Recomissioning my 1950s Standard 10 - what it REALLY cost...and what comes next!

[@StuartBleasdale-z9k]

Anyone who tells you that 3k spent on a classic car is probably the same person who gives that sort of money to a finance company in a couple of months to rent a boring box on wheels that they will never own, enjoy, cherish, learn from or know the joy of making someone else smile. Excellent content 👌 Steph, well done to you and your 'willing 'helpers 😊.

[@Vince_uk]

It was a team effort Steph, I have said it before and I will say it again that you know some genuinely lovely, highly skilled and yet modest people. I don't like to use the word "cheap" I much prefer to say that you and the guys have carried out the work cost effectively. We have a responsibility to nurture our young people and not spend all of our time denigrating them, they are our future and we live in very difficult times for many young people.. Social media as well as being a good force is often abused by some and they use it to mouth off about things they completely fail to understand or indeed want to understand.This has been a great series of videos. To me a car is worth whatever you feel it is worth to you, plain and simple.

[@chrisbolton5461]

Top comment.

[@markrossow6303]

Nice ! (1943 Willys MB in profile pic)

[@carlbillingham2670]

I loved Paul on the cylinder head work, not only a great subject matter expert but he cracked me up with his dry sense of humour. Keep up the great work Steph, I’m thoroughly enjoying the journey, cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

[@anadolman3246]

When you think of where you were in your life a few years ago, you've transformed since. You have a job (two including youtube) you love and in which you are clearly valued as a colleague, friends that value you and a boyfriend who shares your life. You look really happy and relaxed on screen, so different to the forced jollity of a few years ago, and utterly professional. Well done. Love the hat by the way. On the topic of younger people: like everything else, there are good and bad; what we tend to forget as we get older is that it was the same when we were young and in some cases, we were the lazy ones. The memory gets conveniently selective as we get older!

[@gregscally5119]

Very well said and I totally agree with you.

[@gregscally5119]

In Australia getting a useful and reliable daily driver classic for pds 3226 Aust $5800 is a complete steal. I think you have done extremely well with the little Standard. It also looks great. In effect the work was done over a month or two so as to meet your deadline but the average person could spread the project over say 12 months which makes the cash outlay very feasible. Congrats to you and your team.

[@iboswell]

Labour rates are an issue here as is expertise on these kind of things and then of course you have to find/import the parts. I'm sure HubNut has issues getting parts at a decent price delivered in the UK for his AU Falcon. One of our cars is a Disco 2 V8 and when my Mom came across I'd often get a few bits so she could bring them over including a spare radiator which I've yet to use. She was approaching 80 so travelled Business class and had pickups so it wasn't a problem for her, just the driver... Sadly died a couple of years back but still enjoyed her bug-eye WRX until the end...

[@georgejohnson1498]

Dear Steph, You are so lucky to work with such wonderful colleagues! Another lovely vid in the series on this remarkable and I imagine quite rare car. I really hope you do a tour video in the old girl. I have feeling that this car is going to be splendid, and will bring you a lot of joy. If you consider that running any older car, the monetary value of it is just about the last thing on your mind. Having it working as intended and bringing joy is priceless! Thank you all and best wishes from George PS: I do think the point about valve seats for unleaded petrol is valid, but you can get a another head gasket and accumulate the new valve seats and do the guides as well, and when you have recovered from this speedy bit, can really finalise the restoration. The cosmetics are ideal. Not a car you would be frightened to use in real life! It will end up being one of the best that could be had of the type. I am sure you will look after it, and keep it out of trouble. There is an old saying that is still valid, "Look after the kit, and the kit will look after you."

[@penfold5095]

Another great video on Speedy. A few of your costs where for consumable items i.e. tyres, brake parts & oil, which you will get with any car. The greatest thing is the invaluable learning new skills and knowledge gained from working on a classic car. Also the clubs and internet forums allow knowledge to be passed on from all over the world. Which is a resource we didn't have last century.

[@matslundstrom7763]

You're so correct Steph: If it's worth doing, it's worth doing properly!

[@kellybrickey4300]

Love little Speedy, and have enjoyed the process very much. Your attitude about driving classics mirrors my own. I work on my own cars and always spend more on them than makes sense. But suddenly it makes sense when I'm driving in the mountains and I pass all the pretty new cars with overheated brakes, or steaming radiators. And my cars don't have an $800/month payment. I hope you will feature Ed's new ADO16. It's great to be able to see them come back to life!

[@Dhira108]

I was thinking personally to have a classic car like you have is well worth the money spent. It's unusual and will give so much pleasure and given how much new cars are, I think it is fantastic value for money. Also big shout out to the classic car clubs who keep the cars on the road. Wonderful set of videos it was a pleasure following your journey

[@fepatton]

This has been a fantastic series, and has helped encourage me in my own MG TD project. Regarding labor costs, here in the US, not only would the labor rate be at least triple that, but you’d be charged “book time” for each task, even if the actual total time was substantially less!

[@bertbristow7172]

So good to get a serious and believable analysis. I never thought the typical Mike Brewer WD break ups were repeatable and until recently labour was ignored. Realistic and relatable.

[@Vaxcadian]

Steph, I enjoy your videos so much. I have learned so many British cars from you, and helped inspire me to buy one. And you’re right, working on them is worth every penny (I say as I change the alternator on my TR8). Thanks !

[@petesmith2132]

Brilliant video, full of very sensible advice for first time classic car owners. I have always gone for a cheaper car, and putting it right, rather than an expensive one that still needs work done.

[@theclocker7406]

Great video Steph, thanks for putting this out. As a long time subscriber, you are still my favourite classic car channel (very closely followed by Hub Nut). I'm such a big fan of Speedy (my absolute favourite car on KZbin!). The Standard 10 is such an awesome classic to own, and the costs were incredibly reasonable and worth every penny. I so wish I could get one over here in Canada, but no such luck. I love it every time I see a new video on Speedy, it makes my day! Love seeing these skills being done properly, and the ingenuity of the guys solving problems and fixing things and making it all look so easy, and kind of fun. Thank you so much for spreading so much joy and passion for old cars into my year; wishing you and all at ADO a fabulous Christmas.

[@nilo70]

An Amazing Journey Steph ! Knowing that your ride is rock solid and you can go wherever you want want without being afraid ! Cheers From California 😎

[@coldlakealta4043]

You have to be careful when reconditioning a car. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so by the time I got my 67 Mini Traveler to a state that I found satisfying I had actually put more money into it than I could reasonably recover selling it. It's turned out all to the good, though, as I am getting my money's worth in my satisfaction of ownership and enjoyable car shows. There aren't many Travelers in Canada - I'm usually parked on display amidst Mustangs and Camaros. Guess who gets the attention?

[@Rollie961]

The car is priceless Steph classic cars and motorbikes are ment to be driven and enjoyed 😊

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

Such a brilliant video Steph, your continued wise wisdom on classic car ownership is so sensible and in an age of ' worthless money and a throw away society ' , extolling the pride and fun out of owning a car that has lived a life and you as an enthusiastic custodian has helped to extend it indefinitely , together with Ed , Paul and others expertise .Look forward to the Mk 1 ADO 16 Estate project !.

[@andystocks3252]

I’m an ADO 17 fan. Had a beautiful one on a ‘J’ plate in about 1977 that was bodywork spotless due to my uncle having stripped out all the ‘lose bits’ on a weeks holiday when he bought and wax oiled, sponge and oil, and anything else he could to stop the rusting. It was amazing. I enjoyed everything about it until I wrote it off😢! Had a ADO 16 before it that was a nightmare…two idler gear bearings in twelve months!! Followed the landcrab with an Austin 1800 wedge. That was a great car too until some drunk ran into the back of it and nearly wrote me off too!! I’d love to get my hands on a good ADO 17…

[@johnpritchard2772]

Hello Steph, and your work colleagues / friends!! What a great interview with the lovely people who are true engineers in the real sense that like yourself are very enthusiastic too!! Best wishes from Lincolnshire

[@StevenJeNova]

With such a collective effort it's definitely worth it. Great work, everybody! We're custodians of the car, until the next owner. Enjoy it!

[@bobspeller2225]

Great review of your Standard 10. Very interesting and a good team you had around you. Cheers Bob

[@TheStobb50]

Absolutely brilliant, brilliant content, brilliant car. Standard cars were everywhere in my childhood, and you never ever see any now a forgot about well built cars. I think it was a bargain, Plus publicity for the workshop, publicity for the suppliers, publicity for the car itself, apprentic experience educational, and hopefully KZbin revenue, just keep it up. So what’s next

[@911hillclimber]

Smashing story, have enjoyed each video. You (all) got there in time, great effort. Decades ago a mate's next door had a 10 with a Spitfire engine and box and lots of chassis mods, can remember it now.

[@JohnSanders-yf6lk]

Well done to all involved. The outlay was very modest in relation to the end result of a tidy and thoroughly sorted car. You chose well😊! I hope that Speedy will continue to provide many years of reliable and enjoyable service. Kind regards from Formby (famous for red squirrels and asparagus).

[@rupert7874]

Excellent video,loved watching you and the team working on the standard, genuinely rekindled my want of a classic again

[@davidjones6209]

Hi Steph, just to add a little financial perspective here. You have just spent less than £4000 on a workable every day driver that you obviously love. Just take a step back and look at the cost of buying a second hand modern car. You would not get much change out of £6000 to get a good reliable one. The next thing then is going to be the worry of how long the electronics are going to last! You have a car that you know and trust, lets face it there is not much left to go wrong, you have done all of the major work! It is all to easy to look at the cost say a wheel bearing for a Standard against a mini and think it is more costly. Most modern cars wheel bearings are in sets of two or three and often require a whole new hub as well. The older cars had to rely on good quality engineering to perform, not electronic sensors to spot faults with dodgy engineering. I loved this series and look forward to the ADO16 Next year & of course Rustival

[@ry491]

Worth every penny you spent. That car should give years of service now and still have value when you sell it. I've had three of them . They are brilliant and so nice to drive .

[@mikecleasby709]

£2376 is really reasonable, I think. The fact that Speedy is reliable and safe is priceless, as is whatever you have learned along the way. Another thing is, even if you are able to do the work yourself to a competent level, it sometimes pays to weigh up if it’s more cost effective against your own time to ask a specialist to do some of the work. Things like family time can’t really be put a price upon (especially when you’re an old bloke with a young family……..) & is why I’m farming some of the bits and pieces for Sybil out to have her right for next spring 👍

[@scottstrails9369]

Smiles per mile ! Thanks again for all the great videos including this one .

[@junkorbust9498]

Way to go team Steph! As a daily compare the costs to a five to seven year old car. Your total cost for the 10 would only just equal the down payment, you won’t suffer depreciation and insurance is likely much cheaper also. Rock on Steph.

[@HB.I-e7t]

Wonderful video Steph and remember cars have souls,they take good care of their owners if they take good care of them.

[@graemeguthrie2054]

Steph that car is worth every penny it's great. I would be very happy to own it especially after your two very skilled colleagues have worked their magic on it.

[@allanmollison6971]

Thanks for sharing Steph, brilliant as always 😊👍

[@chrisbolton5461]

So refreshing. A great take on classic ownership.

[@Koulis_]

Well done you and the team, it isn't about money when it come to enjoying classic cars.

[@delukxy]

I think Ed should drive hi new car home. An adventure and the cheapest way to do it. A friend, totally unplanned bought a classic mini, a Mary Quant Edition if I remember correctly, at a September Beaulieu Car Mart and drove it home to Stockholm via Holland with virtually no mishaps. The headlamps made their way back to me a couple of years later!

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Interesting that you are getting the little red Morris 1100 off the Living with a Classic channel…. you might be interested in the hodge-podge Riley 1300 that Beards and Bangers just bought from All Things Alex…..

[@idriveaclassic]

Oh it’s not his! He was just really helpful in sorting Swedish stuff. Adam is awesome.

[@johnnywarnerperfectroad66]

Totally agree on what you say about safety and doing properly, plus it's about driving and enjoying, not investment and collecting as a museum item 👍. Just wish my Traveller rebuilding was going as cheaply, I'm 4 years into mine and 6 months to go, a good car to start with, but 3 times what you spent thus far on work (DIY). Hopefully makes Minors on tour 2026. Great video again Steph and have a lovely Christmas Johnny 👍

[@kellybrickey4300]

Who would think it isn't worth that much? That's peanuts, first of all, for the quality of the finished product! I'm very excited to see the ADO16 estate content. I've had five ado16 now, currently two, but over here an estate is a dream, i think.

[@michaelhalsall5684]

Happy Christmas from sunny Australia! All the best for 2025, both with your restorations and videos!(😊😊😊

[@johndavey72]

Hi Steph Good content and the camaraderie is obvious . It's very comforting to know that highly skilled fabricators and mechanics are still in demand . I "retired" in 2019 and l was paid £22k a year but 5 years on skilled panelbeaters are able to command £60k per year ! Is that an "e" type roadster rear wing in the background ? And yes , Adam's a lovely man . Thanks Steph

[@busterboy7505]

Well done Steph and team, thanks for your video, your right buy cheap and do the work yourself then at the end of the day you know what you have, Merry Christmas and have a happy new year 👍❤️👍.

[@JFW5358]

Enjoy Speedy. I'm sure it was well worth the cost.

[@a11csc]

Steph you are so lucky to have a great team at your disposal just as another certain you tuber has the LEGEND at his disposal lol

[@martinpook5707]

There is an immense pleasure in driving these older cars, you can feel the road and enjoy the experience. If you have to work on one, and most are quite simple, then enjoy doing it and when you've finished step back and get the dopamine hit from a job well done.

[@robinburn4974]

A Standard 10 was the first car i ever bought, £5 in a pub car park 😂😂 those were the days 👍

[@williamnethercott4364]

Good idea to post this video and I'm glad to hear that Speedy has turned out well.

[@kiwidave9416]

I don't know why the worth of restoring and maintaining vintage cars is always based on the resale value. Do people only go on ocean cruises based on the return they will get from their investment, or when they play golf, etc. Having a vintage car is a hobby that gives you pleasure. It's what you do with the money you get from your job for the fun side of life. If you get some money back at the end of it when you sell the car, well, all the better.

[@sjg4967]

Ha ha ha, Paul is a man after my own heart - still grieving not putting unleaded seats in..

[@gazonatrike7005]

Had to watch this later than usual, had a trip out to Halifax which always reminds me of Go With Noakes and Nellie the Moggy Minor tourer 284uph? The north was a distant thing to a young(er) me down south but the image stuck of the flyover thru town.

[@lesklower7281]

Steph l think if you take in the general maintenance such as servicing and tyres I any car new or a classic they are general costs in owning any vehicle and may include the braking system also classic cars are so much simpler easier to repair and having a classic car workshop which made the job a little easier

[@heavyt749]

A friend in Suffolk has 2 standard 10s plus loads of panels looking for a new home

[@ianwilliams8656]

The cost is irrelevant, you and the team have saved a classic car. I've said before that had it been a classic sports or luxury car people wouldn't care about the cost, but small everyday cars need saving too. Well done Steph and team.

[@brycechessum4684]

Nice Standard Ten at Napier NZ cruise in recently, Spitfire engine and very tidy.

[@stevenward6453]

What a daring you are Steph brilliant great car God bless ❤

[@trailingarm63]

Good film. Have you sorted the engine oil leak yet? You may have featured that and I missed the video.

[@hutchcraftcp]

Much cheaper to do a classic in the UK than the states. Labor in my area works out to about £ 160 an hour. Parts are also much higher prices and don't even mention the cost of the car. You can't even buy scrap metal for £850 here. I definitely envy you.

[@janicewatts5888]

When that cylinder head was off it would have been a good time to skim off 50 thou to raise that very low (7 to 1) compression ratio.

[@JonTheComputerDoctor]

That is a bargain so well done all of you.

[@roger5159]

Did you get your sun visor sorted?

[@alindberg8001]

Would have appreciated graphics on screen showing the costs 😊

[@alexandrecouture2462]

Very interesting!

[@49commander]

If you enjoy it Steph thats what matters!!! If you want a return on investment of just cash buy stock or bitcoin! I would rather have something that I enjoy!!!! Hats off to your team!!!!

[@paulgeraghty1448]

Which grade of oil did you use and was it synthetic?

[@stephenricketts7764]

I think your total so far is quite reasonable and I know there is some more work to do. What I would say is if 'you' meaning anyone, goes into the classic car world purely in terms of price then frankly you are in the wrong hobby. Another thing to mention is there are those who think their car is worth much more than it really is and are then peeved that it didn't make that at auction for example. I agree that it is likely to be worth more than your insurance company says but there is little you can do about that in terms of payout . I recently saw on another channel I subscribe to a 9 year old boy introducing his MG B, so fear not there is the interest out there among younger people. He intends to do some of the work himself with help from Dad but the car is in good shape now so he has a good car bought from his Auntie as I recall. I have enjoyed this series on Speedy Steph with all the ups and just a few downs along the way. I think you have encouraged a lot of people with your enthusiasm to get into classic cars so well done and of course well done to the whole team. 👍👍

[@NYCS19339]

Really, I think you aren't overly high at all because when you buy one, it's not likely to have new tires, new exhaust, and brakes like yours does. I think ordinary wear parts really count in the same way as the other restoration items.

[@PeterCox-k1w]

Here in Australia the costs are too prohibitive to take on these projects anymore

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Stunned, that's cheap. In Australia, $ 20000 is a number that pops up a lot. $2000 might just some paint. Cheap paint. About £ 1000. Seems the dollar has gone down again today.

[@garydargan6]

Yep worth more than the paper value even if it only for the joy you get fixing what needs done yourself.

[@49commander]

Wow, no one in the US would only charge less than $150 USD an hour here! New car dealers charge $200+!

[@davidhailstone1519]

Perfect pins.

[@MichaelCairns-fv2vi]

Im 69 I remember the district nurse doing her rounds in one that colour..govt issue

[@MichaelCairns-fv2vi]

Shouldve included the car in view

[@MichaelCairns-fv2vi]

Spring makers have nearly dissapesred here in Australia

[@stephenborsbey4350]

I assume you were charged the normal Labour rates of about £50 an hour.

[@brentfairlie9159]

Ed is such a cutie. Not that is why I watch the channel..........well maybe....

[@sietse9920]

Same!😊

[@sietse9920]

Wow! I think you did it really cheap 👍👍👍👍. Just a question: you didn’t have to pay the hours your handsome helpers put in??

[@michaelstaunton1632]

👍👍👍

[@Richard-r1x7d]

😀👍

[@hotpuppy1]

Old cars cost money. New cars cost money. If you don't want to maintain them, take the bus.

[@cwshtygriff13]

Who does Ed sound like 🤔?

[@thesmallerhalf1968]

People have been complaining about how lazy, disrespectful and rude kids are today, since kids were invented. 😊

[@McGrory69]

If I take my car there, can l get the 1980s labour rates? 😂😂

[@johngrubb1590]

And that's the point Steph you think it's worth it and that's all that matters.🫡