Restoring my car using computer

[Bigfury]

Looking for ideas of how to keep track of restoring a Cuda with help from a lap top!!!! Its winter and no heat in the garage leaves me with time to get other things ready. Would like to keep track of nuts & bolts. Be able to price shop with the extra time. Would like to buy what is needed once and hopefully have must of it when the assembly starts. My lap top has Microsoft excel & office 2010. My computer skills are very limited,or I wouldn't be asking. But if I had an idea where to start. Thanks in advance.

[tx9aarcuda]

I wish I had a laptop and a digital camera when I started my restoration it would have made assembling the car so much easier. Half way though the restoration (10  + year restoration) I had the laptop and digital camera.  Learn how to use excel. When I took my dash apart I took a picture of the dash and put it in an excel spread sheet and was able to document where every screw and clip went. Bag and tag every part.

[Katfish]

Bag and tag, no truer words have ever been spoken!
Funny how time gets away from you, memory fades. Best to have notes.

[Cuda54]

Take a lot of pics before you start and as you are taking it apart. And tag every part and bolt bag.  If need be give each part a number and each bolt bag a number that matches the part they are from. That way you know that the last number is your starting point on putting it back in place in order. So that you do not try to mount a part  that there is parts you need to put under it. Some cameras do videos so if you need to you can do a little video where all of the bolts go in around the parts as you remove them. The more you can do as you take it apart to document what you are doing the better. I know guys that used buckets for the bolts took the car all apart. And did not get back at the car for 2 years and had no clue where it all went by then.  So just in case some thing happens and you can not get back at it you will still know where it all goes. Back after I got out of high school I worked on car as much as I could. I would change engines and rebuild them too. I was a real car guy back then I drove a 1970 AAR 340 6 pack 4 speed 391 posi. And I could look at a bolt and tell you where it went on a car and some I could tell you what torque it needed to. But guys that did not live cars like that could really make a mess of a good car quick. It is better to keep track of all of the parts big and small so that you can get them back the right way. Try to get the right bolt back where it came from you sure do not need a rattle some where in the car when your done and have a couple of dozen bolts and some nuts left over. Good Luck!!

[burdar]

I took pictures of every fastener before I removed it from the car.  I organized them in a plastic bin.  Every bin has a piece of paper in it and a description of what all the fasteners go to. 

Also, don't just tear apart everything all at once.  Disassemble the car in subassemblies.  Leave those subassemblies together until you are ready to work on them.  Go from one subassembly to the next.  This way, things won't be torn apart for years and years.  You will be less likely to loose fasteners and you'll remember how it all goes back together.

[74 challenge]

Having to work in large data bases at work for a living I really think Excel can be a huge help here.

Everyone is right store your restroation data in several places and always bag and tag so even if you lose the data you can re-assemble.

Excel is a very powerfull tool, you would be able to organise everything bag number, description of goods in the bag, pictures, organise it by sub assemblies, use colors to indicate what parts need to be ordered, ability to sort the information quickly, search the information, ability to add numbers set up a few calculations that will auto sum every time you change something etc... I could go on for hours. I use excel to help keep commercial operations at the Canadian border flowing I am positive it can handle your restroation. 

Excel comes on most pc's meaning free, for what you need to do fairly easy to operate, and all the answers are on google. Best part is when your done excel knowledge is aways an asset in your career!

I know when it comes to restoration I will be going this route for managing my inventory and all information.

[Bigfury]

I'd like to thank everyone for all the information. Trying to make the best of being indoors doing this cold a$$ weather.

[dodj]

Bag and tag, no truer words have ever been spoken!
Funny how time gets away from you, memory fades. Best to have notes.

That's how I did my car(1989). Little plastic bags and lots of twist ties and little yellow tags in the bags. After a couple of years, some of those tags weren't quite descriptive enough.
Camera and a laptop would have been awesome. Didn't have one then, now I have three digital cameras, two laptops and three tablets. I ready for the next one if I ever find a 69 Charger, 71 or 72 RoadRunner, or any year 'cuda to work on.

[usraptr]

Take a lot of pics before you start and as you are taking it apart. And tag every part and bolt bag.  If need be give each part a number and each bolt bag a number that matches the part they are from. That way you know that the last number is your starting point on putting it back in place in order. So that you do not try to mount a part  that there is parts you need to put under it. Some cameras do videos so if you need to you can do a little video where all of the bolts go in around the parts as you remove them. The more you can do as you take it apart to document what you are doing the better. I know guys that used buckets for the bolts took the car all apart. And did not get back at the car for 2 years and had no clue where it all went by then.  So just in case some thing happens and you can not get back at it you will still know where it all goes. Back after I got out of high school I worked on car as much as I could. I would change engines and rebuild them too. I was a real car guy back then I drove a 1970 AAR 340 6 pack 4 speed 391 posi. And I could look at a bolt and tell you where it went on a car and some I could tell you what torque it needed to. But guys that did not live cars like that could really make a mess of a good car quick. It is better to keep track of all of the parts big and small so that you can get them back the right way. Try to get the right bolt back where it came from you sure do not need a rattle some where in the car when your done and have a couple of dozen bolts and some nuts left over. Good Luck!!

  and take more pics than you think you need.  I bagged and tagged and every now and then I'm still stumped because I didn't take the "right picture".  That's where the members on the forum come through.  They are a wealth of information, great people and more than willing to help!   

[burdar]

I'm still stumped because I didn't take the "right picture".

No kidding!  How frustrating is that....  You take the time to snap hundreds of pics and when it comes time to put it back together, the pic you need is just a couple inches to the left of the one you took.

[arcticmopar]

Always back up your images or print them, never just assume they are going to be on your camera or computer when reasembly time comes. Sounds simple but I've seen it hapen to someone up here last summer, all photos were lost!