How to start the build

[Drews93fox 8]

Hey guys and gals,

 

I have posted a couple of things on this site and have gotten great answers!! So, I am going to ask the big question. How do you start a restoration? I have recently aquired my dream car of a 1969 Mach 1. The plans for this car are going to be a mild build with a couple of changes. I want to give it a better stance, as in lower it a bit. I don't want to mini-tub because I don't want to loose the back seat. I have a line on a 408 stroker kit for $600, so I think I will do that for the engine with some afr heads with a better top end kit. I want to keep the interior stock, maybe with a better head unit...But the big question is where do I start with the body. It has been setting for the last 30 years and 4 of those in grass. I really just don't know how to start the process. I do know that the car was wrecked on the front left. I have been told by a friend to have the body checked to see if it still straight, this is something that is definitely possible. The next part is where I don't know what to do. Should I have the body sandblasted to see what needs to be replaced? Any help would be appreciated, I did not grown up in a family that did this. I'm not sure where to go from here. I am going to post a couple of pictures of the car for your guys to see. Also, for some reason the P.O. put 70 tail lights on it.

[lanky 44]

Wow your car will need some SERIOUS body work. I would definitely have the chassis checked for straightness. I imagine blasting the body wouldn't leave much body left in some areas. Looks like your DS quarter is toast. IF you're going with a stroker, while you are doing the chassis and body work you will need chassis stiffeners (aka subframe connectors, monte carlo bar, and more if you can!) and suspension upgrades like the shelby drop, decent shocks/springs etc. Good luck!

[Stangboy 14]

I would strip it down to the bare shell and have it blasted. Then you'll know exactly what you're working with. That looks like a "ground up" candidate for restoration. everything starts with a solid chassis.

[Drews93fox 8]

Thanks guys, I was also thinking of sandblasting it to see what I had. I just didn't know any other way. I do know that I will be buying fenders, hood and most of the nose for it, quarters, and door skins. I assume that I will be purchasing a lot more from dynacorn. I should get some stock in the company before I start my resto! 

[ray1970 88]

Looks like mine before I started(1976)

In the end I saved 1-DOOR 1-FENDER and the roof.

The door and fender will need to be replaced on the next round..Coming soon...

Just dont give up..

Getting body parts and help are a lot easier now than it was 40 years ago...

[barnett468 418]

never use sand . use walnut shell or plastic media . you can use baking soda but that will not remove the bondo.

 

you may also have rust in some seams . if so, the only way to remove that is to have the car dipped then neutralized.

[RPM 1,190]

So what's up with the mix of 69/70 parts?

[Drews93fox 8]

So what's up with the mix of 69/70 parts?

To be honest, not sure. The guy I bought is from said that the previous owner to him hit a pole and was going to derby the car. He bought it from that guy 30 years ago and put the gold parts on the car. The PO didn't say anything to me about the tail lights, I noticed them when I purchased the car. There was also one 69 tail light in the trunk. The PO also didn't have the title to the car so I am in the process of bonding it. I couldn't wait for that, so I already bought the Marti Report for the car and everything came out perfect expect for the car came factory with front disc brakes and now has drums.....

 

I do understand that the car is going to be a lot of work and money but I am going to keep the car for the rest of my life. I am also only 27, so if the car takes 10 years to build i'm not really worried about that. I hope to have it done for my daughters junior prom... which is 16 years from now.

 

I have plenty of time to build the car. I want to do it once and do it the correct way. I don't want to have to do another build 20 years down the road because I cut corners.

[barnett468 418]

did you check the vin under the front fenders?

 

somethigns not right . it has a 1970 core support also, so they may have taken the vin off the wrecked 69 and put it on a 70 body then put 69 quarters on it . either way, i would find out if the vin under the fenders matches.

 

there is also a date stamped into the bottom side of the rocker panel around a foot back of the front edge of the door . it would need to be around may of 69 or earlier to be for a 69 .

[Drews93fox 8]

did you check the vin under the front fenders?

 

somethigns not right . it has a 1970 core support also, so they may have taken the vin off the wrecked 69 and put it on a 70 body then put 69 quarters on it . either way, i would find out if the vin under the fenders matches.

 

there is also a date stamped into the bottom side of the rocker panel around a foot back of the front edge of the door . it would need to be around may of 69 or earlier to be for a 69 .

I will check that. The car is currently at my parents and I will not be around it for another couple of weeks

[69volunteer 84]

did you check the vin under the front fenders?

 

somethigns not right . it has a 1970 core support also, so they may have taken the vin off the wrecked 69 and put it on a 70 body then put 69 quarters on it . either way, i would find out if the vin under the fenders matches.

 

there is also a date stamped into the bottom side of the rocker panel around a foot back of the front edge of the door . it would need to be around may of 69 or earlier to be for a 69 .

Hard to imagine taking a wrecked 69, putting the vin on a 70 and then putting 69 quarters on it only to have them rust years later.....possible, I guess? Regardless, I would definitely get the numbers sorted and a bonded title before you do anything.

 

Also, if you have the money to farm out the body work and paint, that would speed things up considerably. Mine looked slightly better than yours but not a whole lot and it took me two years to restore--6 months of which it was sitting at the body shop in line. I found a local guy who must be 100 years old and mostly does paint and body on Mustangs. It turned out great...not fantastic but very good.

 

The suspension and engine and everything else is doable. Make friends with local classic car guys and find out who they use for paint and body.

[Drews93fox 8]

Hard to imagine taking a wrecked 69, putting the vin on a 70 and then putting 69 quarters on it only to have them rust years later.....possible, I guess? Regardless, I would definitely get the numbers sorted and a bonded title before you do anything.

 

Also, if you have the money to farm out the body work and paint, that would speed things up considerably. Mine looked slightly better than yours but not a whole lot and it took me two years to restore--6 months of which it was sitting at the body shop in line. I found a local guy who must be 100 years old and mostly does paint and body on Mustangs. It turned out great...not fantastic but very good.

 

The suspension and engine and everything else is doable. Make friends with local classic car guys and find out who they use for paint and body.

 

I agree with your statement, it is also hard for me to imagine that. I also don't know what year the gold car was that the hood and fender came from. I know that the car was wrecked in the front, and the parts car could have been a 70.

 

I will be doing the work myself, I like doing this. I have taken the local community college body class a couple of times and will keep going. They have multiple instructors that help with the class, and they paint the car for you in the end. The painter is a professional that they bring in for the painting. So really I can get the car professionally painted for $175 with all the best equipment.

 

Thank you for your reply

[Max Power 74]

Definitely sort the numbers. Nobody converts from discs to drums, among the other issues.

 

Honestly, I have always been of the mindset that if you are going to restore a car that needs absolutely everything, start with one that the provenance will justify the expense, unless there is some sentimental value that you can't put a price tag on. If the 25k that I spent on my car was spent on a big block car, the value would be double right now, as an example.

 

Only you can determine what the value is to you, and you may never intend to get out of it as of today, but life happens, and I hate to see people spent 25k restoring a car that will be worth 15k when they are done. And this car has more questions than answers right now. I would choose a different starting point, either in more solid condition or one with a higher upside in value.

[barnett468 418]

Hard to imagine taking a wrecked 69, putting the vin on a 70 and then putting 69 quarters on it only to have them rust years later.....possible, I guess?

 

Yes but its equally hard to imagine someone taking a 69 that was wrecked in the front then putting a 70 core support, tail lite panel and rear fender extensions on it.

 

I for one would want to know exactly what I had before I spent a boat load of time and money restoring it.

[barnett468 418]

The painter is a professional that they bring in for the painting. So really I can get the car professionally painted for $175 with all the best equipment.

 

 

 

You can only do it for $175.00 if you use the absolutely crappiest materials in the world and then it wont last very long . It's far better to simply buy the best if you plan to only do it once and that would be PPG or GLASURIT solvent based paint . You also need high quality primer and these materials will cost you around $600.00.

 

Also, the water based paints look like crap so I would avoid using those if you can, especially on metallic.

[Drews93fox 8]

You can only do it for $175.00 if you use the absolutely crappiest materials in the world and then it wont last very long . It's far better to simply buy the best if you plan to only do it once and that would be PPG or GLASURIT solvent based paint . You also need high quality primer and these materials will cost you around $600.00.

 

Also, the water based paints look like crap so I would avoid using those if you can, especially on metallic.

The class cost $175, I supply all of my own materials. I can buy cheep or expensive, but they will most likely be PPG. The actual painter that comes in gets paid by the college.

[barnett468 418]

The class cost $175, I supply all of my own materials. I can buy cheep or expensive, but they will most likely be PPG. The actual painter that comes in gets paid by the college.

 

Ahh, xlnt.

[Rsanter 152]

How do you start the project?

With a very good inspection.

Put the car in the air and do a very good inspection of the underside of the car.

Look at the floor, frame rails, suspension....everything.

Does it run? Might want to try to get it running. A little gas and a battery may show you a lot.

 

Bob

[1969Fstback 58]

I was in you shoes 3 years ago. I bought mine knowing little to nothing about body work. I did what Bob said to do. I inspected everything. I foumd the rockers, frames and torque boxes and all but the battery apron where good. I was going down the road of blasting then after I inspected all the rust in the sheet metal I realized blasting it was a waste of time. I knew i need to replace the door skins, qtrs, floor, tail lights panel, tail light panel fillers. The roof was solid but has a sun roof so I knew I was going to do the roof skin. So after I determined I had to replace 70% of the sheet metal and the front fenders and hood bolt on I saw no reason to pay to blast panels I was going to replace. Mine ran and drove and stopped. I upgraded the brakes and upgraded the ignition then started on the floors where my learning curve would be hid by carpet. Ive replaced everything on my list all thats left is to patch the fenders. Got them back yesterday, blasted and primed. I made a list of items in least to most difficult. Hoping my skill would match the difficulty by the time I reached the next part. So far I have been happy with how it turned out. For me the money invested is of little consequence. I am restomodding mine and have no plans of selling. And the journey working on it is probably more important to me then the finished product.

[Drews93fox 8]

First and foremost, thank you for answering the original question asked!!

 

I have purchased this car and this is the car that I am going to build. I understand that life happens but I am planning on keeping this car for the rest of my life.  

 

 

How do you start the project?
With a very good inspection.
Put the car in the air and do a very good inspection of the underside of the car.
Look at the floor, frame rails, suspension....everything.
Does it run? Might want to try to get it running. A little gas and a battery may show you a lot.

Bob

 

So as of right now it doesn't run, I am a student and have finals in a week. But I am trying to get a good plan on how to start.

 

The car is kinda rusty on the bottom, In places. I know that I need to patch one piece of the frame in the back. Other than that, i'm really not sure what is acceptable or not. I know to take all of the rust off, but how do I know what to replace and what can be taken down to bare metal and expxy coated? This is kinda the reason that I was thinking on having the car sand-blasted on the bottom.

 

I was in you shoes 3 years ago. I bought mine knowing little to nothing about body work. I did what Bob said to do. I inspected everything. I foumd the rockers, frames and torque boxes and all but the battery apron where good. I was going down the road of blasting then after I inspected all the rust in the sheet metal I realized blasting it was a waste of time. I knew i need to replace the door skins, qtrs, floor, tail lights panel, tail light panel fillers. The roof was solid but has a sun roof so I knew I was going to do the roof skin. So after I determined I had to replace 70% of the sheet metal and the front fenders and hood bolt on I saw no reason to pay to blast panels I was going to replace. Mine ran and drove and stopped. I upgraded the brakes and upgraded the ignition then started on the floors where my learning curve would be hid by carpet. Ive replaced everything on my list all thats left is to patch the fenders. Got them back yesterday, blasted and primed. I made a list of items in least to most difficult. Hoping my skill would match the difficulty by the time I reached the next part. So far I have been happy with how it turned out. For me the money invested is of little consequence. I am restomodding mine and have no plans of selling. And the journey working on it is probably more important to me then the finished product.

 

Its good to know that this is all possible. I have lots of experience welding and metal work, this is just a different kind and I don't want to mess anything up. I am already planning on replacing both quarters, new fenders and hood and assuming that I will at least replace the skin on the drivers door. I don't understand the no sand-blasting thought? How do you know when to replace and when it is just good enough? I don't want to just throw parts at it, but I also don't want to do this again in 10 years. 

 

Thank you both

[DOZX 15]

Is it a CJ car? Appears to have wrap around shock towers? Are the rear shocks staggered? If they are it could be a factory 4spd CJ car.....

[Drews93fox 8]

Is it a CJ car? Appears to have wrap around shock towers? Are the rear shocks staggered? If they are it could be a factory 4spd CJ car.....

 

It is not a CJ car, it has a H code in the vin. 351

[DOZX 15]

Might have had the front clip grafted on, check the vin on the upper aprons as suggested maybe. Wrap arounds came on Boss 302's and CJ cars. Some 351's came with sometimes one random one on either side. I also saw a totally original 351C 4spd Mach 1 over there with wrap arounds. Someone may have added them also.

 

Good luck with the project

[ray1970 88]

I say blast away than stand back and see what you have..

That's my plan.. knowing none of my upcoming Redo was going to be cheap or fast I got my own blasting stuff.

just for this job to save time and blast as I needed..

Blast away!!!!!

[1969Fstback 58]

First and foremost, thank you for answering the original question asked!!

 

I have purchased this car and this is the car that I am going to build. I understand that life happens but I am planning on keeping this car for the rest of my life.  

 

 

 

So as of right now it doesn't run, I am a student and have finals in a week. But I am trying to get a good plan on how to start.

 

The car is kinda rusty on the bottom, In places. I know that I need to patch one piece of the frame in the back. Other than that, i'm really not sure what is acceptable or not. I know to take all of the rust off, but how do I know what to replace and what can be taken down to bare metal and expxy coated? This is kinda the reason that I was thinking on having the car sand-blasted on the bottom.

 

 

Its good to know that this is all possible. I have lots of experience welding and metal work, this is just a different kind and I don't want to mess anything up. I am already planning on replacing both quarters, new fenders and hood and assuming that I will at least replace the skin on the drivers door. I don't understand the no sand-blasting thought? How do you know when to replace and when it is just good enough? I don't want to just throw parts at it, but I also don't want to do this again in 10 years. 

 

Thank you both

I could see enough holes and bondo in the sheet metal to know I was replacing the panels.  For me the door skins were rough enough that skinning them then was better then patch them.  My qtrs had lower patch panels and the wheel lip was shot so those were a no brainer.  The tail light panel was rough and lots of curves.  Patching that would have been more time consuming then replacing.  I took a wire wheel in some places to inspect. However, if you are gonna gut the entire car then yeah probably money ahead to blast it.  My project ran and drove so I had no want of gutting it.  Of course this is how I went about mine.  I would pick certain things to do over the winter then drive in during the summer.