Project-Car Inspection and Evaluation It's advisable to have your car professionally evaluated before you make a final purchase decision. Hire a reputable restoration expert to inspect the car and get a good idea of what it will take to restore it. Keep in mind that it takes a lot of money to make a bad car good again. Buy the best car that you can afford and keep a tight log of your expenses. After evaluating your car, set up your budget and estimate your projects. For any parts that you'll need, you can look up prices on the internet or look in trade magazines and catalogs. You might want to note the really expensive and hard-to-find items before you choose your car. Be sure to also add in the costs of buying or renting tools and equipment. Some auto-restorers -- like host Mark Lambert -- prefer the old-fashioned ledger technique for compiling estimates, but there are also software programs designed to help with this process, if you prefer. Whatever the case, enter in the appropriate numbers and get an overall aspect on what you're going to spend on your restoration. If you find that it's more than you can handle, you might want to move on to another car. Better to make this determination early, rather than later when your garage is filled with a partially disassembled automobile. Following are some highlights from our inspection of our 1962 Corvette: Body - The body is basically "complete" which is one of the most important things on any car. The stainless and the chrome fit very nicely. Some of it can be polished up and some will have to be replaced. One place exhibiting a poor fit is where the hood meets the body (figure A).
- There is some fiberglass repair that needs to be done (figure B) and evidence of prior fiberglass repair.
- The only two metal pieces of the Corvette body, the cowl-vent cover (figure C) and the gas filler door are rusted but solid. They can easily be stripped and re-painted.
- The exterior mirror (figure D) is an after-market item and will need to be replaced.
- The driver-side window needs to be replaced. Fortunately, it's straight, flat glass that can be cut and smoothed at any glass shop. The doors are solid and sound good when shut.
- The plexiglass windows in the hard-top (figure E) are in good shape and can be polished easily. The hardtop itself also has good weather-stripping and a good, tight seal (figure F). The hardtop stainless trim molding is a little worn, but not too badly.
Interior - The steering wheel (figure G) is an after-market item and will be replaced. We might also replace the tachometer.
- The dashboard needs some work -- either some repair and painting, or complete replacement. The worn grab handle on the dash needs to be replaced.
- The temperature switch is an after-market item and doesn't match the other switches (figure H). It will be replaced.
- Overall, the interior is in reasonably good shape (figure I).
Engine - Checking under the hood (figure J), Mark discovers that the carburetor appears to have leaks and should be replaced.
- Someone has put an electric fuel pump in the car, so we'll need to figure out what the problem is. The fan is an after-market item, but may work just fine for us. The radiator shrouds are in good shape and can simply be cleaned and re-painted.
- The radiator is rusty and contaminated (figure K) and should be cleaned or replaced.
- The engine (figure L) does not look to be an original Corvette engine, but it's the right displacement. Further evaluation on the engine will be done later.
- The original aluminum exhaust manifold is in great shape as are the valve covers. There are some wiring problems that can easily be taken care of.
Underneath the Car - The front wheels and axle are checked (figure M). The frame has some rusted out areas that will need to be patched.
- The car also has some traction car brackets (figure N), suggesting strongly that this car was once modified for use as a drag-racer. Those brackets will be removed later.
- There's a lot of play in this steering box, but the king-pins are in good shape.
- The brake hoses look good.
- The shock absorbers are worn out and will need to be replaced.
In the segment that follows, Mark Lambert provides advice and tips on setting up your work space, tools, equipment and record-keeping.
RESOURCES :
Corvette Black Book : 1953-2001
Model: 0933534477
Author: Michael Antonick
Corvette: The American Legend
Model: 0785343741
Author: Consumer Guide Editors
Classic Car Restorer's Handbook: Restoration Tips and Techniques for Owners ...
Model: 1557881944
Author: Jim Richardson
Order this book from Amazon.com
H.P. Books
Classic Car Restoration Guide: The Complete Illustrated Step-By-Step Manual
Model: 1850108900
Author: Lindsay Porter
Order this book from Amazon.com
Haynes Publishing
Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Companies and Products)
Companies and Products
Corvette Central
Full line of Corvette parts and accessories.
Website: www.corvettecentral.com
Dunshee's Corvette Parts
Corvette restoration specialists.
7304 W. Villa Rita Drive
Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone: 602-938-8895
Fax: 602-938-9081
E-mail: 4vetteparts@cox.net
Quanta Restoration and Performance Products
Website: www.quantaproducts.com
Restoration specialists. Quanta Restoration carries (among other specialty items) "correct" fuel tanks for vintage cars.
Lectric Limited
Website: www.lectriclimited.com
Eastwood Company
Unique automotive tools and supplies.
Website: www.eastwoodco.com
Eastwood carries assorted tools, supplies and parts (many hard-to-find) of interest to the auto-restoration hobbyist.
House of Kolor
Automotive paints, primers and painting systems.
Website: www.houseofkolor.com
Strip Technologies of America
A media-blasting facility specializing in coating-removal & coating applications.
4001 Bruhin Road
Knoxville, TN, 37918
Bend-Pak Inc./Ranger Products
Bend-Pak provided the large equipment used throughout the Corvette episodes of DIY's Classic Car Restoration.
NAPA Auto Parts
National Automotive Parts Association.
Customer Support: 877-805-6272
NAPA provided many items that used throughout the Corvette series.
3M Corporation
Products available at retail stores worldwide.
3M provided many general supplies, including all safety equipment, used throughout the Corvette series.
Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Organizations)
Vintage Corvette video and photos provided by General Motors Corporation.
Used with permission, GM Media Archive.
Chevrolet's website: www.chevrolet.com
Corvette Organizations
The National Corvette Museum
Website: www.corvettemuseum.com
The National Corvette Museum is open to the public and offers plant tours and other services and products, including Corvette accessories and memorabilia. The museum also offers library and archive information, build-sheets and a database of information. NCM also sponsors events and gatherings.
For DIY's Classic Car Restoration, the NCM supplied research material and photographs used in episode #201.
National Corvette Restoration Society (NCRS)
Website: www.ncrs.org
The NCRS (National Corvette Restoration Society) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation, history and enjoyment of Corvettes made from 1953 through 1986. The group offers publications, database information, resources and discussion boards. They also sponsor Corvette events and NCRS Judging programs.
East Tennessee Corvette Club
The East Tennessee Corvette Club is a non-profit organization of Corvette enthusiasts in the East Tennessee area.
Corvette Expo
Website: www.corvetteexpo.com
Corvette Expo is a promoter of Corvette shows, swap meets, and auctions.
Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Books and Publications)
Books and Publications
Classic Auto Manuals
1910 E.S.E. Loop 323 #317, Tyler, TX 75701, 903-566-1939
Classic Auto Manuals offers factory-original shop manuals, service manuals, body manuals, repair manuals and auto-parts manuals on CD format. They provided the 1962 Corvette manual used as reference in the Corvette series for DIY's Classic Car Restoration.
Standard Catalog of Corvette: 1953-2001
ISBN #0-87349-235-8
Krause Publications
Website: www.krause.com
Book and photos featured in #201 (Corvette History).
Classic Corvette: The First 30 years
by Mike Mueller
ISBN #0-7603-1358-X
Motorbooks International (MBI) Publishing Company
Book and photos featured in episode #201 (Corvette History).
Corvette Buyers Guide 1953 - 1967
by Richard Price
ISBN #0-7603-1009-2
MBI Publishing Company
Featured in Classic Car Restoration episode #209.
Corvette: Fifty Years
by Randy Leffingwell
ISBN #0-7603-1180-3
MBI Publishing Company
101 Projects for Your Corvette: 1984 - 1986
ISBN #0-7603-1461-6
MBI Publishing Company
Author Richard Newton featured as guest on episode #209.
Motorbooks (MBI) catalog & information
Website: www.motorbooks.com
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