Last 10% takes 50% of the time

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clementine

Flight risk
FABO Gold Member
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There was a comment the other day on "i wish it were closer Craigslist " thread (which i love, thank you to the regular posters on that), the comment was along these lines.....

Buy something that runs and drives and don't take it all apart, cuz it ain't going back together soon.

Im going on 6 years and today i pushed it out of the shop just to put some eyes on it and get perspective. I honestly do not like every aspect of this car but i need to get it to that running and driving part. Getting a look at it helps me motivate.

What do the gearheads on this site do to keep it moving, especially like to hear from the "take her all apart" guys who have "gotten her all back together"

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Dads Barracuda For me it was setting small attainable goals. Imagining the finished product can be daunting, but picking the next project part and then knocking it down makes it easy to take the next step. Another part was promising myself that by a particular date I would have this part done. If you start a project thread there will be plenty of people to help and inspire you. GO GET ER DONE!
 
I watch a lot of content on YouTube like Steve Morris and Tom Bailey. Those guys are so many levels above me that watching them keeps me motivated. I like seeing what tech they're using and my mind kind of daydreams from there. I also get a lot of inspiration from you guys. Especially the Racers forum. Competition breeds innovation, which is what fires me up.
 
I try to not do anything that will keep my car from running for more than a week end.

Caveat... If a part needs to be sent out for repair or the like than it's ok to have the car out of commission longer

I absolutely agree with 69conv, goals....

But keep it drivable.
 
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For me motivation was easy on the 2nd duster. I was doing it for my dad who has MS. The way i look at it we all have a reason why we love these old cars. Whether its passing it on to a child or parent or reliving our youth and a simpler time. As long as you remember the why you will never lose faith or interest
 
I had a run of cars that only needed one or two things. like get the engine running and paint it. or put an engine in and drive it. This one is a different beast and thats why the comment of "dont take a car completely apart struck home for me. Sure, I didnt take it apart, but I took it on in its "boxed up" state. It was missing all sorts of parts that since I had never done an A body....well I would have been lost without FABO. So my question is.......for those that have undertaken a complete "take it apart" scenario, have you gotten it back together? I have a feeling that there are not that many out there. Especially if you are doing all the work. Sans Machine work.
 
I took apart a perfectly good 68 mustang, it was a snowball kind of thing, pull engine to rebuild it, while there, detail the engine campartment, next thing you know every part is off and in a storage unit 5 years later at 100.00 per month I cut the body into 4 chunks, bri g them to a scrapper and sell all the parts at a automotive swap meet
 
My Barracuda has been apart since late 2007. It runs now, but will hopefully be painted here soon. I've got the upholstery from Legendary along with a new top. I need to get the new garage done first, though. I'm ready for stucco and then the roof. Hopefully soon.

Current state.
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GTS is also apart and I'll get to it next year.
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I took apart a perfectly good 68 mustang, it was a snowball kind of thing, pull engine to rebuild it, while there, detail the engine campartment, next thing you know every part is off and in a storage unit 5 years later at 100.00 per month I cut the body into 4 chunks, bri g them to a scrapper and sell all the parts at a automotive swap meet
This is what im talking about. Its a huge endeavor.
 
I've finished cars in the past. That's the best indicator of finishing a car in the future. Finished this one in 2006. 383/727/3.23 open 8.75/PS/AC. Then sold it to cover the price of the convertible.
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I've finished cars in the past. That's the best indicator of finishing a car in the future. Finished this one in 2006. 383/727/3.23 open 8.75/PS/AC. Then sold it to cover the price of the convertible.
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Thats a good lookin car there. I think maybe Im just runnin too big a rear tire....mine just looks booty! BUT thats what will take you longer. If there is one thing I have learned, set a 'theme' for the car and keep going. change will set you back.
 
Arthur’s Duster

This car was taken all apart. Not by me. My friend Arthur who was capable enough had started on the restoration, disassembled completely, had the engine and trans rebuilt, had the car painted, and found out he had stage 4 cancer.
He wanted me to buy it and I first turned it down. I had a 73 Duster when I met my wife and when I told her that Arthur wanted me to buy the car she told me to call him up and buy it. I put all my other projects on hold and got the car as a roller with the engine and trans in place. There were many boxes and most of it was parts that just needed to be replaced. It was 90% there but 50% of what was in the boxes was cracked bent or broken. I have spent a long time finding better versions of those parts and finding Day 2 upgrades like a Sun tach, Direct Connection air cleaner and valve covers from the 70's.
THe biggest bummer was the fact that he stripped the doors down to shells and when I went to reassemble them I found out that he had two inoperable regulators. and the tracks were MIA. I had to find some one year only parts that was time consuming.
If I were getting into the hobby or if I was looking for another car I think I would just save more money and buy the very best car, already done, that I could. You are light years ahead doing it the way. I would buy a car that had just had the bodywork done and, at least, driver quality interior. The engine and the suspension I would build or modify to my liking.
 
I take them down to every nut and bolt now, bag every portion and lable it and in the totes they go until re assembly. I work 12hr days, I see the kids after work untik they go to bed at 830 then I head out to shop until 10 or 11 and I start my day at 330am

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LOL. I always say that you spend 80% of your time on 20% of the tasks. That's how it always seems to me.
 
I take them down to every nut and bolt now, bag every portion and lable it and in the totes they go until re assembly. I work 12hr days, I see the kids after work untik they go to bed at 830 then I head out to shop until 10 or 11 and I start my day at 330am

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So then what do you do with them? How many have you processed?
 
I started this almost three years ago with a firm vision to get it on the street.

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It ran, but brakes were leaking all over. In fact, everything that could be leaking, was leaking. I got after it hard for quite a while, then life happened and it got ratholed for the last 18 months. It's going back on the lift very shortly for a full front end rebuild, polish off the brakes, and see if it's road worthy.

I fully agree with @clementine, taking it down to the last nut and bolt is a death sentence in my world. The only person I know that's done it successfully is @j par with his 74 truck. Us mere mortals, not so much. I have two more in the wings after the Dart is finished, and each bite of the elephant will be no more than a week of downtime if at all possible. My lesson learned is to keep them running and driving, and work on them in shifts. Herer are the next two projects. First up will be the 64, which needs a lot of work to hit the road. The 66 is a smooth running driver so it will go under the knife last.

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Have this theory, do not take apart any more than is absolutely necessary.

Seen too many horror stories where they don't go back together again.
 
Bought to many bondo buckets. Have done one 71 swinger 340 4 speed, doing 82 dodge truck. Thr duster pictured is just being tore down and inventoried. Truck is ready for paint, dart has a new owner. Me and my old man work on them together. Start at one end and keep going little by little. Biggest problem is people dont take detailed pictures and properly lable and store parts in order
But I have parted out 40+ cars. Being a derby guy i run through alot of 60s and 70s mopars and Gm
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This may look good as a start, and to be fair, compared to what the midwest/eastcoast/rust belt fellas have to deal with, hell its a cream puff, but I went black and with a mini tub had to alter almost every panel.....of course, you have to anyway, but the black really did me in. Next time a nice off white. ya, prolly not:rolleyes:

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I think one of the keys to successfully taking a car down to nuts and bolts is an intimate knowledge of the parts of Mopars and a particular platform. My Dad's friend has a shop that restores mostly Mopars and mostly of those are E-bodies. He can tell you every single part, where it goes, how many, and how you assemble it in order, ....
Like Al, I have messed with Mopars all my life and you have Josh Owen who has been through a lot of cars because of derby. There is a lifelong familiarity. It would be much harder for someone who hasn't ever had a Mopar and doesn't have the experience.
That is just one part of it. Like Josh said, pictures, notes, labeling, and storage are huge. I think I have about 6 totes (the black ones with a yellow lid) that you get at Home Depot just for Arthur's Duster, I have 4 for my 70 'cuda that I put on the back burner for the Duster, and more for my other parts, all labelled. I have a 10x12 storage shed with 2 racks of shelves that these are stacked in. I have some of the totes that have the parts I am using next in the garage. I call it my mini warehouse. My Dad is selling some of his land off and will be building a mega shop and I plan to move closer to him. We are collaborating on the layout. We are not restoration experts and it won't be a full restoration shop, e.g. paint booth, but it will have a clean room, apron for sand blasting, storage room, 4 post lift, 2 post lift, mezzanine, hardware room, .... This will help tremendously. It will beat trying to do everything in a single car bay and a 10x12 shed.
 
After doing one down to nuts and bolts and having another down that far I wouldn’t do another one. Just fix them as you drive at least you get the most enjoyment out of them that way. If it’s the building part you enjoy the most rip em apart.
 
I by no means am excellent it takes a while to get much done the cars are home and garage built not professionally. I HATE everything wiring related so I always horse trade wiring work done for parts or labor and I wont build cars for others because I know they are not perfect. Derbying has taught me alot
And even guys that dont derby. I urge you to go buy even a rusty old car and dismantle it entirely and sell off the good scrap the bad and it will teach you so much about orientation of small details and you will also realize even the same make and model of car were never built fully thr same. And also you gwt a chuckle over the years of hackery you find in cheap repairs!
 
Bought to many bondo buckets. Have done one 71 swinger 340 4 speed, doing 82 dodge truck. Thr duster pictured is just being tore down and inventoried. Truck is ready for paint, dart has a new owner. Me and my old man work on them together. Start at one end and keep going little by little. Biggest problem is people dont take detailed pictures and properly lable and store parts in order
But I have parted out 40+ cars. Being a derby guy i run through alot of 60s and 70s mopars and Gm
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That is awesome great looking car and work
 
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