Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?

I have worked on hundreds of cars....all brands, all makes and models. Hate the new stuff. So lets figure this out....what is the worst, most aggravating, knuckle busting, have to go google it thing you guys find when working on cars. I will get it started. I HATE redoing drum brakes. Hate it. Just did them on a 77 Bandit Trans Am. Bounced a spring off my forehead...didn't have the right fancy brake tools to seat everything. Got sent wrong park brake lines. Chime in. Lets all vent.....Body work is best left to professionals, its a work of art to cut off half of a car and make it look like it never happened. Electrical issues are a nightmare. Agreed. Lets hear the horror stories. Ever tried getting a tire off a car thats been sitting for 40 years? I just wonder what everyone else has come across. Share your worst stories....
Dave in Colorado

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.

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.

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

Take it all apart in the first place......

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.

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.

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.

This^^^^

.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...

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.

I don't mind drum brakes but hate doing them on multiple makes each with their own way of doing things.

It seems like everyone has their own way of fixing wiring and everyone seems to complain about everyone else doing it the wrong way.

I hate working on a car that someone else either already started working on before and left things apart or didn't put them back together properly.

And it's more of a picky thing but I hate seeing something that's been restored or even worked on before where someone randomly threw the screws and bolts back wherever or replaced them all even when they didn't need to me and didn't bother trying to match the existing ones. Both in appearance or size and type.

I don't mind body work but being an amateur at it it bothers me when I can't get it looking perfect and annoys me, mainly on cars that are being driven and not restored, spending time on body work only to have it start rusting again or paint peeling or whatever else.

Give up on the restoration midway through and then let it sit for decades.

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.

Anything to do with rust repair. Cutting, grinding, welding.

Wiring repair followed closely by bodywork and paint! (probably why my car is still in epoxy primer)

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.

Interesting.

Taking them apart isn't so bad to me, it is getting every little detail just right on reassembly.

Maybe we should work out a deal.

My vote goes to blocking/sanding/priming. It seems to be a never ending process, especially with a bad back and shoulders.

I've found the windows - especially quarter glass - to be a PITA.
Another is the '68-'69 dash switch panel & troubleshooting/replacing those switches.

Been through the re-work hassles, too.

If it was all easy, I'd be fine with that; but the satisfaction of getting things corrected might not be as good.
What's intriguing to me is how some cars are easy, and some fight all the way through.

I don't think I could handle 80% of a restoration. The stupid ways most factories did many things just doesn't make much sense. I'd be going crazy in a few months.

I kept telling myself that this is a hobby and I am supposed to ENJOY it !! . . .lol . . . that being said, more than once I had to just put the tools down, walk away from the garage and come back to it another day. Amazing what a fresh perspective can do for you . . . think someone else said, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it !! . . .

Not sure how those that hand their car and keys over to a shop to restore the car, can do that . . . I handled everything myself,except for bodywork & paint, seats and vinyl top although I was prepared to try my hand at any of it - glad I didn't though ! LOL . . . got car back from bodyshop, figured, this will be easy, 6mths tops, to get it back together . . . . 2 YEARS !! . . .heh heh heh . . .

Restoring my car myself, was a validation of fact I do know what I am doing (for most part), and that I can do it !! . . . and that was only way I would be able to afford the car ! . . . a couple thousand $$ spend each year, over 12-15 years, way easier to handle than cutting one HUGE check . . .

Anyhow, always great to hear others experiences . . . .

M

Dealing with crappy restoration parts. Some don't fit worth a lick, others are just poor quality.

You are going to think I am stupid but tire rotations and oil changes are the worst.

I cut my teeth on drum brakes. In fact I worked on cars for years before I ever changed disk brakes.

Bad wiring was the norm in the old days so I got used to wiring too.

I can work for hours when I get in the zone doing bodywork, or anything else.

BUT

I can never get into oil changes or tires. I just hate it with a purple passion.

Go figure.

The very first thing that came to mind was rear main seals. Finding the right brand and style, and finding a good quality one, and figuring out the best way to get it to seal!!!

Second is just the poor overall quality of available parts!!!

Oh those 68-69 switch panels are a real mfer. I tried to forget those for sure. Deeply rewarding to get everything going, probably why every car seems to have stuff not working.

Tearing another car apart while another or two are still apart. I swore I wouldn't take the GTS apart until the Barracuda was done...Barracuda still isn't done (started in late 2007) and tore the GTS apart in 2018. It's not so much having multiple cars to do, but it's about having limited space to store them. Then you add the parts I have here for my son's Dart and you have a mess...

Whats the worst thing to do when restoring a car? Deciding to restore a car. On your own. With your money and time. Using your wife's side of the garage.

Funny. I never minded drum brakes. Maybe because that's pretty much all there was when I started working on cars. All you need are about three proper brake tools and they don't cost much. I've had mine for decades.

I hate dealing with window regulators and anything else inside the doors or quarters. Never liked standing on my head to work under the dash either.

I’ve had to pass on 2 projects where the “dissassembler” did not bag and tag…this was after doing one…and only one, that was in boxes when I got it, never again. I suppose the most annoying thing I can think of is cleaning nuts and bolts, I’m a stickler for reusing original bolts and nuts whenever possible, hardware store grade 8 bolts stick out like a sore thumb

Redoing others crap work

But installing door and quarter window glass ranks right up there on my hate to do list

Amen to the windows, brother!!!

Joe

Dealing with car owners who have Alligator arms and can't reach their wallets.

Do it once, and do it right

In 50 years of doing car work, I've done just about everything at least once. Except mud work and paint. Will not do any of that outside of a minimal amount of work on a repair. Windshields and back glass are left to glass guys.

Degree of difficulty depends on how bad the car is and who has worked on it previously. And the availability, or lack of, proper tools and equipment.

We had guys pull Camaros out of fields and drop them off at the shop with snakes and mice crawling out of them, and not much good original metal left. Paid good money for it since they watched TV and "know what it's worth". And they thought they had something that shouldn't take much work, until I started walking around it poking holes in it with a pocket screwdriver.

Know when to delegate. Upholstery, windshields and rear glass, mud work and paint, etc, someone else can do that. Someone who does it for a living and could do a better job than me with less headaches.

The worst...stuff that some one else has butchered up before I get it. We had a '67 Chevy II dropped off once. Running, driving, looked okay from 50' Guy want a mild restomod done. Had been wrecked and had rust repair done multiple times. Had 3 partial or full quarters done on one side and two on the other. None were done well. Not much left once the trash and mud was cut off.

Owners who don't know what they are doing, but think they do. Owners who think they should get $120K worth of work for $20K, tops. Owners who think their car, that's not much more than a brown spot on the floor, can be "patched up" and most of it reused. Owners who want to use China trash off Amazon. Owners who watch TV shows and think it takes a week and a half to build a car.

Guys who say "No one will ever see it".

If you can stay in your shop and do nothing but your own stuff, you're fortunate. If you can just do work for people who know what it takes, wants it done right, won't nickel and dime, and drop money off when you ask for it, you're fortunate. If you have to take in everything that comes along and work for clowns who want first class for crap money, and want you to patch and halfa$$, it sucks.

Buddy of mine has a shop. He's right up front. We do it my way, which is the right way with good parts and materials I spec, we don't cut corners, and we do it for this much money. Not negotiable. He sends plenty of people up the street. He's also booked out a year and a half with people who want to pay him, and wants me to come work for him.

The worst thing?
Believe that when you go to sell it that it will be worth at least what you put into it...

Never. Race cars, muscle, classics, always cheaper to buy one done and running.

Not necessarily true. I never buy to flip. Most of the time it seems I hang on to vehicles. However, I have only lost money on one vehicle my entire life. My first truck, which was a 79 Ramcharger S.E. we four wheeled the hell out of that thing, so it more than paid for itself in fun.

Mine are all worth more ran the money I spent. Do your own work. Buy parts wisely. Turned down 50k for this one, 10k total build with the car cost.
Doug

Cheaper to buy than build is definitely the rule, not the exception. To successfully buy said done car, I believe you have to have done one or the story ends badly. Do some of the nasty jobs listed here and you’ll be checking the trouble spots first before going cash for keys.

Of all the many things involved with restoring a car, it is hard to pin down any one thing that is the worst that everyone will agree on.
What annoys one guy may be an attractive challenge to another.
I hate waiting on someone else to do their job so I can do mine. One example, Machine Shop services. Some places don't seem all that busy when you drop your stuff off but somehow you still get l-o-n-g delays for the completion of your stuff.
I'm a decent bodyman and a mediocre welder but I can make my way through metal replacement and body work.
Finding parts for many of our cars is a matter of luck and timing. Many one year models make it hard to find fenders or grilles that are not reproduced.
1966-1967-1968-1969-1970 A body cars all use a different fender for each year.
1967-1968-1969-1970-1971-1972-1973 Chargers also use a different fender and grille for each year as well. Finding that needle in the haystack can be extremely difficult.

I have fun reading this kind of treads, Just a few things I've noticed over the years,

Taking a car apart is easy.
Taking it apart so it can be reassembled is harder.
Taking it apart so some of it can be reused is really hard.
I've never seen a body guy, or mechanic that thinks the last guy that did something on a car did it "the right way".
Most body guys and most mechanics will tell the customer they they are "going to fix it the right way, not like the last guy did."
The only difference most people see between a $50 part and the same part that is a $20 part is $30 more money.
Most people can't understand how its going to take hours to "Put that little part in there."
Everything on the car worked until you did that unrelated thing to it, now they expect you to fix this unrelated thing for free.
Most people believe your shop's hourly rate shouldn't be any higher then their hourly pay.
They watched that restoration show on TV, they know its only going to take a month to restore their car and they know your going to put $30,000 of what your charging them into your pocket.
Doesn't matter how many months you have been working on their car, if you expect to be paid some labor money, you intend to rip them off.
It doesn't have to be "show quality" until after they have paid you.

Whats the worst thing to do when restoring cars?

To me it’s setting a completion date and a total budget. It will likely take longer and cost more.

So now I take my time and try to enjoy the process

^^^ Words of wisdom right there and I agree.
I gave that advice to a buddy who decided to restore his Dart a few years back, and he still thanks me for that.
Also agree on how previous experience helps when looking at a "done" car.

I can only echo what others have experienced. I don't like electrical. I dont have the skill set for body and paint work. Crappy restoration parts and crappy service and or quality when you do farm something out to an alleged professional.
Not bagging and tagging and photographing every single thing is bad. Made that mistake a couple of times. You think you will remember but you won't.

In my eyes, the worst thing to do is paint the bottom side of the car when it wasn't painted in the first place. That is not restoring, it is improvising.

Sending the car far away and then having the guy hold your car because of stories about the wife blah blah blah.

Get into drag racing so you have to fix it every week, and it never really gets done.

"if it ain't broke, keep fixin' it til it is !".............

The worst thing to do?

Fight with the shops and ppl to finish or make things correctly.

One common thing not mentioned that many do is rebuild the motor first then leave it sit for 20 years

or tear the car apart and leave it sit for 20 years.

Not drive it when you are finished.

that too !

Body shop jail

X2..."Licensed Mopar Restoration" labels have to be the biggest farce in this industry.

Licensing is just a profit opportunity for the licenser.....it doesn't mean the part is any good, it just means part of what you pay goes to support a corporation who isn't
directly involved in making parts you want anymore.

and doesn't care about anything except collecting the bux.

In the last 25 years IMO, the only company that I am aware of that is still in business and produced top notch parts is Trim Parts. In a few instances the quality was better than NOS or originals. Rare parts is another