Restoration Project Considerations - Any Thoughts??

[Steve 940]

Hi,

Am looking for any suggestions, hints/tips etc. to consider before embarking on a restoration project.

Outline Thoughts :-
Looking for either Amazon Estate / Early 145, and at present the intention would be a full bare metal restoration with a few small creature comfort upgrades such as incorporating heated front seats / leather trim. Engine / Drivetrain wise, would be looking to refurb all running gear, but also happy to consider any upgrades that may be suggested, but not looking for max power, more of a gentle cruiser to ferry our hounds around.

Personal Situation :-
Currently 55 and pretty fit, and due to drop down to 2-3 days a week next April.

Skills wise, done a fair bit of welding some 30+ years ago keeping Minis on the road, done various touch up repairs with aerosols, so proper spraying is something I would need to either gain the skills, or pay a professional to do it.

We have a brick/tile single garage with a large lean to car port on the side, and planning request submitted last week to extend this to 6.5m long x 7.4m wide. Basically knock down side wall of existing garage so the new one has one large workspace. Would obviously like it to be bigger, but limited with pesky boundary.

Apart from usual hand / power tools, I do have access to compressed air but would like to plumb in a new larger air compressor, as big as I can run on single phase so I may be able to use my blast cabinet, and for spraying. Currently I have to take my cabinet to my brother in laws farm and use their air supply as mine cant cope.

MIG welder upgrade, as my small gasless one is pretty basic.

Rotisserie would be needed, and air fed mask & sundries.

Appreciate the usual addage of starting with as good a car as possible, as the last thing I want is to end up on Ebay with 'unfinished project'

Budget, Budget.....I dare say this is where most projects come into trouble, aside from initial project purchase cost, I'd be pretty comfortable in the region of £10-£15k assuming I do all the work myself.

Fully realise that undertaking a restoration project doesn't really make sense financially, but I am hoping to enjoy the process whilst learning new skills, and at the end of it have a lovely vehicle that is different from most others on the road.

Really appreciate any suggestions/tips or pitfalls to be aware of, before I embark on this mad dream

Cheers
Steve

[SnineT]

Don't ditch any wiring unless you've both photographed it and drawn a schematic for it.

Bag and label every bolt you take off.

Get plenty of old boxes for safe storing headlights etc.

Get right into the crevices with a torch to understand how far in you may need to go.

That tool firm S something iirc they all rave about here sells rotisseries if you need to check one out, engine stands as well so you can go cam to crank in seconds the easy way.

Find a good upholsterer who can do the headlining to factory standard.


Watch plenty of tubes about gun pressure, almost anyone can shoot paint but the art is how much air and avoiding excessive paint bounce.


Good luck and I hope something turns up that's suitable soon.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Hi,

Am looking for any suggestions, hints/tips etc. to consider before embarking on a restoration project.

Outline Thoughts :-
Looking for either Amazon Estate / Early 145, and at present the intention would be a full bare metal restoration with a few small creature comfort upgrades such as incorporating heated front seats / leather trim. Engine / Drivetrain wise, would be looking to refurb all running gear, but also happy to consider any upgrades that may be suggested, but not looking for max power, more of a gentle cruiser to ferry our hounds around.

Personal Situation :-
Currently 55 and pretty fit, and due to drop down to 2-3 days a week next April.

Skills wise, done a fair bit of welding some 30+ years ago keeping Minis on the road, done various touch up repairs with aerosols, so proper spraying is something I would need to either gain the skills, or pay a professional to do it.

We have a brick/tile single garage with a large lean to car port on the side, and planning request submitted last week to extend this to 6.5m long x 7.4m wide. Basically knock down side wall of existing garage so the new one has one large workspace. Would obviously like it to be bigger, but limited with pesky boundary.

Apart from usual hand / power tools, I do have access to compressed air but would like to plumb in a new larger air compressor, as big as I can run on single phase so I may be able to use my blast cabinet, and for spraying. Currently I have to take my cabinet to my brother in laws farm and use their air supply as mine cant cope.

MIG welder upgrade, as my small gasless one is pretty basic.

Rotisserie would be needed, and air fed mask & sundries.

Appreciate the usual addage of starting with as good a car as possible, as the last thing I want is to end up on Ebay with 'unfinished project'

Budget, Budget.....I dare say this is where most projects come into trouble, aside from initial project purchase cost, I'd be pretty comfortable in the region of £10-£15k assuming I do all the work myself.

Fully realise that undertaking a restoration project doesn't really make sense financially, but I am hoping to enjoy the process whilst learning new skills, and at the end of it have a lovely vehicle that is different from most others on the road.

Really appreciate any suggestions/tips or pitfalls to be aware of, before I embark on this mad dream

Cheers
Steve

Firstly, my goodness I envy you.... (55 and going down to 2-3 days a week...)

Sounds a great plan...

With regard to compressors, the single phase ones tend to top out around 4HP (~18CFM) for which you will need a 32A socket in the garage. Generally 14CFM (3HP) will run most hungry air tools continuously, but if you are spraying with an air fed mask you will likely need more or a large receiver. (remember to house the compressor anywhere but in the atmosphere in which you are spraying when using an air fed mask and get the appropriate inline filters). With a good air compressor, air versions of power tools are generally cheaper, lighter and more compact than electric - drills, sanders, chisels, etc.

With regard to MIG welders, a good one make the job so much easier and also get a sustainable gas supply - i.e. full size bottles and a proper regulator from a welding supply, not the single use bottles. I've got one of these and I'm very happy with it :

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/mig160tm-welder/

My other callout would be install very good lighting - paint the walls white and either get new LED strips or some second hand office lights off e-bay or something...

If you've not painted much before - I would strongly recommend buying and old car or even some old car panels from a scrap yard and practice repairing and painting them. You don't want to be doing it the first time on your pride and joy.........

[ITSv40]

Agree with Tannaton above.

With regards the compressor: as with other things in life you cannot have one that is too big and what you have is never big enough. Have you considered a three phase compressor and run it through a phase converter? I installed a three phase, three ton, Bradbury four post lift 35 years ago - rebuilt the garage around it to allow enough working room - and run the lift on a single phase through the converter. Has proved to be very very reliable with no issues at all.

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by SnineT

Don't ditch any wiring unless you've both photographed it and drawn a schematic for it.

Bag and label every bolt you take off.

Get plenty of old boxes for safe storing headlights etc.

Get right into the crevices with a torch to understand how far in you may need to go.

That tool firm S something iirc they all rave about here sells rotisseries if you need to check one out, engine stands as well so you can go cam to crank in seconds the easy way.

Find a good upholsterer who can do the headlining to factory standard.


Watch plenty of tubes about gun pressure, almost anyone can shoot paint but the art is how much air and avoiding excessive paint bounce.


Good luck and I hope something turns up that's suitable soon.

Many thanks SnineT, some great points, photos/photos and notes, I dare say taking a step back and dismantling in an orderly fashion is time well spent, rather than wasting time later trying to work out what the pile of 'excess fittings' are and where they should have gone!!!

Upholstery wise I'm hoping to enlist the better half, who is a bit of a whizz on the machine, even has a heavy duty one that can do leather.

Yes, spraying is I dare say a dark art a bit like great plastering, a pro makes it look so so easy, minimum mess and a great result. Practice practice, and YT is indeed a great source that I will need to delve into.

Cheers
Steve

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

Firstly, my goodness I envy you.... (55 and going down to 2-3 days a week...)

Sounds a great plan...

With regard to compressors, the single phase ones tend to top out around 4HP (~18CFM) for which you will need a 32A socket in the garage. Generally 14CFM (3HP) will run most hungry air tools continuously, but if you are spraying with an air fed mask you will likely need more or a large receiver. (remember to house the compressor anywhere but in the atmosphere in which you are spraying when using an air fed mask and get the appropriate inline filters). With a good air compressor, air versions of power tools are generally cheaper, lighter and more compact than electric - drills, sanders, chisels, etc.

With regard to MIG welders, a good one make the job so much easier and also get a sustainable gas supply - i.e. full size bottles and a proper regulator from a welding supply, not the single use bottles. I've got one of these and I'm very happy with it :

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/mig160tm-welder/

My other callout would be install very good lighting - paint the walls white and either get new LED strips or some second hand office lights off e-bay or something...

If you've not painted much before - I would strongly recommend buying and old car or even some old car panels from a scrap yard and practice repairing and painting them. You don't want to be doing it the first time on your pride and joy.........

Hi Tannaton,

Yes I am indeed very aware of how fortunate I am, now self employed, so I have the flexibilty on how many days I work.

Appreciate your thoughts on compressor, It will be on the outside of garage wall in a sound reducing cupboard, along with my dust extractor, and yes I will be ducting new power supply from main house fuseboard, luckily my next door is a retired sparky and has reels of 'offcuts' so will put some nice thick cables in that will more than handle draw on start up.

Good points about lighting, so I think LED strips will be the way to go with white walls.

MIG suggestion, thank you and I will give that a look.

Great tip to source some crappy panels/doors to practice panel beating and welding on old metal.

Cheers
Steve

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

Agree with Tannaton above.

With regards the compressor: as with other things in life you cannot have one that is too big and what you have is never big enough. Have you considered a three phase compressor and run it through a phase converter? I installed a three phase, three ton, Bradbury four post lift 35 years ago - rebuilt the garage around it to allow enough working room - and run the lift on a single phase through the converter. Has proved to be very very reliable with no issues at all.

Hi ITSv40,

Oh come now, that's just showing off

Your comments about compressor much appreciated, and I will indeed have a word with my next door neighbour, retired sparky, about phase convertor, and what I would need from main house fuseboard. Could be a great solution.

Cheers
Steve

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Hi ITSv40,

Oh come now, that's just showing off

Cheers
Steve

Well, like I said: in the world of willy waving you can never have one too big

[4x4]

If you're in an older property it's worth checking the voltage supply coming into the building. My house was built in the 1930s and the supply has 3 phase in although only a single phase was used. When I built my garage in 2008 I wired 3 phase from the house to the garage and can now run my ramp and compressor and anything else without the need of any convertor.

For compressors the rule of thumb is buy twice as big as you think you will need as you can never have too much air. I have a 23cfm that runs all my kit. It doesn't have a receiver and just keeps running whilst in use. If you are planning on painting it is worth considering a drier to remove the moisture from the air

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by 4x4

If you're in an older property it's worth checking the voltage supply coming into the building. My house was built in the 1930s and the supply has 3 phase in although only a single phase was used. When I built my garage in 2008 I wired 3 phase from the house to the garage and can now run my ramp and compressor and anything else without the need of any convertor.

For compressors the rule of thumb is buy twice as big as you think you will need as you can never have too much air. I have a 23cfm that runs all my kit. It doesn't have a receiver and just keeps running whilst in use. If you are planning on painting it is worth considering a drier to remove the moisture from the air

Hi 4x4

Many thanks for that, and not something I'd thought about, just assumed I would be limited to 3-4 hp, we bought property in late '80's and at the time it had the electric supply cable moved from coming onto the chimney stack and then just shoved underneath the tiles, to a ducted underground supply from pole to a new meter box in an extension.

Cheers
Steve