WillardMoose

I'm hoping to inspire others looking to work on their Vette without the luxury of a car lift, air tools, or experience.

First off let me thank all those who didn't buy my Vette when it was listed on Cars.com, this forum, and eBay. Thanks also to the forum member whotold me about building rapids to get the front high enough to fit my floor jack.

After debating selling and body off restoration, I've come back to reality: my garage, my Vette, and me. Bought Jack stands and a spinner lug nut wrench tonight, got it lifted and wheels removed. Game plan is: New rear suspension, check the diff, rebuilt the 4 speed, and rebuild the front suspension.

Stay tuned...

persuader

Nice looking Vette! I'm sure I won't be the only one looking out for this one.

brent319

Glad you kept it! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Alan 71

Hi WM,
Probably many more cars are worked on WITHOUT a lift and air tools, than WITH.
And the EXPERIENCE will come gradually and with some personal satisfaction!
Carry On!
Regards,
Alan

billcarson

Willard she is a beauty all right and best of luck with the restoration.if i can make one recommendation to you it would be to buy a floor jack.you will be lifting it numerous times,even when you think your done.just got mine for my 62 birthday.i should not have waited so long.

sstopczy

I did my exhaust, radiator, front suspension, rear suspension, and brakes without a lift or air tools. Lots of laying on the garage floor, but it is worth it when you can feel the improvements. My advice is do a little at a time, do the suspension then drive it a little. Then start on the next part. This gives you time to enjoy it in between and it prevented me from giving up on a large project. Good luck!

minitech

A free safety trick is to slide a tire on the rim under each side if you are going to leave it up like that. That way if it falls it will rest on the tire/rim and not keep you from breathing while you call for help.

Tahlee

I'm looking forward to your thread. Good luck!

540 vette

Get your self a basic tool set and then buy tools as the need arises. You don't have to buy the best, just what you can afford.

WillardMoose

I just found the jack! Went around and around when I bought the car trying to get the seller to replace the jack. They're $180! I'm working on the interior wiring today and just discovered the lift out bin behind the passenger seat and the jack was under it! Small victories.

Alan 71

Hi WM,
This probably means that you know more about this car already than the previous owner did!
Small victories keep us going.
Regards,
Alan

briankeery

Great thread idea, continued success.

kanvasman

Mine has been jacked like that for almost a year ( my how time flies). I actually started putting it back together a few weeks ago with new floor pans. I put a couple of more jack stands under it,, like under the front vacuum tank and under the rear. Think about what you might do in case one of these 4 fails. But get the floor jack from HF. As said before, buy what you need when you need it, take your time and get ready to enjoy it when you say " I did that". And ask lots of question shere. Good luck.

PeteZO6

Your Corvette looks good!
Most of us started out with little knowledge and few tools. I used my Air Force issued tools that I carried in a canvas bag to work on my first car. And it needed a lot of work because it had been abused by previous owners.
If you can afford Craftsman tools, buy then for their lifetime guarantee. Otherwise, Harbor Freight tools are inexpensive and seem good quality for the price.
Good luck,
Pete

7t9l82

may you have many hours of enjoyment wrenching and driving.
im partial to red 79's with doeskin interiors.

SciVette

"...without the luxury of a car lift, air tools, or experience."

Hey, have you been peeking in on my garage??? I'm right there with you, and will definitely follow you on this thread. Good luck; have fun.

AboveTheLogic

$300-$400 on some basic air tools and a good racing floor jack from harbor freight REALLY goes a long way.

I would not have enjoyed installing the street & slalom kit on my C3 without my air tools. A mid-range impact gun and an air hammer aren't terribly expensive. I have an air ratchet and am glad that I have it, but I don't use it very often.

I remember a member of the camaro forum I used to frequent talked about how much he liked his rechargable impact gun. If I didn't already have the air compressor, I'd seriously consider one of those. I hear they're great for the junkyard.

Tim 1973

Good looking Vette, I started my first project with just a small amount of tools, bought them as I needed to work on a 37 Dodge PU. Moved a few times once with out a garage so I rented some space in a barn.

2005 I moved to a place I purchased with a few acres. now have a shop that I purchased on the internet and I'm outgrowing the 40' x 30' space. Still do not have a lift but its on the list.

Good luck....

Tim

AboveTheLogic

This is also my story. 10 years passed by and I realized that it would cost at least $10,000 to replace all of my tools!

I thought about taking out an insurance policy to protect against theft but I don't think I could actually make any claims without receipts.

Tim 1973

My home owners covers me up to 10k in personal property theft in the event the low life person was to get away alive. My severance cameras will surely give the law something to go with if they were to get through my gate and shotgun. I put loop detectors in our road that rings a bell in the house and shop when someone drives down our road.