Any Car Guys here

A

aj1985

Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Messages
1,029
Hey how are yah

I needed a whole lot of advise so thought i'd post over here. I am not knowlegdable about cars what so ever. I would like to restore a car, and needed advise on where to start. It is quite over whelming of a topic, but i need a starting point. I just think restoring a car is one of those things that you must do once in your life, and for the past little while i have been thinking about it a lot. So what is the first step that i should take in order to make this idea a reality. thank you for your help in advance

take care
aj
 
If you've never done it before, start cheap. Find something that is fairly common but still has some charm, like an old Beetle. In fact, check out www.volksrods.com and see what those guys do with them, it isn't exactly restoration but they make classic-style rods out of Bugs because they are easier to come by than Belaires.
Once you've found the car you'd like to restore, pull it into the garage you have prepared for just such a proect with your large tool investment and strip it down to it's naked skeleton. Sand like a desert storm until all the rust is gone and then repaint the bones. Make a list of all the parts you want to replace or upgrade and order those while you have them off the car already (plenty of parts get destroyed by newbies because they don't know how to remove them).. While you're waiting for your new parts, sand and paint all of the body panels, fenders, etc. you are going to keep. Make an engine assesment. Is it servicable? Good enough till you can afford to buy a new one? Still nice? I always leave my engines and drivetrains for last, usually opting to have a finished car, minus a drivetrain. A few things to remember; The more popular the car, the easier it is to find parts. The more popular the car, the more likely you are to find help. The more popular the car, the less money you will make (the greater the loss) if you decide to sell it. Be prepared to restore several things over again until you finally break down and buy another one. Leave the seats etc. to the pros, nothing kills a car's cool-factor than a shoddy interior. Be prepared to spend WAY too much money on your project. Buy every book you can get your hopefully grubby hands on about the car you have chosen. Join several hot-rod/restoration forums and make them as big of a waste of time as your car project ;)
Good luck and post pics!
 
not to be funny but dont. I have a ton of friends who have done this and spent 30,000 plus to restore 69 gtos, and a 68 camaro and ended up selling it after it was done for around half of what they put into it. I have restored a 66 gto and would never restore a car again. The time , money and agrivation is unreal. even if money were no problem getting people to do a job ie..(engine rebuild, trans rebuild) right is near imposible. Everyone today is into short cuts. My advise pick a car you love and buy it already done.
 
although when i was younger i would have done the work myself these days i would prefer to buy one either already restored or 90% complete, it can actually be cheaper sometimes and a lot less hassle.

if ya are gonna buy a car to restore ya better know WTF 'cuz there are a lot of things which might not be readily apparent which can make the cost of restoration skyrocket fast ie rust and frame problems.

another thing is to restore as original or to upgrade it some ie different engine/trans, AC (none of the old muscle cars had AC).

i have been looking for a non numbers matching '69 Z/28 myself.
 
I will agree with Backwoods somewhat.
The effort you put in will not pay off in the end, were you to sell it. So I would advise restoring something that you will keep, not for fun and to sell.

I had been looking for an older car to restore for a while, and after months and months of searching, looking at parts, thinking of how much time is required, I bought one (1975 Holden Premier) that an older guy had already invested a great deal into. He had done all the labour-intensive work (stripping and sanding), paid for the paint job, restored the engine and driveline, etc. and was at the state where I took over and did the part that was most important to me at the time, the interior and finishing the engine bay.
To this day I still want to restore one from scratch (I'm holding out for a '68 plymouth, like a roadrunner...) and kind of regret cutting the corners on my first car, but I needed transport asap, and it worked out well.
I have some rust coming through that I would have found if I had stripped it, and have had a few (minor) problems with the engine. And I changed the diff. And I'd like a bigger V8. And I'm after new rims. And the gearbox could be better...
On the other hand, a friend of mine recently bought an old Camaro, already restored (somewhat) but has had nothing but problems with the shoddy work (it was converted to RHD, quite poorly).
If you really want an old car, and have no problems with dumping piles of cash and time into your dream car, from scratch, I think it's the only way you'll be really happy with it.

This is just my thought.
 
It just seems that i should follow your advise in buying a car which i will be happy with and spending the proper money in the beginning. I would take on restoring a car but my knowledge is very limited within this field. I would like to keep the aggravation down to a minimum as well. I would like to keep this car for a very long time, and probably will never sell it.

I would really like to get a 69 Camaro hopefully within a year. I think it is the perfect car in my mind.

I'd appreciate if you can advise on what would be the best course of action in finding the best bang for your buck. Oh btw is there anything you can do to a old muscle car in order for it not be a huge gas guzzler (Besides Not driving it):D

take care and thanks for the help

aj

p.s any other car suggestions (Muscle cars) i'm all ears
 
I hot rodded a 66 Mustang, upgrading from 6 cylinder -3 speed to V8- four speed and shelby suspension over 18 years. Sold it for little more than the cost of inflation for the day.

I enjoyed it a lot, but it never got to the point where it really reflected the kind of "statement" I was trying to make, mostly because it was a daily driver and cash flow diverted to family needs. There was simply never enough money - even when my wife was working and making more than me.

I sold it to a young man who "finished" it, and did well. He was continuing to battle problems inherent with that make and age - corroded wiring harness, rusting floor pans from bad window weatherstrip, inexperienced body modifications, incorrect axle offset from a junkyard change out, poor suspension design from the factory, etc.

The problem with restoring an old car, regardless of the money you put into it, is you have a 35+ year deficit in engineering. Buying a popular make is ok, but the entry fee is high because of demand. Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs, and most older Muscle Cars are high dollar demand cars because the baby boomers are reliving their unrequited youth. Cars I have seen being driven to California junkyards for scrap are now asking $2000 and can't move out of the driveway.

Puchase something newer, like a mid '80's, and you get much improved engineering, low demand, plenty to choose from, much less miles and wear and tear. Most still on the road have low miles original, or already rebuilt drivetrains quite capable of long term use without major repair. They are a lot more fun to show and use, and take a lot less money to keep up.

It will cost you a car payment a month on an annual basis to fix one up, after 5 years you see where someone can sink $30K into a so-so restoration that can't get honorable mention at a local show. Do your research, and pick carefully. There's no getting rich on this, just sinking money into a rolling pit. Real estate gets better returns in the long run.
 
best bang for your buck??

imho it would be hard to beat a '93 to '96 LT1 or LT4 corvette for $10K or so or a '95 or up Z/28 for ~$7K (both can be had for less).

faster than an old muscle car, handles better, wayy more reliable and not nearly so hard on gas.

i love the old muscle cars and have had a few but they do have shortcomings if ya plan on using them as daily drivers, like no AC for a start, my silver/black stripes '72 Z/28 4 speed 4.11 gears was a blast to drive but with a black vinyl interior and no AC man it sukked in the summer, i remember going on dates and picking up ladies with hair all made up, after an hour or so of cruising they needed a little mirror time lol. didnt seem like a biggie at the time though, a lot of cars didnt have AC then. never seemed to slow the babes down either, women absolutely loved that car.
 
One can easily spend over $100k on a resto project. One can also do it for $15k. It just depends on how crazy you want to be.

Most of the american muscle cars are going up in value, so finding a 69 Camaro to start with it going to run you some cash. If it's your first one, I'd start with one that is in reasonably good condition first, so I'd guess you're looking at $5-10k to find the car. Then $2500 in paint, $5k in a new motor/trans, $3k in interior, $5k in miscellaneous things (wheels/tires, undercarriage work, etc.). It adds up quick.

Personally, I'm not into the full-on restoration. I prefer hacked up cars or race-like cars. It's just me. Who knows, you might be the same.

Start with a car that has a plentiful amount of parts (NOS and remanufactured) otherwise you'll spend all your time and money trying to find chrome trim :)
 
My father and I spent 17 years restoring his 1935 Model A Ford pickup. 17 years! This was a project of love and devotion. When we had the cash we would fix her up. 3 years ago we finally got to the point where we cold show her off at the car shows. He has won 18 1st place trophies and numerous best in show awards.

The hardest part of resotation work is where to begin. We decided to strip the truck down to the frame. All parts were blasted and repaired if needed. Next came the truck bed and body including the doors and hood. All parts were cleaned, blasted, primered and painted. The engine and drive train were the next to be tackled. A full overhaul of the engine and tranny took the most time and the most money. Parts were very hard to find. The interior was the easiest to restore. New vinyl and foam were cheap and most of it we did ourselves. The electrical was the biggest pain in the ass because it was tedious and if you screwed up a part it would take forever to get it shipped in.

All in all I'm happy with the way it turned out. Now that my dad is retired he tools around in it all the time. Our next project is a 1937 Packard.

colluccipictwo_resize.jpg


Dads35Ford.jpg
 
Backwoods_VT said:
not to be funny but dont. I have a ton of friends who have done this and spent 30,000 plus to restore 69 gtos, and a 68 camaro and ended up selling it after it was done for around half of what they put into it. I have restored a 66 gto and would never restore a car again. The time , money and agrivation is unreal. even if money were no problem getting people to do a job ie..(engine rebuild, trans rebuild) right is near imposible. Everyone today is into short cuts. My advise pick a car you love and buy it already done.
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Yep ... I completely agree. I could have bought the car I modded for half price ... easy. No question.

You've just got to ask yourself, do you have the time and money for the hobby? Aside from the car and the parts, good tools and 3rd party work aren't cheap. If you're going to go for it, I recommend joining a club and meeting guys that can help you out.

All that said, I wouldn't trade my build up. Worth every penny. Lots of pride and self satisfaction when it's done and you're on the road. :)
 
Do some research on cars that you like. Find boards that specialize in that model and read up on what's involved. Try to find local people that have done it and use them as a resource.

Buy a cheap version of that car. Something that runs and you can drive around and enjoy in its beat-up condition.

Write up a restoration plan. Figure out exactly what you want to do and how you want it to look. List all the things you need to do and all the things you need to replace. Figure out the exact part numbers and places where you'll buy them. Find out what everything will cost.

Tally up the cost. Tally up the time it will take you to do the restoration. Triple the time to make it realistic.

Drive the beater for a few months. Fix it just enough to keep it running.

Now sell your beater and buy a totally restored car from someone on the car board. Buy it for half of what your restoration project would cost and without spending 2 years of all your free time. Get something that's as close to your wishlist as possible.

Now you have your dream car without the headache.

I've got a 1994 Toyota MR2 Turbo that's in decent condition. I want to soup it up - rebuild the suspension, rebuild the engine, new engine management computer, clean up the body, respray, new wheels, and a dozen fix its. That's probably $15k of work if done right. My car is probably worth $9k as is (The MR2 is viewed as a great little sports car platform - mid engine, rear wheel drive, LSD, turbo - all the right ingredients). So my options are to dump a ton of time, money, blood, sweat and tears for a fantastic sportscar with a total monetary cost of $26k . . . or I could probably buy something already fixed up and in really nice condition for $15k-18k. Everytime I do the math it always says "if you want to do it right, sell your car and buy a fully built car". Personally, this has caused me to scale down my plans to do no more than $3-4k of work on my car.
 
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