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Starting a full Restoration

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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 03:53 PM
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Default Starting a full Restoration

Ever since my I was born my father had a Corvette and they where his only hobby/true love. He had a 64 but sold it in 1970 so we could afford a house. In 1976 he bought a 1974 stingray and fixed it up.

Unfortunately he was a work a holic and it sat for the next 20 or so years in their garage. I think the last time it was driven was when I begged him to borrow it for my wedding drive from the church to the reception in 1988.

My father passed away last year unexpectedly and I inherited the car. I have been a mechanic for over 20 years. My mom and wife and sister all thought the car was worth nothing as it had deteriorated badly. The bumpers just fell off and the oil leaks were bad. The paint and everything is in bad shape.

I have started a full body off restoration in my backyard shop and will keep this car as long as I live. If it's ok I will try to let you all follow along as I go. I built the body dolly this past weekend with plans I got from this site. Thank you so much.

Oh yeah I'm in the Red state of Kalifornia. I will be looking for parts and ideas for the engine, looking to really go all out.

Jim

How do I post pics with this?
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 03:56 PM
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You have to host the pics online on a site like photobucket.com or tinypic.com, then you get the URL of the picture, hit the little icon that looks like a picture of a mountain and paste the url in to the message box that pops up.

Sounds like a rewarding project.
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 04:43 PM
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Good luck with it Jim. I started my body-off in January. It's a good feeling.
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 04:53 PM
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When you finish and are cruising down the highway your dad will always be with you. Good luck on the resto.
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 05:29 PM
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It sounds like you have motivation to do the project. Put a realistic plan together before you start, going all out can get insanely expensive. Even a simple restoration can get pricey. Good luck, and keep your progress posted!
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 05:42 PM
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Hi Jim,
Please take the time to take and post pictures of your progress. It's really fun to see what people are working on. Good Luck!!!
Regards,
Alan
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 08:25 PM
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It is a shame that your dad never got a chance to really enjoy the car. Do yourself a favor and do it right his spirit will live on with the car.
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Old Apr 17, 2008 | 08:36 PM
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I love stories like this. Obviously not that your dad passed away, but that you are restoring his old car. It will be something to always remember him by. I know I'm fortunate that both my parents are still around. Good luck with the restoration and figure out soon how to post those pics, we'd all love to see them.
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