Best way to start a resto

[kcfirstbuild]

I an going to start my frame off resto on my 1968 c10 Lwb in the spring. I have an idea on the way i want to do it, but want a little more feed back if its the right way to do it. I have very little knowledge about doing a resto as big as this.


I plan on taking off the box
then the front clip
the motor out
the cab off
clean and paint the frame
brake lines and all four drum
new tie rods and ball joints
2" lowering spring in the front
shock in the front
4" lowering springs in the rear with relocating shock mounts
new gaskets and seals in the motor
paint up the motor
cab corners
rockers
cab supports
new mounts for the cab and bed




truck done till i have saved up for paint.




Does it sound like i have the right idea ??

[beechd18]

sounds like a game plan

[1969K10]

get a decent digital camera, a box of zip-lock sandwich bags, a pen and a pad of paper, that's how i start.

[kyle fitz]

yep. one thing at a time. but go with spindles in the front, much better ride

[71swb4x4]

What's your definition of best? The cheapest and quickest way to do it is to buy one already done. The most fun way (for most of us) is to do it like you have it listed, although the saving up for paint part kills a lot of projects. You may want to wait until you have the cash, and then just get the project done.

[kcfirstbuild]

I want to get it done right,but not spend a ton.

[cdowns]

best way to start a resto is with about twice as much money as you figure it will take to do the job

[Hottrucks]

first thing to remember is that your going to run out of $$..we all do!!! I would really think about what you want..show truck or a DD...if your building a DD then you can run it and restore it...just one chunk at a time ...do it as you stated but take the bed off and do everything back there...brakes,lines,paint the frame and bottom of the bed, then move to the front..pull the clip do all your front suspention stuff , paint...bla bla bla....this way your saving cash up getting it done and as the truck evoles into what you want your ambition to finish it will grow too...theres alot of unfinished projects becuase LIFE HAPPENS...so if you can drive the truck down the road or even around the block it keeps you motivated

[Diablo de la Noche]

When you take your photos, think about the angles. Close-ups are good, but you want to have some sort of reference as to where you are looking from. A bundle of wires might make sense when you took the picture, but a year down the line, it won't. Make sure you get a reference point-brake pedal, fender, driveshaft, etc. This way you know exactly what you were looking at when you took the photo. It might help to make a neon green, cut-out of an arrow and lay it next to the part you were concentrating on.

The before and after pics are best if taken from the same place and angle.

Also, when you start cleaning bolts, screws, etc, store them in zip-loc bags and label them. I just tossed them in a box at first thinking I could reference the LMC catalog later. I later put them in one of those plastic organizer boxes and that has helped a little.

Research all the parts you need to buy on-line. If you don't need it right now, wait a little while. They might go on sale and you can save tons of $$.

Just my 2 cents.

[gkesseru]

I once went on a tour of White Post Restorations near Whichester VA, one of the best restoration businesses in the USA. The used brown paper lunch bags to store small parts. They are cheap, can stand up on a shelf, and can be readily written on with a marker pen. I've been using them ever since.

http://www.whitepost.com/

[Woody]

One of my tricks is to punch holes in cardboard and put the bolts in the holes. Label the bolts as you go and if is something that isn't easy to figure out, draw a picture of the part and put the bolts in the proper place on the picture. This works really well for short term storage.

Woody

[PanelDeland]

I agree with the spindle thing.It will also give you disc brakes which are much nicer on a driven truck.If you haven't driven the truck much you may want to drive it regularly for a few weeks and figure out the things you want to change before starting.

[vectorit]

These are my basic three rules to doing a resto of any kind.

1. Time
2. Storage/work space
3. Money

Back when I first started on my burb, I didn't have a digital camera just a regular camera. So I wasn't as busy taking pictures as one would be today with a digital camera, but the photo's I did take really help me in assembly later on down the road.

Zip lock bags and a Sharpie pen to mark on the bag what's inside it. To me this is the best way to store the small parts, even today after maybe 10 years I still have some of them in the bin I kept old parts in.

Save everything! Even if it's all crusty, and you are saying to yourself that you would never use that again... I kept my butchered up wire harness, and later dug it out to help figure out wire issues with a new loom.
Or even regular hard parts that you think are broken or worn out, later you will refer back to them to help figure out fitment issues. Or, money may have run out and you will need to reuse something for now to get something else working.

[Sinister]

If you have to wait for paint, I would do a driving resto while you work on the mechanicals. Then when you have the $$$ for paint just do it. That way you'll only have to take it apart and put it back together once. It's a lot easier to take them apart then put em back together.