Aerovette

I bought this car in 1978 at 17 years old and for a long time took, very good care of it. When I got into Corvettes, it took a backseat to everything Corvette related. It became my dad's DD and got hit a couple times. Blew an engine, wrecked a couple transmissions along the way.

Now I have time and no Corvettes to distract me. Budget is limited and I can do ALL mechanicals myself.

Now I need advice.

A. Disassemble the entire car and have all body work done on the rolling shell, then reassemble. (Think rotisserie)
B. Make it mechanically sound and shop it to body shops while driving it.

This is NOT going to be a full restoration. More like a streetable decent RUST FREE car.

It has a poorly repaired rear quarter, bad floor pan driver's side, bad trunk pan passenger side, and the doors need rust repair.

This was a clean Georgia car, but I was a very stupid kid and took it to the beach in Galveston a half dozen times and drove through the surf.

The goal is for me to live the rest of my 25 to 30 anticipated years and never see any rust come back.

Mavinwy

If it already has rust, and you can do the work yourself...AND it is a project car, not a daily driver.... (sounds like)

Then I would choose option A. Once the rust is there...and you are going to fix some of it....you may as well do it all. It will save much cussing down the road.

Mav

Aerovette

I can't do body work...at all. To me, body work is like being able to sculpt. I know what to do, but no way I can make it look right if I do it. I don't know what chemicals work best, I can't weld, I can form metal. I'm at the mercy of a pro. Mechanically, I can tackle anything.

Patsgarage

I always like to have all the mechanicals done before I have any bodywork done, it reduces the chance of scratching the fresh paint. If you already have a shop picked out, talk to them and see what their timetable is. I have seen too many cars end up sitting in a corner of a shop waiting for the owner to get parts or come up with more money. If you do not have a shop picked out yet, make that part of your decision process.

themonk

do you want to drive it or work on it?

I'd get a pro to finish it, you doing it yourself will take more time which means less driving time.

Mavinwy

In that case, I'd take one additional step and consult a local body shop you trust and get an opinion on any body work/rust issues on the car. It will help you decide to know what you have.

Seems worth a quote first, especially to have them check the unibody underneath.

Mav

MRANT212

Love that year Charger. Friend of mines brother bought one new in 1974...black, white interior 400 auto. Another friend of mine bought that car in 1979. Kept it for while threw a worked 440 stronger 727 trans and repainted it black. Had a lot of fun with that car! Post some pics of yours... restomod it a bit.. SRT Motor etc... saw one a while back and it was gorgeous p.

leadfoot4

I live in the northeast, IE the "rust belt". If you drove it on the beach, through salt water, believe me, if it isn't a "rust bucket" now, it eventually will be. I fully understand your sentiment about your car, but I believe, in your first post, you said that your budget and bodywork skills are limited, so my advice is "Fuggedaboudit".......if you can't afford to do the body work to ERADICATE the corrosion 100%, by yourself, you're either going to spend $$$ to have it professionally done, or just wasting your money, if trying to do it on a limited basis.

Aerovette

Update:

I went to the Houston Autorama and talked to a great guy that has a restoration shop. From my pics and description, he gave me some bad news. He thinks I'll be more than $40k into this car in a real short time. He's happy to piece meal it for me and spread it out over time, but that's about double what I was hoping for. After 39 years of ownership, I may have to bail on the project. I sure with I would have taken autobody classes in school.

z06inVB