College budget restoration, Trudging forward Options

[broomhandle]

agreed, good work. and looks like the trans is rebuilt. way cool.

just make sure you have fun!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[ThePaintedMan]

agreed, good work. and looks like the trans is rebuilt. way cool.

just make sure you have fun!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks for the replies all. I'll keep that in mind for the pedal cluster - no POR. Also, its not a rebuilt trans.... yet. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Paint can be deceiving! I pulled it out before getting into the metal work and degreased/painted it while I was at it. Still crunches first and second. Thats on my list of things to due, however.

-George

[arkitect]

Good luck on your build. Looks like you got the right attitude to just keep at it until it's done. There's alot to these little cars.

Also, I'm far from a college budget but I still try to manufacture my own parts when I can. Everyone can't buy new parts.

Dave

[ThePaintedMan]

Thanks Clow, been following your work as well. Truly remarkable. Good luck with your own studies. You're at Purdue, correct?

Its looking good. Keep up the great work. There will be times you wish you took the torches and cut the car to pieces but don't get discouraged. (I had a few of these days myself) The final product will be sweet! I understand the college budget, I am currently in school as well. Goodluck.

Clow

[ThePaintedMan]

Hello again all,
Sorry I haven't done a great job updating in the past few days. First weeks of classes have been pretty hectic. However, I was able to get a little more work done! The outer long is basically complete around the jack post. Also, I just welded in the support from Restoration Design today. I'll have pictures of that tomorrow. Below is a picture right before I finished the second layer. To those who haven't attempted this yet, remember that its double walled. So if you fabricate a piece you actually need to duplicate it. You can get the picture of this below. It actually doesn't double up all the way around, though. The "inner" layer of the double wall that I made just sort of floats along the bottom of the long. Then, when you weld in the outer layer, you rosette-weld the two together. I'll try to get a picture of this if I can remember. So far I've already doing a poor job of that.


Also, I'm probably being anal because as you can see, I have been POR-ing between each piece that I've made. Everyone else just does a good coat of weldable primer. Meh, I just want to have to come back here again, so I'll keep doing it this way and never have to worry about rust again... at least in the long.

[ThePaintedMan]

While I was already busy getting covered in POR, I decided to go ahead and do the window channels and part of the floorboard. Even though I bought mine in 6x4oz cans, I don't want to waste any. Once these cans are opened, regardless of what anyone says, its a crapshoot whether you get them open again.

[ThePaintedMan]

The floorboard we fabbed. When you see the whole floor, you can barely tell that this isn't a Restoration Design or AA piece. Once I get all the interior cleaned up and painted, I'll be sure to post that pic for your opinions.

[ThePaintedMan]

And finally, the front windshield channel. I discovered some rust here too. Glad I got to it when I did. I'm not sure how I'm going to try and seal the other side yet. But this POR should stop anymore rust from appearing on the outside. Still having fisheye problems. I'm starting to think I just got a bad batch (I have heard this does happen from time to time).

[windforfun]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[VOX]

good luck on your build! mines is a college budget resto as well, but i'm glad i didnt start with something in such bad shape! respect for rebuilding it. i suppose im just lucky i live in socal where the rot doesnt hit so hard.

[ThePaintedMan]

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get any flack from anyone else for this....
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/finger.gif)

Are you unemployed or just living off of your parents? You must be to find time to go around telling people how they should live their lives.

FYI - I'm at the end of my coursework in my Masters Thesis, holding a 3.76 GPA while teaching several labs and busting my ass at my day job out in the sun. I'll be happy to provide a copy of my transcript as well as letters of reference if it pleases you. Otherwise, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/KMA.gif) .

Are you getting A's in school? If not, why the hell are you waisting your time with a beat up old car? It's an old piece of shit. Face it, you'd be better off studying & preparing for your future.

[ThePaintedMan]

VOX,
I seem to remember hearing that about yours as well. You are truly smarter than I for starting off with a better example. However, I knew getting into this that I wanted to tackle one of the things that I had not done before, which is metal work. I definitely got more than I bargained for, but I also saved a ton of money by picking a less complete car. I'm sure most of us would probably recommend to anyone that 99% of the time its better to find low-rust cars to start with. But for the crazy few of us who just want to learn, at least we're saving a car in the process! To me, its worth it just knowing that Kevin311, one of the previous owners of this car is happy to see it being saved. Good luck with yours! What are you studying?

good luck on your build! mines is a college budget resto as well, but i'm glad i didnt start with something in such bad shape! respect for rebuilding it. i suppose im just lucky i live in socal where the rot doesnt hit so hard.

[Valy]

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get any flack from anyone else for this....
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/finger.gif)

Are you unemployed or just living off of your parents? You must be to find time to go around telling people how they should live their lives.

FYI - I'm at the end of my coursework in my Masters Thesis, holding a 3.76 GPA while teaching several labs and busting my ass at my day job out in the sun. I'll be happy to provide a copy of my transcript as well as letters of reference if it pleases you. Otherwise, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/KMA.gif) .

Are you getting A's in school? If not, why the hell are you waisting your time with a beat up old car? It's an old piece of shit. Face it, you'd be better off studying & preparing for your future.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[Ed_F]

Oh man, is this fun. I'll have another picture of it stripped, but this is galvanized aluminum or tin where the center hump used to be. To top it off, its secured with a combination of rivets, bathroom caulk and, my favorite - BRASS! Needless to say I've been grinding for awhile now.

Yikes! Sounds like the mess the in between owner (I owned mine from 99 - 2002 and 2010 - present) did on my first car. He actually put fiberglass over the rotted inner rocker, and riveted sheet metal to the longs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[rnellums]

In my experience, having a diversion from studies helps you make better use of the time you DO spend studying. BTW, I'm the one at Purdue. Clow is up in Canada I believe doing ME in Ontario.

[porbmw]

[quote.


Also, I'm probably being anal


Geez....that kinda talk gets some of these members just a tad too excited (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

And humbled/inspired by the skills and determination...that is truly a project car...and you'll be done and driving long before I get my repainted car reassembled.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Diversions from studies....or work....are a necessity

[Germancar-Junkie]

Yikes! Sounds like the mess the in between owner (I owned mine from 99 - 2002 and 2010 - present) did on my first car. He actually put fiberglass over the rotted inner rocker, and riveted sheet metal to the longs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Ed, the in between owner of your car must have owned my car at some point in time. the repairs, and I use that term loosely, were eerily similar. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon8.gif)

George, I agree whole heartedly with your colorful reply. Your rebuild is what inspired me. Keep up the good work!

Dawn

[ThePaintedMan]

Thanks for the positive replies all. Dawn, I don't know if I'd call this inspiration, but its proof you can do this relatively cheaply as long as you're willing to put the time in and have an open mind to learn. If you ever have any questions, I'll do my best to show you what I did, whether its considered 'right' or ''wrong.'

I've got some more pictures to post here this evening. Took off the old suspension console and what I found scared the crap outta me. It wasn't pretty and it was rusted almost all the way through.

Also, one of these posts I'm going to list some of the "do's" and "I wouldn't if I were you's" that I've learned. I've been keeping a running tally on what I've been spending and in some areas what I initially thought would be saving money probably has cost me some. The floorboards come to mind. While I'm happy with the way they've turned out, I do think that some parts should just be purchased instead of being fabricated. For example, I've bought well over $150 in Dremel and angle grinder discs which I had not accounted for at the beginning. If you buy pre-made parts you're not going to spend as much time or money cutting and grinding. It certainly equals out if not completely outweighing the money saved by making hard to replicate pieces on your own. Plus, no matter how much better I've gotten at fabricating, the replacement pieces are always going to look better. Like I said, this is a learning process (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[rnellums]

I have one solid susp. console. I cant remember if it is right or left though...

[dlo914]

VOX,
I seem to remember hearing that about yours as well. You are truly smarter than I for starting off with a better example. However, I knew getting into this that I wanted to tackle one of the things that I had not done before, which is metal work. I definitely got more than I bargained for, but I also saved a ton of money by picking a less complete car. I'm sure most of us would probably recommend to anyone that 99% of the time its better to find low-rust cars to start with. But for the crazy few of us who just want to learn, at least we're saving a car in the process! To me, its worth it just knowing that Kevin311, one of the previous owners of this car is happy to see it being saved. Good luck with yours! What are you studying?

good luck on your build! mines is a college budget resto as well, but i'm glad i didnt start with something in such bad shape! respect for rebuilding it. i suppose im just lucky i live in socal where the rot doesnt hit so hard.

LOL we paid $300 for the rolling chassis and another $300 for the engine and tranny. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)