Several of you have helped me with various issues on my 61 Olds 98; electric, cooling, brakes, carburetor. Ever since I've been given this car in 2010, it has been sort of a basket case. Nothing was adjusted properly, brakes didn't work properly, wires hanging inside the cab, heating not working, vents not working, parts missing and / or deleted, original fuel lines from tank to pump, original suspension, MAJOR body damage. These are some of the things that will need attention someday.

My question is what takes priority? It drives nicely, sounds OK, interior definitely needs work. It looks somewhat of a beater, from the wrong angles.

Do I have someone replace the weathered, old, broken apart rubber bushings on the suspension first? Do I have them upgrade control arms, links, bushings, etc.?
Do I worry about the body? It has a severe rear-end dent, gramps was rear-ended in the early 90's before he stored it away until I owned it. It would take thousands for someone to repair, as well as the passenger front quarter and head light area.
Do I replace the fuel lines / hose where I can from tank to pump?
Do I leave well enough alone until things break / stop working, then replace them? (If it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of thing?)

Looking for some guidance here.

Thanks all.

 

My .02.

Fix or replace fuel line, not something to mess around with. Same with brake lines.
Fix bushings, if you want to upgrade you can but not necessary
work on body as time and money permits.

 

Mike - All good questions. I suspect what you may want to do is prioritize your list based upon one or several factors. Start scratching out on a piece of paper what your priorities are/might be. A couple suggestions:

(1) Vehicle purpose - daily driver, weekend hobbyist vehicle, show car (concourse vs. non-concourse) restoration;
(2) Budget - can be expensive, depends on purpose of vehicle - deep pockets or not so deep;
(3) Facility - do you have the facilities & tools to perform the work - will you perform all the work or shop-out some work or all the work;
(4) Time - can you determine the amount of time you want/have to work on the car?

 

^^^THIS^^^

Brakes and fuel delivery should take precedence.

 

Yup, all the rubber fluid lines, first, then suspension rubber.

 

Priority would be anything that is safety oriented first - brakes, fuel system, tires, electrical, and anything that would leave you stranded away from home while driving, etc. Followed by engine and powertrain, lastly would be cosmetic - body and interior.

 

Good advice above. The single highest priority - BRAKES

 

Brakes AND Tires first !
Are you planning to take the car to "Back to the 50's" ?

 

Thank you for all the suggestions / input.

This is definitely an annual vehicle; it is stored in the garage from about September to April. It is not driven during those months. I maybe drive it on the weekends here and there. I maybe rack up 200 miles per year if that.

I have a single car garage, space is limited. Pockets are shallow for this. This is more of a weekend project when I feel like tinkering with it. No contests, no pressing car shows, etc.

I did upgrade the brake booster, it is a year old. Brand new. Has a dual reservoir MC. Long runs of lines are rusty, but no leaks.

Lines from the fuel pump, to glass bowl fuel filter, to carb, are all brand new within the past few months. They are steel, 3/8 line with double flares connections.
Rubber, to hard line along the frame, to rubber again into the fuel pump, original.

So to sum it up,
1) should I go ahead and get to running a new steel fuel line along the frame, with new rubber hose on either end?
2) Brakes are good, strong, it'll stop in a hurry if it needs to. Ebrake works fine as well. Leave the brakes alone? Like I said, zero leaks. A couple chunks of line have been replaced in the rear, from wheel cylinders to rear drums. Long runs of brake line look ok, but rusty.

 

Ralph, I sure am. This is going to be my 5th year there with the Olds.

 

Check the age of the tires.
Do you have an assigned parking spot at "Back to the 50's" ?

 

I bought brand new tires about 4 years ago. Good shape.
I do not have an assigned spot. We usually just fund a decent place with some shade that we can setup our canopy under.