The Guide to Vehicle Restoration

Copyright protected 2003

The Guide to Vehicle Restoration

Restoration of old cars and trucks; a general guide.

We all share the love of old cars and trucks. And, I doubt if there is a man (and some women) alive that hasn’t dreamed of cruising down the road in something no one else in town has. So, if you are reading this, you are seriously considering, or have already started a full or partial restoration of an old vehicle, then there’s something seriously wrong with you. Stop it right now. If you are already started on one, it’s too late for you, but you might just get some ideas from reading this. For the rest of you that have not already started, here is the straight scoop and some suggestions for you to consider.

I want every one of you to go outside and slam your fingers in the front door on each hand, then come back and keep reading. Did it hurt? That’s good. Did it make you want to forget the restoration? Yes? This is a sign you are above normal intelligence. No? Just keep reading. This is to introduce you to the pain and pleasure of automotive restoration. The pain in your fingers is kind of what you will have to live with for the next couple of years while you work on and eventually finish your project. The pleasure comes when you are finished and drive out of the garage the first time in your completed project and completely forget how much trouble you put yourself through. Kind of like when your fingers stop hurting after a while and you forget how bad they hurt when you originally slammed them in the door. Heck, if you do a restoration, you probably could be talked into slamming them in the door again.

Now, I’ve had a little fun up to now, but here is where things start to get real. There are numerous books on restorations available in the library. I suggest you take out a couple and read up before you start.

But the purpose of this article is to give you some information and ammunition that I haven’t seen printed anywhere else.

Anybody can take stuff apart, but what about the mental part of restoring an old vehicle. So I’m not going to tell you how to remove a rusted 9/16^thsnut. I am going to give you some good advice that will hopefully make your job easier when you are putting things all back together in a year or two and you can’t remember where the part you need is or where it goes?

Have you thought about and chosen your project carefully? If you have, what did you choose and why are you going to spend several thousands of dollars and hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours working on it? If you don’t have a vision or haven’t already chosen, you also need to take out a pen and paper and write down exactly why, and for what reasons you have chosen this particular vehicle for your project and why you want to spend large amounts of money on this kind of old truck/car. There are a couple of "rules" to consider when you are trying to make a decision on what to choose.

Please consider these suggestions:

How bad is the body. Is it a rust bucket? If it is, I promise you it is better to wait and pay more money for a solid project than jump in on what appears to be a bargain.

Do some research on parts availability. If it’s a rare or obscure truck or car, where will you be able to find parts?

Will it be a full restoration and why? Will it be a Resto-Rod or will it be a really nice driver? Write it down and make TWO copies. Put the papers in one of those plastic protective sleeves that go in a three ring notebook. Put one in a 3-ring binder and put one on your garage wall. You will take it down and read it several times before you are done, and the paper is to remind you why you are doing what you are doing. You will be writing down and saving a lot of stuff in the coming months, and you need a place to keep it.

The three ring binder. This is one of the most important things you will do during the course of your restoration. It is a major tool and allows you to keep up with all kinds of information you will need, and keep it close at hand where you can find it when you need it. Your title papers for one. You can keep ideas you run across in magazines, the internet, from friends, etc. close at hand. You can keep photos of disassembly procedures, drawings, notes, etc. I keep receipts and instructions in mine too. One of the things I saved from several vehicles ago was how to remove an ignition lock cylinder. I can’t remember these kinds of things and it has saved me screwing up my dash on more than a couple of occasions.

While we will discuss this project technique later, you will want to divide your binder into project sections. Chassis, brakes, motor and transmission, interior, body, and what ever else you want to divide the project in to.

Since you have chosen to continue to pursue your chosen course of self-abuse, here are several iron clad rules that apply to restorations, and I don’t know anybody that has ever started a project like this that will disagree with me.

Your project will cost at least twice as much money as you originally thought.
You must be willing to stay focused on your project for more than two years without getting discouraged. Probably more if you are a normal human being.
If you can’t find a replacement part, you will break it when you take it apart. If you "can" find a replacement it will cost three times what it did new. If you can’t, you are regulated to finding a suitable used part that will cost you three times what it did new.
You can not restore your daily driver.
You have to have a secure place to work that is big enough to store all the boxes, bags and spare parts you will have to accumulate.
The more tools you have, the better the job will go.
You will never have all the right tools.
When you get frustrated or angry, and you will, clean up your tools, put things away right now and get a good nights sleep.
Do not be afraid to ask questions.
And finally, just a warning, if you don’t drink now, you probably will before this is all over.

O.K. I have your attention. You have your car or truck. You have a place to work and the money to do it. How do you start? I strongly suggest you get a lawn chair, a cold soda, beer or adult beverage of choice and go out to the garage for your first moment of Zen. Take your pen and paper, look at your project and break it down logically into mechanical sections. It is really important to think about what needs to be done in what sequence’s needed to make the most of the time you are going to spend. You don’t want to do a lot of paint and body work, then have to pull the motor, rear axle or front end apart and risk several hundred hours and dollars messing up a paint job. So think of your project in reverse order of the way you would build it from the ground up. Which goes first, which should go last? Write it all down, and then make up those sections in your binder. Make notes for each section.

For example:

Rear end section.

Clean and paint housing gloss black
Install new 3.25:1 traction lock 3^rd member
new axle bearings and seals
clean out the vent tube
clean and paint the backing plates
Re-assemble the unit

*note to self: re-install springs on painted frame, brakes later.

A logical break down for the project 3-ring binder would look something like this.

Frame
Springs, front/ rear
Front end and steering replacement parts
Rear axle and 3^rd member including bearings
Brake system, Brake replacement with new lines, hoses, and hardware.
Motor
Transmission
Cooling system
Electrical system
Air conditioning
Body
Paint
Interior
Misc. notes and ideas

O.K. We’re rolling now. You actually can start the disassembly once you get all the preparation work done. Disassembly is the most important part of your restoration project. No matter how deep you plan to go, always remember to take photos, make notes and make drawings.

Get yourself some sturdy boxes and go to the grocery store and buy several sizes of zip lock bags for parts. You also need to get some kind of small tag you can also put on various parts and wires that identify what they are and where they go. Use a fine point permanent marker like a Sharpie. I have them in several colors for different things.

When you actually begin to take things apart, start with the trim and windows on your project. These will be the last things to go back on. Then the interior should come out. You get the picture.

Only take one part at a time off of your vehicle, and keep all the related parts together in boxes. Label the outside of the boxes with what you put inside. Keep left door parts together, right door parts together, etc.

I also suggest that you remember your "moment of Zen" and go out to the garage from time to time to just sit and consider what you are doing. I can’t really tell you how much good it does, but after you try it a couple of times, you will get a kind of renewal of spirit from that old truck or car, and maybe come up with a couple of new ideas along the way.

Finally, always remember:

#1-remove it, #-2-clean it, #-3-tag it, #4-bag it.

I can not stress enough the rules above. Clean parts are a joy to work with and keep everything else clean. If the part is clean, the tag will be clean and you will always be able to read it. Clean it, clean it, clean it!

The rest is easy. Just keep cleaning, tagging and bagging until you don’t have anything left, then reverse the process and put stuff back together. Then, suddenly, you will go out to the garage and realize, "Oh my God, I need another project".

Good luck.

Article By: Skip Porterfield

Lone Star Chapter

Slick 60’s Ford Truck Club