Just so that it is said, this car is in such remarkable condition for it's age that it really
does not need to come apart or be restored. Body mounts are still very nice, there's no rust to be addressed and all it really needs is a good cleaning of the frame rails and suspension to dial it in. I'm picking up a fresh pail of evapo-rust today and plan to soak the original front springs which I may actually reuse since they are in such nice condition. I'll clean and strip all the original hard lines and get them dialed back to look like they should. Also picked up a new Bio-Agent that will strip the paint from all of the clips and fasteners and hopefully clean them up without harming any original plating that remains? More on that after some tests are performed.
I picked up a couple new cleaning agents yesterday and will remove the exhaust system later today so that I can get at the rear frame rails and will see how well the Lloyd's Fight Back Graffiti remover does to address removal of the previous owners spray paint work (one layer at a time). If that works out I will slowly work my way forward from there and take it one section at a time. Of course this all depends on the performance of the cleaners, reducers or whatever is needed to accomplish the cleaning this car deserves. I do not want to paint the underside nor do I think the car needs it.
In dealing with the diff, I'll pull it out so that I can thoroughly clean it and touch it up as needed. That will allow me to drop the rear springs and completely dial them back to stock factory appearance using the chemicals at hand. I will then treat them to Boeshield T-9 to coat the springs and protect them once cleaned. Once all of the hard lines and e-brake cables are cleaned and addressed, I'll likely coat them with Boeshield as well. Last thing I want to do here is fully restore the bottom of the car. It simply doesn't need it and would be an injustice of sorts. I'm going to be keeping that front of mind as I clean and preserve the bottom of the car. If I can accomplish that w/o needing to remove the sub frame, then my mission will have been accomplished.
My next few posts should start to reveal some results being met.
