It's been a long while since I've done any major restoration work. Going on at least 15 years or so. So I have a couple of questions for those who are doing it now, or have recently completed (they're never really done) a major frame off.
I'm starting with a beginning budget of about $10K. Car is my 60K mile 1985 442. I plan on a rock-stock frame off, with most of the work done by me. I haven't decided on cracking open the engine yet, but the transmission could use a little tightening up to my liking. I recall it used to bang 2nd gear and break the tires loose when new. I'd like to have it do that again.
I already have conceded when I bought the car about 33 years ago it was going to be a money pit and I am not putting the money into it thinking I'll be making my investment back. It's more about sentimental reasons.
The good-
NO RUST T-top car. Spent most of its life out of the weather and the T-tops never leaked so I'm hopeful there won't be anything waiting for me underneath the T-top inside trim. No visible bubbles on the windshield frame and around the T-top plates and such.
NEVER BEEN MESSED WITH. Never been wrecked. I'm the original owner, and it's never had anything done to it as far as hacking the car and whatnot. It's mostly original.
I have nearly every single GM part you could think of for this car either New or NOS that's not a hard part like the short block, transmission and rear end assembly. Oh, and quarterpanel parts and stuff since mine shouldn't need replacing. Thanks to the handy dandy parts book, I've been slowly accumulating GM parts since 1985....Including NOS bolts and stuff. Exhaust system- Everything from exhaust manifolds back to the slant cuts on the tailpipe. Entire front suspension- Everything. Rear suspension- Everything, including sway bar shims. I have stripe kits, all the anodized aluminum trim and new rear quarter windows, new seat and door panel fabric yardage, a grunch of interior stuff, underdash insulation, crap, I could go on.....it's probably easier to spell out what I don't have. From a parts attainability standpoint, I'm pretty much set for parts. I keep running into little things here and there I don't have. So for a lot of it, it's a unbolt, and bolt on new parts. I did make a mistake a long while back. I didn't think ahead and got some GM headliner material....oof. Why. It turned out it crunchified itself over the years just sitting there and the foam just fell apart. So don't ever do that. Got new wheels, Eagle GT repro tires (and NOS ones, but...), etc. rotors, drums, complete brake system, steering system....
The bad-
Paint is factory lacquer. I considered trying to find someone that could or would do lacquer, but then, after thinking about it- while correct, it would end up cracking and hazing like the factory crap did. Not saying the paint is absolutely horrible, but it needs repaint to do it justice so base/clear is the obvious way to go. It's easy though. Black and silver. It's been so long since I had a car painted, I'm not sure how much an excellent paint job will run. Shouldn't have to do much in the way of bodywork (I hope). Maybe hit high spots and fill in any low spots and get the old paint off of it.
Plans are to pull the body off, take the frame down to nothing, then take it someplace to bead blast the frame and either blast or somehow strip the body down and start with a fresh slate and start with that. I'll get the seats restitched perhaps, at least the front buckets. Maybe new foam in there. Then there's the repaint...that's where the major money will be most likely.
I might be crazy, who knows.
Do I need to save more money? I get that this sort of question results in a huge "It depends" but I'm finally getting around to doing something I've been needing to do for years, but for now, just trying to figure out how far my 10K will go... Oh, just to mention. Car was bought in the south, and has stayed in the south. No salt. Hardly any rain for that matter.
Just talking out loud for now and trying to get some feedback and maybe get some discussion going on it since I'm not exactly ready to start the action on it.
And of course, when it starts.....it'll be photo documented for everyone's enjoyment.
Thoughts?
I included a couple of pics of what I'm starting with. The pics were taken in 2005 when I was building my new shop. But it's pretty much the same as I haven't driven it since.
I'm starting with a beginning budget of about $10K. Car is my 60K mile 1985 442. I plan on a rock-stock frame off, with most of the work done by me. I haven't decided on cracking open the engine yet, but the transmission could use a little tightening up to my liking. I recall it used to bang 2nd gear and break the tires loose when new. I'd like to have it do that again.
I already have conceded when I bought the car about 33 years ago it was going to be a money pit and I am not putting the money into it thinking I'll be making my investment back. It's more about sentimental reasons.
The good-
NO RUST T-top car. Spent most of its life out of the weather and the T-tops never leaked so I'm hopeful there won't be anything waiting for me underneath the T-top inside trim. No visible bubbles on the windshield frame and around the T-top plates and such.
NEVER BEEN MESSED WITH. Never been wrecked. I'm the original owner, and it's never had anything done to it as far as hacking the car and whatnot. It's mostly original.
I have nearly every single GM part you could think of for this car either New or NOS that's not a hard part like the short block, transmission and rear end assembly. Oh, and quarterpanel parts and stuff since mine shouldn't need replacing. Thanks to the handy dandy parts book, I've been slowly accumulating GM parts since 1985....Including NOS bolts and stuff. Exhaust system- Everything from exhaust manifolds back to the slant cuts on the tailpipe. Entire front suspension- Everything. Rear suspension- Everything, including sway bar shims. I have stripe kits, all the anodized aluminum trim and new rear quarter windows, new seat and door panel fabric yardage, a grunch of interior stuff, underdash insulation, crap, I could go on.....it's probably easier to spell out what I don't have. From a parts attainability standpoint, I'm pretty much set for parts. I keep running into little things here and there I don't have. So for a lot of it, it's a unbolt, and bolt on new parts. I did make a mistake a long while back. I didn't think ahead and got some GM headliner material....oof. Why. It turned out it crunchified itself over the years just sitting there and the foam just fell apart. So don't ever do that. Got new wheels, Eagle GT repro tires (and NOS ones, but...), etc. rotors, drums, complete brake system, steering system....
The bad-
Paint is factory lacquer. I considered trying to find someone that could or would do lacquer, but then, after thinking about it- while correct, it would end up cracking and hazing like the factory crap did. Not saying the paint is absolutely horrible, but it needs repaint to do it justice so base/clear is the obvious way to go. It's easy though. Black and silver. It's been so long since I had a car painted, I'm not sure how much an excellent paint job will run. Shouldn't have to do much in the way of bodywork (I hope). Maybe hit high spots and fill in any low spots and get the old paint off of it.
Plans are to pull the body off, take the frame down to nothing, then take it someplace to bead blast the frame and either blast or somehow strip the body down and start with a fresh slate and start with that. I'll get the seats restitched perhaps, at least the front buckets. Maybe new foam in there. Then there's the repaint...that's where the major money will be most likely.
I might be crazy, who knows.
Do I need to save more money? I get that this sort of question results in a huge "It depends" but I'm finally getting around to doing something I've been needing to do for years, but for now, just trying to figure out how far my 10K will go... Oh, just to mention. Car was bought in the south, and has stayed in the south. No salt. Hardly any rain for that matter.
Just talking out loud for now and trying to get some feedback and maybe get some discussion going on it since I'm not exactly ready to start the action on it.
And of course, when it starts.....it'll be photo documented for everyone's enjoyment.
Thoughts?
I included a couple of pics of what I'm starting with. The pics were taken in 2005 when I was building my new shop. But it's pretty much the same as I haven't driven it since.
