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Deposit Has Been Paid....

3K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  Mustangerbob1 
#1 · (Edited)
....On my no longer hypothetical project. Took a ride into central CT today and spent a few hours going over my new project. After hemming and hawing with myself, I decided that I should take the leap. The seller has already done the sheetmetal work and squared the car up. It has a new front suspension on it and comes with almost everything to build it to completion, includin a rebuilt 302 and Toploader. What he doesn't have that I do is time. So I put the deposit down and will be taking delivery of it at the end of Winter. Which will work out well since it gives me time to clear out a working stall for it. Along with stocking up on materials and a few tools.

While it is definitely a project, the bulk of the heavy lifting is done. I crawled all over it and have to say that it is nice to find a not-rusty car here in southern New England. After browsing the area over the last 10 years, I'd pretty much given up. The fact that the car is stripped out allowed me to see everything that usually gets hidden by undercoating. Compared to what I have looked at, this is a great place to start. Like I told a friend, it's like a blank canvas for my cash and nightmares. Anyway, without further delay.....

Here it is....

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#5 ·
Thanks guys!

I have to admit that I am a bit nervous with finishing the body work. But the seller has been adamant that he will help me along with guidance and actual help. He had people from all over asking him about the car. But he made it clear that he preferred selling it to me since he could both have a hand in building it and then also get to ride around and play in it.

The roof and windshields are my biggest fear. But once the roof is primed and the glass installed, the whole project should be pretty straight forward. Having played and worked on a bunch of Fox bodies and now a SN95, I forgot how little there is to these old coupes. So, once the grunt work is done on the body, I should be able to sail along on it.
 
#8 ·
67 my favorite!
 
#12 ·
Looks like about the same condition when I started my project, empty shell, engine and trans out of the car. Be sure to collect every part you can from the seller. You'll still find later that parts are missing. Headliner bows, stainless trim, interior parts, and on, an on.

New inner fender aprons on the front end? Did the guy keep the old metal with the VIN stamped on it?
 
#14 ·
Looks like about the same condition when I started my project, empty shell, engine and trans out of the car. Be sure to collect every part you can from the seller. You'll still find later that parts are missing. Headliner bows, stainless trim, interior parts, and on, an on.

New inner fender aprons on the front end? Did the guy keep the old metal with the VIN stamped on it?

Yes he did. I had it in my hands today.

As for the parts, we went up into his attic and looked at everything he has. It's a lot. Of course I will have to source some stuff. But it won't be that much. He has totes full of parts for me.
 
#19 ·
Looks good. Just my $0.02 though.... I'd avoid spending ANY money on "stuff" until you physically have possession. While having the seller accepting a deposit provides SOME security you never know what can happen. For example, if the seller gets run over by a bus tomorrow and his assets end up in probate, what security do you have that you'll ever see the car? Not wanting to put a damper on stuff but I always try and think "What could cause a SNAFU?".
 
#20 ·
The seller is going to write up a list of body materials and then use his discount to get them when I pick up the car. He owns his body shop and does high volume with his reps. So he gets a pretty steep discount on materials. As for my own tools, this car is the impetus for me to grab a couple of pneumatic tools that need to be out in the shop regardless of the project(s). Other than those few things, thanks to dad, I have everything short of a lift.

That said, I do understand and appreciate the advice.
 
#24 ·
Its always so much easier to start with what you have already done there....It took me roughly 500 hours to get my car to an equivalent point(though really only about 300 hours of that was restoration work if I am being honest, the rest being modification)

P.S. what do you need the die grinder for? I guess it would come in handy for certain things, but I haven't found it necessary for the restoration aspect of the car(I HAVE found myself wishing I had one when making the merge collectors for the headers though....got the task done with a drill with a sanding drum, but took 5x as long as it should have)
 
#26 ·
Its always so much easier to start with what you have already done there....It took me roughly 500 hours to get my car to an equivalent point(though really only about 300 hours of that was restoration work if I am being honest, the rest being modification)

That's what ultimately helped me decide to jump into the deep end, lol. Most of the cutting, welding and grinding was already done.
 
#30 ·
I would invest in a nice, large air compressor. While much of the work has been done for you, you still have a lot of sanding ahead of you and you don’t want to have to stop every 10 minutes to wait for the compressor to catch up. Even if you plan on someone else painting it, they’re gonna strip the car anyway so you might as well do it yourself and save some money.
 
#31 ·
It's not at the top of my list. But it isn't too far down either. We have a old that is a pretty good size. But, it's definitely tired. It'll do for now while I get this under way. But I have definitely been looking at new ones recently.

Any thoughts on the portable Husky compressors? It would be nice having the ability to wheel it around the garage.
 
#36 ·
To run moderate demand air tools you’ll need minimum 3.5 hp 60 gal 11 cfm @ 90 psi. For sanding and most sustained cutting it will run all the time. What you’ll really need is a 5 hp, 2 stage 60 or 80 gal, 15 cfm @ 175. It’s the big one at Lowes or Home Depot. If you get a portable for this job it’s not a good investment. You can drive drills and wrenches with a portable but any sustained load will rapidly deplete the air.

Die grinders are a fundamental tool for metalworking. They are one of the most versatile tools for cutting and finishing. You can use any number of cutting or abrasive media. Cut off wheel, flap discs, grinding stones and Roloc attached media are a few examples. I’d suggest a right angle to start, 1/2 hp or more so you have enough torque.
 
#38 ·
It is a great car to work with. That being said, a deposit on a car, no physical possession for X time makes me nervous. Too many things have gone off the rails for people, etc.

I could tell you my sad story about a 1967 Shelby, deposit made, contract signed, 3 days to pick up, car gone, money refunded, and the car was now out of state.

At least get the title in your hands. I would seriously take possession of everything you can. .
 
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