When Time Just Doesn't Help Out

"BJL" (simplifyandaddlightness) 05/17/2014 at 10:10 • Filed to: help, restore, kid, teen, build, project, summer, classic, muscle

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Well, I have been reading about restoring cars, and how some kids can drive them around, yet no one should attempt to restore one when they are young. I do not like the conclusion, and cannot wait to get and wrench on an older car. What should I do?

This must be my third or so post about restoring cars but being unable to because of age.

I have done a lot of crap to my truck. Brake lines, rotors, calipers, differential oil change, regular engine oil change, door handle replacement, bumper replacement, and the list goes on. I have been dying to get an old car; in fact I have been searching craigslist almost every day since I was 15, almost four years ago.

I love the old amcs. I love the first generation amx (my dream) and I like how ramblers and rebels seem to be the last open canvas for restorations. There is no 'must' in the restoration of an amc. But at the same time, parts are harder to find.

Tools: Hehe, I have bought all of my own tools. I have dewalt cut out tools, a 20v drill, craftsman 400 pc mechanics set (very good set), a 3.5 ton jack, jack stands, but no welder. (limited accessibility to small mig welder that my dad has. Currently don't know how to use it very much, other than when he sets me up.)

I am really looking for a project car under 2k, which isn't that bad, as everyone says. I am looking at every american make mainly before 1980. Scouts, javelins, ramblers, jeeps, chevelles, lemans, novas, skylarks, cutlass, etc. People say "you can't buy a project for less than 5k", which I found to be false; generally. ie, look at a couple that I have been looking at:

http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/cto/446346…

http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/4469594628…

and just loosely, due to lack of info:(rare as a hens tooth, engine worth alone...)

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/447166…

Yeah, 2k is small. However, I am just using that as a beginning. I have more money for some parts, and I can do some body work, except final paint, which isn't necessary unless I don't primer seal the car.

I have time this summer, and I figure I have to finally do something classic related. I have contemplated trying to rebuild junkyard carbs, and just generally rebuilding beat up parts found on craigslist that are good deals. Only thing is that all body parts need to be sanded to fit, which I can't do unless I have the car.

So what should I do, because I am kinda tired of waiting for something to happen, which never will. I know a ton of crap about cars after 4 years of research, and have a severe itch to start some work. My family really has no connections. I have been going to shows recently, but my dad is a carpenter who works fourteen hour days, and no one I know has an older car. Thanks for any advice.

* I have applied to a local restoration shop for any position, applied to a couple dealers, as well as numerous other jobs that I know I will not get called for. I seemingly have an open summer other than doing carpentry jobs with my father sometimes, which will get me gas and part money. Thanks for any help.

jkm7680 > BJL 05/16/2014 at 21:18

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Something cheap, and affordable enough. A good, cheap source of parts also. Check through scrap yards, scope what kind of parts they've got around there. An easy to work on engine is a must also.

lone_liberal > BJL 05/16/2014 at 21:52

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Look for makes and models that aren't very popular but will have parts and stick to the 70s instead of the 60s. A Torino, Cutlass or such will probably be the best bet to get you familiar with working on American iron and ready for your eventual AMX. In your price range rust might be inevitable, but if it's just in the floorpan that's much easier to fix than in the frame or kick panels and you'll have to borrow that welder.

Brian, The Life of > BJL 05/16/2014 at 21:55

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Dat patina on dat truck ... O.o

I would repair any rust-through damage, refine the running gear, clear coat that shit and enjoy it.

Jedidiah > BJL 05/16/2014 at 23:56

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If you or your parents have friends have a car that they would like to have restored, then they will probably sell it to you cheaply if you plan on restoring it. I bought my 72 Cutlass Supreme and some parts for $100 from a friend of my dad because he knew I was capable of fixing it right. Got it running in about an hour and drove it home. This was about 4 years ago.

Recently, me and my dad just picked a 1973 Delta 88 for $1500 from the original owner because he realized we were competent with Oldsmobiles. Before that we picked a 72 Cutlass S for $1500 because we were members of the Oldsmobile Club. Tomorrow we are going to look at a 1974 Cutlass priced at $1800.

Truthfully, we have never spent more than $2000 on the initial purchase price for a project and never had any problems we couldn't deal with.

Nearly every classic car has a ton of information about it online. Do your research and take advantage of any family connections to a particular brand or car to get a good deal.

You won't make any money if you plan to resell it, but it's so much damn fun that it will become a hobby that you and your friends/family can enjoy.

Oldsmobiles are harder to find parts for than a Chevy or Ford, but you can pick a good restoration canidate for much cheaper (Cutlasses are cheaper than Chevelles).

I wouldn't recommend purchasing an AMC product, they're from leftover parts from the rest of the Big Three and you rarely see one that is in good enough shape to merit a restoration. They're also difficult to find parts due to wide variety of companies they sourced parts from.

Personally, I'd recommend a GM A-Body (Cutlass, Malibu, LeMans) or B-Body (Impala, Delta 88, Catalina). I would not recommend a Buick unless it is pre-1966 (the Buick big-blocks had thin cylinder walls and had troublesome external oil pumps while Buick small blocks make less HP and are heavy compared to their stablemates). A mid sixties or early seventies Chevrolet, Oldsmobile or Pontiac will be a very satisfying car to work on and drive, especially if you can take pride in your restoration.

I restored my Cutlass Supreme when I was 15 and it was a fantastic experience that made me appreciate engineering. I plan to restore cars with my future kids, don't let anyone discourage you from resoring one if it is one of your goals.

webmonkees > BJL 05/17/2014 at 10:15

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This kid's series from classifieds to teardown and rebuild, his car is better than mine and he knows more. Catching up. It's all an organic process.*

*In this case taking a farm vehicle and restoring it mechanically to pass Australian vehicle inspection i.e. "Rego" good for two years or something.

Again, insane how loose our vehicle regulations are in the US. Just brakes would do.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > BJL 05/17/2014 at 10:22

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"This must be my third or so post about restoring cars but being unable to because of age."

How so exactly? What's stopping you?

I started mucking about on my Jag when I was 19, and I'd been working on my dad's 914/6 before then. Any restoration is a big job, and you do need to do things properly when working on something that can kill you if you make it badly, but so long as you understand those two things I see no problem.

It's also not cheap, which can be a problem if you're young, but time and money are interchangeable. You can either buy a brand new part, or spend time learning how to make it. Equally, if you don't have the money for something now, just wait for a while and then you will.

f86sabre > BJL 05/17/2014 at 10:28

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anyone telling you that you can or can't do something is full of crap. That said, you should be reasonable in what you want to achieve and what resource you have.

Really, look what Bandit has done.

crowmolly > BJL 05/17/2014 at 10:33

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Here's the thing:

For the "valuable" or "common" makes and models the cheap ones will be pretty clapped out. And by that I don't mean a bad interior or blown engine, I mean frame rails, trunk pans, full quarters, dashboards, etc. Bolt on stuff is far easier to deal with.

Buy the nicest body you can afford. You should not really care too much about what engine/trans/rear are in the car (if there are any at all).

Bodywork is expensive, very time consuming, and can be very hard to do at home. Good body skills take time and experience. You would be better served learning how to rebuild the suspension, engine work, trans work, etc. That stuff will cross over to any car you own and it's also a shitload more fun IMO. You won't always be doing heavy rust repair. Trust me, I have been there and done that. I'm great with a panel knife, plasma cutter, and welder but I'm not using any of that on my current stuff. All the specialty body tools I've got are sitting dusty, and to be honest I don't have any problem with that.

The two biggest project cars I regret are the two with the worst bodies.

Personally, I'd look for a solid 4th gen Nova and go from there. They are cheap, parts are cheap and plentiful, it shares the Camaro platform for speed parts, and they are currently overlooked as a performance platform. If it's a stock 350 you can get good power for just a few bucks. I built a 400hp smallblock for less than $1000 based on a smogger rotating assembly.

Plus your first resto will have mistakes and hack jobs. Then you can buy and work on your dream classic and give it good quality repairs.

webmonkees > BJL 05/17/2014 at 10:33

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And here's you a 78 Gremlin with a newish motor and some assembly required. $850. 48 hours fresh. http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/4471848030…

Aaron James > BJL 05/17/2014 at 11:03

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Age has nothing to do with it, Money and desire is all you need, you can learn the rest as you go. I will say that it can get real expensive real fast. Also it will take you longer than one summer and at least 5-10 grand if you do all the work yourself unless you want to cut corners and use bondo and newspaper to fill holes instead of cutting out the bad sheet metal and welding in patches and panels but that's not restoration. The links you give look pretty ambitious for a first project but not impossible, just expensive and time consuming. Also you need to make sure your dad is ok giving up garage or workshop space for a few years. Look for something like a Nova that is cheap and easy to find parts for, it would be a great way to get an idea of what it takes. Again it has nothing to do with age, you'll need to learn no matter what the age is. The biggest factors are Money, Space, and Time. In that order.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > BJL 05/17/2014 at 13:13

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Damnit, man. I wish you posted this a couple months ago. I sold my AMC Rambler Classic for $900. I had done a bunch of the engine work but it still needed a bit more to run smoothly on the highway. It ran pretty well around town. What it mostly needed some lovin' on that big ol' body. No rust, which was awesome, but also no clearcoat and it looked like it sat under a tree for a couple decades. It would have been a great project, but I (also a 19 year old) can't really afford two projects... Or one project, but I refuse to sell the 2002.

Pixel > webmonkees 05/17/2014 at 15:13

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I agree with all the people saying it can be done. I drove a '70 Chevelle in high school(graduated in '96) and only sold it in college because I was commuting 200 miles every weekend.

I agree with other people who have posted about getting the most rust-free car you can find. Rust sucks and is no fun. My current project is very rusty, I bought it that way because I wanted to practice my fabrication, but even so it is annoying & time consuming.

Also agree that a GM product from the 60s or 70s is a good first choice as there is a lot of parts for them and a lot of stuff interchanges which means you spend less time trying to hunt down rare parts. But look at *everything* available out there, you never know where you might find something awesome.

If you haven't tried searchtempest, it is a good way to search craigslist. Try clicking on this search I use , then going back to the main page and putting your zip code in in place of mine.

Judging by your craigslist searches, you seem to be in the New England area. I'm just outside providence RI if you want to find local people to wrench with.

BJL > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 05/17/2014 at 18:42

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Cool. I actually found a 2002 for reasonably cheap. (800 bucks) It seemed to be in good body condition, but it is just not my type of car. I had contacted some guy about a torino that he was going to unload for 1800 with a good chunk of money invested, but a week later and no pics, and not answering e-mails (no given phone). How were parts on that rambler?