Advice on a 411 Project

[DannyO]

I guess I don't quite know where to put this post so it's going here.

 

I've been working on this 411 for a while now but rust seems like it will prevent me from actually finishing this project. There's simply so much metal missing. I don't think I have the ability to fix this car properly and I'm scared I would ruin whatever is left of this thing if I tried. A full restoration seems unrealistic with the state it's in and I don't know if I have the engineering or welding experience to just start cutting away. For the right person or shop, I think this car might be an opportunity to take a 411 and heavily modify it without the guilt of irreparably changing a classic car. Or maybe I'm being delusional and it's only good for scrap.

 

I guess I'm asking for advice. What would you do now? Is it sacrilege for me to grab an angle grinder and just start ripping this car down to whatever's left? Any knowledge and past experience you could share is appreciated.

 

The motor is about to go onto a test stand so I should know if it runs in the next couple weeks. If it does, I'm not sure what that means for the project. With that being said, what is a running J13 worth? I couldn't find much of anything on the classifieds. 

 

 

The rest of this thread will be rust pictures so you can get an idea of what I'm looking at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thisismatt]

*cue Elsa*

 

Looks like a parts car to me, but worse have been saved (Z cars & 510s, though).

[frankendat]

Like most projects, three things to consider:  First, determine the quality of work needed for satisfaction second, estimate the anticipated time to complete the project (The unwritten rule is to double estimated time, but for the sake of argument, let's assume deadlines will be met). Finally, with whatever financial software you own, or with pencil and paper, map out the budget for your project.  

 

Compile the aforementioned information into three sections and realize that only two of the three will  be available at any one time. Restoration/rebuilding old vehicles is a suckers game. If you are not in it for the journey, the experience will be unsatisfying. But, if you have abundance, in any of the three sections e.g. a high five figure budget, or a friend/relative who owns a body shop and owes you favors, or if you're content to let the project become a simple hobby, that progresses along and may or may not ever be complete, then the  odds of satisfaction dramatically increase. While any of the later three examples will greatly enhance the  restoration/rebuild experience, adoption of the last section, can take tasks beyond acceptable and closer to  enjoyable (I find joy in completion of tasks, not so much in the tasks themselves and break down tasks into sub tasks and sub sub tasks for more completion i.e. more joy)