Restoration Time

[Harry Koba]

Not sure that this is a valid technical question, if not please delete.

I'm looking at restoring a 1966 coupe. I'm thinking of doing a lot of my own work but will need some one to take the body off, strip the paint, fill and block sand and then refinish to top flight level. Body is in pretty good shape, needs a inner front wheel well, other than that the outside and the hood are good without any stress cracks or collision damage.

The frame is very good. No repair required, needs to be disassembled sand blasted and painted.

I'd like to get some input on how many hrs this should reasonably take before I get into this too deep.

Thanks. Harry Koba #40697

[Ralph E.]

Re: Restoration Time - 1200 hours *NM*

[Stephen L.]

Re: Restoration Time

LOTS of money and time..... Been on mine for about 2 yrs. I do see the lite at the end however.... My project started out as "I better replace the leaking frost plug behind the flywheel and some of the bushings in the suspension" and it just mushroomed from there... to a total body off restoration.

[Dick W.]

Re: Restoration Time - 1200 hours

Depending on your level of mechanical skills 1,200 hours is a good starting point. We have spent over 2,000 hours on a car or as little as 950 hours. You can loose track of time on the small details. I have spent several days doing just the dash area, touching up and detailing. Some cars do not need this level of repair. Can be very rewarding work. But be prepared for things that do not go the way you think they should. Know when to walk away and go watch TV or read a book to clear your mind. Do not try to work when you are mad or flustrated, things only get worse.

[Tom D.]

Do the body first, when still on the frame. *NM*

[Geoff C.]

I'm going on 26 years with one project

You don't want to rush.

[Dick W.]

Re: I'm going on 26 years with one project

But Doc, look at all the time spent with the twelve ounce curls in that time!

[Roy B.]

Re: Restoration Time

Restoration "time" is only a matter of MONEY!
Having more MONEY then you can count = three months or less.
Having a wife,kids,dog,cat,a job and a life but little MONEY= 30 years or more!

[Harold #43147]

Weight

Tom is right when he says to do all your boby work while the body is still on the chassis as long as the frame is in good shape and the body mounts are good. This is the time to rebuild hinges and set margins.Its a lot of Hrs but who's counting you have to have the passion for it other wise it will turn into a disassembled box catcher. Bag and tag everything pics of everything these projects stretch into Years and you WILL NOT REMEMBER how things went together.

[Rob A.]

Re: Restoration Time

Harry,

First you have to decide what quality of restoration you are trying to achieve. It sounds like you're thinking of a complete, body-off restoration. The most important thing to do is determine if your car is a good candidate for what you're planning. Once the body is off and you're down to a bare frame you won't want to put the time, money and effort into the project and end up with anything less than factory fresh looking results. Take a good inventory of how many parts are not "correct" with respect to casting#'s, codes and dates. Make sure you are honest with yourself regarding how many parts will have to be replaced due to either condition, or being incorrect. I did a complete ground-up "67. I found out during the process how many parts were not correct in one way or another, or not nice enough to restore and put back on. Once one item is restored to like new, every other one pretty much has to follow suit. You really need to know if your car is a good "candidate" for the type of restoration you're interested in. That is really tha most important decision you have to make at this point. I wish I would have had someone help me make that assesment before I started my project.

[Tracy C.]

Truer words were never spoken Roy..Bullseye! *NM*

[mike geary]

Re: Do the body first, when still on the frame.

Absolutely true --but after the frame has been confirmed as straight by your frame shop. Once the body is off, even on a well-designed dolly, the gaps can't be accurately set because of body flex. Much more so on a roadster of course.

[Mike Cobine]

Pay Yourself

Maybe not literally, but in your head or paper. This will help you gauge some projects in the restoration on whether to rework, buy new, or ship out. I recently patched a fender because it had all the pieces except about a 4 inch square section. It was easier than peeling the entire fender off, buy a new fender, and bond back in.

By the time I was done, it would have been cheaper to buy the new fender and bond it in than rebuilding the old one.

Also, remember there were several hundred workers that put several days, and they were well-practiced.

[Mike Cobine]

Re: Restoration Time

Never do two projects at once. It is real easy to miss the one Corvette so you buy one to drive while restoring the other. But invariably, the driver will break, and you then have a project to fix it.

Remember always to fix only what is broken. The restoration on it should come ONLY when the first one is done. Don't fall into the trap of "while I have this off, I can ...".