I have just purchased my first C3 and want to know where a good place to start is. I want to go through this car over the next few years and improve it's ride, power, and look. Is it best to do a frame off restoration from the start or should I go ahead and update all the suspension, motor, trans, and interior and then disassemble it and do the frame and body paint?

 

Tough call. If you really plan to do a frame off restoration anyway, you might consider just diving in and getting started. That way you uncover any potential hidden problems that might not be readily apparent otherwise.

That said, the best advice I got when I bought my '73 back in March was to just drive it for awhile and let the car tell me what it needs. That turned out to be good advice as I uncovered a few problems that needed attention before I started on the list I had prepared.

If there is any frame damage, I think that would dictate your starting point.

Good luck with it.

DC

 

It depends on your budget as far as how far to go. Frame off restoration can be expensive, depending if you tackle it yourself. I have a Florida '78 vette and my frame had no rust, so I spent about 20k on full suspension resto./engine,trans,drivetrain, upgrade, CD player and system, new A/C, rear end gears, heavier rear sway bars, shocks, new wheel spindles and bearings, and on and on and on... My car is basically an unoriginal vette and drives like it did back in 78 but much better handling and power. That was my plan all along as I wanted a retro look, but with modern upgrades. Like I mentioned before, it depends how deep your wallet is and what "idea" of your vette you have in mind. I would first look at alot of vettes on this forum and you will find all different interpretations of what a C3 can be...some very original and they will probably appreciate in value better, but some will be an expression of the owners persona which can be very unique. I just wanted a unique, but somewhat stock look: a celebration of a great generation of the corvette with many memories for me AND a more modern twist. Hope that at least gets you thinking of what you want your vette to look like. Remember to have fun along the way as building a car is as much fun as polishing the finished product in the garage. -DDBS

 

Drive it around for a while, then disassemble it. That's what I'd do. Not for the faint of heart though. Lot's of project car ads start with "Bought this to restore, took it apart and lost interest....."

 

First thing to do is DO NOTHING until you know what you have. Tune the car and ensure she's safely operable, then drive her. Make a list of what she needs and a second list of what you think you want to do to her. Do the items on list #1 first.

Buy two or three of the Corvette restoration books, read each, and see what other folks have done before you start stripping for restoration. Check parts prices with the various Corvette aftermarket vendors.

Purchase the assembly instruction manual (AIM) and read through that. Get the GM chassis and service manual. Get a reproduction owner's manual if you do not have an original.

Make a price list of everything you think she's going to need for the restoration, then double it.

Estimate your time for the restoration, then triple it.

 

Safety first! (brakes, steering, seat belts); function next! (basic drivetrain operation--engine, transmission, rear axle, driveshafts/U-joints); necessary accessories: (lights, turn signals, alternator/battery, gauges). And while you are getting that stuff working, you can mull over what you want to do long-term. Use it "as is"? Tear it down completely? Keep it original? Modify it like you want it? Keep notes, because there will be so much to think about, you won't be able to keep it all straight. As mentioned above, don't do anything major until you work with it a while and gel your thoughts on how you will be using the car and how long you will want to keep it.

 

All good advice above and you'll spend more than you think. As others have said, leave it alone for a while, drive it and see what it needs. My $.02 is do all safety related work first before you do any anything. Brakes, drivetrain, suspension, trailing arms, etc....then drive it a while and reassess. You have plenty of options at this point too. Make a plan and stick to it. Will you put it back stock? Will you modify, and if so how much? Once you're into your project, you'll get the idea of...."well, I've gone this far...I just as well do...". That's what happened when I went through my restoration. I got the "I just as well do ...." and after tons of money I'm finished!

And one more point....it's easy to take the car apart...getting it back together takes a while. So don't over commit!

Good luck and take plenty of pictures!

 

I agree! Be very sure this is what you want to do. Very expensive and time consuming. You will not be able to drive her for quite some time. I was going to do this at first and am sure glad I changed my mind. During the winter and spring I do partial restoration and then all is good during summer and fall...

 

I bought my Orange 77 thinking I would dive in and got similar advice to this. I started with the brakes and confirmed she was safe to drive. I have continued to play little by little but not even considering a frame off without something else to drive in the mean time. I bought my cars to drive and show and this summer has been a blast doing both. Winter coming and a lift will be installed and the under car work will be completed over the winter months. I think you have great advice here, especially the don't over commit comment, easy to do on these cars.
Enjoy your ride...
David

 

If the frame is rusted....get to it ASAP. Unless of course its so bad that you are going to have to replace it anyway. If thats the case find a better one and rebuild it while you are enjoying it.

 

Do yourself a favor. Drive it, clean and wax it, fix the little things and enjoy it for a while. Then assess what your long term plan is.


If you take it apart right away, you will get discouraged and may give up

 

I find myself going back to these 5 areas whenever I start working on a car.

1. Buy an AIM if you don't already have one.

2. Budget, how much do I really want to spend within the next year or two. Think of this amount spread out over time and it should be the "MAXIMUM" that you feel comfortable spending.

3. Make a list (write it down, don't just do it in your head) of what you want or needs to be done to the car. Really spend some time doing this and don't be in a rush. I normally take a couple of months looking the car over and driving it. Get it up on a rack or jack stands and really poor over it.

4. Take the list from #3 and start putting a cost with each section that you want to do and list every part with it's price (be VERY detailed in the parts lists as even small items tend to add up very quickly). If you require any tools you need to add those in as well. Again write this down.

Post in the forums what area you are looking at doing and ask people what to you should expect. It will save you in the long run.

Be VERY honest with yourself about what areas you can do vs. having to hire someone or send parts out. When you have all the prices add an additional 15% to each area (there is always something else that pops up that you didn't expect or want to do).

5. Lastly start matching your lists from #3,#4 with your budget. I tend to start with the brakes, steering and drivetrain and then go from there.

Most important of all, have a great time with it all and don't get in a rush.