Classic Car Restoration Advice

[rondog]

First thing in my mind was - do you have a large place to work on it cleanly, safely, and efficiently, that you can tie up for several years? Ya take parts and things off, then ya gotta have a place to put them! And work on them, and store them, and etc.

I've been trying to restore a '56 Willys Jeep for 10 years in a 2-car garage, and it's a bitch. Especially when the wife howls about parking outside in the snow and I have to shuffle stuff around so she can park inside. Oh yeah, there's the Harley project in there too. Next place we live MUST have a separate shop building for ME and my crap!

[Tinelement]

Happy to help you with any questions you may have. This is my lively hood.
I can point you in all directions. From a budget garage build to an AMBR contender.

Shoot me a pm for my info.

[Great-Kazoo]

Ok kazoo I see how it is, I send you and email of inquired info but you don't respond because you can't boost your post count. Mmmmk.

sorry. didn't recognize the e-m addy and spammed it. resend now.

[Great-Kazoo]

First thing in my mind was - do you have a large place to work on it cleanly, safely, and efficiently, that you can tie up for several years? Ya take parts and things off, then ya gotta have a place to put them! And work on them, and store them, and etc.

I've been trying to restore a '56 Willys Jeep for 10 years in a 2-car garage, and it's a bitch. Especially when the wife howls about parking outside in the snow and I have to shuffle stuff around so she can park inside. Oh yeah, there's the Harley project in there too. Next place we live MUST have a separate shop building for ME and my crap!

I'd sell you our place. Plenty of room in shop and property for parking.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

sorry. didn't recognize the e-m addy and spammed it. resend now.

Done.

[MED]

I would look at your goals and go from there. If you plan to have the car 10-20 years down the road, then have it blasted and repair the metal the right way and treat it for long term corrosion. If you don't take this step, then you are looking at it being done again in 5-10 years. Same goes if your long term goals are investment (document the build process - scrap book and keep receipts). Make sure your deconstruction includes an inventory, storage organization, labels, and instructions where needed (remembering what you did weeks, months, years is really difficult). Put together a spreadsheet (or project docs such as Gannt and Critical Path) to include task, time, parts, and cost so that you don't hit a barrier or lose traction by missing a critical step. I would start this process before touching a single bolt. You need to make sure you have the cash, time, space and/or skills to complete each phase of the build or you will have a half finished build sitting in your garage that you loose money on selling as a basket case. So, all this said, where you start depends on your goals. Are you putting together a nicely built budget driver that you may or may not have in 10 years or are you building a restored collector?

[rondog]

I'd sell you our place. Plenty of room in shop and property for parking.

Thanks, but you're way the hell up in North Bumfuq, and there's the whole issue of JOBS and making a living. Details, ya know.....