Good first restoration Project

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cadfaeltex

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Nov 19, 2009
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TX south plains
? up front: What would be a good first restoration project
that is lower in cost to get in to?


Facing medical retirement from the Army and may go out to the
country to get low cost of living while I finish my
doctorate. So I'm think of doing a car restoration. My
parents did lots of MG's, Triumphs, Mini's as well as the '66
Mustang that was my first car and a '62 Chevy P/U that I did
a lot of work on. I've gotten back into turning my own
wrenches with my XJS and have the bug again.

Not wealthy so I figure an E-type (except maybe series III)
and XK120,140,150 would be out. The early Porsches (911, 912) seem to be as much as 356's.

Things I've thought of '65-'66 Mustang, 60's T-bird, MGA, TR3, TR4, Frogeye Sprite, Mini, Old Pickup, or Jaguar Saloon's from 50's or 60's. Oh, and if I could get a corvette (maybe 70's C3).

A lot of fabrication would need to be farmed out as I'm not a welder (not sure if that would cost and arm and a leg) Ideal (if it existed) would be a rust free example of whatever that needed mechanical and cometic work.

Any Suggestions?
 
Early Mustangs are an easy choice. Every last part you could possibly need is available, and they are common enough that prices are not insane for a project car. It's probably one of the most restored models, so resources are plentiful.

67-72 GM trucks have tons of reproduction parts support too and are pretty popular to restore or restomod.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Early Mustangs are an easy choice. Every last part you could possibly need is available, and they are common enough that prices are not insane for a project car. It's probably one of the most restored models, so resources are plentiful.

67-72 GM trucks have tons of reproduction parts support too and are pretty popular to restore or restomod.


Mustang is high on the list, especially if I get a six-banger and go the clifford performance upgrade's. The 200's are usually a lot cheaper than the 289's.
 
Something with good aftermarket support. 69 Dodge charger, 70 chevelle, 65 mustang. Stuff like that. I have a customer with a 58 Renault. No thermostat in this one, it has a cable operated drape that blocks the radiator. Good luck Trying to find a nice radiator drape for a 58 Renault.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Good luck Trying to find a nice radiator drape for a 58 Renault.


LOL, yeah I could see that being a problem.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Something with good aftermarket support. 69 Dodge charger, 70 chevelle, 65 mustang. Stuff like that. I have a customer with a 58 Renault. No thermostat in this one, it has a cable operated drape that blocks the radiator. Good luck Trying to find a nice radiator drape for a 58 Renault.


True, to a degree. But today with the internet, you can find just about anything you need. Not sure about a '58 Renault, but the spectrum is much more broad than it once was.
 
The one you love is very important.
But the Mustang has parts available - easily available. [ And reasonable comparatively ].
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
The one you love is very important.
But the Mustang has parts available - easily available. [ And reasonable comparatively ].

I imagine when your 300 hrs in with no end in sight, you'd better really like the car!
 
I'd go newer but just old enough to be rare. Just young enough you can get body parts. Mechanical parts you can mail order but a door would be great to find locally.

1980-1985 is about right. You can still get a shell for $500. You can add stuff like fuel injection to make a car livable. If you can get antique plates at 25 years there can be cost/ inspection advantages. Am thinking a quad headlight mustang or monte carlo.

Of course if you WANT something older, go for it. For a first resto-job, I'd go with something newer and cheaper. There are so many unfinished projects out there stalled in peoples' garages... for years... with nuts and bolts in a coffee can. Don't let this happen!

The ubiquitous 69 camaro you see at the drive-in was probably restored 10-15 years ago when it was a quarter century. Think about it.
 
Mercedes.
Unexcelled OEM parts availability, and quality built and designed to begin with.
Can't say either about a Mustang.
The 'verts are mostly expensive, although 'seventies SLs can be found fairly cheaply.
There are 115 and 123 coupes that can be found for reasonable dollars, while 123 wagons are really classy.
These were all cars that were made to be used, maintained and repaired, not junked.
As such, they are interesting restoration candidates, plus you end up with a car that has the brakes and the handling to match any contemporary mainstream car.
 
I have done a 57 Chevy P/U and a 66 Mustang Fastback. The 57 Chevy was actually pretty easy with all the re-pop parts available. You can pick them up fairly cheap. I went resto-mod and swapped out the inline 6 for a small block.
 
The Jag sedans from the 60's-80's you can pick up for a song and parts are everywhere with good support from the clubs. If you like British cars they are not a bad way to go.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: eljefino
1980-1985 is about right.


I have an 88 Fiero GT. For me its perfect - the GT bodystyle has aged very well and looks clean and modern yet unlike anything else on the road. People under a certain age have no idea what it is. I can bring it to a track day or car show and I'll be the only one there who has one. Certain 88 parts are unique and as such availability is spotty but not too bad (earlier years are better). I do envy the Camaro and Mustang guys who can just open a catalog or visit a website and get anything they need, but on the other hand, I see about 200 Camaros and Mustangs at every show I go to. I don't want one of those. Plus a V8 or 3800 swap is easy!
 
One of these:

jeep-cj-05.jpg




Very easy to work on, parts are everywhere, good resale value, fun to drive and very easy to modify.
thumbsup2.gif
 
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The CJ is a good option, but the high demand for them can be an issue. A lot of CJs rotted out or were otherwise beaten beyond repair, so a CJ in any kind of decent condition will have a price tag reflecting that. With Scramblers prices really go through the roof it seems. They are very cool little 4x4s though and have all sorts of aftermarket and restoration parts available.
 
Originally Posted By: cadfaeltex
I'd thought about the Jeeps for a while. Don't know a lot about them however. Is there a good info site or forum on them?


Check out jeep-cj.com; it is geared more towards the off road community than people looking to do a stock restoration, but there is a fair amount of tech info there and it's a good resource.

There are a couple classified ad sites that are for Jeeps only as well:
http://www.thejeeptrader.com/
http://www.jeep-classifieds.com/classifieds/cj.asp
http://www.jeepbrokers.com/

As you can see, CJ prices can vary quite a bit.
 
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