[Garage Goat]

How about trying to restore two cars at once? And one of them is in the driveway , Yet by 11:00 it's too hot to work on it or it rains I'm sick off the rain and the heat.

[1966geeto]

Have not touched mine in three weeks so hot want to puke has rained everyday for 21 days everything is moldy on top of eye surgery gone bad guess I won't make the show here in Oct maybe next year.

[1NC Again]

Love it guys. Keep posting. I'm just getting started on a 72 Lemans Sport convertible and I'll keep checking back to see what somebody else has already done so HOPEFULLY I won't make the same mistakes. I'll be sure to post my own.

[jetallman]

Started mine in 1988, never planning to finish it, just work on it until I die is how it's looking.

[chinquapalian]

jeez,forgot about pulling a toploader back and onto my chest had to be pulled out from under non-indian. i used Muncies for cufflinks

[edvisme]

Years ago I found a 70 Esprit Firebird sitting at a farm house. When I seen it I knew that car would be mine, just a matter of time. Years later I find my 70 Formula and buy it. Looking the formula over the body appeared solid, it was a former Texas car. Shortly after buying the Formula I strike a deal on the 70 Esprit. It was a basket case, rust bucket (quarters, trunk pan), but had many useful parts, 12 bolt rear end to mention a few. Knowing the Esprit is a parts car and taking up valuable space in my shop I tare into it and salvage every part that unbolts from the rusty body. Once the shell was stripped it was hauled off to the scrap yard.
Months go by and the Formula is taken apart for body paint and interior. Once the car was taken down the true condition of the car was revealed, man did I miss a lot of damage and rust while inspecting the car before buying it.
The Blunder, the Formula needs to have floor panel replacement. Ironically the floor in the esprit car was flawless!
Assuming the floors in the Formula were solid cost me an excellent replacement floor pan/sections. Pictures are the parts car that was hauled off.

['64 JSTLKMOM]

I bought a 64 convertible off of the internet last year. At first glance it was in pretty good shape. WRONG! Decided to do some minor adjustments, wheels, tires, tune up, buff the paint etc.... Well, I started in February thinking that I would be done by May at the latest and ended up having to pretty much do close to a full resto. It all went downhill after I stripped the paint. So now it's August and I just got it back from the upholstery shop. I just dropped off the motor to my builder this morning. My goal is to have it on the road before the end of the month but if the past is any indication of the future I'll be luck to have it ready for OC Cruise week in October! Sooo, I would say that my biggest blunder was thinking that I could do everything by myself with the help of a few good friends and also NOT TAKING ENOUGH PICTURES before tore it apart!

[GeeTeeOhh]

Probably won't be my biggest blunder ever, but today spraying epoxy primer on the hood, and stepped back to see the work, only to find three huge water drops. Angled my wrist to get a better look at the spray gun, and a bunch more dropped - sweat out of my glove! no more wearing gloves while painting!

[Deadhead]

Not replacing the brake and fuel lines with the engine out of the car. Did a rebuild and cleaned up the engine compartment. Did not realize that there were bad spots in the plumbing until after I had the engine back in. A not-so-fun job made exponentially more difficult.

I am setting myself up for some more in the future for sure, but for now...

[gtome]

I blasted a 66 vert frame, knocked off the factory weld spatter nubs, and filled some minor pitting. Rolled er into the booth and shot some new Hybrid epoxy/high build primer on it. Every other epoxy I had ever used had a 5-7 day window for recoat. This stuff was 24 hours, which I found out 48 hours after spraying it. So I had to sand every inch of it, spray it will high build primer, and sand it again before I could paint it. That mistake cost me 16 hours of finger sanding in August in Florida. Not fun.

[Judas]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

Not replacing the brake and fuel lines with the engine out of the car. ... A not-so-fun job made exponentially more difficult.

"ditto"

-J

[Toms bird]

First I'd like to say I'm not done making them. First one buying a car I shouldn't have a 69 Firebird with a Chevy motor to start to many other things to mention. In my defense it had a really cool spinner knob and Playboy and Farra Faucet air freshener that I was able to save. The next one was buying a 69 parts car off ebay which turned out to be a original 400 4sd with all original engine and drive line. The problem is that it was taken apart 20 years ago and was sitting in buckets. When I saw how clean the body was I decided to restore that one also. Somehow doing two cars at the same time dosnt cost twice as much it's three times as much with re-buying all the part you already bought but can't find.
Ok First car is at a local tech school another mistake. Second one the parts car I'm doing at home. I've done a frame off and bodywork is in primer. Motor is running car is moving on own power needed a couple of fenders to finish. So we start having another motor built
to put in it to save the original block. Well I've got to stay off the racing forum because it starts getting out of hand. Now I dont know if any of the other stuff rebuilt trans or rear end or even fuel lines will handle the motor. I know they have medication for ADD but I am kind of fun to watch, my wife has never needed a tv. It's her fault really I asked her if she wanted me to get a old car or a girlfriend for my midlife crisis, it's her choice and she chose. She said i'd of been tired of girlfriend by now and it would have been alot cheaper.
So as you see I'm not close to being done making mistakes.

[TAKerry]

Starting with a rusty car!

[onewheelpeel]

I had a chev 454 in a Chevelle that spun a rod bearing, so I rebuilt it and it ran fine. One a trip to look at a Suzuki Katana 1000 my credit union had for sale, the engine started knocking again and I knew immediately what it was.

So I towed it 3 hours home and that was the end of the crotch rocket dream. I had had enough of this 454, so I bought a new crate LS-6 for $2800 as this was 1988. I then installed the new LS-6 and believe it or not, it had the same exact rod knocking sound. Somehow the old 454 had infected the new 454 and I still had the same problem.

Took the car to an old auto guy I used to work with. It was the alternator knocking, according to his stethoscope. So I had a $2,800 alternator plus sales tax, a long tow bill for a running car, and a long trip back to buy an engine I didn't need.

Ran the snot out of the 454 since then, and it now has a vortech supercharger on top of it and swoll to 496 - best was 10.40's during my drag racing career in full street trim, except for tires, cam, exhaust, and rollbar. Ran 15.2's totally stock and routine Colorado air density usually around 9000 ft.

It was probably best I didn't get the crotch rocket and maybe someone was trying to tell me something. I was not a crappy hamper.

[JUDGE3]

In my excitement to finally be getting the assembled subframe back under the car I plopped the subframe bushings in place.

Even took the picture, still didn't notice. Installed the unit.

Look close, you can see the difference. I plopped the core support bushings in the rear subframe holes.

and.....I didn't know it until much later mounting the core support. what the?????

[1966geeto]

Starting my first 66 build needed a frt fender found one this was years ago was a newb . Fixed the rot fixed the dings sanded prepped primed ready to hang on the car . Guy I got it from swore was a 66 fender well being a newb I fid not notice the rounded filler for the hood gap missing it was a 67 fender. Long story short drilled my old one out welded into the 67 fender was very happy that it was not in paint already ! Just on of the many newb lessons I had learned always compare parts ! 50years later it is a funny reminder not so much back when .

[onewheelpeel]

I rebuilt a 454 chev that had a sickening rod knocking. sound. After a year I heard the same sickening rod knock. I'm not going through this again so went and bought a crate ls-6 that was then offered. Installed and started my pride and joy. It had the same sickening rod sound. The old engine had infected the new engine. Took it to my old boss for diagnosis. He put a stethoscope to it and said I had a very loud and expensive alternator bearing. And that I still needed a new alternator, by the way. And had I torn down the old engine? I had towed it 200 miles home with a good engine and with a car cover on it that rubbed off the clear coat at the lead seam areas.

At least I got to beat on the new engine for a couple of decades, knock-free. Stethoscopes are inexpensive. I still have both running engines in different rides.

[RocktimusPryme]

Dont let excitement get in the way of crossing T's and Dotting I's. Make a list and stick to it.

When I first got by Firebird running, back from paint I put the fresh stroker in I was so excited that I didn't measure the air filter stud. Shut the freshly painted hood and promptly dimpled it before I ever put a single mile on the car.

Shortly after that on its first drive I dented put a small crease in the left rear quarter because I didn't get the legs tight enough and the wheel wobbled loose. I pulled over into a Korean church like 1000 yards from my house because I felt something fishy. As soon as I stopped the wheel fell off. It could have happened while driving and been way worse. Im not particularly religious, but me and Korean Jesus are good forever after that.