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1Year into the restoration

Martin

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Oct 7, 2017
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Lewisville, NC
Just rounded out 1 year of the restoration on the 73 Cuda. Still having fun, but definitely a lot of work. Couple of things i have learned over the course of the year:
- my original plan was to be done with all metal work by now. That sounded good. But life happens and 45 yr old cars have all kinds of hidden surprises
- Where there is rust, there is more rust and more rust behind that rust
- I have found some of the sloppiest metal work from the factory, so it does feel like I’m building it back better than what it was
- test welding clean well clamped metal on the work bench has very little to do with welding on the car
- welding thin gauge sheet metal in general sucks, doing it inside a trunk or wheel well just makes it more fun
- My BFH and impact wrench are now my best friends
- it is fun learning new stuff, like my metal working tools and paint gun
- time is on my side, and i’m taking the time to stop and fix all the little issues i find.

It does seem like progress. Getting stuff done one project at a time and proving it can be done (yes i have some of those people hovering).

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moparlee

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Looks really good Martin :thumbsup:. You have the right plan - it's not a race and attacking one part at a time and fixing it right will give you the best results. Keep us up to date on your progress.
 

sportster2000

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Apr 20, 2016
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It took me ten years to do mine and I wasn't even trying to put it back to original. I was just trying to put it together. I found out that if a part is advertised to fit as a reproduction then it may still have fitment issues. This is where you take your time to get it right.
 

rklein71

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Feb 27, 2015
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Amarillo Texas
It took me three years to get mine running on the road. I still have a year or two before I call it done. You are right, welding in the trunk is really hard with an E-body. Rod

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