Restoring on driveway
Discussion
I love a classic car, and I'm in love with the Rover Mini Cooper Sport, MGBGT, Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and E21 BMW.
Sadly though I've only got the money for one, and that isn't the Rolls.
So, I want to get either an MG or BMW (with the Mini coming later, hopefully).
I've got an issue though: I can see my dream MG, dream BMW etc in my head and they just don't exist on the market. However due to this I can't fall in love with any of the cars on the market, so I had a brainwave, buy a project and restore it to what I want.
I don't have a garage though...
How realistic is restoring an MGB GT or E21 BMW on a driveway?
Plans for each car (can only get one, but have plans for both depending on which I decide)
MGB GT: MSO Cereluen Blue (or as close as I can get), White interior which looks very similar to the David Brown Automotive Mini, Glass Panaramic Sunroof and V8 with 5-6 gears. This I can imagine is immensely unrealistic to do on a driveway (and financially, but let's not get into that at this moment in time).
E21 BMW: Bright blue (such as Laguna Seca Blue for the E46 M3), white leather on the bolsters of the seats with the inners (if that makes sense) something very similar to Porsche Houndstooth Fabric. Mechanics would be standard but it would be lowered with something like BBS alloys. This is probably more realistic and cheaper.
So, what's everyone's thoughts? Oh, I'm 19 and the driveway is that of my parents council house.
Sadly though I've only got the money for one, and that isn't the Rolls.
So, I want to get either an MG or BMW (with the Mini coming later, hopefully).
I've got an issue though: I can see my dream MG, dream BMW etc in my head and they just don't exist on the market. However due to this I can't fall in love with any of the cars on the market, so I had a brainwave, buy a project and restore it to what I want.
I don't have a garage though...
How realistic is restoring an MGB GT or E21 BMW on a driveway?
Plans for each car (can only get one, but have plans for both depending on which I decide)
MGB GT: MSO Cereluen Blue (or as close as I can get), White interior which looks very similar to the David Brown Automotive Mini, Glass Panaramic Sunroof and V8 with 5-6 gears. This I can imagine is immensely unrealistic to do on a driveway (and financially, but let's not get into that at this moment in time).
E21 BMW: Bright blue (such as Laguna Seca Blue for the E46 M3), white leather on the bolsters of the seats with the inners (if that makes sense) something very similar to Porsche Houndstooth Fabric. Mechanics would be standard but it would be lowered with something like BBS alloys. This is probably more realistic and cheaper.
So, what's everyone's thoughts? Oh, I'm 19 and the driveway is that of my parents council house.
Dreams like those are only unrealistic if you give up on them... In my twenties I stripped a Herald saloon down to its last nut and bolt and rebuilt it as 2.5litre convertible, uprated suspension, brakes etc. Most of the work was carried out outside. And I know of many hot rods that have been built on drives or under tarpaulins etc.
Having said that, here's a few questions you need to answer.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to p
s off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember.
What are you going to be doing with all the tools, bits you've taken off etc.? Leave them scattered about and someone will wander off with them. I used to take mine inside the house... again, not your decision.
Most mechanical work can be done outside and most car enthusiasts (the type with dirty fingernails) will probably have given themselves a shock or two whilst welding in the damp or rain. Interiors, well. Paintwork is pretty much a no go except in perfect conditions as, even if you can get a decent finish, half the paint will end up over the washing line or on next doors puppy etc.
What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift. I still do most of my work outside as my old truck is a tight fit in the garage, however, I'm not working to any timescale and when I get cold or wet I roll it back inside the garage and wait for a nicer day.
Best of luck.
Having said that, here's a few questions you need to answer.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to p
s off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember.What are you going to be doing with all the tools, bits you've taken off etc.? Leave them scattered about and someone will wander off with them. I used to take mine inside the house... again, not your decision.
Most mechanical work can be done outside and most car enthusiasts (the type with dirty fingernails) will probably have given themselves a shock or two whilst welding in the damp or rain. Interiors, well. Paintwork is pretty much a no go except in perfect conditions as, even if you can get a decent finish, half the paint will end up over the washing line or on next doors puppy etc.
What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift. I still do most of my work outside as my old truck is a tight fit in the garage, however, I'm not working to any timescale and when I get cold or wet I roll it back inside the garage and wait for a nicer day.
Best of luck.
spoodler said:
......... here's a few questions you need to answer.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to ps off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember.......
........What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift.......
Best of luck.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to p
s off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember...............What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift.......
Best of luck.
An outdoor restoration will try your patience, that's for sure. But it can be done.
Our latest project is an F350 crew cab which is much too big for a domestic garage. We opted for a party marquee which has served us pretty well. Roped to the truck to stop it blowing away she was bedded down last November and our winter strategy was to take bits off and restore them in the workshop [read garden shed].
Now the weather is improving we have a full set of rebuilt doors, reconditioned engine and much of the interior ready to fit once the chassis has been cleaned and the carcass repainted.
Avoid 'blue tarp syndrome.' you'll end up three steps forward and two back ..... Although I suppose you could call it 'character building!'
Best of luck. From that list I'd go for the E21.
Our latest project is an F350 crew cab which is much too big for a domestic garage. We opted for a party marquee which has served us pretty well. Roped to the truck to stop it blowing away she was bedded down last November and our winter strategy was to take bits off and restore them in the workshop [read garden shed].
Now the weather is improving we have a full set of rebuilt doors, reconditioned engine and much of the interior ready to fit once the chassis has been cleaned and the carcass repainted.
Avoid 'blue tarp syndrome.' you'll end up three steps forward and two back ..... Although I suppose you could call it 'character building!'
Best of luck. From that list I'd go for the E21.
Have you looked into whether there are any "garage communities" near you where you could rent space in a building and potentially share knowledge, skills and tools? Websites such as Retrorides have forum sections dealing with this area. At a guess, you'd double or triple your chances of finishing the project with a proper space to work in and the community aspect.
To be fair, it also spares the neighbours from having to look at a partially-stripped car for a few years.
To be fair, it also spares the neighbours from having to look at a partially-stripped car for a few years.
Council estates tend to have lock up garages on them. Rent one of them, it’ll be cheap. Yr stuff will be dry and vaguely secure.
I admire your enthusiasm but I work in social housing. Every street has a sea of sheds of cars on them destined never to drive again. By driveway do you mean proper hard standing with gates and dropped kerb and consent to park a car, or do you mean “I’m smashing the fence down and driving across the mud”.
You might also find the landlord takes a dim view of car restoration. The lack of tolerance on estates is immense. Neighbours are very quick to complain.
I admire your enthusiasm but I work in social housing. Every street has a sea of sheds of cars on them destined never to drive again. By driveway do you mean proper hard standing with gates and dropped kerb and consent to park a car, or do you mean “I’m smashing the fence down and driving across the mud”.
You might also find the landlord takes a dim view of car restoration. The lack of tolerance on estates is immense. Neighbours are very quick to complain.
As austinsmirk said try & rent a garage.
I restored my classic one in a rented lock up. I was lucky - one of my fellow residents' house backed on to the lockups - he was restoring a car and we became friends. Doubly helpful because my lock-up didn't have power, but he was happy for me to run a cable from his place. Restoring a car is much, much, much easier if you have power!
And best of luck. Classic car ownership is so much more if you can say to yourself 'I built it not bought it'
I restored my classic one in a rented lock up. I was lucky - one of my fellow residents' house backed on to the lockups - he was restoring a car and we became friends. Doubly helpful because my lock-up didn't have power, but he was happy for me to run a cable from his place. Restoring a car is much, much, much easier if you have power!
And best of luck. Classic car ownership is so much more if you can say to yourself 'I built it not bought it'
Shermanator said:
I love a classic car, and I'm in love with the Rover Mini Cooper Sport, MGBGT, Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and E21 BMW.
Sadly though I've only got the money for one, and that isn't the Rolls.
So, I want to get either an MG or BMW (with the Mini coming later, hopefully).
I've got an issue though: I can see my dream MG, dream BMW etc in my head and they just don't exist on the market. However due to this I can't fall in love with any of the cars on the market, so I had a brainwave, buy a project and restore it to what I want.
I don't have a garage though...
How realistic is restoring an MGB GT or E21 BMW on a driveway?
Plans for each car (can only get one, but have plans for both depending on which I decide)
MGB GT: MSO Cereluen Blue (or as close as I can get), White interior which looks very similar to the David Brown Automotive Mini, Glass Panaramic Sunroof and V8 with 5-6 gears. This I can imagine is immensely unrealistic to do on a driveway (and financially, but let's not get into that at this moment in time).
E21 BMW: Bright blue (such as Laguna Seca Blue for the E46 M3), white leather on the bolsters of the seats with the inners (if that makes sense) something very similar to Porsche Houndstooth Fabric. Mechanics would be standard but it would be lowered with something like BBS alloys. This is probably more realistic and cheaper.
So, what's everyone's thoughts? Oh, I'm 19 and the driveway is that of my parents council house.
Noting your location as well, that's going to make life even more challenging regarding weather conditions......Sadly though I've only got the money for one, and that isn't the Rolls.
So, I want to get either an MG or BMW (with the Mini coming later, hopefully).
I've got an issue though: I can see my dream MG, dream BMW etc in my head and they just don't exist on the market. However due to this I can't fall in love with any of the cars on the market, so I had a brainwave, buy a project and restore it to what I want.
I don't have a garage though...
How realistic is restoring an MGB GT or E21 BMW on a driveway?
Plans for each car (can only get one, but have plans for both depending on which I decide)
MGB GT: MSO Cereluen Blue (or as close as I can get), White interior which looks very similar to the David Brown Automotive Mini, Glass Panaramic Sunroof and V8 with 5-6 gears. This I can imagine is immensely unrealistic to do on a driveway (and financially, but let's not get into that at this moment in time).
E21 BMW: Bright blue (such as Laguna Seca Blue for the E46 M3), white leather on the bolsters of the seats with the inners (if that makes sense) something very similar to Porsche Houndstooth Fabric. Mechanics would be standard but it would be lowered with something like BBS alloys. This is probably more realistic and cheaper.
So, what's everyone's thoughts? Oh, I'm 19 and the driveway is that of my parents council house.
From my experience of your location, chances of finding lock-ups in the area are less as well.
The E21 project is probably the easier option as not the major mechanical surgery involved, but finding one won't be easy, and finding one that won't need major body surgery by will definately not be easy, and from that point of view, cost and doing outdoors is likely going to limit what you can or can't realistically take on.
The MG would probably be easier only from the point of view that virtually every part is available to buy off the shelf (including a brand new shell!) which at least makes it a more realistic proposition than the BMW (and likely cheaper!)
Still wouldn't want to be tackling that job outside though......just keeping the damp at bay will be a serious challenge to the task in hand.
Google Shed in a box or Garage in a box, there are plenty of alternatives. The beauty of these is they have a floor that's attached to the walls so far less water ingress than party gazebo. About £200 new but plenty of used ones about for much less. I guess the risk is anyone with a stanley knife can break in so no point trying to secure it.
spoodler said:
Dreams like those are only unrealistic if you give up on them... In my twenties I stripped a Herald saloon down to its last nut and bolt and rebuilt it as 2.5litre convertible, uprated suspension, brakes etc. Most of the work was carried out outside. And I know of many hot rods that have been built on drives or under tarpaulins etc.
Having said that, here's a few questions you need to answer.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to ps off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember.
What are you going to be doing with all the tools, bits you've taken off etc.? Leave them scattered about and someone will wander off with them. I used to take mine inside the house... again, not your decision.
Most mechanical work can be done outside and most car enthusiasts (the type with dirty fingernails) will probably have given themselves a shock or two whilst welding in the damp or rain. Interiors, well. Paintwork is pretty much a no go except in perfect conditions as, even if you can get a decent finish, half the paint will end up over the washing line or on next doors puppy etc.
What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift. I still do most of my work outside as my old truck is a tight fit in the garage, however, I'm not working to any timescale and when I get cold or wet I roll it back inside the garage and wait for a nicer day.
Best of luck.
My dad doesn't give two hoots, but he doesn't give two hoots about anything I do so nothing has changed there. My mum (who is the real boss) hasn't specifically said no, she said it isn't a good idea but has barred me from trying (not that it would stop me)Having said that, here's a few questions you need to answer.
Parents' house - how do they feel about it? Not everyone wants a dead car on the drive...
Council house - any conditions that you'd be breaking by rebuilding a car on the drive?
Are you going to p
s off the neighbours - it's not even your house, remember.What are you going to be doing with all the tools, bits you've taken off etc.? Leave them scattered about and someone will wander off with them. I used to take mine inside the house... again, not your decision.
Most mechanical work can be done outside and most car enthusiasts (the type with dirty fingernails) will probably have given themselves a shock or two whilst welding in the damp or rain. Interiors, well. Paintwork is pretty much a no go except in perfect conditions as, even if you can get a decent finish, half the paint will end up over the washing line or on next doors puppy etc.
What you're proposing (certainly with the BMW) is viable, you just need to be seriously commited to the project, and before you start, take into account your limitations. It's so easy to lose interest when you can't do even a simple job as you need to run an extension lead out in the rain - you can overcome that with a bit of thought, but I'm sure you get my drift. I still do most of my work outside as my old truck is a tight fit in the garage, however, I'm not working to any timescale and when I get cold or wet I roll it back inside the garage and wait for a nicer day.
Best of luck.
No idea about rules etc, I'll have to do a bit of research on that
So long as it stays reasonably presentable (or hidden) I shouldn't. I've had my Citroen under cover for over a week before and nothing has been said, obviously slightly different but I'm going to go with it anyway.
Hopefully the stuff will be wrapped up with protection from work (I'm at Parts Apprentice at an Accident Repair Centre) and then placed in one of the garden sheds (which I'll commendere)
Paintwork would be done by someone else, as would the interior. My standards are too high for me to do both personally.
I wouldn't be on a particular timescale either, so if it is cold, damp, miserable and grey then I won't bother doing anything that day.
steveo3002 said:
plenty of people have done it ...biggest pain would be others complaining about noise /fumes etc
By not doing it late on into the night and not taking the piss on when I start on the weekends I think I should be alright in terms if that (that may be a very naive, but let's see)There are too many replies to quote regarding garages so I'll address them here.
I've looked, there aren't any mock-ups near my house. The closest is at the other side of town, where lock-ups are torched in a semi-regular manner. Obviously not an option. (My council estate is actually pretty good, most houses are bought so it isn't the usual "scummy" place, out next door neighbour is probably the "scummiest" person in the street, us being the second (not that we are that bad).
I did see a garage share/community aspect advert many months ago however it was at the other side of the next town over, 15-20 minutes away. Obviously that would stop the "I've got half an hour between this and that, I'll just do something with the car" times.
I've looked, there aren't any mock-ups near my house. The closest is at the other side of town, where lock-ups are torched in a semi-regular manner. Obviously not an option. (My council estate is actually pretty good, most houses are bought so it isn't the usual "scummy" place, out next door neighbour is probably the "scummiest" person in the street, us being the second (not that we are that bad).
I did see a garage share/community aspect advert many months ago however it was at the other side of the next town over, 15-20 minutes away. Obviously that would stop the "I've got half an hour between this and that, I'll just do something with the car" times.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I will not get an E30, I'm not in love with it. The 4 cars I listed are the ones I'm in love with, so I wont get anything other than one if them. I fear I'll lose interest quickly if I don't love the car.I know MGs are known for being some of the rustiest classics, as my colleagues at work keep saying "they are rust heaps, stay well away" (well, they don't say it as politely as that, but I don't repeat that sort of thing)
The common theme seems to be rust (but that's a massive stab in the dark
). Isn't that the same as any classic?My first bit of advice is to be very careful which car you buy. I bought a car I thought had limited rust. Before I bought it I couldn't weld, now I am quite competent, which tells you how bad the car was. Spotting rot on a car is harder than it looks, do your research and if possible bring someone along who knows about the model you want.
As for driveway restoration, your big enemies are space and weather. Grinding and welding send sparks all over the place. Your neighbours will not be please if you etched their windscreen or windows with grinding sparks. You need screens or enough clear space to prevent this.
Weather is another big issue, for example you might want to remove the windscreen to make a repair. No problem in a garage, big issue on a drive. Painting outside is extremely difficult, slightest bit of wind can ruin it, as can dust and insects.
There is also security, parts on some classics are saleable and even a half built classic can have value. Thieves will soon spot it and you could find things go missing.
Of course it is doable, I am fixing a car outside at the moment due to lack of garage space but working in a garage is allot easier.
As for driveway restoration, your big enemies are space and weather. Grinding and welding send sparks all over the place. Your neighbours will not be please if you etched their windscreen or windows with grinding sparks. You need screens or enough clear space to prevent this.
Weather is another big issue, for example you might want to remove the windscreen to make a repair. No problem in a garage, big issue on a drive. Painting outside is extremely difficult, slightest bit of wind can ruin it, as can dust and insects.
There is also security, parts on some classics are saleable and even a half built classic can have value. Thieves will soon spot it and you could find things go missing.
Of course it is doable, I am fixing a car outside at the moment due to lack of garage space but working in a garage is allot easier.
I've rebuilt quite a lot of my tvr in an underground car park. Total suspension rebuild, interior strip out. It takes longer than you think and you need to be aware of likelihood of completing a job before you run out of light or weather. In my case the car's a mile away, meaning carting tools and parts fown there each session. Which gets to be a ptoper fag and morale sapper.
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