Things I would do different next time!
I have been thinking about what I would do differently, now that I'm two and a half years into the 54 Pontiac. Here's a list of things that I would do differently:
- I would not machine my own front suspension. There are too many negatives
about it: can't buy parts from
the local auto parts store, if it breaks, you have to make the part, it's taken
2 years. I would look into
building rear frame rails that mate a Camaro's front clip and rear suspension
to the body. It would be easier.
The other alternative is an RBs Automotive Mustang II kit that bolts-on in a
weekend.
- I would plan on a frame off restore right from the start. It's well worth
it and would of changed many
of my original decisions.
- I would not buy a parts car like the Camaro. There are very few parts that
I am actually using from it.
Any parts that I am using need to be rebuilt (engine, tranny, brakes, ..) so
there really isn't any
advantage to buying a parts car. All of the parts could of been bought from a
wrecker, one piece at a time
when I was ready for them.
- I would rebuild in this order cause if you are going to do it right then do
it right from the start:
- Body off rebuild of the frame
- Modify/rebuild rear suspension
- Modify/rebuild front suspension
- Modify/rebuild steering (steering arms to steering wheel)
- Modify/rebuild front and rear brakes
- Install engine/tranny
- Install exhaust
There is an additional advantage to doing it in this order, you spend lots of time thinking about what you want the look of the car to be. I've changed my mind drastically on the final look from a Prostreet look to a more contempary 50s Custom look over the past year. Since you are working on basically the unseen part of the car, you can change your mind on the looks.
- I would not of bought the front and rear bench seats. They're great seats
but have basically been in the way
for the past year. I will not need them for another year.
- Take a course on mig welding earlier. I thought that I could learn on my
own but no way....
- I would not build up a "hot" engine until after the car was on the road. I
have a running engine already
and having a "hot" engine could wait. I haven't had time to install and run the
new engine for 8 months now.
In the mean time its taking up space on the engine stand.
- I would not buy a seized engine. It means the engine is shot and will take
lots of time and money to get
back into shape if it is possible. My crank after a couple of hundred dollars
is basically garbage. It's bent
at the snout and can't be straightened. The block took a couple of hundred
dollars to fix the cylinders and
align honing.
- I would wait until the suspension is done and all the body panels are back
on the car before buying tires
and rims. I have been running back and forth from the tire shop mounting,
balancing and purchasing tires on
many different rims that I have pulled from the wreckers and had to have the
offset changed. None of this was
really necessary.
- I would not paint the underside of the body grey which seemed like a good idea at the time until I reached the firewall and engine compartment. Now the final color for the car is white and blue two tone. What the heck is a grey engine compartment going to look like? Normally, the engine compartment is either black or body color. So now I'm stuck on how to transition from grey to black or to the body color.... besides grey looks like primer.
Things I would do the same next
time!
Here's a list of things that I would do the same next time around:
- Spend a lot of time checking out the wreckers for OEM parts that fit. This
is time well spent. I learned a
lot on the many ways that auto manufacturers design things and its not all the
same!
- Research, research, research. There is so much info and resources available
on the Internet that I was
always able to get an answer to a question. Maybe not the answer that I was
hoping for but an informed answer.
Besides websites, I found the newsgroups: alt.autos.rod-n-custom,
rec.autos.rod-n-custom, alt.hotrod and speciality
newsgroups to be great resources for talking to other rodders who have been
there done that. Fantastic for
problem troubleshooting.
I also found that between the web search engine altavista and the newsgroup search engine, I could find links to the information that I was seeking.
- I would buy the right tool for the right job. Having a proper set of tools
is the difference between
getting frustrated and struggling on something for hours or enjoying the work.
- Having your own permanent secure place to work on the car. Also have lots
of storage space for those extra parts.
- Make a list of all the work that needs to be done on the car. Prioritize
it.
At first I was randomly running around trying to fix everything on the car (ex. buying bench seats and side mirrors when the body work wasn't even started). I was also feeling quite overwhelmed at times and didn't know what to do next or where to start. After making the list (and checking it twice) I had a very good idea of what needed to be done and in which order. It also provided me with things to do when the main projects slowed down to a crawl for many different reasons.
- Find out what aftermarket support is available for your vehicle. I found
that there is lots of aftermarket
suppliers for my car not as a 54 Cdn Pontiac but as a 54 Chev. You may be
surprised as to what is actually
available and what is not. For example, there are no aftermarket front fender
suppliers in steel or
fiberglass for 54 Chevs that I've found.
- Keep an eye open and buy both tools and critical parts as the deals come
up. I can honestly say that at
least 90% of the parts and tools that I've purchased have been either on sale
or some deal that I ran across.
This translates into big savings.
- Be patient, it's going to take a long time to put completely together
(we're talking years here) unless
you are building a high budget rod otherwise it's going to cost you big bucks.
In short, long time - less money,
short time - lots of money.
- Take lots and lots of pictures and document everything for the record. I
find that after a month or so,
I forget the details of what I've done - thankfully, I've recorded everything
on the web.
- When you take anything apart, label the parts and bag it. It sounds so simple but when you are talking about a project that is going to take a few years to complete - guess what, you forget!