There is no right or wrong way to begin a restoration, but there are advantages if the process starts with the rebuilding of the body first
For newcomers who plan on undertaking their first restoration of an old car, the biggest question most have is “where do I start?” It’s understandable that many first-time home restorers don’t realize that there’s a proper step-by-step procedure in starting a restoration, whether it’s an intensive body-off restoration or simply a body-on rebuild.
Whichever type of restoration you plan on doing, either way, restoring an old car is an enormous undertaking. However, it can be accomplished if you first outline a systematic plan of the work needed to be done, and you follow that plan as best you can.
If you plan on doing a ground-up restoration, where every nut, bolt, bracket and wire is removed, choosing the order in which certain jobs are to be done will have a huge effect on how long it will take to complete the project. More importantly, you want to avoid losing interest in the project due to being overwhelmed by the sight of seeing hundreds of parts scattered all over your garage floor. But if you plan ahead and do everything in carefully choreographed stages, you will be able to maintain your interest level and see the project through to its completion.
Every restorer has his own preferred methodology, so there are no set rules, however, most professional restorers do have the same approach in how the work needs to get done. If certain jobs are done before others, you’ll be surprised as to how much quicker you’ll be able to finish restoring the car and how much better the overall quality will be.
Having performed several body-off restorations here’s what I’ve discovered through years of experience, and a whole lot of worthwhile mistakes. If the car doesn’t run, if possible, first get it started so you can hear the engine and detect if there are any serious internal noises, leaks or smoke being emitted. Then try to drive it, even for a short distance, because you want to know if the transmission shifts properly and if the differential makes any griding noises. The condition of the brakes and suspension are irrelevant because you are going to rebuild those systems anyway. Check to see if the instruments, lights, heater and air conditioning all work, if the windows crank and doors lock. This will allow you to know which parts have to be replaced and give you the advantage of ordering those parts ahead of time, so you won’t have to waste valuable time waiting for those parts to arrive when you need them, thus delaying their installation.
As your project progresses, take lots of photos of everything, and from every angle, inside and out, with numerous details taken up close so you will know at a later date just how everything originally was assembled and connected. Get a notebook and take copious amounts of notes and draw simple diagrams detailing the connections of electrical components. Once you start stripping the body of its trim, make a list of those pieces that must be replaced or refurbished.
After all the existing systems have been checked, remove the engine and transmission and set them aside. Don’t take them apart just yet; you need instead to concentrate on rebuilding the body first. If your car has a separate frame, DO NOT remove the body from the frame until you’ve completed all the bodywork.
Keep in mind that restoring the body is the hardest and most labor-intensive part of a restoration, so do that first, while your gung-ho enthusiasm is still flying high.
If the floor pan, rocker panels or quarter panels must be replaced, you need to do this work while the body is still attached to the frame, otherwise the body will distort, twist and sag if removed from the frame. This will result in poorly aligned body panels with irregular gaps between them. And to make sure the body is resting in its natural position, make sure the bodywork is performed while the car is sitting on its tires, so keep the suspension on during this period.
Once the bodywork is completed and the entire body shell has been painted, or at the very least primed with epoxy to keep it from rusting while you do other work, you can then remove the body and start restoring the frame and all its components. This is when you will want to send the engine to the machine shop for whatever machine work it may need. Don’t order any new pistons or bearings until the machine shop tells you what the proper size bearings and pistons the engine will require. Also at this time, order the interior and other trim parts so you will have them on hand when you need them. Nothing stops a restoration in its tracks quicker than not having the parts when you need them. Ordering parts ahead of time will not only make the project go quicker but it will help you keep your enthusiasm active.
Best of all, enjoy the process. There is nothing more rewarding than restoring something – be it an old car, truck, motorcycle, house or a piece of furniture – to the condition it was in when new. It’s an incredible feeling of accomplishment.