Restoring a car...where to start?

[Silverbullet]

The time has finally come; now my plan to break in the new engine is out the window I can start restoring the whole car. Which raises a very important question which I've been thinking about for a week or so...where the heck do I start? What do I do first?

I've spent all this time (more than a year!) thinking and talking about what mods I'm going to have and how good the car will be when it's done and now it's time to do it there's so much work to do I don't know what to fix first!

I've come to a bit of a conclusion that the body work needs to be fixed first i.e the rust, so I can look for and find any rust that is serious or might jeopardize the whole project. So far so good as the underneath is completely rust free as far as I can see, only one corner of the windscreen is badly rusted and I suspect I'll need a new tailgate. To do these repairs means removing and safely storing alot of bits which I've already started. I should have gone and bought the welder this week before Xmas, I doubt anywhere will be open next week.

Anyway I guess one thing will lead to another, but let it be known that this project is officially started

[Brumby Kid]

Still got my number? Give me a ring or or PM me.
Il give you a heads up and even help if you want.

Cheers Cam

Oh and supercheap have an awesome sale on ATM. Finishes on the 1st so I think they are open except Xmas day.

[Bantum]

A good place to start is prep your space / workshop with all bits you need first, so you don't have to stop work mid way + have a storeage area or container for keeping bits you've pulled off, out of the way whilst your working on the other bits ...

P.S. - Make sure you take lots of photos & label everything so you know where its home is ...

[Silverbullet]

Thanks for the offer Cam I'll keep it in mind. As for prepping workshop/space, I don't have much of that My socket set and ratchet spanners have been all I've needed so far pulling things apart. And all the precious trim pieces and lights are being stored in the boot for now out of harms way.

Just started cutting rust out of one of the doors, a little bit in front of a rear wheel...man that stuff spreads! Both bits have been worse than they looked, I think capillary action must suck the water up between panels. And someone has been at it with the bog some time in the past, Dad assures me it wasn't him...do service places hide bog in the rust holes without telling their customers? It's making my life alot harder that's for sure.

[dfoyl]

The best thing you could do is hand-strip the paint from the car, and then have the car professionally sandblasted if you can afford it. It's the only way to start the project if you're looking to have the car long-term. I have been down the path of doing patches and then prime & paint, and you'll get about 7-10 years before the rust comes up again - either somewhere you prepped earlier or somewhere new.

Simple rule when it comes to bodywork - 90% preparation, 10% application.

[tambox]

Rust is cancer, fully treat it properly to cure it, or it will come back with a vengeance.(radiation will not work on cars , just labor and TLC ) Take your time and do it properly, its well worth the effort.
Good luck with your adventure.

[Silverbullet]

I agree, rust is cancer. Biggest problem I've hit so far is rust in the seams; not really bad yet but enough to be a problem. The original seam sealer has cracked letting water in from inside the panel, and now there's orange dust in 3 seams I've found so far, probably more. Not sure what I can do about this short of unpicking every seam and joint to treat the rust. Would penetrol be a suitable treatment for this? It's supposed to seep into every microscopic crack and crevice and stop the rust or so I hear.

[NachaLuva]

have a storeage area or container for keeping bits you've pulled off

+1 on the plastic tubs in a range of sizes for ALL your bits & peices...its amazing how easily things go missing. Dont trust keeping it all in your boot, esp all the nuts n bolts!

P.S. - Make sure you take lots of photos & label everything so you know where its home is ...

+1 here too. Its just too easy to forget what came from where...even the orientation can be important. It will save you much time & tearing out of hair in frustration lol

Rust is cancer, fully treat it properly to cure it, or it will come back with a vengeance

It sure is...do it right & do it once

Would penetrol be a suitable treatment for this? It's supposed to seep into every microscopic crack and crevice and stop the rust or so I hear.

Some people swear by fish oil for this...

[TOONGA]

It took me a while to find it again but thanks to the wiki I have found the 1970 Subaru FF-1 project again.

If you are as willing as he was to spend the time and money, you could have a brand new car in the form of your wagon.

Good luck with it I wish I had the space, time and money as PJ and jetcar would get some fabrication / metal repairs done.

TOONGA

[tambox]

A good, expensive, but you get what you pay for is "Wurth" brand rust converter.
I have seen amazing results with this stuff.
I have seen it put on Landrover rust, then not painted and left for years, it still stopped the rust.
I have used it, but follow the instructions and it is very good. Very thin when applied and seeps into all the rusty areas.
Get rid of as much rust as you can, apply this stuff and paint.
But unless you cut it all out, you may miss a bit, then it comes back.

[Silverbullet]

That's a good thread, I remember looking through the whole thing. It's very tempting to go to that extent with my car i.e blasted and custom repaired at a body shop. Whether or not the budget will allow is a different story I'll have to ponder that one for a while.

[steptoe]

kbscoatings.com.au post out a sampler pack under $50. I got one from a demo at a car day - the guy selling the stuff makes the stuff, his brother devised it. The simplest I have found for some rust applications is the glass content epoxy resin paints in a spray can - doesn't fix the holes but seals it if you do it correctly - no air no more rusting .... did my windscreen gutter with it 14 years ago, reinspected it 7 years ago - nil advancement of the rust!

[Brumby Kid]

Hydrochloric acid, or rust converter for the bits you do yourself.
Then get the body acid dipped. There are a few places in Adelaide.
Well worth it!

Cheers Cam

[El_Freddo]

My tips:

1) any bolts that you undo to remove something, put them back in the threads/captive nuts they came from where possible. Generally on the body it's hard to do as they get in the way but other bits it's easy to do and saves a pot load of time later on

2) Make a space for Drive train parts, interior panels, dash/console bits etc etc - keep it ordered and it will help you out when it comes to putting it all back together. Draw a map or a list of where things are if you need to.

3) Rust: A mate of mine has put me onto Rust Buster - it's an acid that will eat the rust and seal it. What you need to do is rub back to bare metal twice the size of the area of rust, remove any rust scale and rub as well. Apply the rust buster sparingly - a little goes a long long way. Leave for a few days.
Rub back and use a sealer such as the red anti-rust stuff (name escapes me at the mo ) then primer etc and the usual prep/spray/rub/prep spray etc. The Rust Buster is great for rust in seams etc as the liquid will work it's way into cracks and crevices. This is what I'll be doing with Sunnie the Brumby in the next week all going well.

And the cleaner your workshop the better! Even sweeping the floor before you begin can make a huge difference!

How far are you going to strip it down anyway?

All the best with it - take your time and enjoy the process, even when it's very frustrating!

Cheers

Bennie

[steptoe]

start at the spare room, then your room, siblings room ......

[tambox]

Start to worry when it gets to the lounge room, panic at the bedroom.
Its a big job to do it properly.

[El_Freddo]

start at the spare room, then your room, siblings room ......

Got that wrong Jonno - start at the spare room, then your siblings room THEN your room

Cheers

Bennie

[Silverbullet]

I looked at acid dipping and sand blasting etc and have decided that I'm not going to that extent. Mostly because of cost but also because it would create a heap more work (removing absolutely EVERYTHING from the body, then putting it back ) and the acid would remove the sealers and glues that are still ok, but I couldn't replace.

Thanks for the tips Bennie, I've already gotten into the habit of putting bolts back into the thread they came from a few turns where possible. Is the product you speak of Ranex rust buster? a few different ones came up when I googled it.
As for how far back to strip it, that's an evolving decision Probably right back to the rolling shell when I have space to put everything. The design for a home-made rotisserie is cooking in the back of my mind too
Hopefully the parts won't encroach into the house, I'll be really panicking if I wake up next to a diff or dashboard one day

I will be installing a couple of flood lights under the car port for working at night...oh and a big fan (was bloody hot yesterday, 42C in the shade!)

[El_Freddo]

Is the product you speak of Ranex rust buster?

Yes it is. Link here. Make sure you wipe up any excess and if you're using it near any paint you want to keep put a coat of wax on it to protect the paint work, otherwise it'll make the paint go chalky/powdery.

Cheers

Bennie

[60766244]

Yes it is. Link here. Make sure you wipe up any excess and if you're using it near any paint you want to keep put a coat of wax on it to protect the paint work, otherwise it'll make the paint go chalky/powdery.

Cheers

Bennie

+1
Ranex Rustbuster is crazy brutal on rust - turns the rusted steel black and lightens/powders paint if you get it on there accidentally.

Thankfully my ute came rust free, but I've used this stuff a few times before.

Paint it on very lightly as it will drip if you let excess move about - and it will bubble horridly if it pools for any length of time. If it gets on concrete, it WILL stain powerfully, so do this over dirt or gravel you're not fond of if you can. Putting cardboard or something underneath won't 100% stop it, Ranex eats through... (My driveway and rents are fairly mad at me about the stains...)

I can't wait to have my own fully prepped garage to do the same full refurbishment to a ute.