ChattanoogaJSB

Now that the insurance issue is settled, I'm looking to see what to do about my '64 coupe after being hit by the semi.

For those of you who want to follow along, I'll let this be my starting thread.

First, I've not decided 100% to keep it. Let's say I'm 85% today. The car runs and drives, the frame was unhit and the demolished door still closes as before. It is fixable and has a clear title. I have considered if I should sell and add it to my settlement check and simply move on to a done car. The only reason I would do this is the almost certain start of a new job in a few weeks that will end my "stay at home dad" period of much more free time.

Option 2 is to do the suspension work (Bairs as my ally) and farm out the paint to a trusted shop, which the market cost these days isn't cheap. I'll eat up am enormous cost having it painted, but I'll be free to work and wait on the car.

Option 3, where I am leaning, is to do the suspension, fix the collision damage, and strip the lacquer and paint it myself. Two years ago I bought this car because I wanted to paint, but it matched and was just too good to pause the use and dive in. This option will allow me to upgrade a great many aspects of a car that I love and trust and which suits me better than any I'm going to find done.

Daytona blue on a 64 coupe with a combo color interior (silver) and a rocking frame and cage made this car ideal. We have had great times together, and this story only adds another element- albeit a battle scar.

I realize there will be naysayers on paint- some won't attempt it in this sphere. I painted my 69 nicely years ago from a stripped carcass and I'm not the least bit afraid to do it again. I doubt with our crew I can get away with such a simple statement, so let the words of warning fly!

Thanks to ifitgoesfast I already bought and have a slick early 64 complete door, and thanks to Bairs I have the lock pillar cover. The only major body component I need is a quarter (easy to obtain) and perhaps the body mount cover section of the fenderwell.

Today I got my 65 KH 5.5 shod with a new matching tire and drove the car a quarter mile in the neighborhood. I can't tell you men how good it felt to get it off the ground. The rear damage at the TA is holding the side up slightly at 27.5", about half an inch.

I'm going to start by posting a few shots in general, and later in the weekend I'll add some of the suspension.

Happy Fourth!

Benton

ChattanoogaJSB

sixtysixtom

I would go with option #2, unless you really want to take the car off the road for a lengthy period of time. Definitely keep the car, I think you would regret getting rid of it.
My .02
Tom

Pilot Dan

I like option3 best. Get the suspension squared away and do the body repairs as part of a complete repaint. It will give you much more flexibility to get the panels aligned and make a seamless repair. I bet once you strip off that old lacquer paint, you will find a few more things that need to be addressed and you will be glad you went the extra mile. It's a lot of work to strip the car yourself (I did mine myself, hated those small areas around the jambs) but very rewarding when you deliver the stripped car to the paint shop and watch the color go back on.
In the end, you will have a car (your car) back and better than before. Go for it !!!!!!!!! Pilot Dan

leif.anderson93

Benton,

You love this car. Is there really any other option than #3?? Of course, if you're going to be away from home quite a bit with the new job than option #2. Either way, she's a keeper and you will be so much more in tune with her once you get under her "skin". Happy 4th

ChattanoogaJSB

Thanks men! The new job will not be traveling to the huge extent I had before, I'm weighing the hours the car job will need just the same in context of family duty.

That said, I do feel a strong bond to this car and I've always enjoyed "doing it myself."

If anyone has any comments on my suspension or would like to see other photos taken please let me know. I cannot see any one truly egregious bend in the trailing arm, but I suspect it may be a combination of stress on the hub, arm, lower shock mount, strut etc. I did notice the long bolt on the spring was riding way inboard inside the hole in the big leaf- probably a result of how it was torqued but maybe the spring is ok. Also, the half shaft "looks" ok. We will see.

6T5RUSH

Benton, thru this forum I feel I've known you a long time. So, to one mid year lover to another, keep it, fix her mechanically and have her painted.

Just on how you feel about this 64 AND the recent fact of a new job giving you less time to "play with her, I'm with the first poster...option 2. Do your homework on the shop of your choice and have her done. Spend your off time with your family, checking in on the cars progress as your new job allows.

Just my 02...

Good luck on the new job and your decision.



Jim
In God We Trust!

ps. HAPPY 4th!

DansYellow66

If you enjoy doing a little body work and the satisfaction of doing your own paint job - I would vote for that. The damage there is going to take some work, but it's really not difficult stuff - nothing like having to replace a front end clip. A door, rear quarter and couple misc panels is pretty manageable. I can't recall if that blue is a metallic finish - if not, PPG single stage concept is really a nice paint to work with. Just put on enough coats so that you can sand it down flat and buff - pretty much like lacquer once it's on the car. Good luck whatever you decide.

dahogan

Keep her in her hour of need.

ifitgoesfast

I think keep this 64. You looked for this one for a long time, and given the apparent bond, I think you really do want to see it back on the road vs the financial and available time reasoning stated . It makes economical sense to just sell it and buy another one, but this 64 will be that one car you remember for years to come.

Tough choice though. If you sell and buy another one, you'll get to enjoy it right away. If you fix this one and it takes a year, the driving enjoyment is delayed, but the satisfaction will be greater than a replacement car that will always, in your heart, be a substitution. Your current 64 has a story. The replacement one will always be just that. And you'll wonder what ever happened to that 64 you had.

Good luck. I'll be watching this thread.

John

Tossin

I agree with the keeping and fixing. The suspension isn't that bad to go through - if I was able to redo the front and rear on my own over last summer while having both kids at home, planning a new house, etc., anyone can do it. I painted mine, too. I didn't do lacquer and it looks decent (it was a bit of a rush job due to my father's health at the time) and I'd do it again if I had the time.

It would be easy to sell and be able to drive now. On top of the feeling of doing it yourself, I think I remember that you have younger kids - imagine how much fun it will be teaching them how to work on the car. I know I had a blast with my 6 year old daughter and she enjoyed it too. Get them hooked young.

Bluestripe67

Benton, You say 85%. That tells me you want too keep it. I also sense you get satisfaction from doing things yourself, but how much control do you want to have over this task? Some people can step back and let others do the job with trust in mind. Is that you? I'll bet the trailing arm is not bent. I suspect the front bushing absorbed the impact, but it may be shifted forward as seen in the pic. Doing the suspension will give you a new refreshed ride and control that you will notice right away. Put new bushings in, and all new u-joints. Just seeing pics of body shops and the equipment necessary for paint pretty significant. Do you have everything necessary to paint? I vote for option 2. Get every little detail in writing, sit back and let the shop stress out. Dennis

MarkC

Good luck with whatever option you take. Just don't let it drag out to long. I was expecting a lot more damage than what is pictured.

Frankie the Fink

Option 3 all the way. Heck, 5 years from now this will all just be a funny story and add to the panache of your car.

How many people can say they got sideswiped by a semi in a classic Corvette and lived to tell about it and can point to the repaired car as proof ?

alexandervdr

my experience with body repair is what looks very bad at first (a as in your pictures...), actually gets a lot better pretty quick with some not too complicated panel work.
I understand the disillusion of looking at your precious car in this state, but the big advantage is that you know the car and have driven it enough to know the good and the bad of it's state (the rubbers are definitely toast). Buying another car is opening up the box of surprises again, usually bad ones
I painted the body myself , 3 coats of epoxy, and 3 coats of primer. Topcoat in august. Had never done this before, but attended a training program. It went very well till this stage, we'll see who the final coat goes. The actual cost and labor is not in the painting , but in the body preparation.
It if already was a good car, I would grasp this as an opportunity to make it even better

chevahaulic

No ones opinion matters but yours. If you got a ton of money from the insurance company and can sell the car with parts for a good price ,.. its a great option. A lot of great cars out there. Some like certain colors, options, years. If your looking for the last keeper that is ideal this would be the opportunity. 64 coupes are low on the totem pole for resale but great sellers and certainly in demand. Some will pay top dollar for a car needing work. Something to think about.

corvetteed

Well, let me be a bit of a contrarian; first of all, being at 85% tells me you're pretty sure you're going to redo it, one way or another. But, for me, I've had a couple of cars that sustained significant damage like yours did, and I either farmed out, or helped w/the fixes, and they looked as good as they did prior to the accidents. However, I always knew where to look to see something that wasn't exactly as it was prior to the accidents, and although no one else knew, I knew, and the cars just weren't "the same" to me anymore, and I eventually sold them, not necessarily because of the now-fixed-damage, but it was a consideration. Just saying......

3JsVette

After reading through your 3 options by your wording alone you want to go with option 3 so why not?
Option 3 it is and don't look back.
I hope it a goes well in what ever option you decide.

jrm5657

I would suggest another option to consider depending on the overall paint condition. Replace the door, quarter, and door jamb, paint the replacement panels and blend. If the car is a driver, that gets you back on the road the quickest and lowest cost now and you pocket the settlement dollars left over and get to enjoy the car again.
If you decide to restore later with total repaint, it will be down for a while and scope creep will kick in with new chrome, rubber, interior, wiring, and frame off restoration.

65silververt

I have a nice original quarter on ebay currently for 299 and nobody has bid yet. Just fyi. It is also in the for sale section.