restoration photos

[Eric F.]

I'm in the middle of a frame off restoration of a 75 convertible. I have the judging manual, the assembly manual, and numerous restoration books and articles to assist me. It's time to start painting the frame and suspension components. I want to achive NCRS awards so accuracy is important. It would be nice to see photos of the various areas of cars (frame, suspension, engine, underhood, etc.) that have been judged by NCRS. Are there any available on this site? If not, does anybody know where I can view photos of 75's that achieved NCRS awards?

It's been challenging and fun so far. Thanks to all of you for advice and infomration. The archives have been a blessing.

Eric

[John O.]

Re: restoration photos

Hi Eric
I have no photo's, but to give you some info I was told.
I did a frame off resto, on my 62 vette.With alot of reading, questions and answers I got, I found out that not all black painted parts including the frame were identical in color.Because of different manufactures for chassis parts, they used different shades of black.At least, this is what I read and was told.I for one tend to believe it cause back then I don't think they cared about it all matching.Now i'm no expert, but I hope some of this will help you.

Good luck....John

[Chuck S.]

Re: restoration photos

Eric, the Tech board is not picture friendly unless you already have a hosting service. Consequently, not many pictures are in the archives and it will be hard to find those that do exist. I recommend you go to the NCRS store and click on "Restoration Resource Guide" on the left side of the page for many valuable books that have pictures.

I found the following invaluable for restoration: Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM...for your model year), GM (Helm) Chassis Service Manual, Joe Tripoli's "1953-1972 Chassis Restoration Guide" (Oops, yours is a 75, but you should find much of the chassis info will carry over). Other books that are very valuable, but not seen on that web page are "NCRS 1968-1982 Corvette Specifications Guide" (for checking those pesky numbers and dates), and Dobbins' "Fact Book of the 1973-1977(?) Stingray" (has lots of pictures of original cars).

Your best reference will be your CAR! Pictures of other peoples' cars or descriptions in reference books should never take precedence over what you see in front of you...Unless, of course, your car has been rendered "not typical of factory production" in an area by someone before you. Learning to figure out what "is" and what "is not" original takes a little experience and a fair amount of knowledge, and that is all part of the fun.

A final warning: Undertake a body-off restoration only after great consideration and with great trepidation...it's extremely rewarding, but very expensive and an unbelieveable amount of work.

[Chuck S.]

Re: restoration photos - Reply To Email

OHHHHHH! You want real NCRS Top Flight photos!!!

You still won't find much in the archives. Do what I have done...go to regional meets and take your own photos using your knowledge to sort out the sheeps from the goats. This allows you to focus precisely on specific areas of interest. Another option is to observer judge; experience with a good team that takes the time for some explanation is invaluable...of course, the time schedule is generally tight, so don't expect a lot of explanation.

[Kurt B.]

Re: restoration photos

For my 68 restoration, I found the Judging Manual to be very helpful. It does not have pictures but gives specifics on what colors and shades of black certain components should be. Prior to my restoration, I thought black was black but then I learned about all the various shades of black and it became quite challenging. The Judging Manual or Technical Manual or whatever it is being called this week , was very helpful to determine what shades of black and what type fo finish each component should be.