[6T6mustang]

If there is one thing I've learned about my cars, its that I want them to as clean and as close to "perfect" as possible.

My original plan with my '66 coupe was to pull the engine & detail engine bay, redo the suspension and brakes. Then I would have a solid car to drive. As I get more and more into the car I feel the need to do a total restoration. New interior, new rear suspension, paint, detailed undercarriage...everything.

So my question is: Do I strip the shell completely bare and restore it from there OR should I restore the car in sections. Doing the engine/front end, then the rear end, then the paint, and then interior?

This seems like a never ending project...its already been undrivable for 1.5 years. ::

 

[66_Pony]

You can certainly do a rolling resto and minimize your downtime, but by doing so you'll greatly extend the time until it's "perfect". My inclination would be a rolling resto. Enjoy it as much as you can.

 

[bbenthin]

I'm with Steve, if your goal is to drive the car...rolling resto. Easier to stay focused on the project when you can enjoy the fruits for your labor occasionally. ::

 

[ken_schall]

The only thing I can tell you Britton, is to not do anything you don't want overspray on! :: If your not gonna drive it...wait with some of the suspension stuff etc. till after paint....maybe your "not" as picky as some. But, I spit shined and painted a lot of undercarriage and motor compartment stuff that I ended up having to do over after the primer and painting of the outside. :: Overspray gets everywhere!

 

[6T6mustang]

Well while I would love the drive the car soon, I am not going to rush and cut corners to do so. The primary reason I bought the 64.5 Coupe was so that I had another vintage stang to drive while I finished the '66.

Perhaps a rolling resto would be the way to go, but I figured it might be easier just to strip the car all at once?

 

[66_Pony]

Yeah, that's why I bought the Cat. Only it didn't work out like it was supposed to.

Sure it's going to be "easier" to strip it down and do everything in order, once. But you'll have to contain the urge to drive for a while longer yet. Decide which is more important to you.

 

[6T6mustang]

Good point Ken. Maybe I should look at painting before I get into the other stuff. I was just worried about chipping and scratching the paint when assembeling the car.

 

[ken_schall]

That was the reasoning why I waited on painting mine.(scratches)...But I've had the nose off a couple of times now with redoing the apron/spoiler and the proportioning valve mounting etc. just have to be careful and Towel up your work areas.... I even had overspray on my painted driveline...new exhaust...shocks... But then I get a little "anal" even on stuff you don't see.....its a sickness! ::

 

[6T6mustang]

But then I get a little "anal" even on stuff you don't see.....its a sickness! ::

YES, it is! That is my problem... I want everything to be clean and new or restored looking. Including places and parts that nobody will ever see but me.

 

[Stroked66]

Well while I would love the drive the car soon, I am not going to rush and cut corners to do so. The primary reason I bought the 64.5 Coupe was so that I had another vintage stang to drive while I finished the '66.

Britton, You are fortunate that you DO have another vintage Stang to drive ::

I'm with Ken on this. Had I had it to do over, I would have stripped my FB to the shell, then done the chassis repair, then body & paint work, then brakes & suspension, then engine and transmission. But my choice was to leave the body/paint work till last figuring I could drive the car (which I did a few times J) but I found allot more body/paint work than I had expected. Then there's the mess the paint/body work makes. You just can't imagine how trached things get. My sig pic's don;t do it justice ::

I hate to admit it, but in the end, the thought of all that dust and over spray messing up all the work I've done WILL get the best of me and I'll end up just like Mr Schal over there and end up re-doing allot my previous work (Although I doubt I'll go so far as to mirror polish my gas tank and color coordinate my sway bar :

Obviously, there's no "Right", or "Wrong" way to go about these things, it's just whatever works for your situation, but I say plan for the long haul and take it slow.

The OTHER Ken ::

 

[390GTAcv]

You guys are SICK !
Me too!

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