As work continues on Project Sunny, it’s important for us to stay focused on the final goal of putting this Range Rover back together correctly some day. It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement during teardown, but it’s important to be methodical about your work during this critical phase. As we work to get the cargo floor out, we thought we’d share these three pieces of advice for future restorers.
Come with a plan – Before you start tearing things apart, make sure you understand how it was put together. Just like building a car, restoring one requires a certain sequence.
Stay organized – When the parts start flying, stacking them up in a corner of the garage or setting them on a random shelf is only a short-term solution. Get them together in a safe, clean spot, and group them by their type and locations. For instance, I keep all my light assemblies in one box together. For large parts, get them off the floor and store them correctly. I picked up a body shop storage cart made just for body parts to hold doors and other large panels.
Document everything – Label every loose assembly or major hardware as soon as you can. It’s easy to forget which part is what when there’s a pile of parts on your bench (or floor). I use waterproof labels and a permanent marker, because you never know what might damage or contaminate it. I also make notes about its location, routing, attachment details, original finish and other significant details that I know I’m going to forget.
Check out the video below for more details and to see the progress we’ve made on the Range Rover.