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What order should I do things?

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RTR52nd

RTR52nd

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Help!
I'm starting to actually tackle my restoration in earnest, but am spending as much time scratching my head as laying under the car. My main question is this - I need to replace the floor pans. No real problem there. Then I'll need to replace all the interior bits (carpet, seat covers, etc.). Of course I'll need a repaint at some point too, but I figure that's easier done without the interior installed. But I want it to be a rolling restoration, so the sooner it's rolling, the better. And being a Colorado car, I'll want to add seat warmers, which insist upon leather seats, which puts the interior package slightly out of my budget at this time, and I guess after I install the floor pans I could manage to salvage my current seats with a couple of rolls of duct tape and some cheap seat covers from <<span style="font-style: italic">insert local car parts store here</span>>, but that wouldn't solve the problem of carpet, of course I could buy the carpet first and install that and then at a later date get the door panels and then finally the leather seat kit that is after I repaint of course that is not really cost effective and I'm pretty sure my head is about to explode. :crazyeyes:
Naturally I do have Tony's "Awakening the Sleeping B" on a clipboard hanging in the garage, but this goes a bit beyond that.
Any advice from those who have trod this path before? Thanks!
 
I've driven my B for nearly 2 years with a ratty driver's seat (with a cheap cloth seatcover over it), a nice used passenger seat from Tony, no carpet and warped interior panels for 2 years. Here's my ordering. Get all the mechanical stuff going first (brakes are a priority!!). Then seats and interior panels. Then after you've driven it for a bit in all those stages, strip it down and get it painted. then get some good carpet. Other less expensive things can be done at any point during the rebuild. In my case, paint will be nearly last. The really important things are mechanicals in good order, rust repaired, and a non-leaking top. Seats can wait if the one you have now will hold yer rump off the floor. :smile:
 
Rob -

Forgive my ignorance, but why are leather seats necessary with seat warmers?
 
It seems to me I read at some point that using the seat heaters under vinyl seats distorts the vinyl in short order. If I'm mistaken on this and someone would like to correct me though, I'd love to be properly informed. It's one of those tidbit that wind up floating around in the back of your brain, while the front of your brain has absolutely no recollection of its origin.

<EDIT> I may have acquired this info from a friend who drives a Toyota Solara. It has seat heaters, and the dealer informed him that they would only install them under leather seats. And now that I write that, it all seems a little bit shady.....
 
Whatever route you take - do not completely disassemble it...I end up with more disassembled & abandoned projects because people get too deep into it...try to keep it driveable as long as you can....heck, you can even do a floor a weekend & still drive during the week.
 
Heres what I'm doing with my 73 which was dragged out of colorado pretty much dead. Once I was sure the structure was good enough to justify putting money into it vs parting it out I went ahead and got it into basic running condition. Drove it around with rotten floors and no seats and had a blast untill late fall. Floors were then replaced and it went into hybernation till spring. Since then a lot of cash and a ton of work later its just about ready for real go anywhere road use but it still needs paint and body work but that can wait as the car is very enjoyable even though it only looks good at 50 feet at 50mph. And unless you get really lucky the paint and body work will most likely cost more than the mechanical stuff anyways. Plus you can drive an ugly car anywhere you want without fear of door dings.


A good source of leather seats is prestigue in england. The quality is good and the cost is about the same as vinal seats here.
 
I've been doing all my mechanical and electrical stuff first. Making sure it will stop, start and all the electricals are working. This year I am starting body work. I'm replacing rotted sheet metal and still driving the car. I thought this winter that I would strip the windshield, interior and trim and get ready for paint next spring. I think I'm dreading getting the engine compartment ready for paint most of all.

Regards John
 
Just remember that, when you get into that stage of work, everything will take twice as long as you projected to complete & cost twice as much as you budgeted!
 
Thanks Tony. I just have to remember that me being absolutely flat broke and driving around in an LBC is exponentially cooler that me with some money in my pockets and walking!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Just remember that, when you get into that stage of work, everything will take twice as long as you projected to complete & cost twice as much as you budgeted![/QUOTE]


Understatement of the year. I was suposed to have the taken the 73 on a major road trip to yellowstone last month if everything went as I had planed. The what if's and might as wells along with the unexpected are a killer.
 
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