QuestionTHese two cars are both in the same condition: rusty and beat up. THe engines barely run. My question is What is the worst condition you would want to START a rebuild? What are the critical components? I can forward photos if needed. I have no experience in body work and only a little in engine repair. My goal is to start with a classic body style and get it near original, as possible. I don't need to be the top of the line, but would replace the engine and have all of the interior redone. I am concerned about the floorboards being rusted through. ANy suggestions would be appreciated. What resources (books, websites, etc) would you recommend?
Gary Patterson
AnswerWell, as I'm sure you realize, I could type away here for a couple of hours and still only scratch the surface. Your first decision is to find out which (if either) of these cars is safe enough to drive once it is fixed up. You must put each car up on a lift and examine the frame from stem to stern, paying special attention to the areas where the front and rear suspension components are mounted. A car this old that has been out in the weather east of the rockies (and since you mention rusty floors, I assume that is where the car has been) may have such a weak frame that it will never be safe to drive, no matter how nice you make it look.
Once you've made that decision, you'll need to learn about body work or find a shop that will work on it for you. The best way to learn about it is to sign up for a night course at your local college - these courses are very good, and usually will let you bring your project car in and work on it under the supervision of the instructor. You will learn how to repair all the body problems.
The engines are easy to rebuild - and the fact that they both run at least tells you that all the hard parts are there. You can take the engine and transmission out and send it out to a rebuilder, or you can do the engine yourself. Personally, I get more pleasure out of the hobby by doing everything myself, but I've been doing it for many years and have accumulated all the tools - that is an expensive task if you have to start from nothing.
If these cars have serious rust damage, you would probably be much better off by buying a west coast car - we have cars out here that are way older than your two, which have no rust anywhere - in fact the underside of the cars looks almost factory fresh. It is well worth your while to wait until you find such a car, instead of trying to save a rusty car.
Think about all that, and if you want more specific information, narrow it down a bit for me and I'll try again.
Dick
