Help!

Just acquired a 1970 Corvette that needs tons of work. Engine,drivetrain,interior basically everyhting needs redone. I have some mechanical skills but have never restored a car. Where do I begin? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Travis

 

Hi and welcome to the forum!
With the description you gave, I think you should start with all the mechanicals, bodywork & paint, than the interior in that order.
How's the frame and birdcage regarding rust? If you have big rust issues, this project will become a very expensive endevor. There's tons of threads here. The search feature is your friend. Also, you'll get the best advice if you post lots of pics of the Vette. Here's how to post pics if you don't know how.
We also love specs on the vette.
Go to photobucket.com and open a free account.
After your done, browse for the pics on your PC, pick & download the files. Once downloaded and saved click on and copy the IMG code, mine does this automatically when I move the cursor over the code list below each image, and paste the code in your thread or post. You’re done.
Glenn

 

Welcome, congrats and good luck, with your project. You can get lots of good help, here.

 

Hello and congratulations.

Is the car driveable now, or is it a basket case? You said it needs restoration on all the parts, but that is still a wide range to try and answer some of your questions.

One of the good features of the forum is the search function. If you want to find a thread for a specific topic try out that function. It has helped me get through a lot of tech issues over the years.

kdf

 

you might consider what level restoration you want to achieve for your corvette...and even take it in stages if you don't need everything in 100% new/restored shape just to drive it around and enjoy it for awhile before going further...or if you really want to go thru everything, maybe taking the body off the frame right away so that you have access to every inch

I'm kinda in the same boat with the Corvette I got, tho its in pretty good shape(low miles, not rusted, body in good shape but paint striped, and most all parts there and usable), there isn't much that doesn't need at least alittle attention, as the car sat for a long time before the restoration was started by the PO...so someone told me: "its doesn't cost anything to take the body off the frame, its just that you then might get in to replacing more stuff than if you would have left it on, redoing every detail" ...tho instead of taking the car any further apart, I'll finish some of the PO's projects and put it back together, get a few miles on it driving time to feel it out this summer... so that some much needed work will become more obvious, or even just uncovered, vs things that might seem important to do when just looking at the car, and might not be issues that have to be on the "short list"....then if I still feel its necessary, I can pull the body off, and go thru everything, or decide what directions, and what sort of moneys I should spend where


at this point I've done very little work to the car(its only been a few weeks since I got it, and only about one week that I've even had to look at it and see whats there) but here is my plan of attack:

1) order the A.I.M for my year of car[done, and just recieved it the other day]
everyone will insist that you get the Corvette Factory Assembly Instruction Manual, they have reprints of it for all years, and it will show you every detail of the construction of your car

2) go thru the car, see what is there, what looks worn or damaged, what looks good and serviceable, what is missing, and what needs replaced[done]
my car came with some parts off the car and partially restored or disassembled, other parts gone, other new and never installed, some clearly in need of rebuild/replacement, etc. etc.. I sorted/labeled them, and made lists of what I had, what had to be done with them, what I wasn't sure of the condition of, and what I was missing

3) start looking at parts availably and pricing[mostly done]
some things I thought would be easy and cheap just to buy new, but I've found that they were just cost prohibitive, and either I could skip that repair/replace making what I have work, or find a different option...other things that I thought I should reuse, I found are cheap to just buy new

4) make a budget and shopping list[started]
I don't want to over spend in one area that isn't too important, and not have the money for something that has to be done, I also what to leave room in my budget for the unknown

5) make a 'comfortable' timeline for the project[under consideration]
I'm looking at 3 years...a paint job might not come for a year and a half or two years, I might not get a big block until the end of those three years..etc. as it will take that long to earn the money to do those things, and have the time to spend on the project

doing those things will help you know how much you want to spend and what you want to do, and can do, with the car...how long you want the project to last(years working on the car making it perfect before you ever drive it...or a few weeks work to drive it for a few weeks and then back to more work in the next stage of restore and budget use, then drive and repeated)

and in your spare time(some of these take hours to go thru) you can learn a lot just by looking at what others have gone thru...follow their projects here on the Corvette Forum:

stinger12 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...storation.html

Denpo http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...long-post.html

PolishMike http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-and-hide.html

NMT1957 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...427-400-a.html

Grumpy 427 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...e-rebuild.html

tsdorsey http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...s-of-pics.html

swtato http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-car-pics.html

Road-Race Vette http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...d-purpose.html

kortensi http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...a-71-pics.html

 

Welcome to the Forum!

Very helpful will be a GM Corvette Shop Manual SPECIFIC for your year car, also a copy of the Assembly Instruction Manual (A.I.M.) also specific for your year car. The AIM is the document the with assembly instructions for the workers when your car was built. Both documents are available from the larger Forum vendors.

Again, welcome to the Forum!

 

Your first order of business is to obtain copies of the AIM and the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual for your year car. Then you actually need to read/study them to get an idea of how the car is put together. The AIM is the primary reference for how to take the car apart and how to put it back together again. The CSM is the 'bible' on how the various operating systems in the car work. Both are absolutely necessary to do that work correctly. If you intend to do any rebuilding of major systems, you will also need a copy of the Chevrolet Chassis Overhaul Manual; it has full documentation on rebuilding engine, trans, brakes, steering, and engine accessories (alt, starter, etc.).

You also need to decide what you want to do with the car (how will you use it?) so you can plan on how to proceed with your work. It would be best for you to 'link up' with someone who has done all this stuff before so you have access to detailed advice/instruction on how to perform each task and what tools you will need. Good luck on your "trek". Remember, you are embarking on a JOURNEY...not merely the end result. Don't place your focus on the 'finish' or you will quickly become disillusioned.

P.S. Your 'bio' needs to be filled out. We have no way of knowing where you are located. Thus, no one living in your area can offer any assistance or be there to advise you.

 

Begin slowly and with small steps. Is the car drivable? If so, tune it up and drive it through the summer while you get to know the car.

Start a list of what needs to be done immediately, what needs to be done through the summer, and what will need to be done in the future. This will allow you to arrange priorities.

Order the GM chassis service manual, the assembly instruction manual (AIM) and a 70 owner's manual.

Congrats on the purchase.

 

Do you know what level of restoration you're after? Weekend driver? NCRS or Bloomington show car?

You didn't mention whether it has the original block and transmission, correct casting numbers, casting dates, and serial numbers matching the VIN. This will set a ceiling on the car's potential future value. Something to keep in mind when you consider costs.

So far as taking the body off the frame. It's not that hard to do and will give you access to areas which you don't have with it on. I agree with some who say the project may grow into a larger project than anticipated but I'd also say not knowing the condition of the frame or other parts which are hard to inspect completely with the frame on isn't a much better option. If you're not sure what to do with the car, thinking about reselling in a year or two, maybe hold off on body removal. Otherwise I personally think it's best to know everything you can about the car and deal with it's foundation early. Rust issue are HUGE. A rotted windhshield frame, door pillars, #2 mounts, or rocker channels can be extremely expensive to fix unless you do the work yourself.

A copy of the AIM and Service manuals are must haves if you plan to get deep into it.

Best of luck with your project. Pictures are always welcome.

 

Hi Travis,
There's been lots of good, thoughtful, suggestions and advice already posted.
I'll only add how important having the proper Assembly Instruction Manual and proper GM Chassis Service Manual are.
I believe that generally 40 year old cars need twice the work we think, will take twice as long to complete, and cost twice as much, as we've estimated. AND if you're not careful you'll spend twice as much on it than it can be sold for.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

 

Wow! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all this information. My first step will be buying the AIM. There is no rust anywhere on the car that I can see(I will get pictures up this weekend). All numbers match. It has not been driven in 10 years and is not drivable. I'm thinking this is going to be a slow process five years or more. So I will definately be getting to know all of you better.

Thanks again
Travis

 

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.

 

It took me 5 years to rebuild my car, touched every single part on the car. It will depend on the condition of your car as to how far you want to take it down and what you are wanting to accomplish with it.

I'm repeating what others have said, it will take you more time and $ than you think, but in the end can be well worth it.

I made it a point to try and get something done on my car every day that I was home even if it is just blasting and repainting a couple small parts. That way I felt I was making progress.

The other important things are take lots of pictures as you are tearing the car apart and label and bag as much as you can. You will appreciate it when you go to put things back together.

I also wish I had kept a log as to what bins I was putting the bagged parts in so that I could find things easier later. I can't tell you how many times I went through my bins looking for one part.


The forum is a great resource and someone can always answer your technical questions as there are so many that have done the same things you will be doing.

This is an overview of my total rebuild:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-progress.html

Good luck and the reward at the end is worth it!

 

Get the chassis service manual and the owner's manual at the same time.

First order of business is to get her safely drivable.

 

Welcome to this wacky world!! I would be as honest with your self as you can and decide what kind of car you want. A driver, show, NCRS type etc. and how long you may want to keep this car. The biggest mistake when doing my 68 was not going for it all right off the bat. I mean I did the front suspension, then that was not good enough so I did the rear still not good enough, went to do the body mounts, and well off came the body and started all over again, I just wasn't going to be able to live with it not completely done. Will you be happy if it is not like a brand new car? To tell the truth the money means nothing in the end, is it a car I am happy with when done matters. Resale and you will lose money!! no kidding, what would you lose if you bought a new car? Forget this money deal just decide what kind of car you really want and go for it!!!!

 

Hi.
First I feel honored TRush picked my thread in his list.
To make thing easier for you here's the punchline of my resto :
Turn a POS into a sound and safe car in fair condition, within a one year timeframe and a weeding night tight budget.
Whenever I could cut the cost without jeopardizing safety, I did.
I'm not done yet, but I'm still on schedule and haven't turn myself chapter 11 yet.

 

your thread is great...and one that I was reading here before I joined...thank you for doing it

I love the photo and information 'blog' threads done here on those major step by step restoration processes...I wish I could find them all


wow, thanks for posting a link to yours, I really like the part where you show the soft top frame being redone

 

Travis, I also just picked up a 1970 Corvette several weeks ago. 350/350 with a 4-speed. One owner - all original. It has basically been sitting for the past 17 years. Owner got it running and it is all there, but it needs a lot of updating. I sent you a PM. Feel free to call to discuss.

Gary