I am still years away (new baby due in October has put plans on hold), but needed some info. Since I have a 70 LT-1, my plan is to return it to numbers matching as best as possible, rebuilding everything. If I go this route, I will pull the body. If I strive for originality, the car will be built to spec with everything rebuilt, but numbers do not matter and the body will stay put.

Is there a source (book) that details what needs to be done and in what order for a frame off? I am not a mechanic and will need to buy virtually every needed tool. I am however very mechanical, can follow directions and have built houses, done additions, plumbing etc.

Taking a car completely apart and reassembling it sorta terrifies me. The thought of rewiring a car or tearing apart a dash, reinstalling everything seems simple. Having everything work after is the problem. My luck it won't.

As such, ANY 'roadmaps' books, advice, etc I can get my hands on now for reading and learning purposes would be greatly appreciated. While I can afford it, I (actually the wife) cannot justify spending money on labor to do this.

Thanks.

 

There is a thread in the C1-C2 section on this right now. Motivation, time, space, and money seem to be the main problems.
Do you have the book "How to Restore and Modify your Corvette 1968-82"?
I am going through this now on my '66. Some pics are up at:
http://www.texas-corvette-association.org/

(click on Gary Kutcher's C2 Restoration)

 

I have talked to a lot of people that have restored Vettes and every-one said that they will never do it again and you better budget $30 TO $60 THOUSAND DOLLARS.

 

To be honest it wasn't all that bad. I took the body off restored EVERYTHING and put it back together. It looks fantastic and went really well. I had problems but it wasn't the bad.

I did all the work myself and with the complete help of a friend of mine. We've been working nearly every saturday for about 2 1/2 years. I still have a ways to go, but it's a labor of live. I've had soo much fun doing it. Nearly everything that could be restored was, we replaced as little as possible.

I think 30k would be crazy if you do the work yourself and try to reuse as much as possible.

The biggest advice is:
- put together a plan and budget
- do it a system/section at a time
- photograph, tag and label EVERYTHING

Going a system at a time may take a little longer, but it's easier to get everything back together when the entire car isn't in pieces and you can see how things go.

I would have saved a lot of time if i'd pulled the body to begin with. This was the best thing we did. The original plan wasn't to go to that level of detail, but once it was off everything moved faster.

Good luck!!

 

Robert,

This is probably a good thing to research now if the restoration is a few years down the road.

I can recommend a couple of good books…

Corvette Restoration: State of the Art by David Borroughs. Probably THE earliest definitive book on Corvette restoration and much of the information presented is still valid today. While it does go into some detail on the 1965 convertible that is being restored, there is also a lot of general information covering budgeting, assessing condition, determining a sequencing plan, etc. The book is geared towards restoration in the strict definition, but you can determine how fanatically you want to pursue that.

Road To Top Flight by Paul Iaffaldano (hopefully I didn’t butcher his name to bad). This is another book that takes a look at the whole project from buying the car (in this case a 1960 if I remember correctly), planning the restoration, doing the work, and eventually enjoying the finished car. Like the Borroughs book, this one also places an emphasis on budgeting, determining a restoration plan and the like. “Begin with the end…” as stated in the book, is probably the best advice you’ll ever get. Determining what you want to have when the restoration is done will save you much trouble and money in the long run.

How To Restore And Modify Your 1968-82 Corvette by Richard Newton. This book deviates from the first two in that it doesn’t hold to the strict definition of restoration. There is discussion of budgeting and finding the right car, but there seems to be more of an emphasis on the subject 1968… Basically breaking down different areas of the car and how they are restored. The author provides some alternatives for someone not interested in restoring a car to exact factory specifications. The book is generally good, but it tends to break things down into different subassemblies of the car and restore them as such which may not be the most efficient way (the Borroughs book goes into this a bit).

Assembly Instruction Manual for your 1970. While it isn’t perfect, it is the most complete representation available for putting a Corvette together. Pick it up when you have nothing to do and look at the various subassemblies. By the time you are ready to get started, you’ll have the darn thing memorized… Which is exactly where you want to be. You want to be able to put the car together in your head before you turn the first wrench.

A couple of helpful hints…

As one post stated, photograph everything. With the advent of digital cameras, it’s easy to have good quality photos. You can’t have too many photos.

Tag and bag ALL your parts at the same time you disassemble them. The absolute best way to tag them is to include the page and part number from the AIM where it appears along with a description of the part… It allows you to instantly locate a part.

Realistically determine what you can restore and what is beyond your ability. My personal criterion is “Can I restore a part or assembly in function and appearance EXACTLY like the factory did?” If I can’t, I find someone who can (or learn how to do it myself). Holding to the strict definition of restoration might not be to your liking so you’ll have to create your own standards. Personally, I don’t like to cut corners and you’ll be forced into enough “that’s the best I can do” situations as it is. My friend Chuck Gongloff (who posts often on this board) says that his job as a restorer is similar to that of a general contractor… I find that statement to be very true.

Try to accurately budget the restoration, in regard to finances and time. The better you do this, the fewer headaches during the restoration. Budgeting finances is tough (especially for a rookie), but time is the real killer… Trying to stay motivated on a large project like a frame off Corvette restoration can be a challenge. Try to minimize your down time as much as possible and try to put in at least a minimum amount of time every week… Just to keep things rolling.

Make sure that you have sufficient space. Body… Frame… Engine… Wheels… The list goes on and on. In the end, you’ll probably need the space required for three cars to store and comfortably work on the car. It can be done with less space, but it isn’t enjoyable to tripping over parts all the time.

That should give you some things to think about Robert. When you get ready to start, feel free to drop me a line and I'll be happy to help in any way that I can.

Restorations can get pricey... Especially if the car is rough and you restore every component as you go through the process. Parts that are completely missing add to the cost. Still, if the car is relatively complete and the orignal parts can be restored for minimal cost, you can get quality results for a resonable investment.

Regards,

 

Thanks for the replies.

Stan, price is obviously a concern, but more from the standpoint as to what level I want the car to be. The car runs OK but definitely the engine needs a major rebuild. The chrome needs redoing, the front grills need to be refinished. The frame ad body are solid. There is only surface rust on the frame. I planned originally to only rebuild what needs to be as it fails (or gives warnings). With indecision on how close to NCRS I want to be, I figured that I will spend sometime reading, getting the car judged as it sits, and go from there.