Lil SOB Restoration Part 0 -- Project Planning
 

So those of you who have seen my past threads about this project...welcome back

I have been terriblely busy with med school the past year, but I am taking a year to do research so now I actually have time to work on my car

SO....besides amassing parts, I have gotten the chassis painted signal orange (look for a post about the chassis and paint)

So I would like to outline in this thread what I plan to do in the hopes that those who came before me will be able to lead me in the right direction

I will follow with new thread everytime I tackle a new part of the project with pictures and explainations. i've worked on my recently departed SC quite a bit but this will be my first time doing a ground up...so it should be an interesting journey

1) Chassis placement
I have access to a 3 car garage. I would like to hear what are the best ways to get my chassis up off the ground so that I can work on it. I have been thinking about builiding a wooden/braced frame with casters to place under the middle of the belly pan to get it to working height and so that I can move the chassis around the garage.

I'd appreciate pictures and/or diagram of such ideas.

Also how do you get the chassis on/off the frame...do you use a engine crane? or just 4-5 of your buff friends?

Once it is on I do not plan to add too many of the heavy items before transfering it to the ground/car stands

Also ideas on stabilizing the chassis on the frame and the frame to the floor would be helpful

2) Order of restoration (in order)
paint/body
electrical
suspension/brakes
fuel tank/lines
interior
engine/tranny
exterior

3) Work area
anyone have pictures/plans of sturdy work benches? I want to build a dedicated work area. I have a wooded table built with 2x4's and plywood...about 10 feet long and 2.5 feet deep

I am thinking about adding extra bracing and maybe sheet metal on top for a sturdy workbench or starting over

Let's start with that so each of these threads will be a digestible chunk of information

Also I will probably be starting an online dairy of this project on a "blog" so it will be a good way to follow this. I will probably compile all the ideas and suggestions I get so it can be a useful reference for people in the future...

it begins....

4 or 5 guys can easily lift a bare chassis. Getting it off will be a bit more difficult.

Yes, you can just rest the tub on a frame, this one is just resting its floor on a mid rise Snap On lift, use some 2x4 or 2x6 to prevent marring the bottom paint. Take care to leave the side rails accessible fot the oil lines.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1090891002.jpg

If you don't need a rotisserie (which makes things a lot easier...) you can also incrementally raise it up one end then the other - do that repeatedly and you can do it by yourself.

For work tables check out woodworkers magazines and books - they know how to build these things - just modify what they use.

As a big bonus, if you go into general surgery, you will find that many of your instruments will double as carpentry tools.

shooting for ortho...even better.

the gloves, kimwipes etc... come in handy in the garage...

for the workbench is a metal top prefered? I would think it is better to work on...

MJ

MEtal is good for some things but not for others. Why not put metal on one, melamine on another and plywood on a third. Seems like you'll have room.

Check out the Sears modular system too - you could buy just some parts (tops).

Enjoy chopping people up....

I build a metal rolling frame for my AH Sprite and would do the same for the 911 if needed. Nice to get it waist level and be able to move it around when needed. Being able to rotate it is nice but a bit more work.

I prefer a wood top on a bench. Metal is nice but no personality...

JoeA

yeah wood is easier too...but I just fear a oil soaked dirty looking bench...

maybe one of those kitchen top composites? wonder if brake fluid, solvents etc... would eat through it

I'll take pics of garage...maybe it will help plan a work area


MJ

MJ,

If a hard wood is used for the top it takes alot more abuse than some of the cheaper and softer woods like pine and such. Oil can stain most things if left on there long enough. I tend to pull things apart and immediately put it in the parts washer. You cannot tell the status of any part that is dirty or oily anyway and this keeps the bench cleaner.

Plus on the wooden bench top you can sand it down if needed after a while and get back to a "clean" and nice looking surface.

JoeA

Hey Welcome back. Its great to see your project back on track. Please make sure to take lots of pictures of that soft-window installation.

I have a wood work top with a metal frame. I also have half of it with a section of angle iron screwed on the lip. This allows me to bend metal and pound on it without rounding over. You can use a router to make it fit flush. don't forget to counter sink the screws so they do not snag. you only need 1/2 x 1/2" to protect the lip.

How is med school going? I'm still a bio undergrad, but I've made up my mind already - I was going to go with plastic or ortho but decided on general surgery so I wont be 30 something by the time I get out of residency http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/...s/pukeface.gif

Good luck :)

Whaty kind of "research" are you taking the year to do? 911 Surgery haha :D