Tonylmiller

I know these answers will depend on a lot of things, but I'm kind of looking for some "on average" answers.

There is a car for sale here locally. I started a thread over in the for sale forum if you want to see it.

The car is mostly original except for the soft top, which is in good shape. The rest of the car is tired and worn out for the most part. It is all there, but it is showing its age.

I'm pretty handy with tools, but I have never pulled an engine out of a car. I am seriously considering buying the car, redoing the seats and carpet, and just driving it for a while and keeping it up mechanically. Then, after a few years, I would take it apart and fully restore it. I really enjoy working on old cars.

I'm just looking for general advice, such as whether I'm crazy, or this is going to cost $50,000 plus painting. Does this seem like a feasible approach?

bluzrocker

I'm sure you have asked a ? that several CF members will chime in and lend some advice...
I statrted out with similar set up ....nice car pretty original but worn down and need of bout everything...and just me stripping the car down after a chassis rebuild...to paint it...started the process with me ,bead blast it,,,do all the fiberglass repair before you even think about painting it ( IMHO)to ensure paint holds ups.

and fix just about everything you touch or see needs to be rebuilt,re furbished or relaced...re chromed ,or polished,needed to be done...bout $40+ for me...

and your Idea of getting it mech sound and driving it for fun and evaluation?? would be the way to go.IMHO...

I then created a car budget... and associated bank account....as I funded the acct...I began my total make over/ rebuild ...
depends on what level of restoration you are after /afford ...and the down time while performing the rebuild...mine will be done in July bout 2 years to complete in my garage...Paint body,under car ,in engine bay restore all interior,chassis ,trans, mtr radiator,wing window frames,glass ,rubber,felt,top,sidepipe covers,grill,headlight mtrs,horns wiring looms+ all the stuff I didn't mention..

project creep.... no know cure I think you could do a very nice restoation for 25-40K
My paint and body work including replacing rt frt turn signal panel and lower valance will be about 13K

Bluzrocker

64roadster

My '64 was all there as well but it was also a non functioning total mess. But it was all there! My son and I did all the labor except body and paint. I estimate I have somewhere in the low $30k invested. I am thrilled with the finished product. Included in my ~$30k+ is the purchase price for the '64 and an '81, both cars for $11k.

You did not mention the purchase price and if it is currently roadworthy, or how much work you will have to farm out. Labor for good/quality work can add up quickly.

mrg

Tony ..
Looks like the car could be a decent candidate for a redo. Maybe have some fun with it before it goes 'under the knife'.

It sounds like this will be a first time project car for you. Needless to say, big ticket items will add up fast. If you have the time, and you are comfortable working with the tools and doing body work, you will be quite a bit ahead of the curve on $$$$ outlay when the time comes for doing the makeover.

IMO, the mechanicals should be done first, then body/paint, then interior. As a first timer, you will get a very good idea on just how long these things can take to do! .. Even the 'little things' add up, time wise.

Bluestripe67

Do you have a safe place to keep and work on the car? Get a couple of C-2 restoration books. Be prepared for the unexpected. Think of it this way. Start from were the rubber meets the road and work up and in. Make plenty of notes, take lots of digital pics, bag and tag parts. Refinish and reuse as many orig. parts as you can. Keep us posted. Good luck if you make the purchase! Dennis

365GTB4

Get somebody who really knows C2 corvettes and do a thorough inspection. Look for rust. Look for bad body repairs. The mechanicals are pretty easy and cheap to fix. It's the trim pieces, paint and body work that get expensive. I spent about 50k on my 64. Decide how you want to use the car. Driving it before you decide on the changes is very important. I rebuilt mine to NCRS specs and didn't like it. For me a 365hp with 4:11 gears was great when I was 19, at 67 its a pain to drive. I now have a 5 speed with 3:36 gears, air, cruise, tilt ectera. A very enjoyable cruiser.

Lou64

I posted my reaction on the for sale side. If you are worried about value, you will be under water very quick...perhaps as soon as it's purchased.

Blk63Vette

Hello

I don't know many guys who restore their corvette makes $$$ off them. Most spend too much money (I'm guilty ) and will never get it back...I had and "enjoyable weekend" last week on my back putting a new oil pan gasket in place of the one that I paided "professional to do correctly". My g/f just shakes her head looking at me on my back full of grease cleaning the engine underneath before putting the freshly painted oil pan back on my 1963 Corvette. I have to say it took two days but was more than happy when I started it up and didn't find any leaks. After two years of disappointment I am happy I fixed it myself..

Tonylmiller

Thanks a bunch for the comments. That is exactly what I was looking for. I think I'm going to pass on this one, unless the price comes way down.

BlackbirdZ07

Think twice about this one. There's really no cheap entry into C2 ownership right now, other than inheriting a car. You either pay a lot for a nice car, or you pay a lot more to restore one yourself. And they're not likely to get cheaper in the near future.

This one seems like it might be a good compromise if you can drive it with minimal work and have some fun with it for a while. You can do things like the seats, carpet, and door panels yourself. Get the parts from Willcox (they even have 20% off carpet and door panels right now!). Clean up the engine compartment yourself and do the other minor things it needs over time. You can decide whether to completely restore it later. In the meantime, you have a nice driver to have fun with. The disc brakes and side pipes are not original, but they're nice to have. And as a bonus, this one has its original engine and the hard top. Also, factory red is always desireable.

$34K is a little high, but $30-32K would probably be reasonable. Of course, check for frame and birdcage rust, poorly repaired body damage, etc. If you start shopping around, especially at the low end of the market, you quickly realize that most cars for sale have significant problems or require lots of money to be spent.