Hello

I have just recently bought a 68 289 coupe. It runs and the mechanical is in good shape, floor in good shape but the body/interior/trunk needs some work as it's pretty rusty.

I'd like to restor it to "good" condition, what ever that means (subjective I guess for each person). I basically would like to get all the rust removed, painted/coated to prevent further deterioration, replace many interior parts and get things like windows/electrical working correctly (some instruments not working and either are turn signals, though flashers work).

I'm going to do as much as possible myself. To get started I guess I'd like to now what people think a 'weekend mechanic' should attempt on his own, and what should be left to the pro's. Should I do all the disassemply myself or leave it for the shop? Should I do it all in one shot or stages (so that between stages it's still drivable). If I do it in stages, whats the best order (and what would those stages be...).

Thanks for any help you guys can give.

Blake

 

Welcome, and take some pics of the damage so we can see how bad these areas are rotted, depeding on how bad and how good your metal working skills are, you can either tackle it yourself or pay a pro

 

Notes on what I don't have pictures of yet:

Underside of hood very rusty
Inner side of door rusty
Trunk Rusty
Parts of floor rusty
Bottom of both quarterpanels rusted right through
underside of drip rails rusty
Under the dash has lots of surface rust
engine rusted/very dirty
Engine bay pasenger side rusted through in several areas (hood hinge attachment is loose on that side)
Carpet destroyed in some parts
Headliner ripped
Surface rust on underside of roof in some parts

When I had the car inspected the guy that inspected it suggested that I replace the one fender thats very dented up, scrape and coat the underside and then repair the rest of the it. I guess at some point other parts are just cheeper to replace than repair/patch but I don't really know the effort to fix some of them.

I have not yet pulled the door panels off to look in the door, but I expect to see rust in there too as the weather seals around the windows is shot.


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What are your plans for your car? Engine?Tranny? Susp?Etc

 

Do exterior (body, paint, ect...) first and then start on the interior. I'd leave the paint andbody work to the pros unless you've done it before, because it can be quite a challenge. Good luck and welcome to the forums!

 

That's something I'm still trying to figure out.

For now I would like to stick to the 289, possibly at some point have it rebuilt, change the intake and carb. I've looked at a crate 351 but that would be down the road, if ever.

It's a 3spd auto now, I would like to swap it for a 5spd manual (T5 I believe, still learning all the lingo).

Suspension, possibly lower the front a bit as to me it looks like it rides a little nose high.

I'm really still formulating what I want the car to "be" when I'm "done", looking pics of finished projects to get ideas... asking lots of questions.

 

I plan to leave the body/paint work to a shop for sure, though I'd like to do as much as possible myself I want it done right first and formost.

 

Your first priority should be safety and suspension. Consider rebuilding the front suspension and steering as a first project. When you get bored with that, do some sanding. Consider it a long term hobby - and have fun doing it.
Jim

 

Anything physically you can do yourself will save you money. My 1100 dollar body repair became a 550 dollar repair after I agreed to strip the chrome and valance. It only took me a few hours, but these body shops charge an incredible amount for labor.
But, start with the mechanical aspects first. Brakes, engine, suspension, etc. Get her safe for you and yours before you start on the body.

 

Previous owner has re-done the front end and the mechanic that looked over it gave it the thumbs up....