The current restoration I am in, a 1959 MG Magnette Mk. III, has been more
most organized moment in my life!
Step One is to clean the garage. I mean strip it clean. Don't just
organize stuff you rarely use, throw that crap in the basement.
Clean out in the basement a single storage area JUST for car parts. Not
car parts and laundry, or christmas lights.
I kept a log book. Every time I did something to the car, I wrote what I did
and I wrote where exactly I put the parts. I used cheap sterlite containers,
but now that Glad makes semi-disposible tupperware boxes, so I guess I would
have used that. The containers I marked with a large number in red paint...
and then I had a corresponding key. I find parts by looking at my list, and
saying, ohok its in box 5. I figured I could never write enough information
on the box to knwo what is in it exactly and still have it legible.
I suggest front loading your restoration. Restore the parts as you take them
off the car. Most people strip thier car down and then head right to the
body work. But to be honest, initial enthusiasm does wain and any monkey can
be hired to do bodywork when you've lost interest. Nobody is interested in
carefully taking apart the wiper motor so it can be polished. So do the
little things first, paint the heater, rebuild the master cylinder... and
then leave that massive hunk of sheetmetal looming in the yard. If you don't
get to it on your own, you can pay someone to do that part. But having
someone rebuild the little bits that you don't want to is going to be very
expensive.
To get a handle on the costs I've enccurred in restoring my Magnette so far
go to www.mgmagnette.com and check out the restoration section and it will
have a long bit about the current budget. Tools vs. Parts was running 2 to 1
and I had a well stocked garage before hand!
---John
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