I'm thinking about buying my first project car, just cannot afford a finished vehicle right now. This being said my mechanical abilities are lackign to say the least and I have no idea where to start. My questions are. What are some basic things I will need? What is a good starter vehicle? Is the "old lady" going to throw my crap out into the front lawn? any suggested reading?any help you guys can give me will be great.. flame on!
Go with Ford or Chevy as parts are easier to come by. IMO you should just say "screw it" and find something you like. You are more likely to work on it that way. Now as a warning, only a very small percentage of cars like you are describing ever get finished. If you ask me, your first search should be in finding some like minded people in your area and get in good with them. Buy them beer all the time as you'll need their help all the time.
Wow, kind of a big question. First off, what kind of car gets your blood flowing? Go for that kind. Personally, a 50's or 60's car is a good starting place. Get a mainstream brand, Chevy, GM, or Ford. Parts are still available and lots of aftermarket support as well. Buy as complete a car as you can afford that compliments your skills. What I mean is if you're not good at bodywork, don't buy a car that needs floors and rockers. Get something that you're sure you can fix the problems it has. You'll need a good basic set of hand tools for mechanical work. If you have a buddy or two that's experienced, they'll be a good source of information. Reading - read the HAMB and do a search for the model you buy. Get a factory manual for your specific car - it'l be your first source of specs and information. The old lady - you're on your own BUT if she's jazzed about the kind of car you get, it'll be easier on you. If she hates it, you'll never hear the end of it. Good luck.
All good points so far, but just to add to them from one rookie to another.... Take it slow. If you do get a car that needs work, don't tear apart the whole thing if you only need to fix some leaky gaskets right away. Do it in stages and make sure you document your disassembly with a digital camera. All in all just take your time. And good luck! 55caddad
Cant fix a car without tools. One of the most essential in my opinion is a compressor. I bought my compressor(80 gal) even before my first car. just a suggestion.
My .02.....but a good start would be an early 50's Chevy coupe.....decent drivers can be had for a reasonable price, parts are available, and are just a cool car......try to get a car that you can drive while making changes to it....
Find something with a sound, meaning low rust, frame & chassis. The mechanicals you can deal with, depending upon your ability to take on one task at a time, and your willingness to seek out answers, in both books & advice. Body work takes a larger investment in space, tools, materials and skills. You can learn these too, but you'll be spending more time here before seeing the results most older cars ask. Prep work means everything, as you can always arrange to have a pro spray the car, after you've done the heavy lifting.
Really good advice... Get the most complete car you can afford and don;t be afraid to wait for one that you really like and fits your budget. You can find a "great deal" but get over your head quickly. Start collecting up you hand tools now so when you get your dream car you can actually work on the damn thing. And like WVENFIELD said find some like minded gar heads in your area and make friends - you'll need thier help. Have fun with it bro.
Find a runner. there are alot of low priced runners out there. Look for a 60's car or a 50's pickup. they normally can be had at lower prices. Don't tear it apart as said before. Just do a small project at a time. One of the biggest faults of rookies is having a car that is not a runner. They lose interest fast and before you know it is just a pile of junk taking up space. And buy some tools first. They dont have to be expensive ones. Go to Harbor freight and find some that will get you started. Look for Garage sale or ebay stuff too. Buy the expensive ones as you have income. There is always someone on the Hamb that has done it. So simply asking questions on a specific problem will help here. PJ
So far all of this is great advice ! Here's my advice: QUIT CALLING YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIEND "OLD LADY" or your shit will end up outside !!!! And remember to have fun with it !!
Always rememebr to plan out your project too. If you do not have a clear objective as to want you want, you will never get there. I have seen way to many people give up on projects because they change directions seven times mid way through. Getting discouraged on your project is like a cancer. You will hate it and eventually it will end up at sitting for god knows how long. PLAN PLAN PLAN. And if the girl in your life does not like it. Find a new one. (car that is) Out, Nate
another word of advice, if you don't have th skill or tools to do things yourself it will cost you more to build it than it will to buy it. it will also take less time to save the money to buy what you want than it will to try to build "something"
you may be right, but what's the fun in that. I think i'd rather try and build something than just buy something. I don't know just my opinion.
I say this for a bunch of reasons actually. first, because you said money was a "reason" to build. the reason to build should be that you get EXACTLY the car you want. if you don't know what you want and you start picking pieces here and there as you get into it your vision is likely to change as you go costing you even more money in parts you decide not to use. This is one big benefit of the wait and save idea. you get an idea of what you like and what cars/parts are going for while you save. meet people go for rides in cars decide what drives you crazy. after you have changed your mind a dozen times you will have enough money to buy either a better project to start with or a finished car that is what you want.
Either you are a ringer, which I doubt...you just hit on the sole reason for all of the joy of getting involved. When it's sitting there, parked in a cruising car lot one night, and people are admiring your handiwork. Or the thumbs up, as someone drives by, makes it worthwhile.
lots of good advice here. If this is truly your first "project" I have some ideas. You must buy something you can drive home. 1. An inexpensive old driver will always need something fixed on it and you will get lots of experience just keeping it running. 2. The Old Lady is much more likely to get "into" the whole thing if you can take her for a ride. 3. Driving it will keep you interested, and make it a lot easier to take it to a buddies house for help. 4. Most important - if and when you tire of it, or can afford something more special, you can sell it and probably get your money back (especially if its better than when you bought it), but those unfinished piles of parts are hard to sell for anywhere near value.
thanks alot guys, now i just gotta find an old ford or sheeevy to buy. everything i see is way outtta my range.
Sounds like someone just got home from the Roundup! And you've got an itch to build somthing. Listen to revkev6. Truer words were never spoken! You're not a fabricator (yet) Save your scratch and buy something that rolls. Learn as much as you can working on it THEN try your hand at making a car. Or try it your first time out and wait for us to come buy all the cool parts you bought for half of what you paid for them. Take your time! Good luck. -stick
Buy a solid runner to start with. Don't buy a car you can't lay underneath and inspect Shiny paint should be very, very low on your list. Shiny paint may be very, very, high on her list. Establish this before buying. Rechroming is expensive. If you get a 50s car with bad chrome, plan to live with the brightwork for a while Despite the parts availability of ford and chevy, starting with the right off-brand can save thousands. Look at 20 cars before you buy. For real. When the search is over you should be exhausted. But compared to the hours you'll save under the car by "buying wrong", the time investment is puny. Have a vision before you buy, and make sure it's realistic for your budget. Fighting physics is expensive, such as making a big tub of a cruiser go fast. Plan on losing your ass financially. This is a passion. However, if you start with the right car, and make smart improvements, people have been known to break even. Most of all- for the first couple years, do not start any project that makes the car un-moveable for more than 5 days. There's so much work ahead of you, it's easier to maintain momentum if you're driving it around once a week. This is also a great way to keep the wife happy, neighbors happy, and zoning enforcement police happy. Good Luck!
And don't buy the first car you see. Even if the seller says " I've got two other guys coming to look at it". You'll get that creepy feeling that if you don't act now it will be the end of the world. IT WONT!!! If it was meant to be it will be. I can't tell you how much crap I've bought because I thought someone else was gonna' get it before me! -stick
Sorry to be "Billy Bad-ass" here, but somebody has to lay down the law. Here goes: If your Mrs. has a problem with your penchant for old iron, you won't last too long in this hobby. Lay down the law quickly that this is what you want to do with your spare time. If she still has a problem with it, you either married the wrong girl, or you'll buy a Dodge Grand Caravan. The choice is yours. Sorry to be "that guy", but it needs to be done. My wife supports everything I do, because she likes old shit too. Good luck.
Everybody is right on with the info.Here are my $0.02. Get something you can drive even if it is rough,you will stay interested in it plus you will see how much a little tlc can improve it like peinting the rims,some rattle can paint,some never dull or mothers work like crazy to change the look or the ride. A good place to get tools cheap is at pawn shops specially if you get name brands like craftsman cause if it brakes or is allready broken you can get a new one at sears for nothing. Like someone said before Beer,Beer,and more Beer always will keep your buddies or new buddies coming over to help. Swap meets and the old guy that has been doing this his whole life are always a good place to get parts and info on how to do things and askings questions at car shows and cruise ins always help,I actually helped guys out on working in their junk yards pulling parts (for no $$$)of cars after work so i could get the knowledge and help to work on mine. The wife or girl will most likelly be cool with it as long as she can enjoy it some too,like cruising in it to a show or for a sunday ride.
Hey Nutz, would you be interested in a 53 ford pickup? I work with a guy that wants to trade me one and I'm not really up to another project right now. Still got a few in the works. Its pretty straight, no rust. has a 400 ford v-8 and c-6 sitting in it already. Hasnt been started since the swap. Needs lots of TLC. Just like you will after your wife gets through with you if you drag it home.
13 years and counting. 15 or 20 projects and counting! She's the best. Can't weld for shit, but she's supportive.!
Have you dabbled in any body or mechanical work? Let that be your guide in selecting a vehicle. Myself, I hate bodywork. For me, a car needs to have excellent body work, I couldn't care less about the rest, that is easy stuff. Others prefer the opposite. It all boils down to what many have already mentioned: definately get yourself a driver. It will keep you motivated. Do small things to improove on it. Polish up some chrome, paint the wheels, add some guages, whatever, you'll be able to step back when your done and see something that you have finished. Then just keep going, things will snowball. =-) What car? Thats a personal choice. For all you know right now, you might find a 1977 Chevy Pickup truck that screams your name. =-) Same applies to it. A driver, and work on small items at a time and go from there. Alex.
Advice from another rookie... If you try and build your first car with little to no skills be prepared for it to take years to accomplish and you will miss out on the enjoyment of driving one. There is also a steep learning curve with every step of the project which will add considerable time to the project. When I bought my car, it just needed some fresh paint and a bit of body work and I could have driven it. However, the car came apart very easily and it snowballed - 3 years later and it is still incomplete. My advice (like many others) is to buy the best driveable car you can afford. Take on one small project at a time and learn from it. Read, ask questions and have fun with it. When you've completed work on the car, given it some TLC you could sell it in a couple years to buy something better or drive that car for the next 5 years, all the while collecting parts for that dream ride you can one day build yourself. Matt
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