Finally Ready To Restore

[MatchlessIndian]

Okay, let me start off this build thread by saying that I am not pretty slow on projects and my technical car guy knowledge is limited-- but that's why I am going to start this build post so I can tap into all of you guy's vast experience.

I guess I should provide a little background on this project that I bought 18 years ago, sold it 10 years ago, bought it back roughly 3 years ago, and then just started restoring it now. Bills, marriage, kids, more bills, multiple job changes, college, and a pandemic be damned-- I'm getting this car done.

[MatchlessIndian]

My plan is to make this car a really nice driver that I can just cruise and enjoy. I want to remove all the sun faded interior panels with new, carpet, upholstery, add 3 point seat belts to front and back, redo audio, get new dash, repair air, and also
upgrade interior lighting.

Of course while I am ripping out interior I will be addressing any rust (trunk!!) and prepping for paint to be done inside and out once it's stripped. Exterior I got to have a few things fixed-- dinged fender that the previous owner did not have repaired well, chrome on hood replaced with the proper size one, etc. I'm going to have the ignition changed to electronic, get front drums converted to disc.

So today I pulled the passenger seat, the middle console, passenger door panel, and got the carpet out of the way enough to look at the floor pans (surface)-- also took pics of the trunk which is the worst place on the car.

[usraptor]

Compared to most I've seen, including my own, you have minimal rust issues.  I see blue floorboards.  What's the original color of the car and what color are you going to pain it?  Love the Panther Pink!   Looking forward to seeing your progress! 

[anlauto]

Nice project, what's your plans for colour ?

[MatchlessIndian]

Thanks! Its original color from the factory was GA4 Gunmetal Grey, not sure why the floor pans were sprayed blue but its only paint job since was in the early 90s when it was sprayed pink-- which is before I acquired it. Since it's kind of a shade off, not correct for the year (70 only and it's a 71), and around here you really don't see many other panther pink cars, it's sort of grown on me. So pink is how it's going to be resprayed. Plus my wife loves it too and that makes it that much easier for me to convince her it needs money spent on it! 😂

The car has been garaged the whole time Ive owned it but I had no idea it was as clean as it is. I really only knew the trunk was going to need addressing and was shocked when I finally checked under the carpet today. I've never done much restoration-- I basically bought the car to rebuild with my dad but we never got around to it when I lived near by and now I live a few hours away so it's not going to be easy for him to help. So the lack of welding needed is seriously appreciated! Basically all the main places people have trouble (rear quarters, around windshields) looks to be minor surface rust, if any, and nothing more.

[YellowThumper]

Congratulations on getting started on it.
38 years running on mine and is still not finished.
Life, life and more life... they will wait as long as is necessary.

Does look like a good foundation.
Be extremely cognizant on supply and availability issues regarding the parts for these.
6 month to a year wait is not unheard of.
Think ahead and order early.

[Filthy Filbert]

Be extremely cognizant on supply and availability issues regarding the parts for these.
6 month to a year wait is not unheard of.
Think ahead and order early.

Yup.   That's where I am today.   I took my car apart in 2006.   Life also sent me multiple road blocks along the years.  I finally have some cash to play with, and suddenly, nothing is available!   The AMD installation center is ready to take the car and start, but they won't bring it in until all possible sheet metal needed is in stock.

I have 95% of the metal that I KNOW I need for the car, but AMD is waiting for things like frame rails, shock towers, wheel tubs, etc to come into stock; not because I need them but because they don't know that I don't need them.   Some parts came into stock, but now other parts have gone out of stock so we're still waiting.   And I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on metal that I am confident I do not need, just to have everything available at once.   

[RUNCHARGER]

That looks like a really nice project. Good luck with it. PS I owned an FM3 Challenger for 18 years, no way would I ever paint one that colour. It's certainly your choice though.

[dodj]

no way would I ever paint one that colour.

How come? Just because you had one for 18 years?...or?

[anlauto]

Be extremely cognizant on supply and availability issues regarding the parts for these.
6 month to a year wait is not unheard of.
Think ahead and order early.

Yup.   That's where I am today.   I took my car apart in 2006.   Life also sent me multiple road blocks along the years.  I finally have some cash to play with, and suddenly, nothing is available!   The AMD installation center is ready to take the car and start, but they won't bring it in until all possible sheet metal needed is in stock.

I have 95% of the metal that I KNOW I need for the car, but AMD is waiting for things like frame rails, shock towers, wheel tubs, etc to come into stock; not because I need them but because they don't know that I don't need them.   Some parts came into stock, but now other parts have gone out of stock so we're still waiting.   And I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on metal that I am confident I do not need, just to have everything available at once.

That's really weird

[Filthy Filbert]

That's really weird

When you think about how they bring a car in, and send it out with all fresh metal in about 10 weeks...Doesn't seem weird to me.  We all know that you find more bad metal when you start cutting into a car to remove the rust you can see.  Therefore they want everything that your car MIGHT need available so they don't have to stop and re-start and store projects while waiting for materials. 

If it gets to be a problem, I might consider getting parts on my own, but some of the part arrival dates are only 30-45 days out.  It's not like they're telling me 12-15 months out.

[Flatdad]

Cool project!

As a fan of vintage motorcycles myself, what's the story on your username 'MatchlessIndian'?