Hi Steve,
My late reply: Get a second roadster as a daily driver! Once you have one,
you're gonna end up with more anyway. You can enjoy the ride while you do
that frame-off. Like you, I've owned my '68 2L since the early '70's but
put it aside for almost 20 years when the kids came along. My frame-off
restoration started 3 years ago, now in parts in boxes everywhere, no where
near finished.
Why? I bought a '70 1600 parts car, and fixed it up as a daily driver. It's
a great feeling meeting other roadster owners at get-togethers and shows,
and wonderful how we all help each other out (or cry about our mishaps).
Along came a '66 1600, I rebuilt a U20, and now it's a '66 2L. All my
effort is in keeping the running cars going. The frame-off became less
important than riding with my new friends. If I had to do it all over
again, I would still do the frame-off. That's what got me hooked. But
seriously consider getting a 2nd roadster as a daily driver. If not
possible, make a fast-track time-schedule and stick to it. As someone else
mentioned, triple your estimates on the cost!
Take your pick of ANY roadster and enjoy the ride. My '68 2L is an old
friend, as it was my college car and my date car for me and my wife
(pre-marriage days), but it will take me a while to complete. I now prefer
my '66 2L, it just feels so sweet to drive but I won't take it everywhere.
The '70 1600 is like a Timex watch, rugged and dependable and easy to fix,
and goes anywhere. Two choices for different conditions, that's what works
for me.
BTW, on my frame-off work and other complex work, I videotape everything.
Pictures don't tell the whole story. When confused on how something goes
back together, I play the videotape with the narration of how it was taken
apart, and how the parts fit together. And thanks to Tom Walter, I bagged
and marked all my parts (still sitting in boxes after 3 years I wouldn't
remember what they were!)
Cheers, Fred Katz
So.SF, Calif.
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