Order of Work Guide
The whole restoration in order: what waits for what, and why.
Classic car restorer
Restoring a 1970s pickup, one job at a time
I’m Emiko. I’m restoring a small 1970s pickup in a rented garage and film every job. I sell the guides I wrote along the way.
The build
The truck, job by job
Three tracks run side by side and meet twice: for the trial fit, then for the paint and final assembly.
Done · 40 h
Body
Strip, patch and prime the cab
Branches from Pull the engine and gearbox · Rejoins at Engine back in for a trial fit
Done · 60 h
Done · 45 h
Done · 8 h
Mechanical
Engine, brakes and suspension
Branches from Pull the engine and gearbox · Rejoins at Engine back in for a trial fit
Done · 70 h
Done · 30 h
Interior
Wiring, seat and trim
Branches from The order, as a guide · Rejoins at Final assembly
Done · 35 h
Seat, trim and headlining
Doing · 20 of 30 h
Done · 12 h
Engine back in for a trial fit
Done · 10 h
Next · about 40 h
Final assembly
Next · about 50 h
Spring 2027
Downloads, a course and merch
Shop
Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.
PDF
DownloadsPDF
DownloadsBare Metal Checklist
From the first strip to the first coat of primer, step by step.
PDF
DownloadsTorque Sheet
Every torque figure I used on the engine, brakes and body, on one page.
PDF
DownloadsWiring Loom Guide
Testing, repairing and redrawing an old loom, circuit by circuit.
PDF
DownloadsRust Repair Guide
Cutting out, shaping and welding in small patches on thin steel.
PDF
DownloadsPaint Prep Checklist
Filler, guide coat and primer: the checks before any colour goes on.
Latest videos
One job at a time, in the order the truck needs it.
16:00Nov 5 · 16:00
Stripping the truck down to the shell
Every bolt bagged and labelled, and 400 photos before anything goes in a box.
12:00Nov 4 · 12:00
Pulling the engine with a borrowed crane
Mounts, hoses and the one bolt that took an hour.
14:00Nov 3 · 14:00
Sanding the doors back to bare metal
Grits, a block and what I found under the second coat of paint.
Newsletter
Garage notes
A short email when a job is finished: what I did, what it took and what's next.
About
Hello, I’m Emiko
I’m Emiko. I bought a small 1970s pickup that had sat in a field for twenty years, and I’m restoring it in a rented garage, evenings and weekends.
I film every job and write up what order it went in. I sell my order of work guide, checklists, a torque sheet and two courses, and I don't sell parts.