>> What does anyone think? Anyone who has done this - how long
>>does it take to swap parts from one car to another, keeping in mind
>>that the '77 is stripped?
Mike,
Having just been through almost the identical scenario that you
describe, I feel that I can speak with some authority.
I had a rough-but-running '67 BGT from which I transferred all the
mechanicals to another nearly completely stripped '67 BGT. There were
subtle differences between the two bodies (i.e. reverse lights) but they
were essentially the same.
There are good points and bad points to doing this type of project.
On the good side:
1. I was able to respray the body shell without having to do too much
stripping at all, this saved a lot of time. The paint had time to cure
while I finished the rest of the project. This was a bonus.
2. The "donor" car provided a ready reference for everything I was about to
do to the "project" car. This really proved invaluable in the cases where I
didn't actually transfer the parts. For instance, I ordered a new wiring
harness from Victoria Brit. (the shell was sans-harness). I could never
have installed it in such a short time if I had not had the other one to
refer to.
3. You can do one thing at a time and leave other things undisturbed until
you are ready. (i.e. The engine is still sitting there fully assembled
while you paint the engine compartment...neat).
On the bad side:
1. It is UNBELIEVABLY time consuming. You must literally remove every nut,
bolt, screw, washer, etc., etc., from the donor car, evaluate it, clean it,
wire brush it, paint it, and so on before you attempt to put it on the
project car. And often, because you wanted the part from the donor more,
you have to remove the same, more worn part, from the project car also.
This translates into many hours. But I guess you could make the argument
that you end up with a better finished product.
2. It takes more space. You need the space for both cars, plus the space to
work. Better keep them close together, because you will be making thousands
of trips between the two. (I still don't have the guts to get rid of my
donor, might need sumpin', never know.)
Don't want to scare you off of the project, and I think your reasons for
considering it are sound. I had similar reasons for doing it, after I found
out my car was about 50% plastic.
Good luck,
Jeff Zuckerman
(2) '67 BGTs, one happy, one sad
1 '71 roadster, wondering when the heck it gets to look pretty
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