I drove car back from san antonio, smoked slightly. parked it under a tree where it sat for a year. I want to completely overhaul the car and was wondering what the best place to start would be. We need new hoses, gaskets, etc. Any advice and help will be greatly appreciated.

 

you ask one hugely broad question. the first thing on your agenda is to pull the motor strip it down completely. every part, nut, bolt, and bracket. send the block and heads to a machinist and go from there. remember when removing the pistonskeep the rod cap with the appropriate rod. will save you hours later. Sick

 

No one can tell you at what level of restoration you are up for. Many here, myself included feel a restoration begins with the complete striping down to the bare shell. Shell goes out for media blast, Repair the steel that needs repair/replaced.Restore/Replace everything as you reinstall it. Bang your done. Shouldn't take more then a few weekend.

You can do a nice, what I call, a rolling restoration. I basicly would pull the motor and trans. Rebuild both with basic kits andnew seals/bearing in the rear. Allnew brake hardware and lines/hosesrebuild the front suspention fix everthing you can find body wise and slap a coat of paint on it.Should be good for another 5 years of use. To us old guys 5 years sounds short but to a young guy life can change a whole lot in 5 years. At 18 I was all about the cars, At23 I was married with a kid living in a 2 bedroom apartment.