good ref. books ?
Thread Starter
1st Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: iowa
good ref. books ?
i'm thinking of trying to restore an older vett.
i found a 56 vette that i may be able to get.
i'm wondering if you guys have seen any of the many corvette restore/manual's out there and found any that are worth getting.
the reason i need a book is the car i'm looking at is completely apart and want to be sure i get as many parts as i can.
so i want like id number's and blue prints of some kind if possible.
any kind of help would be great
i found a 56 vette that i may be able to get.
i'm wondering if you guys have seen any of the many corvette restore/manual's out there and found any that are worth getting.
the reason i need a book is the car i'm looking at is completely apart and want to be sure i get as many parts as i can.
so i want like id number's and blue prints of some kind if possible.
any kind of help would be great
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Re: good ref. books ? (tray232)
I applaud your enthusiasm, but a full restoration of a car in pieces is a massive, long-term, hideously expensive proposition, especially on a '56; definitely not a project for someone that hasn't done it before. There's a reason the car is in pieces - the current owner found himself way over his head and seriously underfunded, found out how expensive it was going to be (at least triple his original estimate), ran out of ambition, his wife wants "all that junk" out of the garage, and now he wants out.
Buy the best car you can afford that's in one piece and driveable, THEN think about improving it. :thumbs:
Buy the best car you can afford that's in one piece and driveable, THEN think about improving it. :thumbs:
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 48
From: Lake Saint Louis Mo
Re: good ref. books ? (NVaVettes)
I purchased a 60 in boxes 6 years ago. I did some research first and was still extremely lucky that it was complete with some items already restored.
If yours is missing NO parts a complete restoration would still cost you more then 25K IF you do all the work yourself. Missing parts will add to that big time. I will have 35K in mine and I've done all the labor. Unless you want to be able to say " I did it" , which is what I want, I would buy one thats already done.
To answer your question, all the books and info you will need are available here and other Vette sites.
:cheers:
Good luck
Get a catalogue from a vendor like Corvette Central and go thru it page by page. note the price of the parts you are missing and the parts you'll need to replace. That will give you an idea.
Larry
[Modified by Larry P, 6:00 AM 4/23/2004]
If yours is missing NO parts a complete restoration would still cost you more then 25K IF you do all the work yourself. Missing parts will add to that big time. I will have 35K in mine and I've done all the labor. Unless you want to be able to say " I did it" , which is what I want, I would buy one thats already done.
To answer your question, all the books and info you will need are available here and other Vette sites.
:cheers:
Good luck
Get a catalogue from a vendor like Corvette Central and go thru it page by page. note the price of the parts you are missing and the parts you'll need to replace. That will give you an idea.
Larry
[Modified by Larry P, 6:00 AM 4/23/2004]
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Re: good ref. books ? (tray232)
I agree. In today's market, with the cost of goods (parts) and services (paint, plating, machine shop), you're much better off buying an up and driving car. There are some basket cases out there that aren't worth doing if they were given to you if you're looking at this from purely a financial point of view.
IF you did all the work yourself, you would have about 30K in the resto at minimum, PLUS the price of the car. Do the math...you can buy an up and running 56 for ???? :) Chuck
IF you did all the work yourself, you would have about 30K in the resto at minimum, PLUS the price of the car. Do the math...you can buy an up and running 56 for ???? :) Chuck
Racer
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 437
Likes: 54
From: Cincinnati Ohio
Re: good ref. books ? (tray232)
Listen to John he said it well.
I heard a cute but painfully true comment a year or so ago. Someone asked why the NCRS guys were a bunch of grumpy old men. The answer was they have $70K invested in $40K Corvettes. :yesnod:
Dave
:cheers:
[Modified by Dave McDufford, 4:44 PM 4/23/2004]
I heard a cute but painfully true comment a year or so ago. Someone asked why the NCRS guys were a bunch of grumpy old men. The answer was they have $70K invested in $40K Corvettes. :yesnod:
Dave
:cheers:
[Modified by Dave McDufford, 4:44 PM 4/23/2004]
Racer
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
Re: good ref. books ? (tray232)
Yep, $70K to $40K sounds about right, except for big blocks.
Big blocks are worse.
Tackle a restoration (like that) if:
o you absolutely must have "THE" car being restored
o want to keep it forever
o want the experience
o want to be able say you did it
o have the money to do it and still have a life
If you decide to go ahead, we salute you. You will be putting your time, energy, and money where your mouth is and will be personally and truly saving a portion of Corvette history from just wasting away.
Good luck either way! :yesnod:
Big blocks are worse.
Tackle a restoration (like that) if:
o you absolutely must have "THE" car being restored
o want to keep it forever
o want the experience
o want to be able say you did it
o have the money to do it and still have a life
If you decide to go ahead, we salute you. You will be putting your time, energy, and money where your mouth is and will be personally and truly saving a portion of Corvette history from just wasting away.
Good luck either way! :yesnod:
