First restoration

Tllindsey said:

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.

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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.