A first time restoration
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Mopar Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Cedar Springs, Michigan
A first time restoration
Has anyone here every picked up a car and restored it them selfs as far as doing all the body work welding hammering ect. why i ask is why is it that i cant get my dad to let me start on our car he wont even lift a finger or even come close to trying anything him self I have always wanted to to the resto my self but he would rather pay 40g to someone to do it all is it really that hard for a first timer to make a car look good i am the type to weld a fender on and not know what im doing when im doing it or bang out a dent should I try it. it all looks so easy to me but getting the permission is going to be hard lol
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Joined: Jun 2008
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zach theres alot involved in doing a resto especailly the body ive done alot of bodywork on cars and ill tell ya if your dad wants to spend the 40 g's to have it done by all means let the pro's do it atleast this way he'll have someone to give a good grippin too if they mess up and have it redone when i started i'd do little things bat trays , suspension parts , stuff that wasnt damaged but needed sanded and cleaned up to show my interest in the project plus i didnt bang on it to get out a dent you know that kinda stuff ,.... then my my dad let me restore the lawnmower and it was back to doing little stuff again lol but what im saying is that your father probilay wouldnt mind you working on the small stuff (trial & error ) 1st then after some xperiance tackling bigger jobs
good luck zach
good luck zach
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^^^^Good advice there
But with that said i am a first timer @ restoring my 71 charger by myself, and she is coming along ok, but there is truck loads of work involved (and i do mean truck loads lol) my dad is also the same way, he wont do any thing by himself (except for changing brake pads ect) although we did have a go at rebuilding an old commodore motor once when i was 16, wich turned out to be a nightmare as the motor had bits and pieces from every other motor (wich meant a stock rebuild kit was out of the question as nothing fitted lol ect) but yeah if you are going to do the work yourself then start with small hidden areas to get the feel of the tools and experience or even go to the wreckers get some busted doors/bonnet bash it a few times with a hammer (put the ocassional boot in
) and then have a go @ panel beating them back out, and see how you go! once your confident that you can tackle the job then i say go for it mate!!
But with that said i am a first timer @ restoring my 71 charger by myself, and she is coming along ok, but there is truck loads of work involved (and i do mean truck loads lol) my dad is also the same way, he wont do any thing by himself (except for changing brake pads ect) although we did have a go at rebuilding an old commodore motor once when i was 16, wich turned out to be a nightmare as the motor had bits and pieces from every other motor (wich meant a stock rebuild kit was out of the question as nothing fitted lol ect) but yeah if you are going to do the work yourself then start with small hidden areas to get the feel of the tools and experience or even go to the wreckers get some busted doors/bonnet bash it a few times with a hammer (put the ocassional boot in
) and then have a go @ panel beating them back out, and see how you go! once your confident that you can tackle the job then i say go for it mate!!
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All the above is excellent advice. All I can add is to take some classes on welding and body repair. Some of the colleges have these classes at night and you may persuade your dad into letting you take one also try to get him to take the same class. Another approach is working in a auto or body shop part time as a helper, If your in HS take some of thier shop classes it'll get you started.
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