Buying the Project Car

When you are looking for a car to buy for your project the first thing you need to decide is, What is your skill level (or what is the skill level of those who you plan to get help from)? My skill level is that of a novice , however I have a good friend who has hired my 14 yr old son as summer help who has been restoring old cars off and on for over 20 yrs and he has agreed to help us with our project. He is a paint and body man and I will be doing the mechanical part. My son will be gaining experience and knowledge of both along the way.

The next thing you need to decide is from what decade or what type of car you want to restore? My sons first choice was a 51 Chevy Coupe. It was in bad condition and it was on a 6 volt system. This was more of a challenge than I was willing to take on. I showed him the cars from the 60's and he liked the body styles. I personally wanted something that looked sporty, however it could be cheap on gas and still have power to avoid embarrassment.

There are many other aspects in which one needs to consider but those are details of more of a personal nature. Some people only like a certain make of car, some want a drag racer, some want to take it back to original for more monitary value, some want a daily driver to look cool in, and some want to bring back a childhood memory from the past. I wanted something that would please my son, something I was excited about and could invision in order to give ideas and feel motivated about, something that would be unique and still stylish, something that my son could be proud of, and something that would help my son and I continue to bond with during his teen yrs that he could keep and remember the good times with as he grows older and moves on in life.

We found a 61 Ford Falcon being sold locally by an individual who had lost the desire to restore. It has been through several hands over the last 20 yrs of people who saw its potentual but never saw the project completely through. The body was in good shape with the only rust being that of the driver side floor pan and toe board. It had a rough new paint job and new interior from I don't know what but electric bucket seats that was way too big and not so new carpet from who knows what? It had a running 144 l-6 but wouldn't idle well and a 3 speed in the floor that the clutch was completely gone in. Never the less the chrome was in great shape as well as all of the glass. We were able to talk him down to $1700 and brought it home.