Are there any threads of restorations that were NOt frame off jobs? (1 Viewer)

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Mine is still in progress, but not a frame-off. Just about done with the mechanical parts, bodywork will come next.

Link should be in my signature line!
 
My rebuild is below... not a frame off... although it did include a new frame.
 
I’m not doing a frame off on my LV ,are you kidding me I want to drive this thing.

Boots are made for walking :)
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Cheers
Peter
 
I've done the best I could with what I have learned here on MUD, and I'm a architect not a mechanic.....check my signature line. I chose the direction I did because I wanted a driver that I wasn't timid to drive.

Two helpful words of advice; patience & research.

Best of luck with your progression. The good folks on this forum are an invaluable resource with these rigs.
 
This is my build thread mate. An unexpected rebuild that I have done mostly in a single car garage by myself. It’s not exactly up to restoration standard so it’s not for the faint hearted! I will be updating it soon once I get some free time.

Surprise BJ42 strip down and rebuild!
 
It's not so much on the frame or not, it's planning the work and time in sprints and projects so the downtime is the least. The worst thing is having to put it on hold and it be a no-drive no-fun shop queen.


Or tearing it apart and then sending it to me to finish. If you have the money and time then a frame off will save you time and money down the line. If you don't have the money or time then a frame on in the way to go. As well space is always a big issue with a frame off.
 
Or tearing it apart and then sending it to me to finish. If you have the money and time then a frame off will save you time and money down the line. If you don't have the money or time then a frame on in the way to go. As well space is always a big issue with a frame off.

So there's fast, good and cheap. Pick 2 of those.

I couldn't afford to have people work on my stuff.
 
So there's fast, good and cheap. Pick 2 of those.

I couldn't afford to have people work on my stuff.

Years ago I started out working on my own stuff because I couldn't afford the labor. Now that I can afford it I don't feel right having someone else doing it.

I farm out some things like head work,balancing, boring and such but I put it all together.

A couple years ago I had a bypass. Shortly after that my wife's dodge needed a new water pump. It is not a simple job so I let her talk me into letting a garage do it for fifteen hundred bucks.

Never again! A couple weeks after the work I was luckily almost home when the plastic housing on the front of the engine split and lost all the H20. I watch my gages closely so shut it down before it got too hot for any period of time.

After I got it towed home I started my inspection. I had to pull the FI plenum and found the plastic housing broken. I am sure that the mechanic cracked it while working on the car and it finally gave out after a few hundred miles.

I am confident it wouldn't have happened if I had done the job.

From now on I don't care if I am having a fricking stroke I am doing it my self.

I am not fast but I do save a bunch on labor and use the savings toward doing it right.
 
Mine has been down, for the first time, for over a year since I pulled the driveline, a project I was planning to have done in 3 months. It’s the first time I opened a can of worms that really had me second guessing myself. I’m now starting to put it all back together, and I’m so glad I bit the bullet and did it. I’ve always tried to take everything in manageable, practical chunks that keep it out of commission for a few months or less, even at the snail’s pace at which I work. It’s definitely doable, especially on a 40 where everything is easily accessible, and you have the collective knowledge of these folks behind you.

The clustertruck won’t ever be beautiful, but if it was, it wouldn’t be the clustertruck.

I farmed out some early projects to a shop (power steering and a transfercase replacement). When I got it back 2 months later with the steering wheel misaligned by 45 degrees and drove it home to find my transmission completely empty of gear oil, I made the decision to do everything possible myself. I may have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I care about my results and can take pride in the accomplishments. Plus, working on the 40 has given me confidence to tackle bigger projects on the wife’s and my daily drivers (Mazda 3 w/ 140,000mi and Altima with 196,000mi), so applying what I learned on the 40 likely saved me a few thousand in labor costs on those vehicles too along the way.
 
.............I may have no idea what I’m doing, but at least I care about my results and can take pride in the accomplishments..............

QUOTE of the MONTH right there!!!! Good one, Rick!

100% of the peoples in here, were all at this point, at least once in their life. Some of them found wrenching on their rigs so rewarding, they became passionate about their skills and made a carrier out of it.
 
My 40 took a couple years, and my buddies and I did the work. I even painted it myself. It wasn't technically a frame-off but we did replace the body mounts and the frame was painted. Tons of fun, frustrating at times but it looks and drives pretty awesome. Now I just need to find a way to store it here in Tampa and not 2 hours away in Gainesville!
 
QUOTE of the MONTH right there!!!! Good one, Rick!

100% of the peoples in here, were all at this point, at least once in their life. Some of them found wrenching on their rigs so rewarding, they became passionate about their skills and made a carrier out of it.


Ain't that the truth. Though there are a lot of people who are not on here that had a great idea but got way over their head. I say if you can afford to do a frame off in your time then do it if you want to get the best results. Plus it is just far easier.

My second 40 I did a frame on and now wish I would have taken the tub off and had the frame and tub blasted and painted. 10 years later I'm going to have to do it all over again.
 
I have a 75 that will be a frame off restoration since it is already taken apart and is in pieces. I’m excited by the prospect of it being “easier” and my results being better. I’m amazed at how fast they “can” go. Only thing that is holding me back is space. I don’t have the space for it.

However, I would not trade the experience I’ve gained by doing my 74 as a rolling restoration. I was not a car guy so I’ve had to learn just about everything (I used to change oil on my car at one point lol). Plus being able to enjoy the cruiser while being restored was key - while I’m an “all in” type, who knows if the frustration of learning on the fly on a frame off would’ve driven me away from it. And actually I really like the patina of my 74 and it will always stay that way. Glad I didn’t tear it off and paint it.
 

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