The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk What should I keep.

I am still in the process of getting down to the complete apart stage. I am wondering how do you guy's know what you should keep, ie take the time to restore, or what you should go ahead and replace. I am sure cost has some bearing on it but besides that what is the "magic" determining factor? I know this is a broad subject,every thing from wiper parts to sheetmetal, but is there something I can go on.

Kenny Broomfield

It would depend on what you're planning to do with the truck. Stock, Hot Rod, Driver with some updates?
That said, anything that is considered a "consumable item" should be replaced. This would be items such as brake linings, gaskets, door and glass seals, any rubber part, epsecially if cracking is appearant, filters if present, engine internals such as rings and bearing inserts, ignition parts, and possibly wiring and the battery. Other parts will require inspection first to determine condition, then a comparison of cost or restore/refurbishing vs. replacement has to be considered, as well as availabilty. Many on here prefer to try to save the original parts if they can, especially with some of the available replacement parts being questionable in quality (import junk).

My only advice is whatever direction you go with your truck, THROW NOTHING AWAY! You just never know until you're done with a section of your truck what you may need or need to be reminded of. Bag and tag.

Best advice ever.

I have a big box full of "junk" that I probably won't use or need but it's better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

Stuff I cut off the cab went in the TRASH PILE but even that, I later fished the running boards out when patch panels became available and SALVAGED THEM.

Fix everything you take off before bagging it and put it all in boxes with the contents clearly marked on the outside of the box facing you or simply number the boxes and keep a list of what's in each box. That way when you get to the assembly phase you have clean parts ready to install in easy to find locations. Larger items can be hung on walls or from the ceiling. You will find floor space to be a valued commodity.

You have no idea how important it is to be organized with your parts until you go looking for something.

Echo what Woody said. Remove it, fix it, box it, and cataloge it. Whatever way you organize them, it will pay dividends when you can grab what you need of the shelf and install it on the truck as you put it back together.

The last resto I did (79 Jeep CJ7) I couldn't tear the thing apart fast enough to get to work on the tub and frame. Then spent forever refinishing/reworking each component that came off. I've decided to do the 49 differently. Each component I take off, I R&R and box. Then when it comes to reassembly, it is just a matter of bolting parts on. Thats the plan anyway.

And never never never never never throw anything away. Even after you are done. You will need it later.

Also useful at this stage is taking a lot of pictures before and during the tear down phase. The half life of my memory is shorter all the time. I think I'm down to a weekend now. Much easier with a digital camera these days.

I would go a step farther. Put the old bolts in a jar or plastic bag and label them. You will be surprised how much this Will help when you are putting it back together.

I took pictures of just about every step and at every angle. Then used zip lock bags to hold small items. I labeled everyone so I knew exactly where it came from. My biggest mistake, which I am just now realizing, is that I trashed a 58 hood to provide more floor space. Well, now I really could have used the brace off that hood to fix my 55.2 hood!

Oh, set up a webshots.com account and upload all your photos for safe keeping. It also shows everything in chronological order. It helps to go back to see how far you've come when you are about to give up.

Michael

Keep everything,mark and bag all parts,take photos of the whole trip.When you are done with the project,think about what you are going to do with the left over parts.You might want to keep some and sell the rest.

Thanks,Tim

I'm going to rephrase something I said in my first post. On the consumable parts, don't pitch them right away!! Plan on replacing them, as due to age and wear, they should be replaced, but hang onto the original parts for comparison purposes, so that you 100% know that the new parts will fit.

This more or less answers my question. I am in the process of bagging and tagging everything. I wish that I would have done things differently from the get go. Hey sometimes the best teacher is our own mistakes. My question though is if you have a dented fender when does it become necessary to buy a new one and replace instead of rebuilding. Consumable parts make sense but fenders are not consumable, at least in my world. This is what I am wrestling with right now. I am going back as stock as possible but with that said is "money" the only deciding factor. Money in quotes because time is money as well. How have you guy's made the dicesion to rebuild something versus replace it.

Kenny Broomfield

I think for most of us that decision was made by deciding to rebuild an old truck, not looking at it as this piece and that piece .... mostly the final decider at any point is your ability to do the needed work and availablity - it's almost always cheaper to replace something than to hire someone to repair it, and it's almost always cheaper to fix something yourself than replace it, especially as either repro or original replacements will need work as well - if you value your time at the same level as the body shop does you shouldn't be tackling the "rehabilitation" of an obsolete machine, but buying one already done to your taste

Bill

I make that decision on a case by case basis based on time, money, and whether I'll enjoy the work to do the repair. There are some jobs I enjoy and some that I don't. Since I have limited time to spend on this hobby I prefer to spend it on things I enjoy. I do the jobs I enjoy, am reasonably good at, or find challenging and farm out the other things to local mechanics that need the work. Or in some cases, buy better parts. I've found that some jobs are interesting until I prove to myself that I can do it, then I prefer to move on.