OK, I have a large build thread on another forum so I won't repeat everything here or I'll be doing it all week! Instead I'll give an overview.
I try and only have one project on the go at a time to remain focused and not be falling over other car parts. I sold my 1960 Impala in 2009 and was looking for something else, I fancied something else American but this time I wanted to do a complete restoration and end up with something that was effectively brand new, with no hidden minor components waiting to expire at the wrong moment. I wanted a sedan or station wagon as I didn't really like pick ups. So I ended up with a pick up!
In 2010 I saw an advert by Gary McCormack for a 1957 Ranchero that had been dipped clean, the chassis blasted & painted and more brand new bits & pieces than you could imagine, seriously, there were boxes & boxes of new parts, down to screws, clips and rubber gaskets. The body was rough with lots of rust trapped in the welded seams, I thought this had perhaps been caused by the acid dipping, but I'm not 100% sure.
It took six years of cutting, welding, painting and assembling before it was finished. All welded repairs were butt-welded, welded seams cut apart, shot blasted and re-welded, the underside and running gear re-finished to a high standard (a white floor.............). Running gear has been updated by uprated brakes (converting the fronts to power assisted discs), fitting a power R&P steering kit (original box was shagged) fitting a 1979 302 backed with an AOD transmission. Needles to say everything is brand new or reconditioned where new wasn't available. All work (including painting) was done at home by me, with the exception of the seat re-trimming and the machining and re-assembling of the short-block.
Two items didn't get touched aside from a re-paint, they were the transmission and the radiator. The only two items to give me grief have been the transmission (slipping) and the radiator (overheats in traffic)! It's now off the road waiting for me to drop the transmission and get it rebuilt and have the radiator checked and possibly recored.
I try and only have one project on the go at a time to remain focused and not be falling over other car parts. I sold my 1960 Impala in 2009 and was looking for something else, I fancied something else American but this time I wanted to do a complete restoration and end up with something that was effectively brand new, with no hidden minor components waiting to expire at the wrong moment. I wanted a sedan or station wagon as I didn't really like pick ups. So I ended up with a pick up!
In 2010 I saw an advert by Gary McCormack for a 1957 Ranchero that had been dipped clean, the chassis blasted & painted and more brand new bits & pieces than you could imagine, seriously, there were boxes & boxes of new parts, down to screws, clips and rubber gaskets. The body was rough with lots of rust trapped in the welded seams, I thought this had perhaps been caused by the acid dipping, but I'm not 100% sure.
It took six years of cutting, welding, painting and assembling before it was finished. All welded repairs were butt-welded, welded seams cut apart, shot blasted and re-welded, the underside and running gear re-finished to a high standard (a white floor.............). Running gear has been updated by uprated brakes (converting the fronts to power assisted discs), fitting a power R&P steering kit (original box was shagged) fitting a 1979 302 backed with an AOD transmission. Needles to say everything is brand new or reconditioned where new wasn't available. All work (including painting) was done at home by me, with the exception of the seat re-trimming and the machining and re-assembling of the short-block.
Two items didn't get touched aside from a re-paint, they were the transmission and the radiator. The only two items to give me grief have been the transmission (slipping) and the radiator (overheats in traffic)! It's now off the road waiting for me to drop the transmission and get it rebuilt and have the radiator checked and possibly recored.