okae so im about to embark on a restoration project for a 1967 hardtop. nothings wrong with the car and it is in perfect running conditions. however i want to turn it into a restomod kinda thing. alrite so here are the things id like to upgrade for the car: paint job, engine, suspension, rack and pinion, and front and rear disc breaks. okae so here are the questions:

should i tear the car down and install the upgrades and rebuilt it from the bottom up, or should i jus install the upgrade wherever needed. does it really matter?
what order should i install these upgrades? should i do the paint and then the installtions or the installiations and then the pain?
from the vin, the car has a 289 V2 engine. will a 351 fit in it?

attatched are some picture of the car. il keep ya'll up to date with the progress




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yes the 351w will fit a fe big block will too but its a tight fit its up to you where you start and how much you do it to. just make sure theres no rust holes and the frame rails are safe

 

If you are dead set on replacing the engine with a 351, then pull the current engine and start work on the Rack and Pinion and brakes/suspension. Freshen up the engine bay with new paint, then install the 351. Body paint and interior upgrade would be the last thing I would do.

 

+1, I would do the paint towards the end becuase you wouldnt want to scratch it working on the engine or suspension. Interior after the paint though, so you dont run a chance of get overspray on your new interior

 

+2
paint dead last that way you'll have a sleeper until the paint is done! don't forget about interior work too. It's one of the easiest and cheepest things you can do, plus you see immediate results.

 

If you are going to do a complete resto, full tear down and rebuild, gut the entire car. Interior and engine bay. Only leave the wheels on to move it around.

Your best bet (as stated by Glen), if you wanna up grade to the rack and pinion steering, pull the motor (you can rebuild it or replace it while it's out) and install the R&P and new suspension. Clean and paint the engine bay first and take your time installing. It's kinda hard to paint the bay with a huge motor in there.

The interior, paint (if you so chose to) first and than lay out the carpet and seats, ect. Get a good paint/body shop to clean up the undercarrage and give it a good coat or two of paint to help preserve the floor boards.

Most importantly, if you do not have the time and money, DO NOT start taking the entire car apart. You may find things you would rather not find. I know I did!

I wish you the very best with your project.






P.S.
Since this is my first post in quite some time, I wanted to notify y'all, I'm back to finish the post #%*$@ing I started! LOL!!![8D]

 

Agree with Clutch.

Plus a full on ground up takes a pile of money (even if doing it yourself) and more time than you can imagine. So if you can deal with the car not being driven for about 3 -7 years, then its a possiblity. If you can afford to pay someone to do the work, or you have the knowledge, skills, tools, and facility to do it, then I say why not? If you are on a budget like the rest of us, you need to find a middle ground.

The idea of making upgrades is a great one, especially if you have a rust free car that is currently safe to drive. Rust is its own issue and requires more to fix it than it ever did to cause it. You cant always just unbolt a part and replace it if its rusted. But if you are lucky enough to have a car that doesnt need that, then its a simple matter of detailing the area you are working in while you have things apart to make the upgrades.

have done both, and I can usually drive the ones during the upgrade process, while both ground up cars are still sitting in the shop, and one hasnt been driven in 20 years.

How much money in the budget?
How much time can you use towards the car?
How nice do you want it when its done?
If you dont ever plan to sell it, then sky is the limit because you dont have to worry about return on investment in a $$$ sense, its smiles per mile if you want to enjoy it , and any monetary cost is worth it if you love the car and get to enjoy it.

 

I agree witht he others that if you are dead set on replacing the engine, doing suspension upgrades and installing rack and pinion, pull the engine, install the suspension and steering upgrades, paint the engine bay, install engine, then go to work on the interior and exterior with the painting being last. I made the mistake of having my truck painted before changing the rubber seals around the side windwings and the felt in the window channels. Despite a definite effort not to scratch my beautiful new paint, there is a real nice gouge on the inside of each door that occurred while trying to get the window assemblies back in the doors.[:@]

 

Message- i wil 2nd, 3rd, and 4th that. just finished up my 69 coupe. after finishing the entire car me and my dad decided we could do a few more things- rack & pinion, disc brakes, a few engines goodies. after working on it for a few months i walked out into the garage and the first thing i noticed was a BRAND NEW CHIP on my pretty new car. still dont know where it came from. I somewhat suspect my 10 year old brother.

 

Everyone is making a good point, ground up. The way I did mine is, first a buget. Then start with taking the engine out then sending the car to the body shop for the body work (no paint). Get the inner fenders and the engine comp painted then get it back with the rest in primer (ready for paint). Do your suspention upgrade and install your motor maybe your interior (I did mine after paint). Then send the car back to the body shop for paint with a couple of coats of clear, but not the final polish. Then finish puting the reat of the car together and drive it back for the last step at your paint shop (wet sand and paint to take any scatches out). I know this may sound like alot of work but man when it was done ther were no scatches and no over spray. Alot of body shops will do this because they would rather do your car in between collison work.