My NEW/old GT/CS

[nfrntau]

To start with I am now a happy camper. I took possesion of my New/old GT/CS on Friday. (pictures to post soon). To say the least it needs. Body straight, no wrecks or dents. It has some minor surface rust, a bit more than that in the trunk area. The seats appear in good condition with exception to the drivers seat bottom and everything else is in need of restoration. The plates on the car were last registered in 1984.
There is a bunch of tree fallout (leaves and such) in the cowl vents and it looked like some mice were setting up shop for a few years.
I must admit a resoration project seems a little bit daunting when looking at it from this end.
I hear so many horror stories of projects that never get finished.
I would sure appreciate some good advise on where to start this project. Like most everone else I too am on a budget. I wish to do most of the work myself. I can not do the paint but am pretty mechanically inclined.
Can you tell me which restoration books are great and which to stay away from?
Enjoy your weekend and I am really looking forward to your help on this one.
Thanks ya'll

 

[Russ]

Congratulations on purchasing your GT/CS. I know you will enjoy your car. Before you begin your restoration, I would suggest that you determine what you want your final product will be when the restoration is finished. Will it be an original show car, will it be a resto-mod, will you drive the car every day, etc., etc. Make the call early and try not to change focus as you work on your car.

Since you are mechanically inclined, you will save money (not time) by doing much of the mechanical restoration yourself. You said that paint and body work is not your thing, so I would suggest you get the paint done first and work on restoring the interior components, engine/trans, and rear end items while the car is in the paint shop. A paint shop may take up to a year to get your car repaired and painted, and this is typically the most expensive part of any restoration.

One other thing, if your car is drivable, I would use it as a driver for a few months prior to the "tear down." Its great to drive it around and enjoy the car before the car is parked. Also, you will get a feel for the car and will have a point of reference as to what the car should be like when the car is completed. Just a few thoughts, and I hope this helps.

Russ

 

[rvrtrash]

I agree with most of what Russ says, and once again, congrats on the purchase. The first thing I would do is clean out the cowl vents and look for rust through. Mice are notorious for having acidic pee that eats through metal and the wet leaves won't help matters at all. The way I did mine is, stripped the car, had the body shop do all the body work and put it in epoxy primer, did everything else and in two weeks it's going in for paint. I didn't want to risk scratching or denting anything putting in the engine, etc. I'd also say buy a decent paint gun and practice doing stuff like the engine compartment, door jambs, inside the trunk. It'll save you some money and you get to learn something new.
Steve

 

[nfrntau]

Thanks guys,
I intend on restomodding the car to a point. I don't want to change anything that a purist couldn't change back if I ever sell the car. I have no intentions of selling at this time but I didn't think I would sell my last car either!!
I am planning on A/C (a must in Houston), front and rear discs and rack and pinion steering. I have already purchases Cobra R rims and Yoko tires (a little premature but I was excited!!). I will be driving it as a second car. You know, when the suns out and it's fun to be driving around.
How do I get the leaves and such out of the cowl? The vacume cleaner didn't have enouph suck to get at it. You recommend I pull the carpet quick like, chuck it and check the floor pans?
I checked the car over pretty thoughly, the original owner didn't like the side scoops and took them off and then took the car to Earl Schieb or similar. The original side stripes are still on the inside of the doors. The second owner bought the car to refinish XX years ago and bought a pair of side scoops back in 1986 for $132.50. Left them and the hubcaps in the trunk for me. Cool huh! The car also has an underdash 8 track player. I didn't even know they made em??
I paid 5,000 for the car and although I don't think I stole the car I think I got a fair deal.
I got my Marti report in the mail today. Not that I was worried but it's always nice to get the verification. It's a real one. Built on March 8th 1968. It has a heavy duty suspension, do all GT/CS have this??
Thanks again
Bill

 

[nfrntau]

A side profile

 

[rvrtrash]

Sorry it's taken a bit to get back to you. I've been busy on my car. For the leaves in the cowl, try this. In the front fenders, behind the tires is a large plate that seals off the door jamb area. I think 3 sheet metal screws hold it in place. If you remove them and look up towards the cowl, you'll see a rectangular hole in the front edge of the cowl. If you put a piece of tubing on the end of an air gun and stick it through the cowl vents, you may be able to blow the leaves through these holes. Worth a try anyway. Pull the carpet out, and either shampoo the heck out of it or replace. You can see if the floors are intact that way. Scrub down the floors with soap and water and maybe a little Lysol or something for the smell. When cleaning the car, use a dust mask so you don't run the risk of getting hanta virus. I'll be doing the same thing because a guy at work wants to get rid of an old mustang that's just been sitting in his yard and it's full of mice. He's demanding $1K for it, but I guess I can handle that for a '73 Q code Mach 1 with air, pwr. windows, tilt, rear defog, int. wipers, factory rims, fold down rear seat and on and on.
Steve

 

[mmillstx]

Bill,

Great to hear that there is another gt/cs in the Houston area. If I can lend yo a hand in any way, do not hesitate. I am in Clear Lake.

Mike

 

[nfrntau]

Thanks guys,
I'm a little bit scared about washing the car. I don't want to add water and get rust. Should I leave well enouph alone until I can get the car apart and to a shop? I have a pressure washer and thought about getting after the engine compartment with that but didn't for the same reason.
Any ideas?
I sent some more photos for the Gallery but they haven't been posted yet.

 

[rvrtrash]

Grease and oil will help protect metal but dirt, mud, etc. traps moisture and makes rust worse and the mouse "leavings" are corrosive. I would clean the inside of the car and the wheel well openings, stuff like that, on a warm day so the water will dry. As long as you don't wait for years, the moisture in the air won't make that much difference. Leave the engine comp. until you're ready to work on it. Just my opinion of course.
Steve

 

[390cs68rcode]

[quote author=mmillstx link=board=1;threadid=1094;start=0#msg6096 date=1096296950]
Bill,

Great to hear that there is another gt/cs in the Houston area. If I can lend yo a hand in any way, do not hesitate. I am in Clear Lake.

Mike
[/quote]

I might have one sometime soon. I will post if I get it.