My Bristol

[GREG]

K14UJO - you are obviously a great friend and nobody wanted to insult you.

Personally I would keep the car standard, because it's rare and because the sell on value will be much much higher. Saying that, we can all do what we want to our own cars !

If you want to go the mod route, you could always go for a 440 V8 or anything that will fit.

You could also fit some nice alloys as the 408 has the same wheel bolt pattern as Merc's and some Audi's

Happy to help and interested whatever you decide - but remember the after sales price, as it will be the difference between a money pit and a money maker !

Have fun

PS Nice job on the Beemer - good idea dying the upholstery

[KJ4YXY]

Originally Posted by GREG

K14UJO - you are obviously a great friend and nobody wanted to insult you.

Personally I would keep the car standard, because it's rare and because the sell on value will be much much higher. Saying that, we can all do what we want to our own cars !

If you want to go the mod route, you could always go for a 440 V8 or anything that will fit.

You could also fit some nice alloys as the 408 has the same wheel bolt pattern as Merc's and some Audi's

Happy to help and interested whatever you decide - but remember the after sales price, as it will be the difference between a money pit and a money maker !

Have fun

PS Nice job on the Beemer - good idea dying the upholstery

Hey:

Ive been noticing all the comments and here is what i have to say. iv talked to my mom and she says the it WILL stay the same. this is why (i don't agree, because i like customizing) "when you look at something that is a work of art/rare, you need to preserve it, like your fathers art, (my father was an artist) when you take something that people aspire to want (you guys want this car) and it is rare, then you see someone that has exactly what you want then they start messing with it and beating it, it would break your heart."

So therefore in conclusion i will probably not go that custom (not my choice) and will postpone most of the project till i get more money.

thanks i will still upload videos once i do more work
Thanks

[GREG]

Your mom is very wise, but there are compromises to be had. You can do a lot of mod stuff like custom wheels and vinyl wrap (chrome wrap available now ! ) over the paint job. 408's look good with the bumpers/fenders removed. There are also loads of chrome engine dress up kits you can get for the 313 /318 engine and of course you could get any colour film to go over the glass.

All of the above mods can be easily put back to standard very quickly if needed.

As far as budget goes , there is lots that can be done for very little money, such as preparing the bodywork and taking components apart to clean, paint and rebuild and sorting any welding out. Sorting the brakes out is also a good job to tackle.

I know quite a few people that have taken 20 years restoring a car. Just be patient and enjoy it.

Martin Barnes at ACCS in England imports a lot of Mopar parts for Bristols in the UK, so could probably help you out with where to get what you need over there.

[KJ4YXY]

Well, I see all of your concerns, but what i really want to do in customization is mainly a 6 speed manual and some leather black racing seats.

[Janne]

I hope you do not mind me saying this, but you have a long time before you can start thinking about the interior. A lot needs to be done, if you want to do this restoration properly. If you do it badly, you will damage the car more than restore.
I personally think you should try restoring something more simple, like a motorcycle, first, so you get used to the tools etc.
If you restore an old Harley, and do it well, you can make some money, which you can use in restoring your Bristol.

As you live in the US (correct?) you can get all Mopar parts locally, including the resto of the engine and conversion to a 6 speeder.
Not sure why you want a 6 speeder, the engine would be very happy with less gears.

[KJ4YXY]

Originally Posted by Janne

I hope you do not mind me saying this, but you have a long time before you can start thinking about the interior. A lot needs to be done, if you want to do this restoration properly. If you do it badly, you will damage the car more than restore.
I personally think you should try restoring something more simple, like a motorcycle, first, so you get used to the tools etc.
If you restore an old Harley, and do it well, you can make some money, which you can use in restoring your Bristol.

As you live in the US (correct?) you can get all Mopar parts locally, including the resto of the engine and conversion to a 6 speeder.
Not sure why you want a 6 speeder, the engine would be very happy with less gears.

Yes i live in the US.
As for restoring stuff i also have a festiva that i sort of work on, my friend if you saw the videos is restoring a BMW.
I do a lot of work on computers so in a sense i sort of know the basic concepts.
I actually own a triumph that my dad was working on but i dont have any self confidence to work on a motorcycle.

[KI4UJO]

Ok, to answer some questions : The reason we have chose to drop the auto is for several reasons, such as fuel economy, a better driving experience, and that no one else (as far as we know) has done this. Don't worry about us having experience, we will be doing a resto on his DD next summer, and I will be doing as little work as I can so he can gain the experience that I have. As for what his mom said, it was more along of the lines that there is currently nowhere to work on it, and that he does not have that much cash right now. All in all, it will be done right. If you're still not confident, my next project is a 65 D100 that needs the bed floor replaced, cab swap, and conversion from a 3spd to 4spd w/OD. Whatever skills we lack, we will learn by experience. There is not much here that if screwed up, can not just be done over. I am done here for now, and will be back the next time I work on the car.

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Definitely two schools of thought, and this goes on all the time in the hobby I would not be opposed to making changes in seating and the engine/drivetrain, but I would be careful not to change or alter the car itself, as most of what you intend can be reversed. I'd advise to save all the original things removed, and keep them so that the next owner may want to restore the car to original and keep it's value intact. You can have the best of both worlds.. It just takes a little planning. I agree that the original engine has plenty of torque and the standard 3 speed in the car is more than adequate.. Of course, rowing through the gears provides a lot of satisfaction to many of us, and all this is going to take is a clutch pedal and some modification of the transmission tunnel which can be reversed in the future. As to myself, I never leave a car original, and have personalized most everything I have ever owned, and that experience is quite extensive. Good luck on your project.

[Ronald G. Stephenson]

Now, in reading down the list of threads, I realize that some of us have already commented and attempted to advise the new owner as to what we would do with HIS prize. For the most part, we have wasted our breath and he is going to do whatever suits HIM at this point in his life. I even went so far at to advise him to sell the car, save the money, and put it toward a good education. And now, he is talking of customizing the car. So be it. I am finished and am not taking the bait any more. The rest of you may have the pleasure.

[KJ4YXY]

Originally Posted by Ronald G. Stephenson

Now, in reading down the list of threads, I realize that some of us have already commented and attempted to advise the new owner as to what we would do with HIS prize. For the most part, we have wasted our breath and he is going to do whatever suits HIM at this point in his life. I even went so far at to advise him to sell the car, save the money, and put it toward a good education. And now, he is talking of customizing the car. So be it. I am finished and am not taking the bait any more. The rest of you may have the pleasure.

Hey, I said that is what I WANT to do but my mom will not let me do it as noted in a previous thread. So I am far far away with doing anything major.

[KJ4YXY]

Originally Posted by Ronald G. Stephenson

Definitely two schools of thought, and this goes on all the time in the hobby I would not be opposed to making changes in seating and the engine/drivetrain, but I would be careful not to change or alter the car itself, as most of what you intend can be reversed. I'd advise to save all the original things removed, and keep them so that the next owner may want to restore the car to original and keep it's value intact. You can have the best of both worlds.. It just takes a little planning. I agree that the original engine has plenty of torque and the standard 3 speed in the car is more than adequate.. Of course, rowing through the gears provides a lot of satisfaction to many of us, and all this is going to take is a clutch pedal and some modification of the transmission tunnel which can be reversed in the future. As to myself, I never leave a car original, and have personalized most everything I have ever owned, and that experience is quite extensive. Good luck on your project.

Well somehow you people must have misunderstood me, i never meant to want to change anything like for example turning iit into a convertible, but just small stuff to improve my personal taste of driving experience.