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Tips for an amateur body man
- Thread starter TulsaFred
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jlaird said:
Now Jack that's not nice!
You shouldn't discriminate.
You should be more like me.
I hate everybody!
( Something tells me Mr. Laird doesn't have a hateful bone in his body.) :thumbsup:
Silverghost
Yoda
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Just an observation - with all the other projects you have going (awesome ones btw) perhaps it would be worth the time and labor to have someone else straighten the Bugeye bonnet? You could hammer away at a couple of the other projects while someone else hammers away at your bonnet. Then by the time the bonnet is done, you might have two or three projects done for the price of one. Just something to think about. Mighty nice cars you have there no matter which way you go. :laugh:
I would have to agree with Peter. With all the projects I have, some times you just have to let some things go. I sand blasted my entire car inside and out, epoxy primer-ed my car, and did most of the metal work on my Bugeye, but part of my learning curve has been knowing when to let a professional do some of the work. In my case, I was able to get a very talented friend to do some of the metal work I knew I would be less than happy with. I would have liked to brag I did all the metal work myself, but in the end, I am more happy with a car I delight in looking at.
Kevin
Kevin
OP
TulsaFred
Jedi Warrior
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Hi guys,
You are absolutely correct that having someone else, with the appropriate skills, do the metal work correctly is the smart choice.
However, my goal with the bugeye has been to do everything myself.
Several years ago I had an immaculate 64 1/2 Mustang convertible that was restored to concours standards by a retired mechanical engineer. The car was a marvel. However, everywhere I took it people asked how I did this or that part of the restoration. Of course, I hadn't done any of it. Nothing wrong with that, but I thought one day I want to actually do a restoration myself.
The bugeye fits the bill. It is small and fairly simple, and it is not a very high dollar car. Plus it's the car that my father (RIP Dad) used to introduce me to the car hobby. I learned to drive a car by running my Dad's project bugeye around the yard. And I learned some of my limited bodywork skills on that car in the late 1970s. It is a very special car to me. These aspects lend the car to my purposes.
So I decided, for better or worse, I will do it.
That includes body, mechanical, interior and paint.
It may be scary when it's done, but it will be my project start to finish.
I don't recommend this approach to others :wink:
Fred
You are absolutely correct that having someone else, with the appropriate skills, do the metal work correctly is the smart choice.
However, my goal with the bugeye has been to do everything myself.
Several years ago I had an immaculate 64 1/2 Mustang convertible that was restored to concours standards by a retired mechanical engineer. The car was a marvel. However, everywhere I took it people asked how I did this or that part of the restoration. Of course, I hadn't done any of it. Nothing wrong with that, but I thought one day I want to actually do a restoration myself.
The bugeye fits the bill. It is small and fairly simple, and it is not a very high dollar car. Plus it's the car that my father (RIP Dad) used to introduce me to the car hobby. I learned to drive a car by running my Dad's project bugeye around the yard. And I learned some of my limited bodywork skills on that car in the late 1970s. It is a very special car to me. These aspects lend the car to my purposes.
So I decided, for better or worse, I will do it.
That includes body, mechanical, interior and paint.
It may be scary when it's done, but it will be my project start to finish.
I don't recommend this approach to others :wink:
Fred
Trevor Jessie
Yoda
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You can do it Fred. And you will be a better man having experienced new things and learned new skills. I think you have a chosen a wise path and your motives and expectations seem reasonable and genuine.