago i met a guy who had this very mint very rare very expensive muscle car. I wondered were this guy got the money,well i found out. He lived in a apt since he had gotten married,just never wanted to spend any extra money on his family. In his case something had to give and it was giving his family a better life. Me? i waited till after my oldest got out of grad school and got married before i thought about a hobby car and even then i nickeled and dimed everything

 

[Plymouth71]

I have a bunch of things I collected when I was younger (Not that I'm Old). I am selling of my Pepsi collection, Model kits, Hotwheels, Slot cars, Comic Books etc. I use my scale modeling skills to make custom slot cars for some friends on other sites and it helps. I sold a 1950's coke cooler in excellent condition(It belonged to my Grandfather but sat unused) to help finance my ride, so anything is fair game... except my kids. And I better say my Wife. otherwise... anyone need some used shingles?

 

[67Satty]

Any extra hours I work, that money goes to the Satellite. If I sell off old parts I don't need, that money goes to the Satellite. I've even saved our household recycling and turned that in. Three kitchen bags worth of cans and plastic bottles adds up to about $8. I keep the money from this stuff in a different account at my credit union so it doesn't get mixed in with the household money.

I buy used parts from junkyards, friends, swap meets, Craigslist, and eBay whenever possible. List of used stuff on my car:

Wheels (fronts from a friend, rears from Fall Fling)
Headers (used on eBay)
Heads (came with a project car I don't own anymore)
Steel Crank (from $25 junkyard shortblock)
Rods (see above)
Intake (used on eBay)
Carb (used on eBay)
Valve covers (Fall Fling)
Center section (Craigslist)
Steering box (used on eBay)

My car needed some rust repair in the rear quarters and in the bottom corners of the rear window area. Paying someone else to do it was just not in the cards. So I signed up for an adult Ed bodyshop class held at a local high school's auto shop. They supplied all the plasma cutters and welders and shop space, taught me what to do and set me loose. It took forever, especially the rear window corners needing to have metal fabricated to splice in (there a dizzying amount of angles there) but I eventually got it done.

 

[Bruzilla]

Two words: craigslist and ebay! I've put close to $3,000 into my car over the past year and I haven't spent a dime out of pocket. I've done it using bartering like Plum70Coronet says, by trading up for parts, and by buying stuff cheap on craigslist and selling it high on ebay. Why use your own money, and sell your own stuff, when you can sell other peoples' stuff and use their money to fund your project?

Also, do you have any artistic skills? I built a life-sized Creature From The Black Lagoon figure that I invested about $900 into, and I've been offered $10,000-$13,000 for it by multiple people. I considered making them as a business, but I know I would have lawyers from Universal Studios sitting on my doorstep if I did. Now I'm working on a lifesize werewolf from the movie Dog Soldiers, that I'm into for about $700, and I've been offered $6,000 for it before it's even done... and I'm pretty sure I can make those and not get sued by the Brits.

 

[kb67mopar]

Two words: craigslist and ebay! I've put close to $3,000 into my car over the past year and I haven't spent a dime out of pocket. I've done it using bartering like Plum70Coronet says, by trading up for parts, and by buying stuff cheap on craigslist and selling it high on ebay. Why use your own money, and sell your own stuff, when you can sell other peoples' stuff and use their money to fund your project?

Also, do you have any artistic skills? I built a life-sized Creature From The Black Lagoon figure that I invested about $900 into, and I've been offered $10,000-$13,000 for it by multiple people. I considered making them as a business, but I know I would have lawyers from Universal Studios sitting on my doorstep if I did. Now I'm working on a lifesize werewolf from the movie Dog Soldiers, that I'm into for about $700, and I've been offered $6,000 for it before it's even done... and I'm pretty sure I can make those and not get sued by the Brits.

All the check has to say is "Cash"


I paid for at least half of my Coronet with profit from parts cars. This site, craigslist and swap meets! I sold over $700 in one day at a swap meet....all from 1 parts car.

 

[Dako]

Two words: craigslist and ebay! I've put close to $3,000 into my car over the past year and I haven't spent a dime out of pocket. I've done it using bartering like Plum70Coronet says, by trading up for parts, and by buying stuff cheap on craigslist and selling it high on ebay. Why use your own money, and sell your own stuff, when you can sell other peoples' stuff and use their money to fund your project?

Also, do you have any artistic skills? I built a life-sized Creature From The Black Lagoon figure that I invested about $900 into, and I've been offered $10,000-$13,000 for it by multiple people. I considered making them as a business, but I know I would have lawyers from Universal Studios sitting on my doorstep if I did. Now I'm working on a lifesize werewolf from the movie Dog Soldiers, that I'm into for about $700, and I've been offered $6,000 for it before it's even done... and I'm pretty sure I can make those and not get sued by the Brits.

I'd at least be pumping out the 'creatures' to those willing to buy them. Without any advertising, you are not claiming them to be anything. I see at least $15K just from your current inventory!

 

[69roadr]

some of the things i do for extra income: craigslist, ebay classifieds (free) and yard sales. done the best with the yard sales. but you must be willing to part with some treasured/sentimental stuff you have!