How do I start Restoration?

[jimbob101]

I hope that life didn't get in the way! Not fun having a partially dismantled car in the garage and you can't drive it! I find it always useful to have a knowledgeable mopar buddy assess a project and see what will really be involved! More fun!

 

[69B5]

All good advice!!
I was at a cruise one evening and this fellow asked if my car was for sale, No.
He then asked me what I had in the restoration
I said, "To save my marriage I never added it up"
Some times it's better to not know exactly what you have invested, because you might be afraid to drive it

 

[Bladecutter]

Yup! Can't abide by trailer queens. Meant to be driven....ignore the numbers & cross the fingers and never walk away from it in public. Isee Your 70 Coro vert And RR or GTX? 68 Coro post or 4 door is my flavor Mope

 

[mopardog]

Solid advise, I will agree with everyone else here. What I have learned over the years is it's good to have a plan of attack on paper before you start....and of course, having permission from the wife helps out too : ). I went over my RoadRunner from top to bottom, front to back, inside and out, and made notes of what needed done as a checklist. I then prioritized the items from most to least crucial. I am finally in a position where I can "farm" out alot of the work and the checklist seems to help those who are working on my baby. My list of priorities are as follows:

1. Suspension front and rear
2. Paint and body
3. Electrical
4. Mechanical
5. Interior/Glass replacement

As of now the car is coming out of phase 1 and moving into phase 2. But I haven't been sitting around waiting. I have acquired nearly all the new wiring, have located a proper 400 big block that is waiting to be torn down. I have a fresh set of heads ready to go on when engine is done. A new front windsheild in stroage. Located a NOS proper dual snorkel (?) breather to go on top of engine and most of the bolt on engine stuff. Even cleaned the sending unit and cleaned out the gas tank. I figure when car comes back from body shop later this summer, it take a couple of weekends to get the electrical and mechanical sorted out, and so on. Everyone has their own timetable and way of doing things, this is just how I go about it based on past experience. Good luck on your project and above all...remember to have fun with it. Bladecutter, I couldn't agree more, trailers are for broken cars!!!

 

[dangina]

one thing I like to ad as i'm almost done my car, if you have to buy parts (which you will), and those parts you don't know about:

1) Go on a few restoration sites like year one, summit, jims auto parts ect. Sign up to all of their email lists IMMEDIATLY.

2)Then with a pad and paper (or on computer) and look under every single category that is related to your car. look under every list and write down every single part you want/need and how much they cost (to be even more organized write down the companys product number as well to save looking for them in the future).

3)When that is done, go onto the next restoration site and do this again, as different sites offer different parts and different pricing on the same parts.

4) When that's finished, compare your lists and write up a new list of all the parts that were cheapest from the respective sites on different sheets, one list for year one, one list for jims ect.

5) Wait till you get that email from those companies offering 20-30% off (presidents day, black friday, christmas and new years are usually around 30% off, summit only has a sale day once a year that is a percentage off of the entire bill and its usually between christmas and mid January, or if make it to one of the world of wheels shows, stop by the summit booth and pick up their catalog and its got a one time use sticker on it for a percentage off of your entire order)

6) Buy as much as you can at once from that site to save yourself on shipping costs. (if you can't buy all of it, buy what you think you will need to keep your build going for awhile)

I have probably saved about $5000 on parts doing this, Hope I saved you some cash as well

 

[adam83]

Do you have a garage? you will need the space and the shelter.

You have to invest in tools along the way. Start by getting a GOOD air compressor. You are severely limited in capabilities if you dont have one. If you can, get one that can support 20 to 25 scfm. Why so much? Because you will then be able to run a sand blasting cabinet. Why do you need that? Because if you are reusing 50 year old parts, nuts, bolts you will be doing A LOT of cleaning. Trust me

This has been my experience. I have a decent compressor, 12 scfm at 90psi, but Im saving for a much better Quincy Compressor so I can get a blast cabinet. I cant even begin to imagine how much money I've spent in the last 7 years on wire brushes, wire wheel attachments for drills and angle grinders, sand paper, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits and can-spray brake parts cleaner, ridiculously messy baking soda blaster guns from harbor freight....

All these tools and cleaners are necessary at some point and should be stocked in any garage, but if you solely rely on them to clean rust, paint, grime, sludge and oil caked on oil from your restoration, then price adds up quick. So does taking the parts to a company for sand blasting.

Unless you have a REALLY good buddy with a blast cabinet.


I wouldnt think of the cost of the restoration too much. If I would've known how much I'd have to invest in my 71 to get it where it is today, I would have talked myself out of buying it...maybe . Just eat the elephant one bite at a time. I budget extra money as I get it and take it 1 piece at a time.

What do YOU want the car to be? If you plan on putting a big engine and doing body work, then take it completely apart and fix the rust first. Check to see if the frame is straight. It's amazing how many problems can be hiding behind old paint, carpet and undercoatings.


Oh yeah, dont let anyone discourage you by telling you "Thats too much HP for a street car." I get that all the time.