First restoration

[Tllindsey]

First let me introduce myself and apologize, I know this subject has probably been beaten to death.
My name is Troy and as a Navy nuclear machinist mate I am not shy with getting my hands dirty. I am at the beginning of my restoration of an 87 gt with t-top. I just wanted to run my game plan by some of you guys who may have been there and done that, get all the advice I can and see if my game plan seems legitimate.


Stage 1 Tear down: Disassemble entire car noting necessary repairs labeling fasteners organized in bags, remove interior, remove body panels, exhaust, suspension, pull engine and transmission.

Stage 2 Body: Clean and prep all metal surfaces for primer and paint, smooth engine bay, repair all rust. Replace body panels as necessary, New front and rear bumper, ground effects, body molding, and hood Prime and Paint all surfaces.

Stage 3 Suspension: Clean and paint/powder coat suspension components and install new gears. reinstall Suspension and drive train.

Stage 4 Engine: Rebuild engine install new heads intake and cam. Replace clutch, flywheel, clutch and throttle cables. Reinstall engine and transmission.

Stage 5 Interior: Replace missing/broke pieces prep and paint interior panels replace all weather stripping. Replace carpets..


Any advice or tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated as I want this to be done right the first time.

 

[tca7291]

Welcome to stangnet, and thank you for your service! Your base plan sounds great and all, but you know there is going to be a LOT more in it than you think. The only advice that I can give is to take your time, don't rush anything, and to check out others build threads here to get some ideas. I hope all goes well for you and congrats on planning to do a rare '87 t-top!

 

[Tllindsey]

I'm figuring around 2 years I have some experience with mustangs just never undertook something of this scale but I've been researching for a few weeks now and have had the car in my head for some time.

 

[Husky44]

Welcome, and congrats.

A few pieces of advice, from personal experience resto-modding a 67:

1. Take digital photos out the ying-yang throughout your teardown.
2. Label and catalog all the parts, ideally with a 3x5 card inside the bag
3. Be more anal than you think is necessary in labeling and tagging during your teardown. If you're planning for 2 years, it'll take 5, and TRUST ME, you won't remember then what you're certain now that you will remember
4. Go ahead and neatly box up all the parts now, so when you have to PCS in the middle of the restoration, you won't end up just dumping it all in boxes randomly, where the bags will tear and dump the parts, but not the index cards in the bottom of the box.

Now some more helpful suggestions:

1. I'd seriously consider replacing suspension components rather than cleaning up stock stuff and re-using. There's some awesome aftermarket stuff out there that isn't that expensive, and will make a world of difference in how your car handles and performs.
2. I'd recommend at least a brake upgrade, if not a full five-lug swap
3. I didn't see any mention of upholstery, but most of the Foxes I've seen have some seriously worn seat fabric, and are probably due for foam replacement as well.

Restoration is fun, so long as you go into it with realistic expectations, which is where most people fail miserably.

And definitely plan for the PCS. I've moved my 67 twice now... It will happen.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

^ Solid advice right there. I am 2.5 years into my fox restoration and I regret not labeling bolts better. You don't realize how many bolts are on a car until you have them all in one place in your garage.

Start a build thread. It keeps you motivated and you also get the input of others. People have some pretty good ideas around here. I've changed plans numerous times based on the advice of others.

 

[Tllindsey]

Sounds like great advice. I have a pcs in little over a year so there will be a move but right now as a recruiter I have weekends off and usually a few hours each night. The interior is in pretty good shape other than the center console and I figured at a minimum struts but I guess I better plan on full suspension. My wife is giving me a whatever it takes budget, might as well take advantage seeing as I'm pretty lucky to have that kind of support. I didn't think to much into the pi tires other than to help others didn't think of its value to myself. Thanks for the advice so far hopefully I can get a nice chunk knocked out before next may.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

Sounds like great advice. I have a pcs in little over a year so there will be a move but right now as a recruiter I have weekends off and usually a few hours each night. The interior is in pretty good shape other than the center console and I figured at a minimum struts but I guess I better plan on full suspension. My wife is giving me a whatever it takes budget, might as well take advantage seeing as I'm pretty lucky to have that kind of support. I didn't think to much into the pi tires other than to help others didn't think of its value to myself. Thanks for the advice so far hopefully I can get a nice chunk knocked out before next may.

Okay, I am going to give you as much as I can. I am on my second tear down and repaint, and there is a lot that I have learned over the years.

First things first - Start with an end goal in mind, and STAY WITH IT! The biggest problems that I see people run into (besides money and time) are that they start with an idea, but then they continually change it as they go along. This ultimately costs a lot of money, and ends up in a lot of wasted time. So, make the decision about what this car is going to be.

Also, depending on the desired use should determine how far you go with a restoration. If this car is going to be daily driven, then you will focus on functionality and durability, but I would shy away from restoring every nut and bolt because they will quickly weather again.

As far as the teardown itself - You need a big area that you can store parts. An extra room in the house, ideally. You just don't realize how much room a bunch of parts can take up, especially when you start pulling out the interior. Have plenty of space set aside.

Bags are a great idea. You can't really have too many, but try to keep them organized in a way that pieces are easy to find. Sifting through a pile of bags to find few screws is frustrating. Keep organized from the beginning and you will be much happier.

Your plan to have it restored in 2 years will be off. It usually takes 1.5 times to 2 times as long as you think. This is just the way it is. There will be delays and complications that are out of your control, and real life will get in the way. Plan for more time than you think.

Buy your parts as you need them, but always be shopping for deals. I have saved well over a thousand dollars on my restoration by buying parts on sale and searching hard for used parts.

Another thing you need is a budget. It is fine to say "whatever it takes" but you should have SOME basic idea of what things will cost, and expect that it will cost more than you think. An excel spreadsheet is a great tool, and it can really help you keep your parts organized. Mark down where you got them, and how much you paid. Note the original retail price when you do the initial budgeting. It is nice to see how much you have saved by being a smart shopper.

Although there is so much more, I will end today's post with telling you that there WILL BE MISTAKES. There will be PROBLEMS. It will become frustrating, and there will be times when you think the project will never be done. You have to persevere. These projects are so long that it can take a LOT of work before you see a result, so be prepared. I agree with an above post that said keep a build log. It helps to show people what you are doing, and it helps you see just how far things have come.

Last thing - take a break. Work hard on the car, but don't sacrifice your family or personal life too much to work on the car. At the end of the day, it is just a car, and believe it or not these types of projects can be very consuming of free time, and that can be hard on the other people in your life. Trust me, this one is from experience. Sometimes you just need to step away from it, even when you don't want to.