Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: tballralph]
#1081485
09/24/11 02:59 PM
09/24/11 02:59 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,872 connecticut
pnypwr
master
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master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,872
connecticut
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first nd foremost ou need a plan...do you want to drive it while fixing it up? do a concours resto? make a clean nice fun driver? thats the first place you start...
"Are you gonna bark all day lil doggy? Or are you gonna bite?"
05 ram 2500 ctd 74 gremlin x 360 65 mustang 347 70 coronet R/T 440 03 Mach 1
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Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: newem]
#1081492
09/24/11 11:41 PM
09/24/11 11:41 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,632 jersey shore
flypaper
I hate Texas
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I hate Texas
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,632
jersey shore
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Quote:
Restoring a car requires time and money... but it mostly requires money. If you don't have a good cash flow then it will sit around for years.
and thats even if you can do all the work yourself or get the work done for nothing.
parts are expensive and add up very fast i'm afraid to look at my pile of receipts i'm in too deep anyway, there is no looking back for me
one thing for you to do to start is
make sure you REALLY want it first and then brace yourself and be prepared to be digging deep into the wallet...
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Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: RUNCHARGER]
#1081493
09/24/11 11:49 PM
09/24/11 11:49 PM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,047 Arizona
68CoronetRT
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,047
Arizona
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Quote:
Very first step is to find ALL of the rust. I would take a ball pein hammer and lots of light and go under the car. When you crawl out from under it be absolutely confident that the frame rails are solid and straight and know whether the floor has to be replaced and if the inner fenders and wheel houses need replacing or fixing. When you have that established you can price out the parts needed, consult your friend to see if he really is going to help you until the end. Then you have to decide what you want for a finished product. It's not necessary for every car to be painted and detailed underneath but if that's what you want the approach is much different than if you want a driver that you will be out in the rain with. So anyway: 1) Find all rust. 2) Price and obtain necessary sheetmetal. 3) Either disassemble complete car or only whats necessary (depending on results wanted). 4) Repair rust. 5) Finish bodywork and paint car. 6) Repair/refinish trim. 7) refinish interior.
When you do a budget quote, double or triple it and you'll be close.
Sheldon
Good advice given here. THE biggest mistake first timers make is not properly evaluating their projects. They tend to see past all the work and money while envisioning themselves driving the end product- a fully restored muscle car. They overlook many flaws and minimize what they do see (like surface rust). Most of these older cars have had previous work done on them and some of it way below the quality standards these cars deserve. I just finished a car (inferior brand name) for a customer who bought it and wanted me to just "freshen it up." The car had over an 1" of bondo covering one quarter, galvanized sheet metal patches screwed on holding what was left of the floor pans and trunk floor together, the center floor support was rusted away, the bucket seats were add-ons from another car brand, and many other horror stories. What started out to be a $4000 job ended up over $12000 to complete and that was for a driver quality car that would see one or two local shows only.
Without a thorough evaluation of the true condition of the car you risk getting into a never ending project that will eventually be sold "as-is" or rust away in the back yard waiting for you to get around to fixing it.
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Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: maud]
#1081496
09/25/11 10:01 PM
09/25/11 10:01 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,944 GA
roadrunninMark
master
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master
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,944
GA
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Don't let others stomp your idea into the ground. Keep a positive attitude and look at the car as individual goals, not one big one. This way you will not get overwhelmed. I would do this: keep the car as a driver so you can enjoy it while you work on it, don't go crazy. Like some of the others have said, start with one part of the car: usually the worst rusted part. Then keep going. If you cover your new metal with rust proofing paint (rust bullet for example), you can leave it for a while and not have to worry about 2 steps forward, one back. Your project will slowly get done while you can drive it and then you will have something in the end to be proud of while learning how to do it. Have your friend teach you the bodywork as he/she does it! Cleanup, paint, and fix as much of the original pieces you can, that will keep costs down. If you start getting discouraged, stop for a while then come back to it. It will be a great learning and fun experience if you don't have to have the car as your daily driver too. Good luck and post pics for everyone to see! Mark
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Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#1081497
09/25/11 11:20 PM
09/25/11 11:20 PM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 153 Gladstone, Michigan
UP FM3challenger
member
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member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 153
Gladstone, Michigan
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Quote:
Don't let others stomp your idea into the ground. Keep a positive attitude and look at the car as individual goals, not one big one. This way you will not get overwhelmed. I would do this: keep the car as a driver so you can enjoy it while you work on it, don't go crazy. Like some of the others have said, start with one part of the car: usually the worst rusted part. Then keep going. If you cover your new metal with rust proofing paint (rust bullet for example), you can leave it for a while and not have to worry about 2 steps forward, one back. Your project will slowly get done while you can drive it and then you will have something in the end to be proud of while learning how to do it. Have your friend teach you the bodywork as he/she does it! Cleanup, paint, and fix as much of the original pieces you can, that will keep costs down. If you start getting discouraged, stop for a while then come back to it. It will be a great learning and fun experience if you don't have to have the car as your daily driver too. Good luck and post pics for everyone to see! Mark
I tore down my road runner to completely restore it in 94. The car is still apart, wish I would have done it sections at a time. The small parts add up fast when you do a complete disassembly.
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Re: Were to start on my 69 charger restoring project car
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#1081502
09/28/11 12:14 PM
09/28/11 12:14 PM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,047 Arizona
68CoronetRT
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,047
Arizona
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Quote:
Don't let others stomp your idea into the ground. Keep a positive attitude and look at the car as individual goals, not one big one. This way you will not get overwhelmed. I would do this: keep the car as a driver so you can enjoy it while you work on it, don't go crazy. Like some of the others have said, start with one part of the car: usually the worst rusted part. Then keep going. If you cover your new metal with rust proofing paint (rust bullet for example), you can leave it for a while and not have to worry about 2 steps forward, one back. Your project will slowly get done while you can drive it and then you will have something in the end to be proud of while learning how to do it. Have your friend teach you the bodywork as he/she does it! Cleanup, paint, and fix as much of the original pieces you can, that will keep costs down. If you start getting discouraged, stop for a while then come back to it. It will be a great learning and fun experience if you don't have to have the car as your daily driver too. Good luck and post pics for everyone to see! Mark
I don't think anyone is trying to kill his dream but rather point out the facts to him before he begins his project. Restoring a car is a costly thing to do and if you are not already equipped with the tools and knowledge it is even more costly and time consuming. Also many guys think they'll restore a car, drive it for a while and then sell it for big bucks like they do on Barrett-Jackson. With today's market you will have trouble selling any restoration for what you have in it unless it is a VERY desirable model. Once equipped with the facts if he decides to continue that's up to him and him alone. I keep a log book of the hours I put into restoring a car, the cost of the materials, the cost of the supplies, the cost of the replacement parts, etc. and it is a real eye opener.
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