D-FRESH3

I recently bought my first vette, a 66 coupe, it's a driver quality car. It is a fairly original car from what I can tell. I plan to drive it this summer to get to know it better and then start to fix/restore items. Are there any rookie mistakes that people make that hurt the value of these cars? Thanks
Doug

Nowhere Man

Restore and remove parts that don't need touched

ChattanoogaJSB

If you replace regular wear items - alternators, fuel pumps, etc...don't turn those parts in for the "core charge" if you determine they are original. Just tuck them away. There are times that you may be able to rebuild a water pump, fuel pump, carb, alternator etc but may choose a functional auto parts store replacement to save down time and cost. I don't blame you. Just keep what you have if its original. The corvette Black Book and Noland Adams volume two are excellent resources for determining what may be original.

(Edit: no core on fuel pumps, but they are definitely rebuildable and to be kept if original. Ditto things like original style hose clamps etc)

Enjoy your new ride! I drove mine 570 miles home in a day- nothing compares! They really are pretty simple vehicles if you just need to maintain a functional example. I'm excited for you.

ricks327

It depends if you want to go the route of NCRS judging or you want to have a driver. What are your intentions?

DansYellow66

It's your car - I wouldn't obsess over it much. As ChattanoogaJSB suggested, keep all worn parts that you remove that are original. Try to avoid any modifications or replacement parts that involve any drilling, cutting or altering of the body, frame, interior and other components. Of course the literal consequences of that means that if you want to install an AC unit in the car - you couldn't. But, it's your car and if AC means you will enjoy it that much more then you should do so. Will it hurt it's value? Who knows - depends on the next owner of the car - he may be looking for something to enjoy driving and place a premium on it having air. Or it may be someone looking for an all-original and he gets turned off by it. Other things like installing leather seat covers in place of original vinyl - if that's what you really want then I would do so. When the time comes to sell it throw in the originals and if it's a make or break issue to a buyer - spend a week end changing them back.

D-FRESH3

I do not want to go NCRS judging route, however, I want to preserve the value of the car as it is mostly original for when I do eventually sell it.

I had planned on saving all parts that I replace and any performance parts that I may buy (for example better sway bars) I will make sure are bolt on with no modifications so I can change back to original ones if needed. For now I will be driving it and slowly restoring items. Maybe down the road a ways I will do a proper restoration. For now, just mechanical and cosmetic stuff.
Doug

toddalin

Over-cleaning and "blacking out" the engine compartment removing chalk/grease pen markings.

66 Double B

And don't use sand paper or other abrasives to remove paint from engine stamp pad.

D-FRESH3

All great tips. How about things like gauge cluster, shift console and glove box. They are in ok shape but need to be replaced or restored at some point. Is restoring them a preferable option than simply replacing?
Doug

ricks327

Yes and you are on the right path. If in doubt, come here to ask questions, a lot of knowledge in the membership.

Drive it and enjoy it!

warrenmj

You probably avoided the biggest rookie mistake by simply asking the question BEFORE you did anything to your car. Many get a car and start cleaning, replacing items and painting things and then start asking questions, which can be too late.

Smart move on your part to ask first!

dahogan

karkrafter

Be careful of 'little projects' that turn in to BIG projects.. Like pulling the instrument cluster...fixing that little stress crack...or my favorite...what is that squeak?

USMC 0802

This ^



I humbly suggest you simply drive the car for a few months and see what it actually needs.

Start with safety items, then performance/cosmetics.

Personally, I like the "patina" of my '66 console, glove box, etc. because I feel it gives the car character. After all, it's a half century old...

My driver's side seat has a minor tear in it, and I thought about replacing the seat cover. Aside from my comment above, the "guilt by association" will kick in and then it'll be carpet, then dash cover, then before I know it, I'll be in it for $100k and won't want to drive it anymore.

FWIW I couldn't care less about judging.

Drive, enjoy, and assess.

Have fun!

corvetteed

One rookie mistake might be believing what you first read here, and take it as gospel, only to find out later that there is more than one opinion, and if you've already done something based on that first opinion, you'll be out of luck, now that you've seen a more recent, and perhaps even correct, opinion. The best advice is to just go slow in making any changes to the car until you've had it a good while, seen others at shows, or on here on CF, and until you get a good handle on what you like or want to change/upgrade.

chris ritchie

1. Don't throw any parts away.

2. Don't cut or drill any anything.

3. Drive the car for a while before you start restoring or fixing it. Get comfortable with it. Your thinking about the car will change the longer you own it. And that's great. It's your car. But you don't want to do something to the car that you decide later you didn't really want.

4. Join the NCRS, especially your local Chapter. You may choose not to restore your car in accordance with NCRS judging criteria. But you want to be aware of them. And the guys in the Chapter all know the local resources for your car. Again, it's your car. Enjoy it as you see fit. But if you're going to spend big money on an item, you will want to know if you're getting your money's worth.

The classic mistake in restoring a driver car is to spend money on making something too nice. My seats need recovering, but they're not going to get it because I'm unwilling to refurbish the rest of the interior. Stuff like that. You will need to learn to live with certain deficiencies.

Have fun with your car this Summer!

Bluestripe67

All the above is solid advice. One last thought. Drive it frequently so you get too know all the sounds and motions of the car as it talks to you. Some people think that's corny, but it true. If you can ever get next to a jersey wall at speed (no danger to you or others) shift into neutral drift and listen. Dennis

Nowhere Man

One thing to do that's fair more important is to assess all the safety aspects of the car. That means the breaking system. If you can't stop the car it won't be original anymore. Make it reliable. A blown five dollar heater hose or a fan belt on the side of the road doesn't look good. Badly worn out suspension parts is no good either. Make sure your cooling system is up to original GM specs. Contrary to popular belief the GM engineers did know what they were doing when they designed this car. So unless your smarter then them I wouldn't try to re-engineer your car. It's a old Chevy it's easy to keep on the road. Don't expect more of the car then it can give. It's not going to ride and handle like a new car and it won't be as comfortable on long road trips either. These cars can be built like your new car but it takes $$. Then you won't have a original car any more.

63Corvette

"Safety Aspects"...........it's a 53 year old car!!! What could go wrong?

Nowhere Man

I like it when you push the brake pedal the car comes to a stop. If the car was in storage or just not driven a lot in the last few years things can go south