[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
hello all, After reading some of the posts on said subject I felt compelled to put my 2 bits in. First of all congrats on anyone whom is trying to restore their vehicle, especially yours in this instance. In this day and age where most new cars are just plain over engineered, too big, and about as visually appealing as looking at mangled roadkill it's nice to see people taking the time to bring back good old fashioned decent cars again. Many people have done this, I am in the process of doing this (i have a 1973 squareback myself), welcome aboard. :-) As for what you need to do first well here's were my two bits comes into play here. First of all, get the bentley manual. Since I am unaware if you have this book it is not only a godsend, it's one of the must have books while doing your project car. They hayes book is good to but I'd put my faith in the Bentley personally. Also is the Idiot Guide, by John Muir. These two books will both make restoration a heck of a lot easier and if it breaks down you can run procedures to get it back on the road again. Before you really do anything in terms of removal of parts get these books first. Remember do your research now on what you have and when problems or problem areas do occur ( like year specific items, or rust areas, basic mechanical/electrical of that ilk) than you will know what to look for and not get too frustrated along the way. Another thing to do is get sandwhich bags as well as masking tape as well as a marker or pen. Nothing discourages people more is to take something apart,order said part, waits a few weeks or so and get the replacement parts for it, and then not know where the screws, nuts or bolts went to to put the item back onto or into the car. So those bags will make life easier and more productive in the long run; especially when labeled. :-) One thing that has to be said about any restoration, whether it be one of our cars or anything that can be restored in general is focus; you must stay focused on one thing at a time to get a project done. Otherwise resto projects have a bad habit of causing your wallet or billfold or even purse, for that matter, to go on life support. Take your time, do one thing at at time that needs to be done. Remember safety for you as well as the occupants that will ride with you are important. I know that that is stating the obvious but it should be said for clarity as well as to make a point. Some people pour vast sums of money in an engine but don't replace the original fuel lines or even take a look at the brake system for that matter. Be attentive to detail and your car will come out just fine, no matter what the restoration part of it will be. Where the list you posted is quite extensive focus one at a time. One thing also to keep aware of is parts. With some dilligent searching you can find what you are looking for. Ebay is one area, junkyards are another. Swap meets are also good and the people that you meet will want to point you out in the right direction. Also keep aware that people (in this group)might also have parts that they can sell to or rebuild for you for a fee. Finally never be afraid to ask questions. If something makes you scratch your head than let this group or any other forum that you can get to know know. Remember their are plenty of people to help you in the endevour and no question is stupid. We all had to start this way and the cool part is that by the time that you get your car done you would have learned valuable knowledge and experience that when someone else needs that type of help you easily point out your own experiences. Good luck on your project. Heck send this group some pics when you get the opportunity or if you have a web page point us out to it. It is always wonderfull to witness other peoples cars as they come together. dennis perusse mach01913@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <type3-off@vwtype3.org> For more help, see http://vwtype3.org/list/