Amazon: Advice on rebuild

[Burdekin]

Originally Posted by omc 47

All Classics can be a labour of love and challenges are good for the soul, panels are usually good quality when needed and there is a certain loyalty to the Amazon along with many older Volvo marques that is a healthy distraction from this crazy world (especially now). The brilliant news in your post is "you bought a Portamig"......I love mine and my Amazon has benefitted from some remedial panel replacement and l'm really pleased with the result.....best wishes.

I too have a Portamig. UK built and a darn fine welder at the price range too.

[Dave 61]

Originally Posted by Bob Meadows

Whatever you decide to do-- don’t scrap it: ~ sell it on as a restoration project and put the money towards the best you can afford.

Plenty of people will take on long term projects- these cars are few & far between but far better complete rather than just adding to the parts bin. I’ve seen far worse classic cars brought back to life with application and dedication plus the fact that replacement parts/panels had been like hens teeth!

Save it as best you can even though you may have to sell- Good luck.
Bob.

Hi Bob,
I'd never scrap it, I've had it since 2009 & have been looking forward to giving it a new lease of life, I must admit I hate it when I watch car restoration programs & they kill a donor car for parts.
Although the general opinions are erring on the pessimistic side I'm thinking of looking at it as a long term project.
The main reason I asked for advice was that I thought it may be too far gone, but if I work my way through it gradually it might not be that daunting.
Cheers
Dave

[Dave 61]

Originally Posted by omc 47

All Classics can be a labour of love and challenges are good for the soul, panels are usually good quality when needed and there is a certain loyalty to the Amazon along with many older Volvo marques that is a healthy distraction from this crazy world (especially now). The brilliant news in your post is "you bought a Portamig"......I love mine and my Amazon has benefitted from some remedial panel replacement and l'm really pleased with the result.....best wishes.

It's my first MIG & does seem to flatter my skills, only had Arc/Tig Inverter before this.
Only heard good things about the Portamigs.
If I do go ahead with the Amazon I'll probably be an expert !
Cheers
Dave

[Bob Meadows]

Good for you Dave- a lot of us have been there regarding restoration projects, a longer-term project just takes more dedication but don’t let it lead to frustration- leave it and come back with enthusiasm. Do the best job you can so as to get it right first time- MIG welding is fine for these cars but you do have to get used to the type of metal being welded- practice first-practice again-& again—it will come. I’m sure you will get to the stage that all the hard work just becomes a memory as you drive it with a big smile!!
Good Luck & regards Bob.

[Derek UK]

If you can get it to the Swale show by 2025 I will buy you a pint. Mind you, I have to hope that I'm still around then! Seriously, it might have a place in your heart but you are starting from scratch in two different ways. Unless you are quick learner and you can mange to weld to a decent standard virtually straight away you will, after a couple years of practice look back at your early efforts and may want to tackle them again. Do the hidden parts first, one step at a time. You're also starting with a car which is going to offer you a challenge where ever you focus you attention. Be prepared to spend a few hundred pounds before you start, on sheet metal tools. A shrinker/stretcher should be in you budget IMO along with the simple stuff. Don't compromise on the welder. Budget will always be budget and you need one that helps you rather than hinders.
I'm sure we will be hearing more from you. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

[blueosprey90]

I mostly hang out on the MGA forums. A friend of mine there, Bob K., restored a basket case MGA coupe.

The project started in June, 2012 and was pretty much completed in April, 2018. He worked on it almost non-stop. It was not his first restoration, maybe his 3rd or 4th, but his first MGA. He didn't do much in the way of rebuilding the motor or drive train, but rather spent most of his time rebuilding the body. He did a lot of fabrication and had a lot of tricks that he documented in his rebuild thread. Here are two links to his thread which will allow you to see what he started with and his close to final product. The "before" pictures don't show all of the rust under the surface, as on this car, the A and B pillars and the sills rust out to the point of disappearance!

Link to page 1: https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mga-foru...ation.2085517/

Link to page 159: https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mga-foru...85517/page-159

From my standpoint, the problem is that after all his work, he still hasn't really driven the car much. I've invited him to some major vintage events where he would have the opportunity to drive the car under ideal conditions and he has begged off. His pleasure was in the journey, not so much the destination.

I once wanted to buy a piece of land so that I could one day build a vacation home. My wife put her foot down and said no. "Your father was dead at 63", she said. "If we buy anything, it will have to be something that we can enjoy now." So we bought a three season camp and have enjoyed it for 20 years, as have our kids and now our grandkids.

So I'm forced to reluctantly join the chorus and advise you to sell the car on and buy something that you can use and enjoy now. It doesn't need to be perfect. It can be a rolling restoration that you work on a couple months at a time, but can be driven and enjoyed as well. My Volvo is in that category. It needs work, but I can still drive it and have some fun.

[Dave 61]

I'm a natural pessimist, my pint is always half full, so can appreciate the negative comments, however I wouldn't intend to let restoring the Amazon dominate my time.
Our lives revolve around motorbikes & touring and that won't change until my body gives up.
I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can semi retire & that would mean I'd be able to devote more spare time to it.
Also should say I'm not naive, i appreciate it's not going to be a walk in the park but it would be nice to save a 50 year old car to go with a 69 year old motorbike.
I have got a reasonably well equipped workshop though no doubt there is still plenty I haven't got.
Shame I don't like Morgan's as I'm a Wood Joiner by trade.
Cheers
Dave

[Burdekin]

Originally Posted by Dave 61

I'm a natural pessimist, my pint is always half full, so can appreciate the negative comments, however I wouldn't intend to let restoring the Amazon dominate my time.
Our lives revolve around motorbikes & touring and that won't change until my body gives up.
I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can semi retire & that would mean I'd be able to devote more spare time to it.
Also should say I'm not naive, i appreciate it's not going to be a walk in the park but it would be nice to save a 50 year old car to go with a 69 year old motorbike.
I have got a reasonably well equipped workshop though no doubt there is still plenty I haven't got.
Shame I don't like Morgan's as I'm a Wood Joiner by trade.
Cheers
Dave

What I would recommend is strip it down completely, take photos, clean the parts, label them and then store them out of the way.

Get yourself a rotisserie (trust me on this) strip the underseal and paint where required and recoat with Jotamastic 87 to stop it rusting.

Get the structural sections done first; front inner wings, sills, floor, chassis rails. Brace the car as needed.

Then starting at one end of the car work your way along fixing everything that’s needed.

Paint everything as much as you can with Jotamastic 87 or weld through primer so to stop things rusting as you move along.

Inner wings and the good floor pressings are decent, use them and replace the whole sections.

Buy a sheet of 1mm steel.

If you have some cash for tooling get: shrinker stretcher, Gabro 600mm folder, large leather sand bag, Hammer set and a bead roller.

Metz tools are about the cheapest, quality is Chinese but should do. https://metztools.com/product-category/english-wheels


https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/automoti...SABEgKLM_D_BwE


All the best. Do a restoration thread, helps with motivation.

[Dave 61]

Originally Posted by Khe Sanh

What I would recommend is strip it down completely, take photos, clean the parts, label them and then store them out of the way.

Get yourself a rotisserie (trust me on this) strip the underseal and paint where required and recoat with Jotamastic 87 to stop it rusting.

Get the structural sections done first; front inner wings, sills, floor, chassis rails. Brace the car as needed.

Then starting at one end of the car work your way along fixing everything that’s needed.

Paint everything as much as you can with Jotamastic 87 or weld through primer so to stop things rusting as you move along.

Inner wings and the good floor pressings are decent, use them and replace the whole sections.

Buy a sheet of 1mm steel.

If you have some cash for tooling get: shrinker stretcher, Gabro 600mm folder, large leather sand bag, Hammer set and a bead roller.

Metz tools are about the cheapest, quality is Chinese but should do. https://metztools.com/product-category/english-wheels


https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/automoti...SABEgKLM_D_BwE


All the best. Do a restoration thread, helps with motivation.

Thanks for that Khe Sanh,
My next move was to get it completely stripped, not heard of Jotomastic will look that up.
Was going to use Eastwoods Afterblast from Frost Restorations.
Got quite a lot of the tools you recommend, but more can't hurt.
Cheers
Dave

[Dave 61]

Originally Posted by blueosprey90

I mostly hang out on the MGA forums. A friend of mine there, Bob K., restored a basket case MGA coupe.

The project started in June, 2012 and was pretty much completed in April, 2018. He worked on it almost non-stop. It was not his first restoration, maybe his 3rd or 4th, but his first MGA. He didn't do much in the way of rebuilding the motor or drive train, but rather spent most of his time rebuilding the body. He did a lot of fabrication and had a lot of tricks that he documented in his rebuild thread. Here are two links to his thread which will allow you to see what he started with and his close to final product. The "before" pictures don't show all of the rust under the surface, as on this car, the A and B pillars and the sills rust out to the point of disappearance!

Link to page 1: https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mga-foru...ation.2085517/

Link to page 159: https://www.mgexp.com/forum/mga-foru...85517/page-159

From my standpoint, the problem is that after all his work, he still hasn't really driven the car much. I've invited him to some major vintage events where he would have the opportunity to drive the car under ideal conditions and he has begged off. His pleasure was in the journey, not so much the destination.

I once wanted to buy a piece of land so that I could one day build a vacation home. My wife put her foot down and said no. "Your father was dead at 63", she said. "If we buy anything, it will have to be something that we can enjoy now." So we bought a three season camp and have enjoyed it for 20 years, as have our kids and now our grandkids.

So I'm forced to reluctantly join the chorus and advise you to sell the car on and buy something that you can use and enjoy now. It doesn't need to be perfect. It can be a rolling restoration that you work on a couple months at a time, but can be driven and enjoyed as well. My Volvo is in that category. It needs work, but I can still drive it and have some fun.

That's a hell of a lot of reading, had to skip through it just to get an idea of the project.
They put in a lot of effort & did a brilliant job, shame they don't seem to want to use it, maybe it's more about the possibilities than the reality.
Also couldn't understand why they didn't shot/media blast to go back to bare metal given the effort they were going to put in.
I think I'm old enough to be realistic, I'll have to see how things progress.
Cheers
Dave