[Midniteoiler]

Whats the first thing I do, to start restoring my trk.

[delawarebill]

take it apart and see what u got... they u'll see how deep your pocket needs to be.

[boatbob2]

BEFORE you take it apart,take plenty of photos,so you know where and how all the parts go back together...

[69 widetrack]

Whatever you take apart, tag and bag every item, even items you are going to replace. The "throw away" Items are valuable to keep because they act as a reference guide to what you need when replacing them. Also, to reiterate, many many pictures, best how to guide you can use.

[69 widetrack]

Also, have a clear picture of what you want the finished project to look like and what it is you want it to be (go fast, all original, street rod or whatever). Figure out what your anticipated casts are and leave extra cash for the unforeseen pieces that always crop up on any build.

I am starting work on a project that has a parts cost of excess of 100K. After all is said and done I build an extra 20% for whatever. This way you can manage your project and as seen to many times when people go over budget, the project gets neglected, the person building loses interest and somebody picks up a project at 10 cents on the dollar.

[Crosley]

Originally Posted by Midniteoiler

Whats the first thing I do, to start restoring my trk.

Year , make , model of the truck ?

[techinspector1]

Make very clear records of the fender shims as you take the truck apart. Reference what thickness shim was used where, then bag and tag. Nothing is quite so horrid as seeing fenders and hoods that don't line up at an amateur car show. Use a scratch awl to mark the underside of the hood where the hinges bolt to it so you can put the hood back in the exact same place.

[TucsonJay]

The first major goal is to get the mechanicals all sorted out, and rebuilt.

This may also require work on trucks wiring, exhaust system, radiator, etc.

It needs to start... run... steer... stop and so on.

Next might be replacing any glass, hinges, latches, bad sheet metal, and so on to make the basic body functional.

Don't even worry about starting on the bodywork, paint or interior until it is functional and drivable. The reason is that there is th epotential for damaging the pretty new paint and interior, while you are working around it.

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by TucsonJay

Don't even worry about starting on the bodywork, paint or interior until it is functional and drivable.

Words of wisdom.