• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Where to start?

Don Smith

New Member
Local time
1:59 PM
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Messages
2
Reaction score
3
Location
Dallas, TX
So where do you start when you start a project car? Like many others I'm sure, have ended up at this point. Have owned a car forever always meaning to restore it. Not to show room condition. But close enough it looks almost new. It's a 68 Roadrunner from up north so there is typical frame and body rust.
Lets just say everything needs to be done. Body work, frame and interior. But where does a guy start? Is there a logical progression? Those that have done their cars. How did you assess what needed to be done.
 
It starts by asking yourself are your really able to do this heart, body, and $? There are many who start off with best intentions and end up with a car in a million pieces and that is the end of the project. If you are not ready to go full out, then perhaps consider just making it mechanically sound enough to enjoy as a driver. Otherwise, the best process is 1. body, 2. mechanical, 3. interior.
 
Well pull the engine and trans and start disassembling everything. Basically anything with a bolt or nut and mark on the containers or bags what is in each. (Trust me, you want to do this) Taking pictures as it comes apart is also a really good idea. Strip the paint and at that point you will have a better idea of exactly what you are looking at in terms of what needs done with frame, floor and sheet metal. Clearly at that point you will have a shell to work on first. I don't know how deep you are going but I say do it once, do it right. Oh, and you may have to mortgage the farm to pay for it all. :thumbsup:
 
How's the marriage? (no seriously) ....... a car restoration requires room, patience......money and more patience. Its easy to get lost in the weeds. Make a spreadsheet of stuff you need.....and want. Mark it off the list when acquired....and try to log your investment in terms of cost. Labor yourself is a hobby, paying others is very....very expensive. I've done 4 cars, and two drove me nuts. My current project is probably the hardest....convertible....., but every time I look at it.....I just want to get more done. You have to love this ****.
 
Hey Don, welcome to the site. Do you have a completion date in mind? I didn't, I In my case my 72 Charger was my daily driver back in the late 80's, I treated it and used it just a car. All the while it was what I had always wanted and did think it was cool; never abused it but since it was different colours and had scratches and dings I wasn't overly protective of it.

I would have been happy with it being all one colour and rust-free, car was originally from North Carolina but I live in Canada and we get our winters and salted roads so some rust did develop in the usual places. I stopped driving it in 1992 and pulled it apart starting in 2010.

My approach was to strip it right down, bag and tag parts and take lots of photos (wish I had taken more) bought the factory service manual and a parts manual and joined the forums. I was not in a hurry due to money and time, it's my only car other than my daily driver, not getting another one and will keep this car indefinitely.

I have a lot of magazine articles (Mopar Action, HPM, Mopar Muscle, etc) from back in the day on suspensions, steering columns, vinyl roofs, stripping parts, etc. I refer to those as well.

Once I stripped (used mostly tools in my tool box) the car down I took inventory of what parts I would restore or replace, always choosing original parts if possible. I had been buying/selling and collecting parts for years.

Body - removed my undercoating in my garage with a propane torch and scraper.
- doors I stripped with a 3M wheel on my drill and soda blasted.
- Fenders did the same but then got them chemically dipped.
Suspension - doing it all myself.
Interior - doing myself (debating headliner)
Engine - bought a replacement
Shell - sent out for body work and paint (i'm not a bodywork guy)
Doing the assembly myself.

I'm now 53, owned it at 21, good luck and you will get a lot of good advice here.
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/cdn72ses-restoration-thread.124369/
 
Last edited:
Do you have a complete, bonded attachment to the car?? Memories up the ying yang like running the cops every Friday night, back seat "dances" at the drive in and driving your bride from the church, etc? or is it just a "staple" in the yard? If not, sell what you have and buy someone's completed restoration and enjoy the drive with zero work and a lot less funds! In the words of that Renton guy.. "just my honest opinion" ! :)

If that didn't sway you, here's what your gonna be doing..
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/1969-dodge-super-bee-coupe-restoration.145777/
 
Welcome to the forum. Buddy this is a loaded question of sorts. So much to take into account that this isn't for everyone. With that being said, what is your vision? Concourse restoration (BIG $$$) or just something cool to drive to the car shows and not be embarrassed? This is also something to take into account also, do you have the space and resource to take on a project of this magnitude? Have you ever completed a huge project before? Sorry but these are questions you need to ask yourself.
Most of the guys here make stuff like this look easy, it's not. Years of wrenching and beating your knuckles up are the truly educated. Maybe start with smallish projects on the car first and then when you can declare victory move on and tackle another.. trust me something like this can get overwhelming in a hurry.
Good Luck :thumbsup:
 
Don, everyone has given you good advise, because you have to be prepared for a 5+ year commitment along with the money along the way to back it up. you also need to know how much of this project are you actually doing? are you doing the paint? are you doing the mechanical work including the engine, trans and rear end? are you doing the interior and electrical? or are you sending this stuff out and just assembling the car? Otherwise start with the body then the engine and finally the interior and trim...
 
Welcome Don to the site. How much money can you spend? This is not a cheap hobby. Think of a price you can spend and times it by at least 4. And remember you wont get your money back. Good luck and post some pics please.
 
Welcome to the site Don! I've recently joined this site and I'm a little deeper in than you - this is a GREAT place to get advice and help with your restoration. I agree with everything everyone has said.

I would start with three realistic assessments: 1) Time and 2) money. A spreadsheet and getting concrete about the dollar figures is a very, very critical part of your build. It really put into focus, for me, what I wanted to achieve and who (me) was going to have to do what parts of it.

If you have $60K or so, you can throw a check at it and get 'er done by outsourcing it all. If you don't, you can do a very solid rebuild and restoration for around $40K depending on what you want performance wise. But that means you have to do most of it (with the exception of paint and body depending on how significant your rust issues are) yourself. That's where the "time" factor comes in.

I am not a mechanic, I am doing my first full rebuild, and I expect that for every hour it would take a mechanic to do a job, it will take me three. Gotta ask yourself: is that worth it? For me, it's all in and no choice. If I had $45-50K on hand in cash today, I might just buy someone else's completed car - I'm 40 with a busy job and two young kids. So that's me - 10 years from now, I bet I have a lot more time.

Just my two cents - good luck and great car!
 
#41's advice is right on. So darn many cars get torn all apart with the best of intentions and then reality sets in; be it time, money, family demands, skill level, etc.
 
Welcome Don - this is a great site and I've learned a lot, a lot, a lot from many members during my time here.

It's probably been said in some of the above posts, but I think a lot has to do with your skill level and the desired end result. As someone who has done a "checkbook" restoration of a rare Mustang that had to be done correct and to a higher standard, I can attest that the cost is always more than anticipated - I think someone said multiply your estimate by a factor of four.

It wasn't quite that bad for me, maybe double due to an ill-advised choice of a shop (we've all heard this before, right?) thus paying twice for many things to be done right. I would note that one saving grace for that project was/is that vast majority of 1st-gen Mustang parts are reproduced or readily available used given the staggering number of '65 -68's that were sold. Here in Sacramento we had at the time two really good Classic Mustang parts store, and another larger one in Stockton, CA an hour away.

For my '69 Sport Satellite, I find that parts are there, but they cost a bit more and there isn't a local storefront that sells pretty much everything you need. My Satellite is a driver and will never be restored to the level the Mustang was so I'm willing to work on it a bit more myself and learn through trial and error. But, I still farmed out the front suspension and brakes, etc. The interior I may try my hand at. It's also an Arizona born and raised car and has never seen rain since it got here to California so I have no rust issues at all. Those I am told can be challenging.

If I ever desire another really nice classic, I will follow the advice of many and buy one that's done - always less expensive for someone with limited to moderate skills like me. I wish I was better mechanically, but I'm not.

The other caveat is that even if one is skilled, you will need a dedicated space, larger than one might think, for the project. Once parts are out of the car, they tend to take up a lot of space!

Maybe post some pictures of what you're starting with and let those in the group who are experienced and knowledgeable weigh in?

Regardless of the direction you decide to go in, I wish you luck and hope your project goes well!
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top