Mine is Bone stock 8 cylinder w/ 3 on the tree.  35,000 original miles.

Let us know what you need help with. We are happy to chip in with advise.

Pictures of the worrisome parts of your Chieftan?  We love pictures.

Rick

I need to restore the car.  It is all original but has been sitting in the barn for 90% of the last 40 years.  I started the car 10 years ago and she ran very well.  Like an idiot I put back in the barn.

My question is where do I start,?

2 hours ago, Alweeja said:

I need to restore the car.  It is all original but has been sitting in the barn for 90% of the last 40 years.  I started the car 10 years ago and she ran very well.  Like an idiot I put back in the barn.

My question is where do I start,?

I would start with researching all the parts you will need Al 

engine rebuild parts or someone to do that work , same for the gear box and diff 

find a good panel shop to give you a quote to repaint the body 

find a good upholsterer get a quote from them

decided what work you want  to do yourself and what you need to farm out.  
 

and really get your head around what you want the 53 to be . Full restoration , modified for a nice drive etc 

then go for it , strip it down 

send out what you need rebuilt 

or even look for a shop that has a good reputation and let them do the work …

personally I so enjoy building !  It’s way more fun than getting someone else to do it and pay wayyyy too much money ! 
 

 

To add to Kiwi’s points……

Be realistic on your own mechanical, electrical, fabrication and body work skills. Farm out what you are not good at. It’s okay to learn new skills while restoring your car but learn to know when you are in over your head and get it done right by someone else.

Bag and tag (label) everything. Photograph everything before and as you disassemble the car. Stay organized with your photos and parts, especially the hardware like nuts and bolts. Have lots of storage space for all the boxes, crates, and large parts to go while everything is apart  Reference your photos when you start to reassemble the car.

Is this a full nut and bolt restoration or is it some thing less than that like a frame-on restoration? That will dictate your cost.

Identify missing or broken key parts like inside and outside trim, badges, tail lights, etc, and then research possible sources for those parts. 

It’s okay to upgrade or change things unless you are doing a concurs restoration. Installing air conditioning, upgrade from 6-volt to 12-volts, seat belts, disc brakes, overdrive transmission, modern radios are popular and sensible changes many folks do. Make the car yours.

Restoring a car is simple properly restoring thousands of individual parts, and then putting them back together CAREFULLY! So break it down into mini-projects. Think of the expression “How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time!” Don’t get overwhelmed.

There is no time limit to getting it done unless you make one. Your wallet and life will dictate how fast you get it done. It’s more important to do it right than get it done quickly.

You get to judge when a task or the car itself is done.

 

Edited February 11, 20251 yr by Frosty

👍 

13 hours ago, Frosty said:

To add to Kiwi’s points……

Be realistic on your own mechanical, electrical, fabrication and body work skills. Farm out what you are not good at. It’s okay to learn new skills while restoring your car but learn to know when you are in over your head and get it done right by someone else.

Bag and tag (label) everything. Photograph everything before and as you disassemble the car. Stay organized with your photos and parts, especially the hardware like nuts and bolts. Have lots of storage space for all the boxes, crates, and large parts to go while everything is apart  Reference your photos when you start to reassemble the car.

Is this a full nut and bolt restoration or is it some thing less than that like a frame-on restoration? That will dictate your cost.

Identify missing or broken key parts like inside and outside trim, badges, tail lights, etc, and then research possible sources for those parts. 

It’s okay to upgrade or change things unless you are doing a concurs restoration. Installing air conditioning, upgrade from 6-volt to 12-volts, seat belts, disc brakes, overdrive transmission, modern radios are popular and sensible changes many folks do. Make the car yours.

Restoring a car is simple properly restoring thousands of individual parts, and then putting them back together CAREFULLY! So break it down into mini-projects. Think of the expression “How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time!” Don’t get overwhelmed.

There is no time limit to getting it done unless you make one. Your wallet and life will dictate how fast you get it done. It’s more important to do it right than get it done quickly.

You get to judge when a task or the car itself is done.

 

Great ideas

Just now, Alweeja said:

Great ideas

Thanks