decision, decisions

[Peter]

Sorry in advance for the long post, but here it goes. So, I have been driving around off and on in my 69 GTV, but I am getting to the point where my hands are starting to itch, I want to start the restoration process. I do not have a lot of available cash at the moment, but more time than I have had for quite a while. So my thought is to start stripping it completely. I would really like to take the engine/tranny out, suspension off, bright work, interior, you get the picture, get her to a shell.
One of the concerns I have is that I've found the rockers and the other structural parts of this car to be so bad, they really can't support the weight of the car (yeah, NOT what I expected when I bought it, but this is what I have to deal with.) Now, when I need to work on the car, I jack her up under the rear differential, and front springs. When I take that all off, that is not an option anymore.....Then again, the weight of the car should be considerably less when it's stripped. So ideally, would you recommend keeping her on her wheels to repair the structural rust first? That's what I would do, but then I can not get started stripping her first, and need to have money ready for a body shop now, and there is no good shop in Austin that I know of, so it would be going back and forth, unless I could afford to have them do it all....
I have been thinking about this but keep going in circles. I could use some creative ideas and thoughts...what would you suggest?

[AndrewO]

Hi,

I have no personal experience except for what I've seen on here but that never stops me from giving bad advice.....

I've seen some great set-ups with trolleys or rotisseries where the car is mounted to the trolley that can be turned or even flipped. Have a look in the restoration threads. That would seem to solve your problem. It creates external stiffness and if it is on wheels it can be put on and off a truck to take to the body shop.

Now for the good advice to follow.....

[dan farmer]

check out the many pictures of resto work in Akitaman's many informative posts. He welds in reinforcing tubes to stabilize the shell before cutting out sections. seems like the way to go from here. I've learned a lot from following his threads.

-df

[gprocket]

What you would want to do is weld some braces across the door openings and possibly cross-car. Take copious measurements.

These cars (coupes) are surprisingly strong even when the rockers are significantly rusted. And you are correct that once you get the motor and drive train out the strain on the system will be reduced significantly.

BUT, be careful about starting the restoration without having the resources ($$). It can get very expensive. There are a lot of project cars in the want ads. IMHO, unless the car is really hopeless, you are better off stabilizing it and driving it. Seeing all these beauty queens can be distracting!

[Alfajay]

Peter had written: "I want to start the restoration process.....I do not have a lot of available cash at the moment ....I've found the rockers and the other structural parts of this car to be so bad, they really can't support the weight of the car"

Peter: You realize that these are contradictory statements. A full restoration is going to be expensive, regardless of how much work you do yourself. Major rust repair + general bodywork + paint is going to cost you. Upholstery and chrome plating is also quite expensive. In addition, once you have the car all apart, you are going to find yourself buying a LOT of replacement parts, none of which are that expensive by themselves, but which collectively will really add up.

"would you recommend keeping her on her wheels to repair the structural rust first? That's what I would do, but then I can not get started stripping her first"

Just put the body on a dolly (see picture below). That way you can remove all of the suspension, and have the underbody accessable to the media blaster (you are going to blast it, aren't you?). My dolly cost about $60 to build, $50 of which was for the casters.

"...and need to have money ready for a body shop now, and there is no good shop in Austin that I know of, so it would be going back and forth, unless I could afford to have them do it all...."

I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure what you are saying here.

Look for the bodyshop in town where the hotrodders go - Austin is a large enough metro area to have one or two of these. Do NOT go to the place that replaces fenders on minivans - they may accept your car as a fill-in project, but will lack the skills to do the metalwork, and will probably ignore it for years.

gprocket is giving good advice here. You may just want to drive your existing car, and search for a more rust-free example before wading into a restoration. I don't want to sound negative, but the prevailing sentiment on the BB always seems to be "GO FOR IT!", and I'm just trying to inject some cold hard realities.

Good luck whatever you chose to do.

[ossodiseppia]

Before you tear it down, you may want to take a long hard look at your finances. Since money is an issue at this time, you really need to ask yourself how long it's going to take to get the necessary funds. No money means your car is going to sit disassembled for a very long time. This type of restoration takes big chunks of money. If you don't have the money you may want to look at restoring the thing while it's driveable. Start with the engine and tranny first. While they are out of the car, the engine compartment and the trunk can be painted. Once that's done, then you can drive the car while you are saving up for the body work and paint.

I wouldn't send the car out of state. Keep it close so that you can check on the progess at your convenience. Shipping it will add a lot to the cost of the restoration. I am sure there are some great body shops in the Auston area. John Trevey is a member of this bb. He lives in Austin and restored a round tail there.

[rockiemosley]

Ditto on the money thing...you dont want to take it apart unless you have ALOT of disposable cash. Since that doesnt sound like the case....just fix it up mechanically and drive it..think shabby-sheek rat rod. As you get more money you could fix the rockers and as finances allow you can do more down the road.
Happy wheeling.

[Peter]

thanks for all the replies. I know that a restoration can get expensive, very expensive. I've gone through one with my Duetto, although it was in better shape. This cash problem is a temporary one, I am confident, and all I want to do is get started in a way that makes sense and does not cost a whole lot. I am aware that ultimately it will cost a lot of money. I would love to just keep driving it, it's got tons of character the way it is, and the weather is really good on cars here so the rust won't progress. My worry is that one day she'll collapse.
I would feel a lot better if at least the rockers would be fixed (I know that's not cheap, but I could afford that). Can anyone here recommend a shop in Austin with the skills and Alfa knowledge to do that?

[ossodiseppia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter thanks for all the replies. I know that a restoration can get expensive, very expensive. I've gone through one with my Duetto, although it was in better shape. This cash problem is a temporary one, I am confident, and all I want to do is get started in a way that makes sense and does not cost a whole lot. I am aware that ultimately it will cost a lot of money. I would love to just keep driving it, it's got tons of character the way it is, and the weather is really good on cars here so the rust won't progress. My worry is that one day she'll collapse. I would feel a lot better if at least the rockers would be fixed (I know that's not cheap, but I could afford that). Can anyone here recommend a shop in Austin with the skills and Alfa knowledge to do that?

[Peter]

yeah, I know John. We actually used the same shop for our round tails. I don't want to use them anymore for this project. I'll talk to him, thanks for the suggestion.