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Amateur Auto Restoration
(Originally published in the Buick Bugle magazine, September 2004)

Part Two: Getting Started & Disassembly

So you finally found the perfect project car and it’s sitting in the garage—now what?

While disassembly really is the first step of a restoration, how you take your car apart is critical to the future quality of your restoration. I would argue that disassembly is one of the most important stages of the restoration profess; done correctly, the restoration will be orderly and perhaps even relaxing (which is why you’re doing this, remember?) Done incorrectly, however, and you may just end up with a pile of parts and no knowledge of what they are or where they go. I believe this is often why you see half-finished projects for sale at fire-sale prices: somebody’s enthusiasm overwhelmed their common sense and they simply don’t know how to put the thing back together. Don’t let that happen to you!

I use several techniques for documenting the disassembly process:

• Remove one part at a time, restore it, and pack it safely away.
  
  Of course, things like doors, seats and other items that are part of a larger assembly will be restored during a different phase of the restoration. But things like generators, suspension components, differentials and small hardware pieces can be restored and saved for later installation. It took me nearly two years of part-time work to fully disassemble the Century while restoring parts as they came off.
  
   
• Label everything.
  
  I call this “Tag and Bag.” Yes, I’ve also had the certainty of knowledge that says I’ll remember what each part is and where it goes. Don’t succumb to it. Label each part somehow, whether it is with a small tag on a string (available at office supply stores), a magic marker or in a marked plastic Zip-Loc bag. Identify the part, its location and its orientation and keep all fasteners with the item, even if you don’t plan to reuse them. I’ve even enclosed small sketches in the bag with the part to help me later.
  
   
• Photograph everything.
  
  You don’t have to be Ansel Adams, but you should take multiple pictures of each part before you remove it, as you are removing it, and after it is removed. Document any damage, illustrate orientation and bolt types and leave yourself clues for reinstallation. A photo is invaluable for duplicating factory inspection marks on show cars, too. I prefer digital cameras, since there’s no limit to how many pictures you can take. Don’t start any restoration without a camera you can use effectively. The photos will also make a nice memento of the restoration process that you can show people after your project is complete.

Original blue and white paint markings on my car's front springs
indicate their application: in this case front springs for 1941 Century
and Roadmaster. On a show car, these marks should be faithfully
reproduced, something a camera allows you to do easily.
 

• Draw diagrams.
  
  If a camera can’t adequately capture how something fits together, draw yourself a diagram. Again, a rudimentary sketch will suffice as long as you’ll know what it means several months or years from now. I keep a notebook with detailed notes and sketches for later use. I also note colors and installation markings in this notebook.

I started disassembly of my Century with the front sheet metal so I could access the hardware underneath: the front suspension, steering assembly and engine. I started by soaking all the nuts and bolts with penetrating oil in advance (broken bolts are a major-league headache, so avoid them when you can). Then I carefully removed each bolt and placed it in an old margarine tub to keep them all in one place until I could “tag and bag” them. I removed each piece of sheet metal in order, beginning with the hood, then the front bumper and grille, then the fenders, then inner fenders. Since I wasn’t going to be performing bodywork immediately, I stored the sheet metal in a safe place. I now had access to everything on the front of the chassis.

I started disassembly with the front-end sheet metal so I could
access the front suspension and engine, the first items I would
be removing.

Of course, I ran into problems—and you will, too—because of previous owners. For example, my driver’s side front fender had been welded to the rocker panel and covered with lead filler. Cutting it off was the only solution. Use care when facing these situations! Examine the problem before picking up a tool, then proceed slowly. If there is an old repair, you may not know why it was done or what’s lurking underneath. Minimize the damage by being careful as you “undo” someone else’s repairs, which may not be of professional quality. Disassembly is not demolition!

The front suspension components were the first parts I actually removed and refinished, following my procedure of restoring parts as they come off the car. The kingpins, A-arms, shock absorbers and sway bars all have their own unique mounting hardware, some of which are quite complicated. I took photos of each part as I removed it for future reference. Again, it isn’t always evident how something fits together if it’s been some time since you took it apart.

A digital camera makes documenting reassembly sequence easy. Here I am removing the upper suspension bushing and pin.

Broken bolts will happen, too. These are very old fasteners made of very old steel and many have never been removed. Don’t get caught up in the sound and fury of removing parts—use care with every nut and bolt on the car. This isn’t necessarily because you’re going to reuse them, but because getting half a bolt out of the engine block is a big project in itself and not a very rewarding one at that. Use lots of penetrating oil (I prefer PB Blaster, but you may have your favorites, and no, WD-40 is not a penetrating oil), and if the bolt doesn’t want to come loose on the first pull, don’t use a longer wrench or hammer—add more oil, maybe some heat from a torch, and try again later. Come back tomorrow when you're relaxed. Be patient. Most rusty old fasteners can be convinced to give up their grip if you talk to them nicely instead of using brute force. To date, I’ve only broken about a dozen bolts during the disassembly of the Century, half of them on the rear fender where a previous mechanic welded them in.

Of course, there are times when you just can’t avoid shearing off the bolt head—it happens to the best mechanics and restorers. So how do you get the broken bolt out of the part? There are many different ways, and I’m sure many of you are familiar with them:

There’s the old vise-grip routine, which only works about 0.001% of the time and only when there are enough threads showing to get a good grip Usually you’ll just destroy the stub and mar the surface around the bolt hole, and if you’re lucky, pinch your fingers in the vise-grip’s mechanism. This is hack work at its finest.

Then there are screw extractors. These are like reverse drill bits, but are somewhat conical in shape. You drill an appropriately sized hole through the broken fastener, then insert the extractor and gently turn it counter-clockwise. The theory is that the extractor will thread itself into the fastener, lock in place and act as an extension you can use to unscrew the damaged portion. In reality, extractors are made of a material which presumably fell to Earth from outer space and is harder than any substance known to man, including drill bits. It’s also quite brittle, so rather than unscrewing the broken fastener, the extractor tends to immediately break off and become one with the bolt. Now you have no chance of ever drilling out the fastener.

A great technique that I discovered by reading another restorer’s journal (www.thebugshop.org) is probably the best I’ve ever found, provided you have access to the proper tools: simply weld a nut onto the broken fastener and unscrew it. Even if there are no threads showing above the part, you can place a similar-sized nut over the broken bolt and weld it on. The heat of welding is usually sufficient to break whatever chemical and mechanical bonds still exist between part and fastener and it will often unscrew quite easily.

In the next installment, I’ll discuss cleaning these parts you’re removing, from chemical soaks to sandblasting.

E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net

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Last modified on 02/07/2005

Thanks, Fidget!