Engine or body first? Indiana area?

[derk]

Hi all

Due to a death in my family i have put off touching my 71 for a while. Trying to get back into it.

The background: Literally found in a storage locker, not driven since 1987, California car.

Body is okay, little rust. Working on the floorboards with Por-15 for more of a preventative.

I am mired with too much to do with this car. Better to get it

running and then work on the body or vice versa?

Everything in the engine compartment is there, it is just daunting that all of the rubber, etc, is worn out. Every hose, etc.

Considering subletting the reconstuction of the engine to an expert in the midwest and therefore not screw it up myself if anyone has any recommendations? I am in southern Indiana.

Thoughts? I just feel overwhelmed.

Jim

[LanceM]

I feel your pain, I'm in the same situation. The first thing I did was decide that there was no way that I was going to be driving it before next spring, I'm in northern Indiana so who knows when that may be

I've been doing a little of both, body and engine. When I get tired of doing one I work on the other, sometimes I don't have the money for one but I do for the other. Fuel line is just a couple of bucks and there's plenty to replace, I spend $5 and have something useful to do for an evening and another thing is done. In doing my inspection for rust I pulled the fenders and I've decided to leave them off until next year, it's alot easier working on the engine compartment with them off and I don't have to worry about messing up the paint with a belt buckle or dropped wrench.

I guess my advice is go slow, do things in logical steps (like don't worry about getting the engine to run before you clean out the gas tank and lines) and switch to another part of the car when your interest in the current job is in low tide. Make a list of what you need to replace and carry a copy in your wallet, that way if you feel like working on another part of the car tonight you can stop on the way home and pick up the parts without trying to remember what you need.

When you are restoring a car like you are take your time and do it right, and since it all needs to be done, do it as you please and enjoy yourself.

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by derk

Considering subletting the reconstuction of the engine to an expert in the midwest and therefore not screw it up myself if anyone has any recommendations? I am in southern Indiana.

Thoughts? I just feel overwhelmed.

Jim

Sorry to hear of your family loss Jim.

Since you live in Indiana I'd have to suggest a Jasper Engines rebuild of your L24.

You can do the work on your car in any order you want, but for me it would be hard to stop driving a car with a rebuilt engine in order to get back to finishing the body work. If I COULD swing it, I'd do it all at once and drive the finnished product. But............to each his own. Oh, and one last thing. RUST NEVER SLEEPS! If there is any rust there, it WILL get worse as time goes by. You can count on that.

[mdbrandy]

Originally posted by BambiKiller240

Since you live in Indiana I'd have to suggest a Jasper Engines rebuild of your L24.

Being quite close to Indiana myself, where is "Jasper Engines?" When I get to the engine, I'll be looking for someone that knows L series engines...

Thanks.

[EScanlon]

Having restored a few vehicles, in my opinion, EXCEPT for the critical body requirements that you MUST do in order to have a sound chassis and body to work with, you should ALWAYS do the mechanical first.

Sorry Carl, not trying to dump on you, but I've already seen one of my restorations go to the dump because the owner decided to "soup up" the engine AFTER the body was custom painted, and he literally tore up the paint on the fenders. Then he crashed it when he was testing the new blown up engine.

I've been advising this to my customers and friends for years. If your shell / chassis is sound, then by all means ensure that the car will operate, operate safely, and that any disassembly required to ensure it's mechanically sound is DONE before you start on a $2,500 to 8,000 plus paint job.

While there are items that are ~mechanical~ that you won't address until AFTER the paint job, while you are reassembling it. There are so many things that must / should be checked out BEFORE you start any bodywork.

I won't get into the individuals, you can guess what they are (Brakes, Suspension, Steering) but they are all safety of driving items. The paint job is nothing but the final touches on a well maintained car.

Just my 2¢

Enrique

[mdbrandy]

Originally posted by mdbrandy

Being quite close to Indiana myself, where is "Jasper Engines?" When I get to the engine, I'll be looking for someone that knows L series engines...

Thanks.

Answered some of my own question - they're in Jasper, IN! :stupid: About 200 miles Southeast of me. Or they appear to have a branch in Chicago, too. They look like a REALLY big operation, though, that doesn't necessarily specialize in any specific type of engine. Who's had experience with them.... ?

Thanks.

[nutxo]

Myself, Ive decided to get the engine running as best I can before I decide if I can live with the origial engine or if im going to do a hybrid.

If I decide I cant handle the l28 and need more umphh then Ill start body work while I build my engine,..

I wish I knew someone to see how my performance measured up to another like vehicle.

[WDILL]

I am at the same decision on my 1970 240Z. I really need to get the floor boards and some other rust taken care of , the motor runs, but needs work, trans need replacing and brakes need complete redo. A lot of work I decided to try myself but will be looking to let someone else do the engine. I just need room to work. I have put this off for over ten years hoping to find that magic solution, but now need to get on it - rust doesn't stop.

[MDyer]

First things first, (and Enrique said same), steering, brakes, and suspension FIRST, for safety reasons.

If the car runs fairly sound, your priority should be the one that keeps you motivated...

-If you're more inclined to do mechanical work on a car that you love the looks of, do cosmetic first.

-Conversely, if you're more inclined to doll up a beast, then get busy on the mechanical side.

If you keep that in mind, the odds are high that you won't quit on the project before you're done! ...my opinion.

Good Luck!

[drunkenmaster]

A big decing factor for me was if the enigne bay will be repainted...

If so there is a bunch of mechanical items you can do while the enigne is out as you dont want to have it out twice.

This further mixes up the paint or body first plan..

[MikeW]

Originally posted by mdbrandy

Answered some of my own question - they're in Jasper, IN! :stupid: About 200 miles Southeast of me. Or they appear to have a branch in Chicago, too. They look like a REALLY big operation, though, that doesn't necessarily specialize in any specific type of engine. Who's had experience with them.... ?

Thanks.

I used Jasper to rebuild my original engine earlier this year. My mechanic pulled the engine, Jasper came and picked it up, and returned it about 6 weeks later completely rebuilt and better than new. It comes with a 3 year 75,000 mile warranty. For anyone in a hurry who's not concerned with originality I believe they can take yours as a core and give you one that's already finished. It appears that they keep the block, the head, the crankshaft, and the camshaft and cam towers. Everything else (pistons, rods, valves, sprockets, etc.) is replaced. There's a nice video on there web site that shows the entire process. It's around $2000.

The only problem I had with them is they put the distributor back in 180 degrees off and forgot to put the timing marker back on. To give you an example of how they stand behind their work they affix a temperature sensor to the side of the block in one of the freeze plugs. If the temperature ever gets above a certain level it melts and proves to them that the engine overheated. That will void the warranty. Other than that everything is apparently covered.

Even though Jasper is based in Indiana they apparently rebuild import engines at a facility in Washington state.

[v12horse]

Derk, I am in an opposite situation. I bought my car in the Indiana and brought it here to California. There is still some rust that needs to be controlled, but overall it is not too bad since it sat in a garage for so many years. Thus, I bought it with only 62,000 original miles.

I am no expert at restorations because I have not done one yet, but I plan to in the future. My friend is restoring a 61' Fiat and he started removing everything from the car and then he sent the rolling shell to the autobody shop while he rebuilt the motor. When the car got back from the shop he dropped in his motor, rewired the car and drove it around the block with a bucket as a chair. The rest of the project for him was to rechrome, find parts that needed replaced, and find more parts.

If I were to restore a car that is how I would do it. But what do I know. good luck on your project. Have fun with it.

-Ben