restoring los muertos

[charger chris]

Hello Ashely
Welcome to the form. You are doing good and have a lot of work ahead of you. Keep up the work and it well get done. I have three cars I am doing. As soon as get the cars moved around to get started. 

[CRW-FK5]

Very, very impressive.

[charger chris]

 

Very, very impressive.

[moparqueen]

Awesome project, and it's amazing that you're doing the work yourself, enjoy it!

Thank you

[moparqueen]

Welcome and great job so far! Looking forward to more progress pics! 

Thank you I'll be posting more pics hopefully soon

[moparqueen]

What an inspiration to anyone younger looking to get into the hobby! Having tackled similar projects myself, I have to give you kudos for taking this on yourself especially at your age! Love it when women are able to share the same passion as us men do with this hobby! Good luck!

Thank you  and man it is such an expensive hobby too but well worth it

[moparqueen]

Dial down the testosterone gents   

Awesome work lady! Very cool.

Yes please please use a respirator, silicosis is no joke.

So what's your background? You seem to be more than capable of tackling the job at hand. I restored cars for a living, in a previous life, and it's not the easiest job in the world.

Oh yes, I learned that the hard way to use my Ppe  on that lol I was worried when I started coughing it up later, and thank you , and honestly I don't have a background working with cars, I had a friend who worked at a body shop and when I got the car he taught me how to use a lot of the tools I have but the most guidance I am getting now  is from looking at pictures on other build threads and a few people on Instagram that built this car before, I'm always asking them for advice when something isn't looking right. But yeah with a project this bad I would never do it again , drilling out those spot welds is hard work for me lol

[moparqueen]

This is great. You are doing pretty much the same as I am except you are further ahead then me. I'm looking forward to seeing how you tackle the frame rails as my car needs rails too.
I'm making a frame jig for mine to keep everything in place. I know my car isn't square so the jig will help me get that right.

Definately invest in the appropriate PPE. It sucks having spend money on respirators and ear defenders etc instead of the car but it is worth it in the long run. It's no good if you are too ill or worse no longer around to enjoy your car because you didn't look after yourself.
I use a Sundstrom full face mask with a dust and vapour filter. It's propably the best money I ever spent. No dust up the nose and no nasty smells and best of all no risk of grinding dust or projectiles in the eyes!

I actually enjoy this type of work but occasionally I have to walk away and do something else for a day or two as it can be frustrating at times. So rewarding when it starts coming together though.

Please keep the updates coming. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Matt.

Hi Matt, that is so cool we're on the same page with ours, do you think you can post some pictures of your work so far when you get the chance and of your jig? I have no idea how to build one , I'm actually not going to use one which I'm worried about lol , I hope it works out. I'm actually going to go off of the front subframe as a reference and with this blueprint I found of the frame rail measurements.
And I do need to look in a better face mask, I had one from harbor freight but it didn't look like the best of quality and I know what you mean! Some days I wouldn't even touch it when I'd get discouraged , I remember I had one person who told me any progress is progress , big or small, so sometimes I'll just spend like 20 minutes on it one day lol but yeah it's better  to work on it when your in the mood or else then it starts feeling like work sometimes

[moparqueen]

Very cool, will be watching "his" return from the dead. Welcome to the site, you are doing an amazing job! The car must of got a lot of looks on it's journey home.

Awwe thank you so much and lol he really did!! It was fun seeing people point at it when we came to a stop sometimes. I wonder if they even recognized what it was lol

[moparqueen]

WOW    that car did not spend all its life in New Mexico thats for sure .  Your doing an amazing job . Keep up the good work . 

Awww thank you and I wonder where it's actually been, it's been passed from person to person without a title since I've got it , the backstory is that its original owner in New Mexico died and the family left it sitting in the backyard for 15 years and lost the title for it. when they finally moved it, the car had been sinking into the ground on one side , that explains why my rockers and frame rails were caked in mud inside and out, it looked like orange clay when I took it out , I do think it spent some time in desert only because of that but weirdly I don't understand how the back end is entirely rotted from being in the desert, perhaps it has seen the  east coast as well

[moparqueen]

I am pretty sure this car came from up near me. I remember the car disappeared and then popped up on CL in New Mexico. Glad it is being brought back. Keep up the good work.

I was hoping one of you guys on here  saw it it had a hard time selling lol

[moparqueen]

Hi Ashley.

Nice to see your still at it, and determined to forge ahead... once you get past the rust removal and start hanging clean sheetmetal and move into the bodywork stage your project will really start moving, don't be shy, feel free to post away and ask for any advice, lots of great people here willing to offer any help/advice, plus some newbies/old farts that can learn from you as well


Mike

Thank you I'm really excited to start asking you guys for help

[moparqueen]

You GO GIRL 

Thank you

[moparqueen]

Very Cool!! I love seeing this. Even cooler a female doing the work! Keep it up!!

.

Thank you ^___^

[moparqueen]

Moparqueen, I just read your post and looked at your pictures and I say ''WOW'', when you put your Blood, Sweat and Tears, yes you will bleed, in to a project like what you are doing, especial a 1968 Dodge Charger, you become a part of that car and it becomes a part of you. When I see the pictures of you working on your Charger in the dark with what looks like a flashlight, I just think WOW what enthusiasm.  But then it is hot in daytime in California. Good luck with your adventure.

I love how you commented about that, I must admit I have cried during moments I've had this car lol , it can be heart wrenching when you get discouraging news like  for one example getting the title was a really hard process, I remember at one time feeling so depressed thinking it wasn't gonna happen and looking at this car sitting in my yard thinking I would never be able to drive it down the road. That was the first time I ever bought a car without a title and I had no idea how hard it is without connections. And yeah haha I really do like working at it night more than the day time, the sun definitely makes you lazy

[moparqueen]

Hello Ashely
Welcome to the form. You are doing good and have a lot of work ahead of you. Keep up the work and it well get done. I have three cars I am doing. As soon as get the cars moved around to get started. 

Thank you Chris I would like to see pics of your projects too when you get the chance

[moparqueen]

Very, very impressive.

Thank you

[orange383]

This is great. You are doing pretty much the same as I am except you are further ahead then me. I'm looking forward to seeing how you tackle the frame rails as my car needs rails too.
I'm making a frame jig for mine to keep everything in place. I know my car isn't square so the jig will help me get that right.

Definately invest in the appropriate PPE. It sucks having spend money on respirators and ear defenders etc instead of the car but it is worth it in the long run. It's no good if you are too ill or worse no longer around to enjoy your car because you didn't look after yourself.
I use a Sundstrom full face mask with a dust and vapour filter. It's propably the best money I ever spent. No dust up the nose and no nasty smells and best of all no risk of grinding dust or projectiles in the eyes!

I actually enjoy this type of work but occasionally I have to walk away and do something else for a day or two as it can be frustrating at times. So rewarding when it starts coming together though.

Please keep the updates coming. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Matt.

Hi Matt, that is so cool we're on the same page with ours, do you think you can post some pictures of your work so far when you get the chance and of your jig? I have no idea how to build one , I'm actually not going to use one which I'm worried about lol , I hope it works out. I'm actually going to go off of the front subframe as a reference and with this blueprint I found of the frame rail measurements.
And I do need to look in a better face mask, I had one from harbor freight but it didn't look like the best of quality and I know what you mean! Some days I wouldn't even touch it when I'd get discouraged , I remember I had one person who told me any progress is progress , big or small, so sometimes I'll just spend like 20 minutes on it one day lol but yeah it's better  to work on it when your in the mood or else then it starts feeling like work sometimes

So far I have only removed the rear quarters, tail panel, valance and trunk floor so not much to show really. I will be making the frame jig in a month or two.
I had to push the charger to one side to restore my sons mini and then my wife's '61 beetle which is nearly finished but I then need to work on the house before I get back on the charger.
I think you will be way ahead of me by then.

This is the mask I have

Sundstrom H01-1221 SR 200 Full Face Mask Respirator with PC Visor, Silicone

I got mine for less than this though. I live in the uk but you should be able to get them over there at reasonable money. You will need some particulate filters for it and if you want protection from fumes and odours a vapour filter makes a real difference.

Matt.

[orange383]

Ok the link didn't work. I'll try again!

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Sundstrom-H01-1221-SR-200-Full-Face-Mask-Respirator-with-PC-Visor-Silicone/202304228831?hash=item2f1a458ddf:g:HsIAAOSw6sRa6zcF

Hopefully that's worked!

[Dino]

For blasting, the more you're covered the better. But with a good n95 paint mask you can protect your lungs. I use a $30 3M mask for painting and blasting. But I don't do blasting anywhere but outside so that helps! A fool suit with hood and air supply is really the only way to do blasting inside. No two ways about it.

For future reference: Painting polyurethane with skin exposed is 'almost' as bad as breading the fumes. Wear a full paint suit, gloves, and face mask with air supply because I have a funny feeling you're going to end up painting that car yourself as well. 

[67440chrg]

Progress looks great. I wish my daughters had more interest in cars. They did go to a bunch of car stuff when they were real young. Its all about friends and boys now.I will just have to chase the boys off in the Charger.

[Alaskan_TA]

Cool to see another lady in the hobby.

One of my pals has this sticker in the window of her car;

[DixieRestoParts]

Awesome work !!

[Back N Black]

Very impressive! you have accomplished in a short time what takes some guys years to complete.  

[Kern Dog]

Hmmmm....
I get the feeling that most of the progress has been done longer than she has been a member here.
You may be SUPERWoman but nobody gets that much work done in three days....Not even CB Restorations!
No matter....I am impressed and encouraged. Good for you. The finished product will be great but the memories of the build will also stick with you for life.
At the risk of appearing like a "chauvanist"....I am surprised and happy to see a Woman this enthusiastic and motivated to work on an old car. You are a rare find. When I was single, I had hopes of meeting a woman that shared my car interests but that was as likely as meeting a unicorn. I got a close second with my Wife though...She supports me and my hobby. She has helped me pull engines, bleed brakes, reach bolts I can't get to myself and other things.