Restoring an old car?

Goth_Judoka · 02-12-2008, 05:39 PM

Has anyone done this before? Any tips or advice?

I've always had a thing for muscle cars. In my opinon, today's cars (80's-Now) don't have that "character" that the older cars have. To me, they seem souless and cold (I won't even go over the little foriegn cars). A good example is the new mustangs, it's like they tried to give them the feel of a luxury car, or give them a modern twist to it, which doesn't work at all for me...well that's it for the rant.

When the summer comes, I will have plenty of time. I know someone who is willing to sell me their old 1970 Plymouth Duster, they say they can wait till then for me to buy it. I have looked under it's hood and it's not bad,they say it's engine is in good mechanical shape, some of the other parts are slightly worn and there is only a few spots of rust on the body. It has a 340 V8 engine and a four barrel carburetor. The interior is in alright shape, some cracks on the dash, the seats are worn, but that's what I pretty much expected. I'm not afraid of work, and don't mind putting some elbow grease and time into it.

(Here is a pic of what one looks like)

How long did it take?,cost?,etc... Feel free to share stories and pics.

gasguzzler · 02-12-2008, 06:46 PM

I used to build / rebuild cars for a living. What kind of advice are you looking for? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is, make sure you have the time and money to get the job done and done right. There's nothing more frustrating then having a project car sit in the garage for years because you can't afford to finish it. I know this from personal experience. The mustang I have now has been sitting in my garage for over a year because I just don't have time or money to throw at it right now.

I'll think of more later when I get home from work.

**brackis1** · 02-12-2008, 06:56 PM

Agreed. Restoring old shit just for looks is a job left best to rich people or those with too much time on their hands while simultaneously having skill.

AFanNotAFighter · 02-12-2008, 09:27 PM

I envy you. I wish i had the time to do such a thing. I might disagree a bit with the new Mustangs. I like them. They are a nice throwback to the golden age of 'Stangs. Dusters look cool. Mopars were always a fave of mine. I love the 'Cudas and the Superbirds/Roadrunners. The Hemi and 440 6Pack are killer mills. I guess if you are rebuilding/restoring you have to ask yourself a question: Do I want to keep it forever or resell it? If you want to resell it it will cost you more to restore because buyers want cars as original as possible(numbers match). If you are going to keep it just do what you like. I guess if it were me I would do what I like. Good luck, man.

F. Todos · 02-12-2008, 11:23 PM

I've been restoring a 67 Dart GT the last couple years, I put a 440 in it but it came with a 273 small block.

I think certain types of people like to tinker, design, build things, etc. If you are one of those types, you'll love it. You'll want to improve it, and with that comes a bit of engineering, since sometimes you have to make parts (and tools) to do what you're looking to do.

If you can do it yourself, it wont cost that much. Sounds like it's a runner, so you can get it, drive it, enjoy it tinker with it and fix it up over time. I have known people who buy basketcases that end up the way the guy above described, sitting in the garage covered with dust. And my car has done that a bit of the time too. I got it as a roller with no motor or trans, put a new motor/trans in it, new big bolt brakes all around, different shifter, radiator, painted it, made the exhaust, yada yada yada. Here's a pic of the motor:

Before I got it, I was aware of all the work, money, and skills it would take, so I knew it would eventually get done and that I would enjoy working on it. If you are not sure you like doing mechanics, don't buy a basketcase.. but you're buying a driver so I say get it and have fun. By the way, how much is he asking for it?

Good luck on it, and if you are into mopars you have to go to the forum at moparts.org.

feedmelies · 12:00 AM

You will need money, time and knowledge. Make sure that the car you are buying doesn't have any rust. And I mean really look in all the common places. I bought a a car that looked decent, but it turned out that carpet in the trunk and vinyl on the roof both were covering up MAJOR rust (like serious holes). Also, a lot of people will cover up rust with bondo and give the car a cheap paint job to mask the problem.

With that said, muscle cars rock! Nothing beats the sound of a loud, cammed v8.

My (former) '67 Chevelle:

I had 3 inch exhaust, Flowmasters and a pretty nice cam in it. I would get one of two reactions at stop lights: people would either roll up their windows to hide from the noise, or ask me to rev it.

**Montpelerin** · 02-13-2008, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goth_Judoka

In my opinon, today's cars (80's-Now) don't have that "character" that the older cars have. To me, they seem souless and cold (I won't even go over the little foriegn cars).

Not all 80's cars are soulless and cold...

...90's either...

Timetravel_0 · 02-13-2008, 03:52 AM

I restored my 1968 Cougar, I'm getting ready to sell it now. It just sits in my garage collecting dust, I might as well get some cash for it. It looks and runs good. Here's a pic of it. This is when the paint job was brand new, now it has a few chips.

Goth_Judoka · 02-15-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gasguzzler

I used to build / rebuild cars for a living. What kind of advice are you looking for? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is, make sure you have the time and money to get the job done and done right. There's nothing more frustrating then having a project car sit in the garage for years because you can't afford to finish it. I know this from personal experience. The mustang I have now has been sitting in my garage for over a year because I just don't have time or money to throw at it right now.

I'll think of more later when I get home from work.

Thanks for the advice. Do you know any special places to get hard to find parts? (magazines, websites,etc..)

Quote:

Originally Posted by F. Todos

Before I got it, I was aware of all the work, money, and skills it would take, so I knew it would eventually get done and that I would enjoy working on it. If you are not sure you like doing mechanics, don't buy a basketcase.. but you're buying a driver so I say get it and have fun. By the way, how much is he asking for it?

Good luck on it, and if you are into mopars you have to go to the forum at moparts.org.

Thanks for the link. He wants 2 grand for it, which is good since I've seen others sell the body for much more. I plan on pretty much spending the summer working on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFanNotAFighter

I guess if you are rebuilding/restoring you have to ask yourself a question: Do I want to keep it forever or resell it? If you want to resell it it will cost you more to restore because buyers want cars as original as possible(numbers match). If you are going to keep it just do what you like. I guess if it were me I would do what I like. Good luck, man.

After I'd spent all that time restoring it, and cleaning out everything I'd plan on keeping it for a long time.

OLD BOY · 02-15-2008, 11:38 AM

make sure that engine doesn't smoke/ tranny shifts and like someone else said check and double check for rust.. Go to forums and ask question about your specific car and wear to look for these problem areas. Do you need A/C or Heater in your area ? make sure those work tooshit can get expensive. May be why the price is so attractive.