Novice trying to planning a restoration. How hard can it be?

[tektas]

Hey guys,

first of all, some words about myself, I am 24 years old and living in Turkey.
If you want to know how bonkers the Turkish car market is, feel free to join us here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...


Me and my brother have set out to have something that we can bond over and do together. And what do two pistonheads come up with? Restore an old car.

Well the thing is, we both are novices when it comes to working on cars. Other than the odd wheel and oil/filter change

That didnt stop us from further investing into the idea emotionally.


So here we are.

What I wanted to ask you guys is what tips do you have for a start? What kind of car to look for, what tools to have from the beginning. We have space in an underground garage to store the car.


Any and every input on these and every other topics is greatly appreciated.

Our goal is to do as much as possible ourselves.

Some of the cars we found and circled are to be found below:

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-klasik-arac...

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-klasik-arac...

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-klasik-arac...

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-klasik-arac...

https://www.sahibinden.com/ilan/vasita-klasik-arac...

[tektas]

Personally I do not have a workshop or any tools at the moment. I would do the work in the space we have at our houses garage.

That's why I asked what the essentials would be in terms of tools?

I thought about a good kit of spanners, ratchets, a Jack and axle stands for a start.

What's else would come to mind?

Thanks for the tip regarding bodywork vs mechanical work. Will definitely adhere to that.

[tektas]

Again, thank you all for your valuable input.

Wen want to starts with a car which has MOT and plates and fairly straight bodywork. Start small and work your way up, step by step.

[tektas]

What do you mean by "be prepared to divorce the project from your brother" ? I did not understand that unfortunately.

We will definitely not choose "any" car, as you said there has to be enthusiasm and will to finish it and keep at it.

We will either go with an E21 or E30 3 series or a 5 series of that vintage (E12 /E28)

Mercedes Benz is also possible (114/115/123)

One of these will be a start point.

Our plan is to get acquainted with the mechanical side, get comfortable and gain valuable experience with it.

Long term goal is definitely a 60er Chevy Impala.

[tektas]

Okay, I will definitely prioritize the shell over everything, literally everything else.

Fortunately we have parts of Turkey which are very very dry and hot, like California basically so that'll be where I will be looking first and foremost.

[tektas]

Unfortunately MX-5s are stupidly expensive here.

7-8k for an NA MX-5....

for that money I could buy a lot of other cars^^

[tektas]

The VW is a car which unfortunately never grew on me.. I have no idea why, everyone seems to love them.

I am pretty sure it will be one of the below mentioned model.

E21,E30,E12,E28

Mercedes Benz 114/115/123

as long as its rust free. Thats bullet point number one.

I dont care about the colour, or the condition of the mechanical side (mostly) as long as I find a good clean shell I can start on.