Hey Guys I am doin a full resto on my X44 and so far we have got all the swinging panels off it and the front end the shell is in bare metal and we have a few repairs to do on it , I have all new interior from Ricks, New bumpers new lights new badges Boyd Coddington 18" x 8"s and so forth I think you get the picture

I want your opinions do you think I will get it done ?? It needs to be on the road registered the lot by the 26th of November (I am gettin married that day)

The guys working on it are

Me (I am a qualified mechanic and fabricator)
My friend - He is a fully qualified Panel beater
another mechanic friend of mine and a couple of others from time to time
It will painted in a friends paint shop


We are working every night after work 2-3 hours and weekends 12 hours both days

i'll try and get some pics up too as we progress through it

Your encouragement and support would be appreciated

Watch this space for updates !!!!


Best Regards, Kurt :beers:

Sounds like fun. Oh by the way you may have it on the road by then BUT there never done. Best of luck!

BUT there never done.

Never heard anything more correct in my life , IT NEVER NEVER ENDS

I will sell it in the new year to help finance my Pro Street build up since it has soaked up so much of my dough !!

Kurt

Well, an actual show quality unit or just a driver? Yes, you can do it. In a week I took a bare metal '73 Z28 and got it running and driving. It was completely half-a$$ed some fairly important parts were just zip-tied on, but in a week it was taken from sitting bare on a table, to driving under it's own power. The next owner had to completely redo everything I did, but it saved stuff from getting lost and was much more conveinent than handing over a pile of parts. From the record, I didn't take it apart! Now no show quality unit, but with some help I'd have done much better. Motivation is key!

The best of luck to you! All I have to say is if your future wife lets you spend all this time before the wedding doing this and still shows up don't get use to it.....that will probably change not to far after the honeymoon lol.http://www.camaros.net/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

I definately don't expect a show car (I am realistic) But definately a excellent Driver It will be very nice ! I am gonna post some pics soon as we go !!

As for my future wife we have been together over 8 years already she is fine with my habbits and we have a 2 year old son together also , But I have to tone it down a bit reduce myself to one Camaro I think ??

Kurt

Don't rush it! I don't think it can be done in a quality manor with only 3 guys in a month? You will be happier if you spend a little more time on the car! Borrow a car from a buddy or rent a cool old school limo? Good luck! :confused:

Quite frankly, with those amount of hours, you are either doing very little to the car, or a very low quality job.

I don't think so, but good luck.. :) I tried the same thing with my chevelle a couple moths ago. Wanted it done by labor day. When I figured out it wouldn't be done, I decided to take my time and enjoy it a little more.

You have more help than I do however. :thumbsup:

:beers:

N O P E !

It can be done. Go for it! Good luck!

Well you said a restoration. If you give a little more detail of exactly what that is, then it would be easier to make a guess. If you are just doing a paint job and throwing rims on it, then there should be no problem getting it done in a month (could be done in two weeks with good help). Now if you have interior work, mechanical work, etc.. There is no possible way.

Oh WAIT I just re-read it and it says the shell is bare metal. I don't think you stand a chance. Even if you have every nut and bolt in hand to complete it, I can'tsee it happening. Once you put fresh paint on it, you will see that you need a bunch of new stuff (trim pieces, new rubber, marker light, bezels, etc...), it will all look faded and old next to new paint.

In either case good luck, I hope you can prove me wrong.

I'm thinking maybe it can be done, if all the planets are aligned and there are no unforseen screw ups. If something breaks and you have to wait for a part or something is on back order then you are screwed.

I think it CAN be done....It's just the quality won't be there if you rush ;)
if you're planning a bc/cc paint job, the 3 step cutting/buffing/wetsanding will take you 1/2 of your time. But maybe things go faster in Australia for some reason? :confused: Good Luck!

Dano :beers:

...some fairly important parts were just zip-tied on...I hope you also used duct tape. :clonk:


I say no, but good luck! We're all counting on you.

http://www.daklar.com/images/Guest%20Stars/LeslieNs101.JPG

You have 23 weekdays and 8 weekend days. Using your assumption of 3 hours per day on weekdays and 12 hours per day weekends, each worker has 165 hours. Assuming 3 workers, you have 495 hours total. The commonly quoted estimate to do a full restoration is 1,000 hours. I think even these 7 day TV builds have like 15-20 people involved for 80+ hours each.

I'm not saying it can't be done. You'll just need to prioritize and decide how you can buy some time. Let us know how it works out.

Keep in mind that while doing the body work, you can't *really* do the interior or engine work at the same time. In other words some people will be "blocked" while the body work, painting, block sanding, etc are being done.

Once you put fresh paint on it, you will see that you need a bunch of new stuff (trim pieces, new rubber, marker light, bezels, etc...), it will all look faded and old next to new paint.

In either case good luck, I hope you can prove me wrong.


I have "ALL" new lights, bumpers, rubbers, weather strips, interior you name it I bought it , I spent $5000 + With Ricks on parts so I hope I got things covered worst case there are people that keep things in stock here ! A little pricey but its there if needed.

I am not promising it can be done , But I am trying, I like a challange !!
Will be interesting to see how it all goes



Thanks for all the comments even the No's I like hearing NO it only drives me harder !!


Kurt

Best of luck and prove the nay-sayers wrong.

Kurt,
Sounds like you have things in order. Keep us posted. If I was a betting man I would bet you can't pull it off. Not to be negative, I wish you the best. That is just a very TALL order to do a decent job and build an entire car in a month.

The TV shows work 24hours a day if needed and have every tool and part at their finger tips. Have you even seen any of these 1 week cars in person? I have seen a few of the Monster Garage cars in person and they are not "nice" (hacked). I don't know about the Foose cars, I would imagine they are very nice. Look at the crew he has though, they usually have the frame off so the body work can get done while they rebuild the suspension. Someone else already has measurements and is working on the interior pieces and stereo. That is not real world do it yourself with a few buddies type of stuff (IMO). Each shop involved has another crew of guys working on each part. There is no way more than a few guys can work on the same car at the same time without getting in each others way. I don't even like one person helping me, I can't imagine 2 or 3.

Go rent the movie Gung Ho with Michael Keaton .. here is the link http://dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?userid=99364431487096&searchID=3893676&item_id=50686

watch this movie..it is the guide on how to build a car in a crunch...what parts you can leave off the car..where you can use gum instead of a bolt...parts you really don't need..like a windshield...just wear a closed face helmet, it will save you time...a must see for the builder on a short fuse....I'm pullin for ya !

With three guys thrashing like that...it can be done, so long as it moves through the body shop quickly. On the TV shows, they complete a frame off in 7 days with about 12 guys wrenching. You should be able to do the same in a few weeks if you go about it in the correct sequence. Start with body and paint. This is the one place that many projects venture into, and are delayed for one reason or another. Get it through paint by early November, and you should be on schedule with the mechanicals. I would not put paint and body toward the end of the build though, because if you can get jammed up, this is where it will generally occur IMO. Good Luck..... Would love to see you make the deadline. We need the inspiration.

It can be done. Not easy, but possible. Back when I was cutting my teeth in resto work, my dad was restoring cars in under a month. Not full-on show car stuff in that time, but very good quality drivers. Takes a lot of motive and dedication.

You can freshen one up and get it looking and running good in a month. A full resto is too much to ask in a month. It also depends on youre experience in resto. It takes quite a few restos to become efficient. You have to learn the process/sequence, and how to plan it out. Guess you can call it Resto Management. Part vendor and outsourced project issues can be unpredictable at times. Never know when a part you need is going to be backordered, and there will almost always be parts that you overlook, or dont realize you need until you get to that point.

Assembly doesnt take too long, as long as you have each part and all the hardware ready to go. But it's everything leading up to that point that takes the time.

Best of luck,

dave

Thanks Dave !

Well I won't go as far as saying a rotiseree resto but the whole thing is bare metal the subframe is coming out the engine gearbox and diff are all coming out , and no its not gonna be Bondo King either any repair sections have been welded in place with minimum filler required, The car was in not too bad condition so it really helps you working with a good canvas (if we can call it that ?) But I have confidence in all my friends that are helping and myself, That you must have or it aint gonna happen pretty simple !

The car is going for paint next weekend so that will give us about two weeks to sort the rest out which is only the minor stuff as far as I'm concerned the body and paint are always the things that matter most you can't cut corners
I am gonna try get some pics up ASAP but I'll see how we travel





Kurt

WIlwood front brakes are on there way too !!!!!

Kurt...you said your getting married?? Then you dang well better get it done before that day.....cause it will be the project forever...or at least a couple of years...

And by the way, where did you get the bankroll to complete this project anyway? Use it now before the big day.:D

And by the way, where did you get the bankroll to complete this project anyway? Use it now before the big day.:D


Some times I ask myself the same question LOL I work hard I get paid pretty good so I guess I can do these things , I have been working since I was 14 I am now 22 , I really wanna tone it down a bit I have too many cars , I am gonna just keep the Pro street and go all the way on that , I will eventually seek out an original Pace car 396 one day or something of the kind but thats another story


Kurt

Wow, Kurt. Youre even younger than myself. Thats not too common around here. :)

You have a steep hill to climb, with youre given time restraints. Not impossible, but it will definately be tough. If you dont make your deadline, its not a big deal. Dont give up on it. Just keep plugging away, and you'll get it done.

dave

You may not have a wife to be if your working on that car 24 hours a day? Good luck! The race is on! :beers:

You may not have a wife to be if your working on that car 24 hours a day? Good luck! The race is on! :beers:


8 Years and going strong she's happy for me to leave her alone LOL

My friend - He is a fully qualified Panel beater



Best Regards, Kurt :beers:

I was in Ireland and saw a body shop with a sign that said "Panel Beating" I don't know why it struck me as being so funny, but I had a good laugh. I guess I pictured some guy wailing away with a hammer, beating the holy hell out of somebody's car.

Anyway - good luck with your project - just make sure the panel beater works gently.

A pic of that "panel beater" sign would be something Lenno would probably want . . .

I was in Ireland and saw a body shop with a sign that said "Panel Beating" I don't know why it struck me as being so funny, but I had a good laugh. I guess I pictured some guy wailing away with a hammer, beating the holy hell out of somebody's car.

Anyway - good luck with your project - just make sure the panel beater works gently.


Yeah its pretty funny if you think about it !! :p

YOU CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK........Chris......... :D

YOU CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK........Chris......... :D

Thanks Chris !!

Update , I don't have a crystal ball or anything BUT I can definately say its looking as though we're skating on very very thin ice (not that we never were) Not as much is happening as we'd like and the paint shop is really really busy so I will not be mad if it don't happen , But dissapointed !! Oh well thats life , anyway we'll see how we go !!! Fingers crossed !!


Kurt

hang in there with good friends an deep pockets anything could happen

hang in there with good friends an deep pockets anything could happen

Not sure bout the deep pockets thing ?????? LOL

Pictures pictures! I hope your getting some! You should film it. Maybe you can sell it to Rides or something? Good luck! Stay off the computer! You have work to do! :beers:

Pictures pictures! I hope your getting some! You should film it. Maybe you can sell it to Rides or something? Good luck! Stay off the computer! You have work to do! :beers:

Yeah my friend is coming past every few days and he will be doin some filming / photography , We have just come into daylight saving so give me more of a chance to get those pics , the garage is a little tight !!


Your sig made me laugh

69 400 Firechicken


Kurt :beers:

It's more of a Firechic "chirp chirp" right now. It's running on 5! Sounds great! Funny, I drove it from San Francisco to Watsonville like that which is about a good 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive down the coast. I couldn't help but laugh while I was driving! :clonk:

It's more of a Firechic "chirp chirp" right now. It's running on 5! Sounds great! Funny, I drove it from San Francisco to Watsonville like that which is about a good 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive down the coast. I couldn't help but laugh while I was driving! :clonk:


Sounds like a laugh !!!! I am heading out that way in early dec , I would like take a nice drive any recomendations ?? I 99 is boring LOL

Kurt

It's more of a Firechic "chirp chirp" right now. It's running on 5! Sounds great! Funny, I drove it from San Francisco to Watsonville like that which is about a good 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive down the coast. I couldn't help but laugh while I was driving! :clonk:


Sounds like a laugh !!!! I am heading out that way in early dec , I would like take a nice drive somewhere scenic you know oceans and all that any recomendations ?? I 99 is a boring desert LOL but I'm headin to Modesto to see some friends eventually !!

Kurt