Restoring An Old Mopar With An Extremely Bad Back?

[1967coronet]

I have to lean towards the ( buy a finished car ) idea.
Considering your back problems and it sounds like your 70 needs a complete resto.
At the 100k level you mentioned much of the work it sounds like will be farmed out. So looking at that I would say go pick yourself out a nice 70 RR and you should save some $ and mabey your back.
Do what the Dr. Suggests but mabey push your self a little in the exersize area, stay loosened up, walk , drop a few lbs. Wash the new RR and enjoy life.
I get it. At 65 not all my parts are 100 percent. I will just keep messing around with my 67 and working around here. Between our 100 plus year old home and our rental I seem to keep busy.
Good luck to you , hope your back improves a little.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I can't speak to your specific situation OP, but I will say this:
Back problems, if they are not from some degenerative issue or injury, are 95% caused by your core being to weak to support your activities properly.

In short- if you do sit ups every day your back will be fine until you are dead or some other issue makes the spine itself weak(degenerative)
If you can't bend, do leg lifts in a reclined chair. Or crunches.

"Beer gut" people have back issues. "Resting" and avoiding any strengthening activity will never improve, only worsen the issue.

Again, a degenerative issue, injury, or some other thing that affects the bone structure or integrity of the spine is a different story. But "tweaked back" is because your gut was not strong enough and your back was doing it's unfair share of the load. Lift with your legs is yelled from the rooftops because it allows you to keep your core straighter, which means your belly can participate in the work.
Workout people like to focus on arms and legs.
You will feel and do a lot more if you are trim and have a stout core than you will if you have tree trunk arms and a beer gut.

Fifty years ago, when I was a competitive power lifter, the guy who got me started preached the importance of good stomach muscles to avoid back problems. He was a kinesiology major, who later became a professor in the subject. After five years of competitive weight lifting, and 25 years of driving a tractor trailer, I still have no back problems at age 70, following a regimen of sit ups continuously throughout my life, long after the heavy weight lifting was done. As stated in the earlier post, proper alignment is critical in avoiding back issues, but degenerative issues can certainly throw things out of whack.

I have some mild fallout from childhood polio, which leads to leads to some back issues if I'm on my feet for extended periods. Diminished muscle endurance in my hips and gluts leads to back spasms when my back takes on a compensatory portion of the load. My response, is to currently avoid activity requiring squatting, and I use a pair of forearm crutches to maintain ideal posture if I'm going to be upright for a significant period.

Ironically, when I'm using the crutches, people are always asking me if I need to sit down, which I don't, as long as I have the extra support for my upper body. When I don't use them, the thought never enters anyone's mind, but I'll be miserable after about 15 minutes of being upright in one position.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I have a 2 post lift, but I have found when my back hurts just having it high enough I can sit on a scooter chair is helpful. Maybe a mid rise lift would work for you.

 

[1STMP]

I've had a 'bad' back since I
was 17. (Broken neck/
paralyzed braceal plexus).
I've rebuilt/restored multiple
vehicles. But now 69 y/o
I find I need and extra pair
of hands. Consider being a
mentor and try to pass
forward your passion and
skills. I'm lucky to have a
son and grandson who
share mine. I get them to do
the heavy lifting.
Hopefully I'm not
contributing to any future
back problems they may
incur.

 

[Ron H]

when I was a competitive power lifter

I was around 14 when I got into weights, I was a skinny kid and took my share of being pushed around including by my older brother. There was a guy in HS, a junior when I was a freshman, who took a liking to me after I was getting enthralled with lifting weights. He was an imposing presence, built dang-near looking like a pro-lifter. He had a bunch of equipment setup in his folk’s basement. He’d pick me up and drop me back home after a few hours of lifting. Sometimes he’d pick up his gorgeous HS girlfriend and he would take me along for eats at a drive-in. Guy was one in a million; nicest guy you could ever meet. How many older guys in HS would be ok having a freshman spend any time with tagging along?

About a year later had gained 35lbs and was pretty built. Joined the gymnastic team doing mostly the rings and horse. Along the way, I suffered a couple painful injuries, flew off the high-bar landing on the floor – right in the spot where the mats didn’t cover the floor, my lower back took the hit. Scary, as my legs were so numb couldn’t get up. After about 15-minutes the feeling in my legs came back and was fine. Another time doing a new maneuver on the rings, felt like I tore my arms off smacking the floor mats. Advantage of youth; I was fine after about a week or so.

Later – came the injuries working at a machine shop such as lifting 75lb bars up to shoulder-height a horizontal milling machine and back down to finished parts pallet. Among several other injuries came building my deck. Ironically, part of my job later involved ergonomics training completing a two-semester course to obtain a trainer certification. I learned ALL of the **** I did, injuring myself was largely preventable having some knowledge of body-mechanics. Developing great muscle strength had some ills when it came to my spine. Longer story; but the damage one does to their body being young and dumb over decades, is a root cause of later - ills, as my surgeon explained viewing my MRI images.

Plus side? Lol, there came a day when I was a HS junior, when my dear-brother got pissed at me and wanted to kick my ***. When I picked him up throwing him halfway across the room, he changed his mind.

 

[DeltaV]

Trying to decide if it's time to hang up the wrenches and concentrate on complete running vehicles.

Yes, it's time.

Assuming you have discussed working on your cars, I know what your doctor would tell you if he hasn't already told you. Follow his professional advice; that's what you pay him for.

 

[ct71rr]

I have a MaxJax lift. It gets a car about 4’ in the air. just enough to make working on it comfortable. Would this work for where you live? I got mine from Home Depot - I used the 18 month interest free offer they mail out every so often and got free shipping. This was several years ago. Mine was a bit cheaper back then.

MaxJax®

 

[torredcuda]

Yes, it's time.

Assuming you have discussed working on your cars, I know what your doctor would tell you if he hasn't already told you. Follow his professional advice; that's what you pay him for.

I trust Dr`s as far as I can throw them, which with a junk back isn`t very far. I think you have to decide for yourself - do you still actually enjoy the process and still want to do something or just give up and sit on the couch he rest of your life? I understand every situation is different but YOU have to decide for YOURSELF if it`s it worth it or not, no one knows your condition and limits better than you do.

 

[TorRed]

Had back problems back in the early 1990's I was a automotive mechanic, did a lot of heavy work, transmissions, engines, etc. Doctor told me you need to find a different line of work, or I will operate on you and then you will have to find a different line of work. I took a job as an automotive instructor at a local technical college. I started watching my weight and doing stretching and strength exercises every morning and still do to this day. It took about a year of light work, and exercises and my back has been pretty good for the last 20 years. I was diagnosed with lumbar stenosis and arthritis in my back. Doctor told me one of my discs was so gone that one of the vertebrae fused themselves together without any operation. Your issues may be different, but that is what worked for me. I am 67 now and piddle in the garage everyday working on project cars. I just don't lift anything stupid heavy, and don't try and lean over a fender for long periods of time. As soon as I feel a pain starting take a break and sometimes lay in the floor and stretch, and I will feel a minor popping and I am good to go. And the thing on the exercises is you have to do them religiously, not just every now and then. My girlfriend had a curved spine, and they operated and put in a rod to straighten her back, she had a lot of pain, finally talked her into starting easy and doing some of the exercises I have been doing and now she walks 2 miles a day and has very little pain.

Your and my back sound very similar and after hearing so many examples of people doing things at the speed and limitations their body allows I think I'm going to try to get the project moving and see if my back lets me do it. Thanks for your and everyone else's here significant input!

 

[TorRed]

Think you should post pictures of your car. Maybe it doesn't need a resto to make it a fun driver.

 

[TorRed]

Lots of good suggestions from others with severe back problems. You of course need to do what you need to do - but depending on your financial situation my money goes toward you buying a done car vs killing yourself trying to make one done. One hell of a lot easier on the body, mind and most likely even your pocket book.

I wish you the best and hope your fulfill your Mopar wishes

Thank you for your advice and best wishes. The Roadrunner is my first car and the one my wife & I dated in during high school. I'm looking into a low or mid rise scissor lift that may make it possible for me to do what I can and pay someone else for the rest. Thanks again, Jim

 

[TorRed]

I can't speak to your specific situation OP, but I will say this:
Back problems, if they are not from some degenerative issue or injury, are 95% caused by your core being to weak to support your activities properly.

In short- if you do sit ups every day your back will be fine until you are dead or some other issue makes the spine itself weak(degenerative)
If you can't bend, do leg lifts in a reclined chair. Or crunches.

"Beer gut" people have back issues. "Resting" and avoiding any strengthening activity will never improve, only worsen the issue.

Again, a degenerative issue, injury, or some other thing that affects the bone structure or integrity of the spine is a different story. But "tweaked back" is because your gut was not strong enough and your back was doing it's unfair share of the load. Lift with your legs is yelled from the rooftops because it allows you to keep your core straighter, which means your belly can participate in the work.
Workout people like to focus on arms and legs.
You will feel and do a lot more if you are trim and have a stout core than you will if you have tree trunk arms and a beer gut.

My back definitely falls under both the degenerative category (degenerative arthritis diagnosed 20+ years ago) and injury (broke my back playing football, and played four more years afterwards) It's bothered on & off my entire life, but moved out of a large storage unit with me doing all the lifting and moving early last year and it's been steadily worse since then. That said, your advice about my core (and belly) are spot on with my neurologist having just told me the same thing. Thanks, Jim

 

[TorRed]

i turned 62 and have had a bad back for atleast 20 years. i get really stiff and ache all over from just doing a oil change. i to have a 70 roadrunner for 42 years. i just installed headers after all these years laying on the floor turning upside down like a pretzel. it took me about 6 days and about 5 hours per day. i still have fitment issues. i hope to build another home in 2 years and garage will have a lift or i dont know how much, i can keep thinking i am still 20years old and crawl under cars and then push it back in garage myself. i will be relocating to groveland ,florida not far from the Villages

We'll have to hook up when you move down here, been living in The Villages for 2 years now.

 

[TorRed]

I was around 14 when I got into weights, I was a skinny kid and took my share of being pushed around including by my older brother. There was a guy in HS, a junior when I was a freshman, who took a liking to me after I was getting enthralled with lifting weights. He was an imposing presence, built dang-near looking like a pro-lifter. He had a bunch of equipment setup in his folk’s basement. He’d pick me up and drop me back home after a few hours of lifting. Sometimes he’d pick up his gorgeous HS girlfriend and he would take me along for eats at a drive-in. Guy was one in a million; nicest guy you could ever meet. How many older guys in HS would be ok having a freshman spend any time with tagging along?

About a year later had gained 35lbs and was pretty built. Joined the gymnastic team doing mostly the rings and horse. Along the way, I suffered a couple painful injuries, flew off the high-bar landing on the floor – right in the spot where the mats didn’t cover the floor, my lower back took the hit. Scary, as my legs were so numb couldn’t get up. After about 15-minutes the feeling in my legs came back and was fine. Another time doing a new maneuver on the rings, felt like I tore my arms off smacking the floor mats. Advantage of youth; I was fine after about a week or so.

Later – came the injuries working at a machine shop such as lifting 75lb bars up to shoulder-height a horizontal milling machine and back down to finished parts pallet. Among several other injuries came building my deck. Ironically, part of my job later involved ergonomics training completing a two-semester course to obtain a trainer certification. I learned ALL of the **** I did, injuring myself was largely preventable having some knowledge of body-mechanics. Developing great muscle strength had some ills when it came to my spine. Longer story; but the damage one does to their body being young and dumb over decades, is a root cause of later - ills, as my surgeon explained viewing my MRI images.

Plus side? Lol, there came a day when I was a HS junior, when my dear-brother got pissed at me and wanted to kick my ***. When I picked him up throwing him halfway across the room, he changed his mind.

I'm laughing remembering some similar things in my youth. I wrecked my 10 speed, my dirt bike so many times I lost count ending up in the hospital once, I totaled an Easy Go golf cart (not easy to do, involved a 10 ft drop), broke my back in football, went from 172 to 260# to play college ball, used to get beat up a lot by my older brother until one day he came home on leave from the Air Force and forced me to wrestle him in the front yard, 15 seconds I had him in a cranked down Double Nelson and calmly asked if we could quit now? We did and he never bothered me again. Like yours, my back is 'used up' and my neurologist said "all those things you've been doing up to now, you no longer can do them".

 

[TorRed]

I have a MaxJax lift. It gets a car about 4’ in the air. just enough to make working on it comfortable. Would this work for where you live? I got mine from Home Depot - I used the 18 month interest free offer they mail out every so often and got free shipping. This was several years ago. Mine was a bit cheaper back then.

MaxJax®

I looked into similar lifts after we moved into our current house, and none of them will fit with a 8' ceiling, the lowest I found was around 11' with the car being the tallest point, but I appreciate the response. Thanks, Jim

 

[TorRed]

I trust Dr`s as far as I can throw them, which with a junk back isn`t very far. I think you have to decide for yourself - do you still actually enjoy the process and still want to do something or just give up and sit on the couch he rest of your life? I understand every situation is different but YOU have to decide for YOURSELF if it`s it worth it or not, no one knows your condition and limits better than you do.

I totally agree and to a large degree have lived my whole life not obsessing over what doctor's say. That said, this time my back is much worse than its been so I will at the very least need to consider a low scissors jack that will allow me to do more work myself without killing my back. I'm sure my doctor would disagree.

 

[barryv]

We'll have to hook up when you move down here, been living in The Villages for 2 years now.

i was just at mount dora on saturday with friends. very nice area. i bought my roadrunner in 1982 .dated my wife during that time. similar stories. i have a good friend in groveland with a really nice 73 cuda. i hope to start building in 2025 .thanks

 

[torredcuda]

Your and my back sound very similar and after hearing so many examples of people doing things at the speed and limitations their body allows I think I'm going to try to get the project moving and see if my back lets me do it. Thanks for your and everyone else's here significant input!

Good luck and keep us posted or better yet start a restoration thread .