Next Steps

I would have liked to finish my restoration project by January 7, 2013 (the last day of winter vacation), but that’s simply not going to happen. Between cross country practices and meets, school work, college applications and essays, it’s a minor miracle that I still find time for optional items like a decent nights sleep or a social life. My courseload and team committments kept me out of the garage much of last year and this year I want to do a better job of scheduling my time to fit in more wrench time.

As a start, I compiled a list of what’s left in the restoration:

1. Finish cleaning the car. This will be done step by step, starting with the underside and working our way around.
2. Prep the bare metal using an acid etch to prevent rust and for better paint adhesion.
3. Lead in the left quarter panel and other exposed seams.
4. Prime the sheet metal, using weldable primer on the areas where we plan to replace sheet metal.
5. Repair rust spots in the battery tray and frame rail (something we started before re-prioritizing).
6. Replace the sheet metal in the quarter panels. The replacement skins arrived in a ginormous box, so we can now get those hideous side scoops off.
7. Repair bad repairs in roof and engine compartment.
8. Paint underside of the car before continuing to step 9…
9. Weld in chassis reinforcements and roll cage.
10. Determine if doors need work and strip door trim.
11. Install suspension and wheels to get the car rolling again.
12. Tow it to Precision Auto Body, have it painted, and begin reassembly.

While it’s not very detailed, I’ll use this list as a high level sequence to guide me through the next few steps while I flesh this out into a more detailed plan for the rest of the project.

Onward!