What to do first....

[stealthbob]

Ok, I'm a total newb at the restoration game but I am very mechanical and stubborn so I know I can do it and do it right. I just need some advice on what to do first.

I'm about to receive a totally untouched 54 Roadmaster from California. I was not planning on getting one until next year but after 1 week of meeting MrEarl I find myself about to bring one home. So I can't afford much right now but will be fine in the coming years.

Now she is road worthy and I plan on driving it right away so I understand that all my attention needs to be on safety and reliability first. I will deal with the specific issues once I get her. What I wnat to know is:

1. How can I cleanup all the surface rust without causing grief when I do a proper restoration. Will I make things worse if I drive it in the rain with all that exposed metal?
   
2. How do I cleanup the interior? Certainly all that chrome/metal doesn't just polish off. Do I have to replace all trim that has some rust or can it be rejuvanated?
   
3. How do I properly restore that beautiful dash?
   

Anyways, I want to drive it for a while before restoring it. I figure this summer and next and I just want to get ideas on the most bang for my buck to get her cleaned up as best I can this winter without going through the whole tear down process.

I have a photo set here

[eric_b_1937]

Your Buick is a great looking project.

I have two methods of restoring a car

If you have the money up front and think you can get it all totally restored in less than two years then do a frame off restoration and restore all components back to factory specs. But since this is probably not the case then you need to spread the cost out over time.

Do not tear down the car until you believe you have the best car possible to start the restoration and all the parts are on the car.

1. Buy all the books you can about your car.

2. Clean the car under carriage, engine bay, interior, and body of all grease oil and dirt.

3. Drive the car a lot to find the weak components and restore them as you find them.

4. If the engine, transmission, rear end, brakes etc. needs rebuilt, remove, rebuild and replace it and go on looking for other problems with the car.

5. If the seats are torn, broken down etc. repair to a point of usability, but don't to a full interior restoration yet.

6. keep the car in a clean dry environment and the rust will not grow. A little rain now and then should not change the condition much as long as it is dry when put away.

7. Pull trim parts one at a time and restore. Then replace. Buy a trim restoration book.

8. You can make the paint presentable by doing spot repairs, color sand and buff the paint to knock off the patina, if the rust spots are larger use a sander, primer and color match the paint. This can make the car a five footer.

9. When the day comes where all systems are working correctly and all it needs is body work and new paint, then do the frame up restoration. Keep the time dismantled to under two years.

10. Install the new interior.

11. Done.. you have a car with good paint, trim, mechanicals, and interior. Enjoy.

[JZRIV]

I can imagine how excited you are about getting the car.

I personally would not let the car sit out in the rain. Not so much because of a concern for the exterior, but the interior in the event there is a leak. Water can get inside the trunk and or floors and can go undetected for awhile which is very undesirable. If you have to leave it out in the rain, just make sure you check for water or dampness inside the trunk and under the seats often but again try to keep it at least out of direct weather.

It will be stressful enough subjecting the car to that extreme climate change. :DI know it would be for me.

Obviously you will eventually paint the car some day but for now due to the current condition and your your financial situation, you sure aren't going to be worried about it looking pretty. I would lightly sand the worst areas and apply a high quality primer (example Rustoleum) to it especially on any bare metal and leave it go at that. Its easy, you can do it yourself, its inexpensive and won't cause additional work when you do decide to repair the body and paint the car.

Its a great idea that you plan to drive it. No better way to evaluate the condition of the drivetrain to know how far you want to go when you do decide to dig into some mechanical restoration.

As far as cleaning the interior, a general duty upholstery or multipurpose cleaner should be fine. It doesn't really look all that bad.

I have found 0000 steel wool works wonders for the initial cleaning up of bare metal trim or weathered grungy chrome.

[stealthbob]

Awesome advice guys...

I'm glad to hear that I won't cause excessive damage driving it in it's condition. I have a dry heated garage so it will be sure not to be left out in the rain and will be put away in October.

That will then give me time to attend to your list eric

[Guest Ya Boy]

thats a great car...its going to look amazing when you're all done

[keiser31]

My suggestion if restoring would be (speaking from experience) do the body, suspension and interior first. Save the engine for last in case you run out of money/time. That way, the engine does not sit for a long period of time after rebuilding. Valve springs weaken, piston rings can stick to the cylinder walls and other maladies can occur while it sits. The non machined stuff can sit a much longer time than freshly machined parts. VERY cool car. It would be fun to drive it as is.

Edited July 28, 2009 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[jan arnett (2)]

I would approach it a little differently. I would replace the door rubber and trunk rubber first because water will damage the interior first. The interior is the most expensive to replace and I would preserve it with blankets until you get to it but make sure water does not get in. The second thing I would do before driving it is tear down the brake system and rebuild it. There is nothing worse then a broken brake hose or a failed brake cyc., rusted lines or master cyc.

Take the radiator hoses lose and flush out the radiator. Check the wheel bearings your don't want a wheel to fail. Check your wiring because a short will burn that beautiful car and it can happen in your garage. If you have grease and oil on the engine clean it off so it does not start a fire. Check your tires to make sure they are safe. Check your exhaust system you do not want to die while driving her/him.

I would not worry about the rust as the damage has already been done and minor driving is not going to make it worse. Rustoleum can be a bear to remove and I believe is based around fish oil but I could be wrong.

I would next do the suspension and change the shocks so you have a comfortable ride.

have nice day.

Jan

[stealthbob]

Thanks jan...great list on safety and reliability fixes.

I agree totally on the brakes....they are the first thing I'm going to do when she arrives. The seal idea is also one to take note as I may be caught in the rain and if that happens water can get in the car and get moldy or worse yet accelerate the hidden rust areas.

I would love to do everything first but I am a realist... hehehehe I just wanted to make sure that what I do won't cause problems down the road or waste money on things that may need to be repeated for the full restoration.

Thanks everyone...just talking about her makes it feel like it's here already. I may be a couple more weeks yet.

[keiser31]

Welcome to the "Sleepless Nights Club".

[jan arnett (2)]

One other thing. Don't start the engine until you drop the pan and clean all the crud out. Then fill the pan with fresh oil and start the car. Run for five minutes and then drain the oil and put fresh in. Check the oil pump while you have the pan down. Check the wiring and make sure you do not have bare wires as they could start a fire.

[stealthbob]

The car is actually running...the owner had the kids out for their last ride the day before he put it up for sale. The carrier will also have it running to load it.

I will however heed your advice upon it's arrival.

Thanks

[jan arnett (2)]

One of the best purchase I ever made was a cheap small video camera. I put the camera on a tripod and any time I touch the car I video what I did. I can always go back and review the video if I am having trouble figure out what I did or if something popped off. It has saved my bacon many times when I had some thing come loose that later I could not figure how to put back. I also take hundreds of digital photos and then transfer them to disc with tags like transmission, engine, wire, ect.