Inherited 1972 Roadrunner/GTX 440
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:08 pm
Hello,
Obviously I am new to the forum. I recently inherited my Uncle's RR and am trying to gather some information on how to go about restoring it. There are a lot of unknowns for me, but here is what I gathered so far. Unfortunately, my Uncle was estranged from the family for many years before he passed, so I only had a few conversations with him about the car before he died. Here is what I know:
About the history:
He bought it around 1974, and I believe he was only the second owner. He used to race is and beat it up pretty bad when he was younger. The car was last driven in 1978. It has been in pieces in various places for the past 30 years under the guise that "someday" he was going to fix it up and drive it. The components have all been indoors in garages, houses, and most recently, an outdoor storage unit over that time frame.
In speaking to my Uncle, he claimed that everything "worked" on the car except that the engine needed to be rebuilt because it was "blown," whatever that means. The block and heads don't have any cracks, and I assume that he just started to lose compression or power in 1978 when he took it off the road for good. That's all I know about the engine.
About the car:
1972 Roadrunner/GTX, 440, 4-speed, airgrabber, hard top, red with black stripes.
About the condition:
I made a preliminary visit to his house when I was up there for the funeral. It was tough to get to the body and the parts because they were crammed into his garage (he was kind of a pack rat) and an outdoor storage unit (PODS-type thing) that had most of his belongings after his house caught fire. The body seemed OK in that there was no obvious rust or corrosion on the outside of it. I was able to stick my hand underneath in a few areas, and it felt pretty solid. It was locked, but the inside really looked like it was in very nice condition, minus a hole in the roof liner about the size of a medium sized rat.
I physically laid eyes on the block, the heads, the drive shaft, the transmission, the gas tank, and the hood - all of which where in various locations (garage, basement, and storage unit). So it seems that all of the major parts are there and in decent shape as far as an eyeball assessment goes.
About me:
I have very limited experience working on cars. but I like to think of myself as fairly handy around the house and pretty quick to figure things out by reading directions or just tinkering around (I am a mechanical engineer by education). I was thinking that I would have to get the major stuff professionally done - engine rebuilt, body work, etc., but I would like to do as much of the other labor as I can reasonably expect to do.
So I guess my questions are as follows:
1. Where do I start? I assume I will have to send the engine out to be rebored, decked, rebuilt, dynoed, etc. I also assume the body will have to be sent off as well. My friend knows an engine rebuild shop and local body shop that can possibly help with this.
2. What about the transmission, driveshaft, and axles? Do they need to be sent off to be inspected and possibly repaired/rebuilt?
3. What is the process and sequential order for doing this if I am going to try and do most of it myself? I will obviously need the body back before putting the components back in. What order would I work on everything else? Engine, tranny, driveshaft, brakes, fuel lines, electrical?
4. What type of documentation/manuals are available that could point me in the right direction and give me both general and specific guidance on this type of project?
5. What parts would have to be replaced as opposed to reused or rebuilt - radiator? fuel pump? master cylinder? etc?
6. Finally, is this realistic for me to try and take on this type of project with my limited experience, or will I rapidly be up over my head?
I guess I am just looking for some general direction on how to handle this project. His literal dying wish was for me to have this car and for it to run again. And ever since I was a little kid, he had told me stories about it and would show me the body of the car. I have been dreaming of getting this thing running ever since I was a young teenager, it was just that other things in the family prevented anyone from acting on it.
Finally, I am not sure about my budget. If it is just me, then my budget will be very limited - probably less than $10K - and I would like to just see if I can get it running. If I am able to coordinate getting some money out of his estate to be put toward the car, perhaps I can fund a higher quality restoration. There are many uknowns at this time.
I am scheduled to head up to his house later this week, and from what I was told, a lot of his stuff have been moved and there is a more clear path to the car and parts. I will try and take pictures and get a better assessment on the condition of things when I get home. Is there anything special that I should look for or inspect while I am up there?
In the meantime, any information you guys can provide would be great. Thanks!
Obviously I am new to the forum. I recently inherited my Uncle's RR and am trying to gather some information on how to go about restoring it. There are a lot of unknowns for me, but here is what I gathered so far. Unfortunately, my Uncle was estranged from the family for many years before he passed, so I only had a few conversations with him about the car before he died. Here is what I know:
About the history:
He bought it around 1974, and I believe he was only the second owner. He used to race is and beat it up pretty bad when he was younger. The car was last driven in 1978. It has been in pieces in various places for the past 30 years under the guise that "someday" he was going to fix it up and drive it. The components have all been indoors in garages, houses, and most recently, an outdoor storage unit over that time frame.
In speaking to my Uncle, he claimed that everything "worked" on the car except that the engine needed to be rebuilt because it was "blown," whatever that means. The block and heads don't have any cracks, and I assume that he just started to lose compression or power in 1978 when he took it off the road for good. That's all I know about the engine.
About the car:
1972 Roadrunner/GTX, 440, 4-speed, airgrabber, hard top, red with black stripes.
About the condition:
I made a preliminary visit to his house when I was up there for the funeral. It was tough to get to the body and the parts because they were crammed into his garage (he was kind of a pack rat) and an outdoor storage unit (PODS-type thing) that had most of his belongings after his house caught fire. The body seemed OK in that there was no obvious rust or corrosion on the outside of it. I was able to stick my hand underneath in a few areas, and it felt pretty solid. It was locked, but the inside really looked like it was in very nice condition, minus a hole in the roof liner about the size of a medium sized rat.
I physically laid eyes on the block, the heads, the drive shaft, the transmission, the gas tank, and the hood - all of which where in various locations (garage, basement, and storage unit). So it seems that all of the major parts are there and in decent shape as far as an eyeball assessment goes.
About me:
I have very limited experience working on cars. but I like to think of myself as fairly handy around the house and pretty quick to figure things out by reading directions or just tinkering around (I am a mechanical engineer by education). I was thinking that I would have to get the major stuff professionally done - engine rebuilt, body work, etc., but I would like to do as much of the other labor as I can reasonably expect to do.
So I guess my questions are as follows:
1. Where do I start? I assume I will have to send the engine out to be rebored, decked, rebuilt, dynoed, etc. I also assume the body will have to be sent off as well. My friend knows an engine rebuild shop and local body shop that can possibly help with this.
2. What about the transmission, driveshaft, and axles? Do they need to be sent off to be inspected and possibly repaired/rebuilt?
3. What is the process and sequential order for doing this if I am going to try and do most of it myself? I will obviously need the body back before putting the components back in. What order would I work on everything else? Engine, tranny, driveshaft, brakes, fuel lines, electrical?
4. What type of documentation/manuals are available that could point me in the right direction and give me both general and specific guidance on this type of project?
5. What parts would have to be replaced as opposed to reused or rebuilt - radiator? fuel pump? master cylinder? etc?
6. Finally, is this realistic for me to try and take on this type of project with my limited experience, or will I rapidly be up over my head?
I guess I am just looking for some general direction on how to handle this project. His literal dying wish was for me to have this car and for it to run again. And ever since I was a little kid, he had told me stories about it and would show me the body of the car. I have been dreaming of getting this thing running ever since I was a young teenager, it was just that other things in the family prevented anyone from acting on it.
Finally, I am not sure about my budget. If it is just me, then my budget will be very limited - probably less than $10K - and I would like to just see if I can get it running. If I am able to coordinate getting some money out of his estate to be put toward the car, perhaps I can fund a higher quality restoration. There are many uknowns at this time.
I am scheduled to head up to his house later this week, and from what I was told, a lot of his stuff have been moved and there is a more clear path to the car and parts. I will try and take pictures and get a better assessment on the condition of things when I get home. Is there anything special that I should look for or inspect while I am up there?
In the meantime, any information you guys can provide would be great. Thanks!