The SX/4 money pit

[BigChief]

But technically you'll have a brand new car once done

[IowaEagle]

Thats not really that bad.  All things considered.  Now if you added in your labor .......

[rmedon]

Now, how many months of new car payments is that?  Down the road I'm sure it'll prove to be well spent money.

[Smitty]

You want to know the really sad part?  Skeezix and I are already talking about replacing the SX with a 2 door model 30 and doing a full Rotisserie restoration with a FI stroker.  Figure this car is a learning platform.  Have to wait and see.

[IowaEagle]

Don't replace keep 'em both.  I'd love to do a rotisseri restore.

[Gil-SX4]

heck you are way low on the cost of a restoration my dad and me put $15000.00 plus two year of our time on his 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente Convertable.
And most restoration jobs at the low end are $15000.00 and up.

[BigChief]

:dantes inferno: you are way low on the cost of a restoration my dad and me put $15000.00 plus two year of our time on his 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente Convertable.
And most restoration jobs at the low end are $15000.00 and up.

32K into the 73 resto/race car.... Got 10k for it.

Smitty, I was gonna PM ya about a possible trade as the 80 is not nearly needing a resto of that scale....DW Won't let it go though! Nor can I drive her wagon....

[Smitty]

Just came in from tinkering out in the garage for a few hours.  Got my new mig welder so have to figure out how to use it.  The floor looks like a good place to learn.  I did manage to get the outside handle on the pass door working.  Had to really soak it with lube but works great now.  At least I can say I got something done.   I pulled the HEI dizzy out of the cabinet and will put that in this weekend.  Then I should be able to completely remove the ECM and all the wiring for it.  That should really clean up the engine bay.  Also means I have to pull and regap the plugs. 

I really wish I could get started on the floor but I am waiting for Harbor Freight to deliver a cutter and flanging tool.  That should make life a lot easier.  Really wish I had a spot welder too.  For now the poor man's spot welder will have to do.... the rivet gun

Maybe I will just get the heater core replaced this weekend but that means I will have the radio pod out and gee, wouldn't a CD player be nice in there?  Hey, it's only $$$.  I never listen to a radio but sometimes will play a CD.  I hate commercials and useless chatter.

[Gil-SX4]

Yup but if you hang in there you will end up with a great AMC Eagle. so dont dissper

[Gil-SX4]

Ok now, this project is starting to sound like a real good excuse to buy new tools.

[IowaEagle]

Smitty does buy a lot of tools doesn't he?  Maybe that is the real reason for all these restorations.

[way2phastphil]

You can use the mig setup for "plug welding" which is sort of like spot welding.

[Smitty]

Not sure what plug welding is but you can show me when you get here on 3 June. 

Got a call last night from Nest member Ted?? and we chatted about things for a while.  He has a parts car with a good defroster switch so I will go meet him this week, swap lies, and take out the switch.  He lives about 30 miles from me and says he can get some Hudsons to my meet and greet in June.  As I posted elsewhere, I had to run my wagon into the garage yesterday and since the 69 Ambo has taken up semi permanent residency in the other bay, I had to put the SX/$ back together enough to get it outside under its own power.  It looked sad parked there without a fender and the headlight buckets out of it.  Without the carpet and with the holes in the floor it sure was loud driving it   I expect my cutter to be here this week so maybe next weekend I can weld in some sheetmetal and get this thing back together enough for some shake down runs.

[IowaEagle]

Closer and closer you get.  Sounds as though you will have a nice get together in June.

[01duse]

  I was just checking out some of the costs on your list to date so I pulled a few of my recent receipts to see what I paid.....(Canadian $$,of course!)

Upper ball joints: $26.55 ea. (white box)
Lower ball joints: $53.00 ea. (premium-lifetime warranty)
Inner+outer tie rods $63.00 ea. (premium-lifetime warranty)
Pitman arm: $44.66
Link pin kit: $23.10
brake pads: $25.00 set
Inner CV boot: $15.01 ea.
Outer CV boot: $13.01 ea.
Front brake hose: $43.00 ea.
Rear brake hose: $44.00
Rear brake drums: $54.00 ea.
Rear brake shoes: $26.99
Wheel cylinder: $15.79 ea.

That's about it so far for the big stuff except for the $200 CDN I paid for the NP229 transfer case I installed(freshly rebuilt).