• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Thoughts on Restoration

Share this page

John Moore

John Moore

Luke Skywalker
Offline
It will be awhile before I can get started on my Bugeye (I need to find a job first, but that's another long story! lol! ) But I wanted to get your opinions on what direction I should take. I don't know if I should sort it out mechanically and drive it first or start with the body work. (I need to replace a few rusty panels)

On my B I sorted it out mechanically, drove it for awhile then did the body work. But the body on my Bugeye needs much more attention than my B.

If I sort it out mechanically, I'll know what works and what doesn't when I comes time for the final build. Plus I'll have a better idea of what I want in the final build. At some point, I'll strip it completely and put it on a rotisserie. But my concern is if I do that, my refurbed parts, especially the hydraulics will sit while I work on the body. I don't want them to go bad. Then again, if I tackle the body first, I won't know if critical parts like the transmission work or need help. Plus I won't know the status of the engine, if it needs a rebuild or refresh.

I do plan on taking my sweet time with this one. It will be easier to do that as I have another LBC to drive.

Thoughts?
 
I think I would sort it out and drive it a bit first, then all apart and do the needful.

Think that is what I would do if had the opertunity in any case.
 
John, I'm working on a similar situation. I'm going to patch some of the panels, and get the car on the road and sorted out. Then I'll disassemble, sandblast, patch (and maybe repatch), bodywork, paint, reassemble. You can prevent subassemblies from "spoiling" if you take your time when prepping them for storage. It is a lot more work to do a car this way, but at least you'll be guaranteed 95+% of it fitting without needing to scratch the paint.
 
I would get it on the road, do the sorting out of the basics, then begin an all-out restoration after you have a "feel" for the old girl!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
I'd vote for a drive-it-first approach. I'm glad I had a season of puttering around in my Bugeye before I pulled it off the road for engine and brake work. Gave me a feel for what I would have when done, makes it easier to keep motivated.
 
I like the "drive it first" approach. The fond memories of those few miles will come in handy when you are covered in grease and rust dust drilling out a completely stuck bolt at 2AM. Believe me!
 
I tried that with my 72 Midget and then the restoration did not go as planned. I had to trash the car and now - as ya'll know - am selling all the parts. I long for the drive again and it kills me. I'd rip it apart then rebuild it properly. Then enjoy.
I'd love to find a 72 Midget again.
 
Thanks guys for your feedback.

I kinda like the drive it and do the body work later scenario too. I think I've mentioned it before, but since the body is currently so ugly, maybe I can shoot it with primer, throw a mexican blanket over the seats and make a bugeye rat rod!
 
Why heck, roll on a coat of rustolum.
 
I might be in the minority here, but I just like to methodically go through the entire car and restore it. I do not like to handle things twice. My preferred method is to completely evaluate its condition as best as possible. Put it aside and begin ordering everything that will be needed for the restoration. Of course engine and other mechanicals will need to be delt with later after teardown. You can take advantage of the free parts and discounts when you place large orders at Moss and other suppliers. Then when you begin the project there is a good supply of parts to keep you working and not waiting. I also like to do things in order so no painting is done after assembly of mechanics or interior. It's much easier for me to go one part at the time and once it's assembled it's finished. I did my MGB this way and really enjoyed it. After the initial drive home, it was 3 years later when finished, but only one year of actually working on it. That's just my opinion.
 
Steve, I might go that route on a car that I was restoring to all original specs. (Esp. if it was "complete" when I started). But if you are making modifications to the car or you are starting with a basket case, I think it is wise to get it all together and be sure things fit and work as they should.
 
John

I would get it to drive in rough form, just around the block (not insured etc.), decide what he needs then ripem apart.

Pat
 
Why not do as I have done, restore it then do it again soon as you are finished as it is so much fun.
 
I've been dragging out my restoration for far too long, and got to the point where I couldn't remember where bits went. So when I found another one locally that needed a full restoration I snapped it up. The new one will be a reference car so I can get the first back together. The aim is to get the first roadworthy as quickly as possible and enjoy it. Once the first is on the road, the second will receive a proper restoration, to a standard that I'll be happy with. When the second one is done, the first will get the same treatment. I intend to get the second finished in time for the 50th next year, but I do like a challenge...
 
I would suggest that it all depends on how completely you want to restore it, and how long you intend to keep it.

If you are planning on keeping the car 'forever' (i.e. decades) then I would humbly suggest that it doesn't matter what precise state the engine is in. You're going to want to open it up during the rebuild. Similarly; suspension, third member, wheel bearings, instruments, fusebox, etc. - any of the things you could assess during a 'shakedown run'.

I think, once you've got it running and spray-bombed in primer, the temptation would be to keep driving it (as it rusts away from inside). The most important thing to remember is that body condition is by far the most important factor in such restorations. You can swap an engine in a weekend, but it can take months (years) to repair a shell.

So then, I'll side with the minority opinion (kind of). If it's a keeper, you might as well start on the body now, with only the briefest time spent 'seeing what works'. It'll all need going over, in any case!

My two cents; your mileage may vary.

-D
 
If I was wanting to completely restore every single bit of a car to the highest of standards, then I would still get it assembled first and working first. Then I would know what is not "correct" about the car and I could address those issues before doing the bodywork. Extra holes? Prior owner modifications? Unless you are intimately familiar with all aspects of the car you may end up putting unoriginal parts/brackets back. It is more work to do a complete work up as opposed to a mock up, but in the end you should end up with a better car that requires less costly reworking.

as they say... more than one way to skin a cat... I prefer the duct tape method. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
I was lucky in that respect. The local laws are so strict that I can't do anything if the body is not in order, and I had too much rust in the spring mounts. Now that I'm doing it, I realize that I really shouldn't have done it partially and drive around a bit. If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing well. Like they say, are you going to keep it a long time or not. If you're going to keep it, do the body right, first. The rest will get done in time.
 
tosoutherncars said:
I would suggest that it all depends on how completely you want to restore it, and how long you intend to keep it.
Click to expand...

Good question! Right now my thoughts are to do a "Resto Mod". Kinda like my B. It already has a 1275 and a ribcage transmission, so a concurs job is kinda out, tho' those were period mods. The car would be for me or my boys, my wife can't look at it without getting mad! But in my mind, I would like to do a rotissary restoration at some point with little mods like disc brakes and maybe a rivergate conversion to make it more user friendly. But I don't want to do anything that would take away from the vintage feel, look and personality of the car. Like my B, I want it to very much look and feel like what it is supposed to be and I won't do anything that can't be un-done. I'll use period correct paint and interior. But I definitely want a driver. Even tho' my B is nice, I drive it everywhere. But I must admit the idea of a beater appeals to me too. My older son who's 9 has kinda taken an interest in it, so tho' he's young, I thought I would let him help or get involved if he so desires.

As far as how long I'd keep it? Forever of course! (but I say that about all my cars)
 
I think some people are confusing the metal repair with the body work. I'm doing all the critical metal work before putting the car back together, but I am not going to do the body work until I have all components fitted and working to my satisfaction and the car disassembled again. Sure, it means dismantling and reassembling the car twice, but in the long run I think I will be happier with the result.
 
Back
Top