Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: dssaa]
#3132589
03/27/23 01:49 AM
03/27/23 01:49 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,546 N.E. OHIO, USA
A12
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,546
N.E. OHIO, USA
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Replacing rusted brake lines. Just did my son's car, ALL of them, used several 25 ft rolls of brake line, flaring, bending, new fittings, etc., and that's just part of it. Removing the old, rusted lines and getting the old, rusted fittings loose I hate doing brake lines and brakes too.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: A12]
#3132598
03/27/23 05:48 AM
03/27/23 05:48 AM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,947 ohio
ruderunner
master
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master
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,947
ohio
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On brake lines, I usually see people trying to use open end or lines wrenches on the fittings.
If you're replacing the lines, cut them off and use a 6 point socket on the fittings.
Angry white pureblood male
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: ruderunner]
#3132611
03/27/23 07:53 AM
03/27/23 07:53 AM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,923 new berlin wisconsin
Mr T2U
master
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master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,923
new berlin wisconsin
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On brake lines, I usually see people trying to use open end or lines wrenches on the fittings.
If you're replacing the lines, cut them off and use a 6 point socket on the fittings. even better. use a induction heater to warm them up before trying to remove.
perception is 90% of reality
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: Mr T2U]
#3132629
03/27/23 09:43 AM
03/27/23 09:43 AM
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,882 MI, usa
dvw
master
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master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,882
MI, usa
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Brake lines are easy if the cars apart. I just reinstalled door glass in a Duster. Box of pieces that were removed from several doors that I didn't disassemble. Service manual pics and instructions were terrible. Who new that the bottom glass channel could bolt and and fit perfectly upside down. And then the glass could only go up half way until 2 small pop riveted wedges stopped it. I've done nearly every thing during restorations. Stainless/aluminum trim repair, paint, weld, structure replacement, engine, trans, axle, wiring. But never a head liner. Doug
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: dvw]
#3132630
03/27/23 09:48 AM
03/27/23 09:48 AM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,584 Motor City
6PKRTSE
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,584
Motor City
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Take it all apart in the first place......
1963 Belvedere 440 Max Wedge Tribute 1970 Charger R/T S.E. 440 Six Pack 1970 Challenger R/T, 528 Hemi 1970 Charger 500 S.E. 440 4 BBL 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 383 1974 Chrysler New Yorker 440 1996 2500 RAM 488 V-10 4X4 2004 3500 Dually Cummins 4x4 2012 Challenger R/T Classic.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: Mr T2U]
#3132631
03/27/23 09:50 AM
03/27/23 09:50 AM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 889 Oh
parksr5
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 889
Oh
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I always find that a second set of hands when doing drum brakes is incredibly helpful. I normally cheat in this step and enlist the help of older friends that were around when drums were pretty much all they had, they're really familiar with them and normally have all the old tools.
I cheat with rusty brake lines most of the time too. Have some people that work relatively cheap and just take it to them, "here, it's your problem, call me when it's done". Depending on the car though, I will do everything I'm capable of. The cars I really care about, I try not to let other people touch. In these rusty brake situations, a lot of penetrating oil and heat are a big help.
I think the biggest things I hate are electrical and other people. When restoring cars, I pretty much want everyone else's hands off of it, I want to do it all because I'm meticulous and anal. I've had to work over other people's work and a lot of the times, things were just not done to my standards, and it bothers me. For example, I helped my father-in-law restore a 55 F100 5 or so years ago. Had a company blast the cab for us. I planned to epoxy the cab but, my father-in-law said that they'll do that too and that's the way he wanted to go. We get the cab back and there are huge runs in it all over the place that I had to sand out. When sanding in certain areas, I run into the original paint, so; I know they didn't blast everything correctly. We flip the cab up and they didn't even blast the bottom side. He asked me what I would do, I told him to take it back to have the bottom blasted because that would be the correct way and he paid to have the whole cab blasted. He didn't want to do that, so; we POR'd the bottom of the cab and I painted it. Everything turned out great but, to this day, it bothers me that the underside of the cab wasn't done correctly. All of this caused me a lot of extra time and impacted the quality of the final product. You can't tell any of this by looking at the truck but, I know it's there.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: dssaa]
#3132646
03/27/23 10:19 AM
03/27/23 10:19 AM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,324 nowhere
Sniper
master
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master
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,324
nowhere
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I have worked on hundreds of cars didn't have the right fancy brake tools Wonder if there's a connection there. The tools are neither fancy nor expensive, A divot in your forehead though... I don't do restorations. My biggest issue with any car is undoing PO and shade tree mechanic hacks.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: parksr5]
#3132647
03/27/23 10:21 AM
03/27/23 10:21 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,451 Michigan
MarkZ
Worthy
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Worthy
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,451
Michigan
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Scraping 50 year old undercoating off of the bottom of a car getting it ready for paint. Never again.
Drum brakes are a pain, but not that bad. I assemble them on the ground prior to disassembling to the old ones and use a pair of needle nose vise grips to pull the springs in place.
Been using nickel-copper tubing with stainless tube nuts on all my brake projects for years now. Will never go back mild steel living in the rust belt.
1987 Fifth Avenue - 512/518/D60
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: 6PKRTSE]
#3132660
03/27/23 10:33 AM
03/27/23 10:33 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,908 Nebraska
4406bbl
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,908
Nebraska
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Take it all apart in the first place...... This^^^^
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: 4406bbl]
#3132675
03/27/23 11:11 AM
03/27/23 11:11 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,624 north of coder
moparx
"Butt Crack Bob"
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"Butt Crack Bob"
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,624
north of coder
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re-doing other's previous "repairs"....... i have done several headliners, and find them not too bad to do. however, i did a replacement ABS plastic one that replaced the cardboard original with the help of my one buddy, last thursday. WHAT A PAIN IN THE AZZ THAT WAS ! i tried and tried to convince the owner a conventional bow style headliner would be better,but no........ ACME is the only brand available, and i should have instantly thought of the RoadRunner and Coyote cartoons.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: 5thAve]
#3132719
03/27/23 12:33 PM
03/27/23 12:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,759 North Dakota
6PakBee
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,759
North Dakota
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Give up on the restoration midway through and then let it sit for decades.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: 6PakBee]
#3132751
03/27/23 02:06 PM
03/27/23 02:06 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,233 Someplace you aren't
SomeCarGuy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,233
Someplace you aren't
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Rear main seal in car
Window tracks
Finding all the butchered stuff the last guy did. Wires smashed in between parts they reinstalled without care. Flex lines with 3/8 hose jammed into 5/16 fittings(not sure how they did it without splitting line, but they did and man was that a scary find up on the engine.)
I can think of more, but have tried to suppress memories.
I want my fair share
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: The_Blue_Dodge]
#3132762
03/27/23 02:54 PM
03/27/23 02:54 PM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 4,704 Wichita
GY3
master
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master
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 4,704
Wichita
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Wiring repair followed closely by bodywork and paint! (probably why my car is still in epoxy primer)
'63 Dodge 330 11.19 @ 121 mph Pump gas, n/a, through the mufflers on street tires with 3.54's. 3,600 lbs. 10.01 @ 133mph with a 250 shot of nitrous an a splash of race gas. 1.36 60 ft. 3,700 lbs.
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Re: Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?
[Re: a12rag]
#3132782
03/27/23 04:06 PM
03/27/23 04:06 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,707
Andrewh
master
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master
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,707
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.Anything to do with re-installing windows! There are always parts broken or missing, non scratched glass is tough to find, aligning them just sucks. Unless you do them all the time it is hard to remember how the regulators get installed and where all the parts go. Busted and scratched knuckles is the biggest issue... OMG !!! THIS !! . . . actually the back windows on my 70 Sport Satellite !! I swear that they must have installed the window regulators & glass, BEFORE they put the 1/4 panels on ! If anyone has ever done the regulators & rear windows on a B Body . . .they know !! LOL . . . I am sure I "donated" a pint of blood from all the scratches and scrapes doing them ! And, then the adjustments . . . . UGGGHHH !!! . . . on a sport fury convertible the previous owner had cut the inside skin to peel it open so they could get to one of the rear qtr windows. he bent it back in place when he was done. I figured out how to get the other side apart without the need for a cutter, but I really did think about doing the same thing. lol.
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