Bigfella Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 I have hit a low spot today. I just keep finding rust. I know I wanted a challenge but man ahhhhhh. I have been doing the floor pans as the pictures show and I noticed some rust under the back seats. So here I go again removing all the spot welds in the back seat area, sure enough I will have to replace some floor pan under the rear seat area. I'm am back on the idea that maybe I should be on a lookout for another shell.. I know 1 year on an a shit load of work but. I may be fighting a loosing battle. :'( I don't know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoota G Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Them good shells are hard to find. You're project is right in the middle of it's darkest hour and this is where most (9 out of 10) projects fail. I've seen some have rallied the troops to help them to the next crucial point (rolling shell i'd say). About how many hours would you predict to get your shell up to speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 Thanks Scoota. It is not so much the hours. I am just worried that it won't go back together so well. I knew it had a shit load of rust when I bought it.. I just don't want to go to all this trouble and miss something ad find it rust out in years to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoota G Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Another member i spoke to recently had similar worries as to making the right decisions. I find it easiest to break the project into groups and then make a list of "to do" jobs. Every strike through a job on the list is one less to do and then you'll make another list, then another until you're left with a "roadworthy list". It's just really hard to obtain the inspiration in the guts of a repair/ rebuild. That's the part that sorts out the dreamers from the achievers. It's all the areas you don't see on a restoration, the ones that count, that can leave you with a with what appears to be an endless road. the rust may appear again even if you've done all your homework but when you get to that point you'll have the mental stamina required to do what needs to be done. That is the single largest skill i have learnt from restoring. The payoff is massive. 90% prep 10% finishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter t Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Chin up Matt, You have come this far and the end result is going to be better than anything else. Not to mention the personal rewards you will get when you look back on what you have achieved. Keep at it mate, Mine took four years to get rego and saved my life on the way. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Chin up Matt, You have come this far and the end result is going to be better than anything else. Not to mention the personal rewards you will get when you look back on what you have achieved. Keep at it mate, Mine took four years to get rego and saved my life on the way. 8) Thanks Pete. There a couple of things that are working against me at the moment. I am not overly happy how the rear guard went on. It is slightly sitting towards the back of the car, my door line is going to be large. I wouldn't mind trying to pick up another guard and trying again. I wouldn't be able to get this one off and selvage it. Then the endless rust.. So I have to work out should I persist or try my luck with another shell that will have its own set of troubles. It would be ok if I was happy to settle for average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Anyone else thinking working bee?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Anyone else thinking working bee?? Any excuse for a get together eh. I don't think I could fit more than 2 people in my pissy little shed. I'm sure I will get through it.. But if any one has a rear quarter up for grabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.A.R. Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Just keep going with it, you pussy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Just keep going with it, you pussy. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabham Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Stick with it Matt, you'll get there. If you buy another shell you will just have more problems and more rust to fix! Once you get through all the body work the rest is easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo240 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hey Bigfella SOrry to hear you're in a spot. Ever the contrarian...here I go. I agree with the comments about persistence, and it is true that projects always hit the mid-game slump where the effort and reward seem to head in different directions. HOWEVER....if you are reaching the conclusion that despite your best efforts, the car is not going to come out the way you want it (eg big door gaps, or a number of things that just aren't quite right), then there is no shame at all in cutting your losses and starting with a better car. I said it before and I'll say it now. It's ALWAYS better to spend more money on a better base car than try to fix a clunker. While it can be done, Z's aren't Duesenbergs...there are still a few around, and better examples do come along. Up to you of course, and I along with a number of others here will help if we can, but don't make the error of throwing good money and effort after bad if you're not going to get it how you want it in the end, or worse still, you throw the half/nine sixteenth on the floor in frustration and give it all away. Cheers Jamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaygZ Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Wise words indeed, Jamo. His bus has been an ENORMOUS job and he has learned so much, a better shell would be walk in the park now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo240 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Thanks MazgZ. And Bigfella, just so you don't think I'm talking from a text book here, I'll tell you what you're up against happened to me too. My first resto was a 59 Morris Minor. It was 1984 and I was 16, and dead keen on a split screen four door with the centre mounted speedo! In a round about way, I came across the 'perfect' car, which intriguingly had been bought brand new by my then deceased grandmother, which just added to the apeal. I got it home, got into stripping it and all that (with absolutely no money and even less of an idea), only to find the rear leaf spring hangers had all but come away from the body, and all the structure behind the sheetmetal that was essential to the car's integrity was more like honeycomb than steel. A mates dad who actually knew what he was on about gave me the bad news, and so it was that the Morrie got cut up and went down the tip. With all the resources of a year 10 lad, I had to confront a bunch more shifts at McDonalds to get back to where I thought I already was, and some time later I bought anothery that was in much better shape, and that was the one that got finished in the end. It was a better car, and a better finished product. Cheers Jamo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Thanks for that Jamo I am still torn. I will give it a little more time and see if I can get over the hump. Xmas is not a great time to be spending money on a car. Cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Wave good bye to Dato No. 1. This shell will be picked up on Monday to go to the grave yard. I decided it was beyond saving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Say Hello to Dato No. 2 This one has a huge amount of work to be done with the floors. But that is about it. Some on has spent a bit of money on it before they have decided to let it go. It had all new brake lines and drums,shoes and suspension. So once I get the floor sorted, no small task. I should be able to move on a bit quicker than I was ever going to move with the last shell. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMPRACING Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 sad to see another bus die but then it was already dead? as for the new one man whats going on with that floor!!! former fish tank? never had windows? former owners liked puddles? but seriously i hope this one turns out better for ya oh and what year is it etc that wireing under the seat looks different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Year 1976. I think the floor looks a little worse than it is. Only a little. It gets better once I clean up some of that surface rust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzed Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I know some one who would kill for the fuel filler box section if you would be willing to cut it out before you send buss number 1 to the scrap yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 I know some one who would kill for the fuel filler box section if you would be willing to cut it out before you send buss number 1 to the scrap yard. Yeah I have cut it out. It was welded Into that old shell so depending how big a section is needed it may be usefull it may not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zedman240® Posted January 14, 2012 Moderators Share Posted January 14, 2012 Err..didn't think the floors where that bad! What are the rails like? did you find any other nasty oxidization? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzed Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 The mod of theGarage.com (Reece) needs the whole Box section because the previos owner welded in a motorcycle fuel filler. And he wants to put it back to original. So far he has had no luck finding one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfella Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Err..didn't think the floors where that bad! What are the rails like? did you find any other nasty oxidization? The rest of the body looks real good. Few bits of rust here and ther but not a big deal. They have done a lot of repairs to the floor. But I will pull all them out. Not sur how so much rust can get into the floors but not really any where else, ah well I have to have something to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMPRACING Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I hope my comments about the floor where not taken the wrong way there Err..didn't think the floors where that bad! What are the rails like? did you find any other nasty oxidization? it was only a poor attempt at humour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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