jimh_1962

You did fine if you spent 20k if the frame and glass is solid plus the inside braces. It depends upon your goal... But you can easily spend more than 30k-40k more on it to go somewhat back to somewhat stock. restomod add a lot more. You can easily place a value on the project... How much are you willing do to yourself? Don't be afraid to do some of the work yourself. You will be surprised on what you can actually do once you start working on some of these items.

Take a close look at the frame and the interior braces. Plus check the glass for any damage. If it was me... The first thing I would do is make sure I have all of the paperwork and the vin matches what is on the frame. From there I would make a list of wants and needs. Make an inventory list and find out what you are going to need to replace.

The windshield frame and posts will come out nice even though these are pitted. Look for a company which can refinish pot metal chrome.

The only reason why I know this is based upon my own experience of doing a frame off restoration. Are you sure the engine is original? It looks like the valve covers have breathers on each one. If that is correct it should have a draft tube or pcv. Then again I am no expert...

Revfan

I hope I didn't sound disparaging... not my intent.

If you want/always wanted a Vette... and you have a solid foundation, dig in and have fun.

If the point is that this will be an investment that you can make money on... well, that might be tough.

Working on these cars is lots of fun... and if you do a lot of the work yourself, you will know the car intimately, and know exactly what you have for your time and $ investment.

Best of luck... and there is a great crew here to help out if you get stuck. Don't be too shy to ask!

jimh_1962

Its a labour or love

tach drive 61

Welcome good luck with your 60'

RandallCole

I think you just got me to buy Cragars.

Roger Walling

You can get a nice 4 bolt new engine for less than the cost of rebuilding the old one. $1500 will get it delivered to your door.

There is a lot of talk about the value of a numbers matching car v/s a car with a few improvements over the original one.
If you bought it to make money, spend about another $35,000 and have a car that you can ask top dollar for. (but don't even think about driving it)
If you bought it to drive it, do what ever you want. When you sell it, depending on what use it will be for, the price will be close to the same. and the cost a lot less.

SDVette

That's good advise. The key to ANY project is to have a clear vision of the end result before you start. If the goal is to make a profit, it will take you in a different direction than if your main goal is to have a cool car to drive.

dheel

frame is solid, glass is pretty good, and the numbers on the engine block match. we r going to do the bulk of the work ourselves, which I am really looking forward to. in fact, i'll be spending 9 days of my vacation working on the car this summer. I have a budget for the restoration, but it is contingent upon no major surprises. if we have extra expenses, i'll keep it green for a few more years.
what's that song Kermit the Frog sings? "its not easy being green?" Thanks for your thoughts! dave

dheel

all is good, thx. I'm really excited to get the restoration underway!
many thx,
dave

dheel

thx roger, interesting comments. I feel like I should use the original motor at this point. the carb has been changed and I'm told the valve covers may not be original, but the numbers do match. I plan on driving it, having fun with it, and letting the kids eat ice cream in it. but we will have to see what kind of shape the motor is in before I commit to a rebuild. appreciate your thoughts, thx.
dave

dheel

chris, quick question for u. keep the drum brakes or go to disks? I'm trying to keep the car as original as possible without going over board. but modern brakes seem like a smart thing to do, as does a modern paint job and even a modern stereo.
thx,
d-

Revfan

I think with the original motor, and the drum brakes, you should be just fine. Cruising with kids and ice cream is not going to stress out drum brakes if they are sorted out properly.

jimh_1962

Lots of stop and goes around clarendon area (used to live there...). I would put a dual master disk brake setup.

jimgessner

I like it GREEN. Concentrate on making it a safe driving Corvette. Then drive it for a year. In Spring of 2015, big $$$$ decisions can be made. A year from now you will have learned lots about CORVETTE , this car and all your new friends.

VetteRed1965

You can find an old school 327 machinist who can rebuild your motor for about $2000.
At least just here north of Atlanta !

VeroWing

Looks like a fun project! Take your time and enjoy the restoration process. Anything you'll ever need to know about your car can be found here. Good luck with it!

chris ritchie

I'd stick with the drums. If the drum system on your car is working properly, and you stomp on the brake pedal, the 4 wheels will lock up. You can't ask it to do more than that. What discs get you is that if you have to do that many times in a row, such as in a race, the drums will fade, but the discs fade much later. That's important in a race and perhaps in the mountains. But not so much on the street. Disc brakes don't stop better than drums. They just can do it more often. I'd get the system up to snuff and drive the car. If after driving it for a while you feel the need to convert to discs, then do it. It's a reversible modification.

What you might want to spend your effort on is the master cylinder, the lines, the wheel cylinders, and the parking (emergency) brake. Your car is a single line system. If you get a leak, you lose your brakes. I'd make sure that part of your system is up to snuff. That part of the system will be needed whether you have drums or discs. If that part of the system is old, you may consider replacing all of it. The parts are not that expensive, and it buys you peace of mind. If you replace everything, you might consider converting to DOT5 (silicone) brake fluid. See the archives for lots of discussion on that. ("Tastes great. Less filling.")

You're right about modern paint. Modern paint is so much better than lacquer. If NCRS judging becomes important to you in the future, there's ways to mitigate the points hit.

I'd hold off on the killer sound system. Again, you can always install that later. I find I don't much listen to a stereo when I drive my car.

If it were my car, I'd get it running safely and reliably and then just drive it and enjoy it for a while. Most guys find that what they want to do with their cars changes over time. That's a good thing. It's your car. You should restore it in such a way that suits you.

ohiovet

I had my 327 rebuilt which required boring, polish the crank, new 10:1 pistons, a new L79 cam , freshen the heads, all for $1400.
This was done by a reputable machine shop/engine builder in Middletown, Ohio. A great deal 2 years ago.

ohiovet

I agree with everything you said.
Original drum brakes are fine.
The brake failure scenario is accurate although all my old Corvettes are that way. But the 57 Gasser I'm building uses a dual master cylinder.
I just saw that Speedway Motors now sells a dual master cylinder that resembles a original Delco master cylinder, pretty cool.
Also, DOT 5 is the only way to go, works fine doesn't attract moisture and won't hurt paint.
The best sound system is the sound from the engine, no high power stereo for me.
My good 57 fuel car is painted base/clear and with some minor shrinkage over the past 3 years the paint would probably pass NCRS judging.
Bruce B

dheel

great, many thx!
dave