Inspired by all of you, and especially the "turtle girl build," I rented a shop and I'm starting my resto! I have a 1972 1.7L. I bought it about 5 years ago, also bought a '71 parts car. Drove the '72 home, barely.
Pulled the parts car home with a trailer. Parted out all the good parts on the '71. Dropped the engine and tranny, then lost my garage, along with my house, children, furniture, and half my money to my ex-wife. I moved the car and parts, but they have sat undisturbed ever since.

I found this club and it has really rekindled my interest in my car. So I rented a shop, moved the car and parts, and now I'm ready to get started! The "turtle-girl build" thread really got me going. Thanks alot! I am going to try and document my build along the way also. I hope you will all follow along as I will be needing plenty of advice.

And this is just the rust you can see on the outside. The PO did a "resto" before I got it. I think he must of just painted over rust.

Lots of photos will keep you motivated. Ask me how I know....

Right on.

I am SOOOOO ready to sit back and watch someone else work.

Take pictures of what it looks like now.

6 months from now, as it is on Jackstands and you are fighting for motiviation to drive to the shop and work on it (assuming that the place you rented is not at your home) those pictures _will_ motivate you.

They motivate me, when I am finding excuses not to go out to the garage.

It is a fun hobby, and an excellent way to take your mind off all the other stuff going around you.

Best of luck, and

Zach

This is the pic I put up on the garage door for my motivation....boy it was ugly. I kinda hate orange now....

Just boggles me to see that someone spent all that time taking the interior out (seats, carpet, dash, everything) only to leave all that rust under the tar, and to fiberglass and paint over the rust that he could see.

some more....

and more....

and still more....


And this is just the driver's side. Can't wait to see the passenger side!

Finally down to the tub

Thought my shop was big. Looks smaller now!

Has anyone seen a repair like this?







Should I take it out and try and fix it the right way?

The other door is done the same way!!!!!

Those are later winder mechanisms transplanted into early doors. Interesting method.

QUOTE (McMark @ Mar 8 2006, 06:32 PM)

Those are later winder mechanisms transplanted into early doors. Interesting method.

It seems to be strong and to work well. The windows rolled up and down real easy. Think I should change it or leave it. It's so ugly that it's hard to turn a blind eye to!

Got a welder?

QUOTE (McMark @ Mar 8 2006, 06:39 PM)

Got a welder?

getting a welder this weekend! MIG

Terry -
Nice to see someone in the neighborhood - Where is your shop loacted ?

I live in Silver Creek, off Cockerell Hill between Cockerell Hill and Pleasant Run -

Silver is good!

QUOTE (dakotaewing @ Mar 12 2006, 08:15 AM)

Terry - Nice to see someone in the neighborhood - Where is your shop loacted ?

I live at wheatland and freeman st. in Duncanville.

My shop is on N. Main ST. in Duncanville, just north of I-20.

PM me if you ever want to stop by and show me what a car looks like all put together and running!

QUOTE (tdsmoonchild @ Mar 12 2006, 06:53 PM)

QUOTE (dakotaewing @ Mar 12 2006, 08:15 AM) Terry - Nice to see someone in the neighborhood - Where is your shop loacted ? I live at wheatland and freeman st. in Duncanville. My shop is on N. Main ST. in Duncanville, just north of I-20. PM me if you ever want to stop by and show me what a car looks like all put together and running!

Can I just some by sometime? It's going to be a long time before my car is running...

I doing a compete paint up job as well....

PM sent dakotaewing...

New toys for the shop!



This one took some doing. My shop didn't have 220v and I'm too cheap to hire an electrician. Shop is an old building and the service panel only had one space available for another breaker. Well you need two breakers for the 220v. To make matters worse, the breakers I needed are no longer made anymore! Had to source the two big amp, obsolete breakers, use them to feed an add-on service panel, run my 220v circuit for the compressor off of the new add-on panel, plus replace the one circuit for my overhead lighting that I had to remove to make space for the two big-amp, obsolete breakers.
Major PITA. All done while original service was hot! Good news is it all works, looks professionally done, and nothing caught fire!

And behind door number two.......



Didn't realize purchase of the shielding gas cylinder was so expensive.....

Lots of rust repair to be done! My plan is to put the tub on a rotisserie, but then I have this:



another look:

Trunk floor looks like this:



and:



So looks like I need to replace whole trunk pan. Anyone know of sources for this?

Thought I would just use "Grasshopper" method for the bumper mounting point. Any suggestions?

Also looks like they used a gas welder to put the pieces together... without rod. That's a fugly weld job

QUOTE (tdsmoonchild @ Mar 25 2006, 12:44 PM)

So looks like I need to replace whole trunk pan.  Anyone know of sources for this? Thought I would just use "Grasshopper" method for the bumper mounting point.  Any suggestions?

Restoration Design has the rear part of the trunk floor..

http://www.restoration-design.com/index.html

Maybe I need more, like the whole trunk. Some of the other areas are very pitted.

Ok, so I've fabricated the piece for the rear bumper mounting point, but I need suggestions on protective coatings. Do I coat it before welding it? Weld-through primer, metal ready? Or after with something like POR15? Help me out.

For similar repairs I've used Metal Ready followed by Por15 and am happy with the restults so far...

While I'm waiting on a fender section to finish repair of the back bumper mounting point, I decided to start building the world's cheapest (and ugliest) rotisserie. It started out like this:



Big pile of old metal tubing in a field behind the shop.

started putting pieces together.

Pipe notching by hand with an angle grinder is tedious work.

improptu welding jig

One side is done.

sorry no update for so long.....



took some time off for shop improvements

finally finished the world's cheapest (and ugliest) rotisserie

But I still had to fix rusted areas where the rotisserie mounts....



and......

now the front.

before:



during:



and after:



grasshopper style!

made my braces:





sorry about the blurry pic!

and finally:

how to clean your car......

ugly fender repair by PO that needs replacement:



shout out to gregrobbins!

you have a parts car correct? are you going to use the fender off it or fix the one on the car?

I had a parts car but it was wrecked in the same area. I'll need another quarter panel.

shout out to gregrobbins!

Might be to late now but there was a barn find 1.7 in the area that looked in good shape might think about using this as the parts car???

Let me know where your at I would like to come by and see one all apart since that is down the road for me.

Oh and good luck

Grady

I go in spurts, usually financially driven! I have many projects on the go as I'm sure everyone else does, but working on the teener is very satisfying. Yours looks in better shape than mine but I'm working hard to get back to how it should be. I am not one to just pave over defects! In that way I'm sure I am my own worst enemy, but when I am finished I will have something one can take a great deal of pride in. Looks to me you are the same way, good luck and keep the pics coming, it motivates the rest of us!

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada