Best way to take on a restoration?

[cozye]

really good advice grnsky. This is pretty much what I've done. I did a bit bigger "sections", but the same basic concept. I did all the suspension at once, all the brakes at once, etc.. When I got to the body, I did one section at a time. I'm 9 months in and many thousands of dollars spent. Car is at the painter right now getting sprayed. Once I get it back, interior will be going in and it should start coming together nicely.

[ollie]

I'm in a similar spot as the OP...I recently purchased what was sold to me as a 24,000 original mile '73 out of Colorado. I finally pciked up the car last weekend and while it isn't exactly as offered, it is 100% solid from any structural issues, never hit, 90% original paint, etc. Little issues which could have been huge are things like a missing castle nut and cotter pin off a tie rod, what the heck! Any way it runs very well...but now that it is in the Pacific Northwest my number one goal is to drop the sub frames, pull the transmission and fuel tank then strip all the sound deadener. This car has never been undercoatted so that's a plus. While the suspension is out we will clean up and powder coat all these parts, replacing all the bushings and properly seal the under carriage with whatever the best solution the body shop can offer, if that is por - 15 or what, I don't know given there is no rust to start with, then reinstall the suspension and running gear. I figure this will run me around $5k once I'm through all the "while you are in there" items. I know a car is only original once so I'm trying to avoid my impulse to stip the body and go crazy with paint...there is some surface rust to deal with but it is very light and certainly not through any panels but it drives me crazy so I have to deal with that, at least. So to echo what others have stated, if you are not doing the "shot gun" approach with an open limit on your VISA card then you might want to go the direction I'm headed towards getting the car running right, strip the suspension, etc and go from there.

[ZCurves]

First, re-read what Z train wrote earlier. It is going to take lot's of time and $$$$.

You have to survey what you've got. Look over the body, look over the interior. Use a Laptop, get a beer and then start making notes in a Journal for every detail and the condition of all of the components (that you notice). This Journal will be a 'Living Document' so you will be adding notes about what you find and correcting and deleting other areas as you go.

Does the motor run? How does it run? Does the AC work? Write all of this information down in the Journal -because you will not remember it later.:stupid:

Get a digital camera and take loads of pictures of EVERY FRIGGIN THING BEFORE you touch it. Take lots of close up pictures and take into consideration the position or 'Clocking' of components -especially under the hood.

Get a Sharpie and some ID labels\tags and when the time comes to remove ANY wires make sure that you label what it goes to. Abbreviations suck, write the name if you can.

If you are going to be removing/rebuilding the engine, Now is NOT the time to be wasting money and effort in trying to get it started.

Plan on breaking the restoration into FOUR manageable areas. These are Suspension and Brakes, Body and Paint, Engine, Fuel (and Drive-line), Interior and everything else. Your restoration should also follow in that same order -assuming that the Engine and Transmission are removed so you can paint the engine bay. Prioritization is the key to success.

When you begin to take things apart, put the screws back into the component they came from. This way, they will be there when you are putting everything back together. When you encounter a stuck bolt or some difficulty, STOP and take your time. Ask questions to the forum. You may need to let it go for a while and come back to it later when you have a cooler head.

The Journal, The Hundreds of Pictures that should have taken - along with a Factory Service Manual (FSM) will be your key to re-assembly.

Download the Fuel Injection Bible.

Do not be afraid of asking lots of questions. Knowledge is power, which is why we are all here.

[jfa.series1]

I am also doing a total resto and getting fairly close to the finish line. If you will pm me your email address, I will send you the spreadsheet I have maintained throughout the project. I started with a "needs" section and added to it as I identified something to be replaced - car section by section as advised above. The "needs" area allowed me to research sources and compare prices. As I purchased an item, I removed it from the "needs" and entered it in the "purchased" area with source and cost info. I also maintained a list of supplies and consumables - that has added up to over $1k during the project.

Don't neglect to carefully bag & tag everything that comes off the car - immediately as it comes off. Even one screw should be in a baggie with a identity tag inside with it.

You can see a bit of my progress in my "garage".

Good luck - you are beginning an adventure that you will remember a long time.

Jim

[Threehz]

Fantastic advice! ZCurves that is a very helpful breakdown of everything, and so far here every question I've put out has been answered and this community has been great to me!

Jim I'd definitely love to see your spreadsheet pm sent!

Alright well I've got a solid plan now so I can promise that soon I'll be posting TONS of questions, pictures, etc seeking advice from the wise!

[ZCurves]

Jim,

You should upload your spreadsheet to the 'Downloads' area for others to use. It sounds like a great tool!! Look for where it says 'Add File' at the top.

Edited May 16, 2011 by ZCurves