Preparing

Finally you will have found the object you are looking for and money changed hands (is there any other way ;-). Let's assume you have gotten it safe home and put it in you dedicated restoration garage. At this moment you will most likely picture yourself with the wind blowing your hair in a shiny Porsche, cruising at 90 mph down the freeway. That is OK!

Just don't forget there most likely will be many moments of frustration, holes in your overalls from the welding 'pearls', a divorce or two, maybe a light heart attack and so before that final day!

JUST KIDDING!

Let's get back to the restoration. Right now, just before you start your restoration you have a golden possibility to make the rest of the work as pleasant and clean as possible. A little precautions can save you a bundle of dirty unpleasant work later.

There is at least a couple of items you MUST consider now. 

1) SANDBLASTING! 
Get all the rusty places sandblasted around the edges where you will be doing repairs and replacements. Sandblasting is a method where sand is mixed with air and blasted onto the metal surfaces, this REALLY cleans out the rust.Do not sandblast outer body parts, they will stretch!
Do not overdo the blasting, blast the weld seams, the bubbled edges, make a path for your cutting equipment. Be sure to blast most edges as these are particulary difficult to sand down. 

2) MEDIA BLASTING!
Same principles, but use of less agressive media. Can be used 'all over'.

3) DIPPING!
They dip your car in a big acid bath to get ALL the shit and rust and paint out of the system. This should be your choice if you are looking for a total rebuilld. It is expensive, but it is like buying yourself away from some of the ugliest work in restorations.

4) HOT STEAMING!
Actually this should be done in all the cases, by the steaming out the wheelhouses and front and rear underbody you have already limited the numbers of times you get shit in your eyes dramatically.

With a much cleaner project awaiting it is time to plan a little. Look over all the areas you need to restore, some may need replacement, some need patches, some just a ding of the metal hammer. Make a checklist as complete as possible. Now you will have a certain idea of what to do. Take a little time and try making a restoration project plan. Draw some simple diagrams where you link together task etc. Be very generous concerning time limits.

Get all the catalogs and information possible covering the layout of the car. Sit down and go through each replacement on paper. Draw the area you are going to work, try to fit the part onti it. I do this a lot, and it really helps out when you are not that familiar with the cars.

Time to work!

Start with the interior, remove all of the interior, gauges, steering wheel, carpets, and floorboards. Next unbolt the doors and the front hood. Remove the fuel tank and all loose equipment in this area. Remeber to take out the battery too. If you are working with a convertible, you must think about installing some stabilizing bars in the door openings! 
________  stabilizing bar  __________________
        |_______|__________\                  \-
Rear    |-------------------|                    \
of      |                   |     Front of door    \
door    |                   |                        \
    |    \__________________/    |           \        |  
     \__________________________/             |_______/   

Either weld or bolt it to the striker plate and the upper door hinge in front.

Engine in or out? I would recommend you to take out the engine before you start the chassi restoration. If you do not want to, be sure you are emptying it properly, all the oil should be drained. This also applies to the gearbox, so drain the oil now, later it is a mess.

Now decide upon whether you will remove glass now or later. If you do not remove it now you will have to take special considerations not to destroy or damage it as you start your body repair endeavours. If you keep glass in the car, be sure to cover it well with heavy paper and tape to the window seals.

If you need a new inner roof, do not bother much with covering it, but if it looks good and you do not want to change it, be sure to protect it with paper covering it and taped to the outer edges. Be sure the tape brand is easy to remove afterwards.

In general, the more work you do preparing for the chassi restoration, the more pleasant the restoration itself will be.

When you feel you are ready for next phase, roll out the car for a last time (in months), clean out the garage and prepare for restoraion.


Trond V. Olsen

1994

postmaster@zwapit.com