I have always wanted to write a restoration thread, and feel like better now than never
My dad and I own a 1953 Convertible and we have recently inherited a 1960 pickup. My task, over the next *cough* two weeks *cough* (before i head off to uni) is to overhaul the front end of the pickup and give it an overall tidy up.
A bit of background, the pickup was originally purchased in 1993 and then over a period of around 6 months it was completely restored and driven to shows and went on runs over the next 15 years. The main downfall however was that it was always kept outside and therefore was subject to the elements. It has taken it's toll on the old girl and so the time has come to once again give it some TLC.
First 'job' which i carried out was to remove the tilt off the back, personal preference really but i prefer the tonneau cover. Whilst i was there the back got a good sweep and tidy, was full of odds and sods.
The next task, which was desperately needed was to give the entirety of the paintwork a good mop over and clean.
Some before shots:
Then after much elbow grease (aka holding the polisher), the paintwork came up better than i expected. It is still rough at the edges, mainly due to rust and what not, but a vast improvement
In an odd order of events, the engine bay detailing was next on the menu. At some point the front grill took a knock and will therefore be subject to some panel beating and straightening at some point. Also the chrome strip which runs along the top of it is in a seriously bad state, and so will either be replaced or re-chromed, any suggestions?
This is what i'm starting with:
So with the radiator drained, and removed, after some serious wrestling with the hoses, i tackled removing the bumper and front end. To no suprise all the bolts which held the grill in place were extremely rusty, but with the aid of some WD40 they eventually gave up the fight. The exposed panels were a bit worse than i initially thought and so will need some extra attention.
I discovered also that the engine mounts were badly perished, and with such easy access they will be next to be changed.
Im currently struggling with the choke cable, no matter what i try i cannot get the retaining bolt to give it up and so it is currently preventing me from removing the carb and manifolds for cleaning.
That’s all so far, although the front bumper blade has been repainted and the rear spring structure, if thats how one can describe it, that sits inside the bumper has also been given the hammerite treatment. Also, one night when i had some spare time, i decided to save some money by ‘restoring’ the pressed number plates with a can of aerosol and the trusty work of a wire wheel. Quite pleased with the result and saved me a few bob in the process.
List from here on in:
Completely degrease and wire brush the entirety of the engine bay
Give everything a good lick of paint
Straighten the grill and front bumper
Then take her out for a well earned run
Im hoping to achieve a similar result to which i achieved on my other mog, it took me about three days in total and although the engine bay paint still needs some attention, overall it was a vast improvement and almost tempts me to open up the bonnet at shows
Regards
Joe
Good luck! No doubt it won't be too hard.
. That'll be ordered and done over xmas.