SDVette

Hello,

My dad passed away last year, leaving behind his 1961 Corvette. He was the original owner. I'm working with my Mom to figure out what to do with the car.

The car has been stored in an aircraft hangar in San Diego for 20+ years. I have included some photographs of the car. Here are the basics:

- Body is very clean - no accidents
- Odometer reads 32K (rolled over once)
- Engine was replaced around 1974 with a GM crate 350 - original block is gone
- 3 speed transmission is original
- Chrome has surface rust but looks pretty solid.
- In about 1977, the windshield was replaced - at that time the dash leather was also replaced
- Hard top looks pristine

We are exploring my options at this point. I'd like to get a ballpark estimate for a total off-frame restoration. We also may consider selling the car.

Thanks for any input / advise you can provide.

MikeM

My first thought is a very good soap/water and polish clean up. It may be worth more the way it is. Certainly worth more to you. If you put money into it for a full blown restoration, plus what the car is worth as it sits, you'll never get your money back!

My opinion. Others may differ.

62Jeff

I will be facing a similar situation someday with my dad's 71, so allow me to share my plan and rationale.

My plan is to simply wash all the dust off, get it running again, and drive "his" car the way he left it when he could still drive it. If I were to restore his car it'd be a really nice car, but there'd not be a single surface left that my parents "touched" while they owned it.

On your 61 - if you do all the labor yourself I bet you can restore it for $50-$60k in parts. If you send the car out as-is to a shop and take delivery later of a fully restored car, expect well over $100k. If you have some of the labor intensive things done yourself (paint/body, seat upholstery, wiring, etc) then figure something in between.

AZDoug

Since all the parts are there, i would suggest you can get everything polished and show chromed, a spectacular paint job, an all leather interior,and everything rebuilt for less than $25K, if you do the mechanical dis assembly and reassembly your self. The more you have outsourced, the more it will cost.

You can probably add some $$ if you start powder coating frame, suspension parts, etc.

Doug

SDVette

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm worried about the frame. I'm a C5 guy, but I understand that the C1 frames were very susceptible to rusting from the inside-out. The car spent it's early years in the mid-west, and I've been told it was mostly garaged in the winter; but not 100%.

I do know that it was originally parked because of a brake line failure (at an attachment point to the frame). Without a dual master cylinder, that means no brakes! I got a few photos of the underside and it looks like the chassis may some heavy rust in a few places.

I certainly don't plan to make a show car out of it! Rather to make it a safe, drivable weekend car. I would enjoy doing some of the restore work myself.. but with a business and 2 school-age kids now, I don't see having the time needed to spend on this for several years.

Has anyone done this sort of thing with a C1 in similar condition?

vt65

with Mike, just clean it up, I see by your last post you don't have a lot of free time, maybe there is a forum guy close by that could look at it and help you out or take it to a good detailer who can get it on a hoist and help you make a determination on the frame, get it drivable and enjoy it for a while before you restore or worse yet sell it...

AZDoug

If the frame is crap, but a new or used frame, and start from there.

If you don't have the time to work on it, as you say, figure a lot of $$$$$, or store it for several years until you do have time, or sell it.

This all of a suddenly got more expensive, as a rusted frame, means a lot of other stuff will probably need to be replaced, springs, brake lines, splash pans, radiator support, brake parts, hangers, brackets, etc, etc..

I guess I am spoiled,a s my two Corvettes had zero rust, not even surface rust, so all they needed was dirt scraping, and wire brushing and rattle can painting all the underneath stuff.

Doug

Frankie the Fink

The parts of the frame most susceptible to rust are the rearmost cross member (which you can see by looking just under the back license plate) and the 'kick ups' just ahead of the rear wheels (see picture). If those are nasty then it's bad news.

Other than that, nearly anything else is surmountable. You may want to add some add'l fuses to this car as these early vettes didn't have enough and that made them prone to electrical fires. That also is no biggee....

John S 1961

Fix whats broken and drive it around show it to others. This could include new seats and carpets. It will be very popular, there are very few unrestored corvettes around. Original once, restored forever.

thoyer

Yup,

Took me the better part of a year, but got a 60 back on the road after it sat since 1985. Original owner car with all original parts except trans which was changed from a 3 speed to a 4 speed in early 61.

Now keep in mind that I did all of the work myself and this was not the first car I had to do this to. Been playing with cars for the better part of 30 years as a hobby.

I would suggest you evaluate the car from front to rear as to what must be repaired, what would be nice to repair and what needs no repair.

Clean it up, make it mechanically safe and road worthy then drive it and enjoy it.

Pics of my beast can be seen here:http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b298/tmh454/1960/

(Scroll around as they are in no particular order)

Tom

rustylugnuts

First I’m sorry to hear about your loss, sentimental value run's deep. With that said don’t through anything away, sit down and figure on what direction you want to go that meets you finances. Buy a ton of reference books. Reference yourself with knowledgeable and credible Corvette enthusiasts, and most of all, have a good time doing it. Wish you luck!

Also watch out for those that use the same hand that rarely gives help but always finds a self promoting exacerbation pat on their own back.

rustylugnuts

wib1961

If you want to see what the final product looks like after you clean it up a bit, come see me as the same car is in my garage (only difference is my coves were painted blue) and yes I have the hardtop too

SDVette

Thank you all for the ideas. Here are a few more photos:








Some of it is very good condition, but that shot of the frame looks a little daunting to me.

vt65

gotta admit the frame looks a tad ominous to me but I have never repaired one...might be a restomod candidate

MrTrim

Sorry to say this, but in my opinion, at the least your looking at a new/used frame to start....so now the end game for you begins...
Chris

Frankie the Fink

There are several sources for aftermarket C1 frames....some with the original construction; some with upgrades/modernizations. You could post a WTB (Want To Buy) thread in the C1/C2 parts section and see if somebody out your way might just have one. Sometimes they crop up there.... The good news is that the rest of the car seems to be all there and salvageable.

morechop

sent message

AZDoug

Is that oil running down the frame rail, or a big assed rusted through spot?

Looks like oil at second glance.

Car shows signs of being stored in humid environment. That ups the ante on resto costs.

Doug

Revfan

Here was a "rust free" frame on eBay that didn't sell. Maybe you could work a deal out as it has a 283 motor as well and looks to only need your body on top of it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/61-Corvette-Project-Rust-Free-frame-s-matching-drive-train-and-TITLE-/230816987163?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item 35bdc3b81b

Revfan

The one above is in South Carolina... might be a stretch for you...

But this one is in CA
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...100299380.html