I would kill to restore and/or modify a car.
My neighbor is currently restoring a Mustang at his shop and my uncle spent awhile restoring a Chevy, if I remember correctly.
About 2 months ago, I was at work going to a job in the van and we were at a set traffic lights in Dandenong. Next to us was two young blokes in a half turn down ute looks like it was half way through some work, it was amazing even in the state it was in and sounded like a dream with it's V8 and subs.
Today, I remembered it and spent all this morning trying to find out what car it was since it had no badges.
So, what's the best way to get into car restoration and modification?
My dad is a diesel mechanic by trade and would most likely be up for it but we don't really have the space at home to do anything and my dad isn't THAT knowledgeable with cars :\
Turns out it was mid 90's Holden Rodeo LS Spacecab, I believe.
Depends on finances, available time, car models of interest and how deep in you want to get.
First figure out what you want to work on and what is practical with cost ie. offroader, something from japan, aussie, muscle, european etc. All options are fairly well represented in this thread.
Figure out how deep and complex you want to get. I bought a car that drove fine with transmission, engine and body in fairly good condition, but basically everything in need of some work. It allows you to get greasy and need to take basically everything apart. I didn't need to cut or replace any floor pans or body panels which makes it a lot easier. A lot of guys at school bought fairly recent model cars and set about improving them with simplish stuff-cold air intakes, sounds system, new wheels+rubber etc. A nice mx5 can be picked up with change for 10k which would make a sweet project, but in all reality this can be done to anything-just don't do a p-plater pimp mobile. Or you can go really deep with a full body off restoration, but that is getting very complicated.
Space is essential-the deeper you go into a resto/modification the more space you will need. After some negotiation with my incredibly accommodating parents, I've basically taken over the garage. There were peices of engine lying around for weeks at a time. For that reason, along with I'm assuming a relative lack of mechanical expertise, I would lean towards a more recent model or one that doesn't require taking apart completely so jobs can be completed across a couple of afternoons and you can surrender the garage back to your parents when they need it. This route is often cheaper as less will require replacing on the way.
Regarding mechanical knowledge, with old cars at least a person put it together, meaning a person can take it apart again, usually relatively simply.
Figure out what you are interested in, what is financially realistic, track down a couple of cars on-line that you would be interested in buying then approach your dad about it. The more comprehensive the plan the more likely it is he'll say yes.
