Restoration Preparation/order/organization

[commando1]

I still think Scott is conning us. I refuse to believe the before and after pics are the same car. He threw a ringer in there.

 

[Big_John]

Everything said here is good advice!

Now for my two cents... Project cars are tough. Figure on at least two to three times the cash outlay and two to three times the work. Figure on being discouraged at times and frustrated at others.

So... Here's my suggestion. As said, get the car running and safe. That's the best bang for the buck. Now go out and drive it. Figure out what you want to do and go that direction. If you do something major (like an engine rebuild) follow that up with several small "rewarding" tasks that make the car look good and you can accomplish in hours rather than days. That keeps your interest going.

One thing I do is always get something done each day.... Even just 5 minutes work if need be. It keeps the momentum going.

Once you decide what to do, take pictures... lots and lots of pictures. I think the digital camera is the best thing to ever happen to any restoration project. I've been fooling with cars all my life and I still refer to before pics when reassembling. The other thing is buy a bunch of those plastic food containers and some markers. Put the bolts and small parts in them and mark what they are. Remember the five minute work things I talked about? Cleaning bolts and polishing trim bits that are in these containers are good things to do when you are tired or don't have much time.

Good luck on your car and thanks for your service.

 

[mopar_4life]

Hello all,

Thank you so much for all your amazing information. After take it all into consideration and after talking with some of my friends and my dad. I am going to keep my basic list as a reminder of what needs done and what I have done. Then, If I come by for a 4 day weekend/vacation have a detailed plan on what I want to do to the car that weekend. Mostly it will be making it driving ready. Fix up the brakes, new lines, master cyl.... I can gather those parts while I am away from the car.

It's pretty difficult to justify driving the car without a convertible top and I don't know if it would be smart to install one on a car that I plan on taking apart in the future. But then again if I do maybe I can just drive it for a while and enjoy it more. And I can move it closer if it moves and drives. And figure out all of the quirks.

I was also thinking that I could take some of the smaller parts home with me and refinish them while I am away. That way I could be working on the car while not by the car. I am starting with the grill and headlight assemblies and the little dodge lettering for the hood. I believe that is stainless not chrome, right? I did take pictures of the parts before and after and how it comes off of the car. I'll Make a "Long Term Restoration" thread so that I can document the restoration and ask questions as need be. This site is a wonderful resource for knowledge and advice.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

Eric

 

[commando1]

I was also thinking that I could take some of the smaller parts home with me and refinish them while I am away. That way I could be working on the car while not by the car. I am starting with the grill and headlight assemblies and the little dodge lettering for the hood. I believe that is stainless not chrome, right? I did take pictures of the parts before and after and how it comes off of the car. I'll Make a "Long Term Restoration" thread so that I can document the restoration and ask questions as need be. This site is a wonderful resource for knowledge and advice.

This is must reading if you want inspiration. You wont believe it.

http://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/showthread.php?9935-1969-Imperial-progress-thread

 

[MYSINBIN]

Hello all,


It's pretty difficult to justify driving the car without a convertible top and I don't know if it would be smart to install one on a car that I plan on taking apart in the future. But then again if I do maybe I can just drive it for a while and enjoy it more. And I can move it closer if it moves and drives. And figure out all of the quirks.


IMHO, any convertible, no matter what condition, make, model, or size, is a magic car. (even GM, believe it or not)

I drove my 'vert for two seasons with a top that was vandalized. Several large cuts and a pushed in plastic rear window.

I just made sure to never drive it in threatening weather. With the boot installed, no one knows what the top looks like. (or if there is a top at all)

If it was my car, I would keep it running/driving for as long as possible. A driving "work in progress" is a lot more fun than a garage full of parts that used to be a car.

I got lucky and found a perfect 'vert parts car that had a 2 year old top with glass rear window and decent windshield to use for my car.

I swapped the entire top, mechanism, and pump. It's not that hard to do. Just takes time and patience making everything fit right.

The FSM has really good info for adjustments.

I try to never drive my convertible with the top up, the magic is lost then for me.

Hope the input helps.

John

 

[rexus31]

Hello all,

Thank you so much for all your amazing information. After take it all into consideration and after talking with some of my friends and my dad. I am going to keep my basic list as a reminder of what needs done and what I have done. Then, If I come by for a 4 day weekend/vacation have a detailed plan on what I want to do to the car that weekend. Mostly it will be making it driving ready. Fix up the brakes, new lines, master cyl.... I can gather those parts while I am away from the car.

It's pretty difficult to justify driving the car without a convertible top and I don't know if it would be smart to install one on a car that I plan on taking apart in the future. But then again if I do maybe I can just drive it for a while and enjoy it more. And I can move it closer if it moves and drives. And figure out all of the quirks.

I was also thinking that I could take some of the smaller parts home with me and refinish them while I am away. That way I could be working on the car while not by the car. I am starting with the grill and headlight assemblies and the little dodge lettering for the hood. I believe that is stainless not chrome, right? I did take pictures of the parts before and after and how it comes off of the car. I'll Make a "Long Term Restoration" thread so that I can document the restoration and ask questions as need be. This site is a wonderful resource for knowledge and advice.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

Eric

Sounds good Eric. I'm not trying to discourage you at all, but have you given thought to what you are about to restore? Our beloved C Bodies are not your average restoration project. One of the reasons why it took me so long to restore my car was the limited aftermarket and high cost of NOS parts. A simple part like a Transmission mount was $99. The trans mount for my '64 GTO was under $20. See the trend? I'm just wanting you to go into this with eyes wide open. In the long run, it will cost you more and take you longer to restore. On the flip side, you will probably have the only one at the cruise in or car show. Then everyone can ask you what model Ford it is s_dancing2:

 

[Big_John]

I've known 'vert guys that never put the top up. My son has had a couple that the tops were in rags, but he still drove them and had a lot of fun when the sun was out.

Another option is to do any of the body work around where the top mounts and then put the new top on. Then it's a simple matter when it's time for paint work.

 

[mopar_4life]

Sounds good Eric. I'm not trying to discourage you at all, but have you given thought to what you are about to restore? Our beloved C Bodies are not your average restoration project. One of the reasons why it took me so long to restore my car was the limited aftermarket and high cost of NOS parts. A simple part like a Transmission mount was $99. The trans mount for my '64 GTO was under $20. See the trend? I'm just wanting you to go into this with eyes wide open. In the long run, it will cost you more and take you longer to restore. On the flip side, you will probably have the only one at the cruise in or car show. Then everyone can ask you what model Ford it is s_dancing2:

Thanks for you post.

I know exactly what I kind of car that I am getting into. I bought the car when I was 16 and fell in love with it. And that was 14 years ago... I realize that it will be a more costly restoration but its a unique car. And I'm alright with that.

Thanks

Eric

 

[1970cat]

i agree with putting a top on it. make sure the top frame is 100%. you can either work around the top or remove the whole assembly later on if you need to. sounds like you'll be doing the car a piece at a time so the extra protection from the elements will help too.

 

[shooter65]

i'm not sure a project list is really practical. it's a snowball effect. take the example of the fender. when removing a fender do you restore the antenna while it's apart? what about the pentastar and the wheel well trim. if you have a fender off it's the best time to restore the inner fender. then you are looking at the battery tray, wiring and clips, what about the splash shields? also it's the best time to repair the heater, firewall, core support,etc. before you know it the car is completely blown apart. i would also suggest mechanical before cosmetics and keep a parts list of what you need and what you have acquired. some parts are harder to find than others and you don't want to duplicate.

In my opinion, that is exactly the reason to have a project list. You need an organized document to prevent scope creep. Without your original project scope defined it's too easy to start other projects small tasks which will prevent you from completing your original goal.

 

[cantflip]

In my opinion, that is exactly the reason to have a project list. You need an organized document to prevent scope creep. Without your original project scope defined it's too easy to start other projects small tasks which will prevent you from completing your original goal.

I definitely agree here. With the time constraints you're working under, expect there will be areas you take apart more than once... and a few that may come apart several times.
I would use this as a priority guideline:
First- do whatever you can to preserve the condition, and always try to keep the car mostly intact.
Second- get it to "yard drive" as soon as you can... its so much better than pushing one around.
Third- get it Safe for the street. Don't ever compromise safety, even for a short run, Murphy's Law tends to kick in at the worst times.

I know you never plan to sell, but if you keep her together like you would a resale. I think it will be easier to enjoy her a little while your working out the bigger jobs, like body and paint. Once apart, nobody wants to put it back together until its right... and they all come apart faster than they go together. Once safe for the road, you might even want to cruise her a little to get some pleasure time before she's down again to become perfect. Decent car guys will understand and many will be more interested in the project than completed cars... there is bound to be a snooty idiot there too, but ignore them.

BTW, everyone seems to think they need a rebuilt driveline... that's really often not the case. If the engine and transmission are working... don't pull them out "just because". Brakes and other mechanical parts with machined surfaces can not effectively be protected during storage... driving the car is the best thing you can do for them. You may well find the engine that runs a little rough at first starts to reseat the rings and do better after some time running and a couple oil changes.

Especially while in storage, but not a bad general practice... find ethanol free gasoline and use it exclusively... ethanol is corrosive and doesn't store for long at all with out separating from the gas... really bad for the whole fuel system.

 

[mopar_4life]

i agree with putting a top on it. make sure the top frame is 100%. you can either work around the top or remove the whole assembly later on if you need to. sounds like you'll be doing the car a piece at a time so the extra protection from the elements will help too.

Well Maybe it will get a top then. As far a protection from the elements it is never in the rain. It is tucked away in my fathers pole barn among his projects.


Thanks

Eric