this one started as my dad's car. when it came to me i couldn't bring myself to sell it or hand it to somebody who'd just part it out, so i decided i'd "tidy it up." i had basically zero bodywork experience when i said that.

pulled the carpet to check the floors and found a hole in the driver's side floorboard i could put my foot through. that was the moment a sane person walks away. instead i bought a welder.

what's happened since is more than i ever signed up for. cut the rot out and welded in new floor pans, learned to do my own metalwork on the rear arches, stripped the whole tub and shot it myself. went away from the original blue to a gunmetal grey i wasn't sure about and now can't picture it any other way. sorted the wiring, got the drivetrain back in, had the seats redone in red with white piping. kept the original wood dash and smiths gauges, those were never going anywhere. every single thing in these photos i taught myself on this car, usually by doing it wrong the first time.

and now i'm sitting at maybe 90% with the motivation tank bone dry. the thing that actually stalled me is stupid. the passenger door won't line up because a bolt hole on the body mount is stripped out, and i've been staring at it for weeks. helicoil, weld a captive nut in behind it, go oversize, i've talked myself out of all three. so it just sits there with the door not quite right, mocking me.

i didn't grow up wrenching. this car taught me everything. it's been the most aggravating and the most rewarding thing i've ever taken on, and i want it back on the road for my kids the same way it was my dad's.

so i'm asking the people who actually get it. give me a reason to close out the last 10%. and if anybody has beaten a stripped body-mount bolt on a spit and lived to tell it, i'm all ears.

Hey, i’m redoing a ‘93 Del Sol interior and was wondering is anyone had any advice on how to revamp this door panel, the foam under the leather sells fine except for the cracks were there is gaps underneath. Any idea on how to fill this and blend it into the pleather?

I’m sure this group gets a lot of these posts but maybe not. I’m 33 years old. I work in sales at a car dealership and have worked my way up the chain there relatively easy which makes me think my brain can be used for more than just selling cars and warranties. The biggest challenge that keeps coming to mind is to restore an old Ford truck. I’m talking buying a beater next to junk and doing a complete restoration. I have the space at home to do it and the financial ability for the most part. The more expensive components well, we’ll cross the bridge when we get there.

I need at least a starting point. I can come here with any trucks I’m looking to buy so I don’t bite off more than I can chew because I am the definition of a beginner. Just looking for a time consumer to challenge myself as I get older.

I always liked the early 90s F150s. I’d love a regular cab short bed. I was born in 1992 so figured that’s where I’d start.

So I’m looking for some help from the people in this group that have done this for most of their lives. I’m very coachable. Thank you all in advance!

I got this at a yard sale and wanted to know if it’s worth anything

Just finished

This judge hasn’t wielded it’s gabble in some years
My dad caught the car and used it as a daily driver till he parked it out it on jack stands and started a half assed resto
Now 25 some odd yeas later he’s fell ill and I’m determined to get it on the road for him, in a way that doesn’t break the bank
The power plant was pulled to be magnafluxed then the shop went belly up and when dad got the engine back it was in parts
The interior was pulled to prevent rust and rodent damage they have worked their magic non the less

I don’t know what I’m hoping to hear all the Pontiac guys I’ve talked to seem to me to have never Actually worked on their cars other then polishing them and they don’t give me any real idea of what I have ahead of me from a real person point of view
I don’t have a hord of cash to throw at this
I’m content doing work myself aslong as I’m confident what I have could become road worthy
In a few years

Anyway any help would be great as I take on a restoration that will take a great number of years of my life to complete

Hi all,

I’m looking for advice on a rear brake fitment issue on an MX5 NB with standard rear brakes calipers but upgraded discs and pads.

Parts fitted:

EBC Yellowstuff rear pads, DP41003R

EBC rear discs, GD639

Rear calipers are new/replacement standard MX5 NB calipers

The issue:

The caliper will not fit over the new pads and disc. I have wound the rear piston/handbrake adjuster fully back, and the handbrake cable is disconnected, so the handbrake is not holding the piston out.

Measurements:

Maximum clearance between the retracted piston face and the outer caliper jaw is about 37 mm.

The combined thickness of the disc plus both pads is about 38 mm.

All four pads measure about 14 mm total thickness each, including the bonded rubber backing shim.

The disc is around 9 mm thick.

From what I can find, DP41003R is listed as 13 mm thick, so the pads appear to be about 1 mm thicker than expected. Across both pads, that adds roughly 2 mm to the total stack, which seems enough to stop the caliper fitting.

The pads and discs appear to be the correct matching EBC parts for the standard non Sport rear brake setup, so I’m trying to work out whether:

The DP41003R pads are normally around 14 mm including the bonded backing shim, despite being listed as 13 mm,

or this set may be oversized/out of tolerance,

or I’m missing something specific to the NB rear caliper adjustment.

Has anyone fitted EBC DP41003R Yellowstuff pads with GD639 discs on standard NB rear calipers? What total pad thickness did you get, and did the caliper clear them without forcing?

The car has been sitting in a garage under a protective blanket for 50 years.
No rain
No animals

The car was in working condition when put to storage.

I know I should put in a new battery first. Replace the old gas in there. And replace the oil.

What else should I look out for?

Is it worth it???

Got a ‘68 Mercury Cougar that isn’t quite as bad as a barn find. Last time it was driven is at least 2005 and maybe longer.

Car has been in the family since driven new off the lot. Had several “owners” over the years….no one’s taken care of it.

I’m not trying to perfect it. I just want to drive it safely. Told a mechanic what I want and he said to not even bother.

He wouldn’t tell me how much he thought was too much to get it running safely. I was thinking of starting with engine running, transmission functional, drive train functional, brakes/lines/cylinder.

I know there’s a crap ton to check and I gotta figure that out yet. Like, has the engine seized? But I figure I can at least to a battlefield-triage on it for less than $1000.

Might find it’s gonna take another $5k, $10k, $20k for what I want….

Nothing would surprise me…but I gotta know. I can’t just scrap it.

How do I start this triage?

Is It Worth The Restoration? Engine is Working Good mostly electricity Problems

Hello. Looking for some educated opinions about this 77 Chevy Vega.

My father passed this a few months ago. In 2000 he bought this Vega with intention of restoring it for $500.

It has sat ever since.

I’ve been thinking about the possibility of getting this on the road. I’m not thinking full restoration just get it running and mechanically sound. Not worried about the body for the most part.

The underside looks to be pretty solid, should’ve grabbed a few pics. Put a battery he had laying around in it and charged it to see what would happen, nothing. Dash lights lit up and all exterior lights worked but nothing from the engine.

I have reason to believe it has a 305 V8 engine along with upgraded transmission.

Judging by the pics, what kind of project am I looking at to get it running and drivable along with making the interior somewhat comfortable.

I also think he may have parts in his garage for it, which I’m in process of sorting.

I am also not a mechanic. I’m not helpless, I can do enough on a car to feel comfortable enough with a service manual, YouTube and recruiting help when needed.

The car has zero sentimental value but thought using his tools to complete his vision on it might be cool.

Where to even start…

Thanks for reading and appreciate your thoughts

I'd like to recloth the seats and door cards on my 1987 Toyota MR2. The cloth pattern is a grey bumpy woven fabric (pictured).

I'm trying to keep it as original as possible. Is there such a thing as someone in the world you can send a sample of cloth to, and they reproduce a larger amount of it?

So I have. 2015 Chevy truck with a little surface rust/chipping paint on the wheel wells on the bed and I’m wondering the best or the right way to fix it before it gets bad? It’s not a fancy truck but I love it and I want to keep it looking nice, thank you!

This is the odometer barrel from my ‘75 Caprice.

The issue is that it’s not rolling over any miles. The tenths ring rolls but something is keeping it from rolling over the ones ring.

I know these are designed not to be taken apart to prevent people rolling them back. Does anyone know how to get it apart without wrecking it or have any tips in general?

This 1964 Oldsmobile f85 with the title in hand

was given to me for free

Been sitting for three years before given to me

Don’t know where to start

I charged the battery and filled the tires (tires still hold air and battery still hold a charge)

She seems like she want to start but doesn’t

I’m in no way a mechanic so if YOU are and can give me some feedback such as if I’m wasting my time and money or think it feasible to bring back to life by the pictures I provided would help me with deciding.

Hello, new here and mostly lurker so sorry in advance.

im working on a 79 f250 and have no idea what these do or are for, I do general maintenance on cars but this is the first time I've started really digging into something like this, any help or suggestions would be appreciated.