Parts Gathering Steps

Hey guys. Well I'm in the process of trying to start the restoration on my 71' Roadrunner. Where I'm at is basically square one. The car is all original and I have started disassembly under the hood.

What I'm looking for is advice. What steps do you guys use to start gathering parts? Do you start with gathering parts for the suspension, engine, or interior?

The one thing I learned from my father's restoration on his 67' Dart GTS was not to build the engine too soon. His 440 sat on the stand for several years if I remember right before it was in the car and ready for break-in. Does that amount of time cause any issues as far as parts weakening or gathering internal dust/contaminants?

All I've gathered so far is new seat covers, correct carpet, headliner, and a complete reprint of the 1971 chassis and body manual.

Any help and advice is appreciated.

Im still pretty much in your spot. I've had my RR since 2006, and I haven't really accomplished much yet.

I started with the drivetrain stuff first. Once I got it driveable, which took several years, I finally got to drive it. I enjoyed 2 summer's with it. I had already started gathering body parts though, and some interior pieces here and there.

Last year we started the tear down with the body work. I tried to have most of the parts ready to go, but things were worse than we thought once we got going. My ability to buy new metal has somewhat slowed me down, as im on a tight budget. Sad to say, but I haven't driven mine last year or this year. By next summer, I hope to have the bodywork done, and have it in primer. I probably wont be able to buy paint next year, but I hope to at least have it back on the road.

Anyways, you gotta decide what you want done first, and start there. I typically try to knock out the most expensive part first, then continue with the little pieces.

First step is to retire, so you can do this full time.

Disassembly with notes and photos is a good start. You can file parts and photos using the shop manual index, such as 7 for Cooling System, 7-3 for fan, 7-4 for water pump, etc.

It’s a good idea to never buy any part until the old one is off the car, cleaned, and evaluated. Figure out who is selling what, and know their return policy, especially if you can’t see the part unless you buy it. Buying errors will cause you to re-buy, and you’ll end up with 150% of the parts you need, rather than just 120%. But for a few parts that are very important, very visible, and very hard to find, be ready to decide quickly to pay big bucks for an excellent, verifiable part that’s just what you wanted.

See a recommended assembly sequence here:
http://www.restorick.com/tech/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=58

Take tons and tons of pictures, pictures of everything, even things that don't make sense to take pictures of. Later, you'll be looking for a picture of something that you wish you'd taken a picture of, and it will show up in one of these other pictures. Bag and tag everything. Put small parts in bags, and put multiple bags for assemblies into bigger bags. Put these in boxes, and keep everything in the same area. Take pictures of EVERYTHING before and as you're disassembling it. You will NOT look at these pictures later and be mad that you took too many.

As for parts to buy, you need to come up with your plan for the big operations, and then decide what parts you need for these. You should keep an eye out for key, hard-to-find things as the other poster said, and buy these as soon as you find them. Everything can be sold later if you don't need it. Other things, which you can buy at retail, you can hold off on to an extent, but be aware that some parts take time to get even at retail, so make sure they're not on backorder.

Probably not a bad idea to hold off on the engine and trans. These are things that can usually be done in an anticipated amount of time. Other things, like body work and/or paint may not be so easily anticipated. My engine only sat around for a year and a half, but no problems. It was fogged and bagged. It WAS broken in prior to this.

Good to get stuff off that needs to be stripped, and get this turned around and then painted, then they'll be ready when you need them.

Finally, I think someone else said it before, but make sure you do your math for the cost of the project. Take what you're anticipating it to cost, and multiply this by 2.5. That's about where it will end up.

I like to pick up any body parts I need first. Then I'll go to the suspension. So I can get it in paint then rolling. Followed by brakes, then trim and so on. Then on to drivetrain and interior last. However I won't pass up on good deals on any of the steps.

The drivetrain is a 1/3 done. I had a friend of mine take my spare 69' dated four speed to his college class that he was taking on rebuilding transmissions. Had it rebuilt for free and his professor said it was the cleanest looking stick trans he had ever seen inside and out. I also have a spare 69' dated 383 HP block that was given to me, so I'm putting in a complete 69' dated HP drivetrain in place of my numbers matching one so I'm not putting any added wear on the original parts.

Be nice if I could retire.

Appreciate all the info and tips so far.

Do yourself a favor and sell what you have, save your $$$, and buy one done! In the fall sell it, relax over the winter, and buy another one in the spring. Enjoy it all summer and sell it in the fall. Keep repeating this until your tired or retired.
My two cents..... https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif

Rusty

#1 rule: bag and tag
#2 rule: see #1

Couple of thousand parts on these cars. Take lotsa reference pix before dissassembly. Try to preserve or replicate original markings.

Buy from reputable vendors who have staying power and good return policies.

It will take (at least) twice as long as you plan for.

Try to find a body shop that will quote a price rather than hourly fee.

Have fun

With taggin n baggin and LOTS of pix. Lots of GREAT info and advice from all here. I save my pix to certain folders on my computer...ie suspension, interior, fuel, brakes, etc.

Along with bag and tag, create lists.
As you remove items, clean and determine if cleaning or replacement is needed. Create lists of parts you need. There will always be small items you forget were missing/broken and these are what can bring you to a halt when assembling.
Read other's builds and make a list of suppliers, both good and bad.
Also understand that a car apart will take up a HUGE amount of space and you will want to be able to keep track of it all.

Quote:

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Along with bag and tag, create lists.
As you remove items, clean and determine if cleaning or replacement is needed. Create lists of parts you need. There will always be small items you forget were missing/broken and these are what can bring you to a halt when assembling.
Read other's builds and make a list of suppliers, both good and bad.
Also understand that a car apart will take up a HUGE amount of space and you will want to be able to keep track of it all.

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Bag & Tag: My car is 99% disassembled, and there are over 4,000 parts. These reside in over 300 Ziploc bags and over 50 large boxes that pretty much fill up a medium sized bedroom. Each bag has a 3x5 card with a list and sometimes sketches. Wheels, trunk, hood, fenders and doors are hung on my garage wall.

By means of bag/box numbering and a spread sheet, I can find any of the 4,000 parts quickly. Also, the spread sheet lets me sort items by similar restoration processes and finishes, like dip paint, bare metal, body paint color, chrome plated steel, chrome plated pot metal, etc.

A digital camera capable of closeups is a must.