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My brother n law drove his 59 corvette into a mini-storage about 13 years ago because the brakes were out and he didn't want to fix them right away.He's been paying 90$ a month since then to keep it there,I looked at it about a year ago and told him he should be horse whipped for leaving it there so long.I took the numbers off the engine and got someone from this site to id it and it came out of a 66 or so truck,so the engine is not numbers matching.Here we are a year later, and he wants me to try to get it running, there is no chance that he would sell it to me but he has offered to pay me for my time etc.I'm pretty mechanical and have rebuilt about 5 small block chevys a long time ago.I like a challenge and I have a new 22x36 shop with a lot of tools ready to go.My questions are where would I get the stuff I need like tires,brake parts etc. at decent prices.I would like to keep most stuff like original.He would like to get the car drivable and then he said he might would get it professionally restored.Your suggestions appreciated.
I wrote a long post to respond and an inadvertent click of the mouse lost it all...
Briefly
Unless your brother is paying you a legitimate rate for your time, he maybe taking advantage of your enthusiasm for the project and your relationship will be strained before you are long out of the starting gate.
First
Establish how much you are being paid, how you are being paid, and how often you are being paid for your time Before you ever begin. Agree now, and no hard feelings later. Monthly submitting you time spent? If so, don't work one second after the agreed to time until you have cash in hand from the previous work.
Second
Have your brother order the 59 Assembly Manual, NCRS 1959 Judging Guide, and the 1953-62 Corvette Servicing Guide ST-12. All three of these books will be your Corvette Bibles, with GM Part numbers, correct assembly, and how things were done originally. Even if you never plan to judge/show the car, they will be an invaluable resource.
ALL THREE BOOKs cost less than what your brother spends in his storage fees and can be bought at the NCRS Website. It will also be a good indicator of how serious he is. No books, no work.
Next, make a list of the things the car needs to get it safely on the road. We could argue which is more important, where to start first, but that doesn't matter.
Brakes, Motor, Fuel System, Steering... pick a spot, and then with the books above, and Catalogs from Keen, Willcox, Zip, etc, make a list of what YOUR BROTHER NEEDS TO BUY for each "section".
Have your brother buy those parts, and when they come in, get started on that one section.
Take lots of pictures to help you figure out how stuff came apart. It will help you get things back together. Also, start a build thread here to show us what you are doing. Lots of good advice from folks who have been there, done that. Also, e-mail your brother after every session with the car. Tell him what you did, and how long you did it for (send him a link to the build thread here too)
At the end of the agreed to work time (week, month etc) bill your brother, and don't start working again till you get paid.
Things like this usually turn out badly. The best intentions oft go awry. Especially with money and relations.
Your efforts and energy maybe best utilized on your own car. Your success may cause your brother to step up to the plate on his... and at least, you would have a great idea of what it would cost to do his car. If it has been sitting as long as it has, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry.
60 Corvette, been in barn since 1985. 283 engine and 3 speed trans works great. Puff of smoke when started, ( valve seals ). All gauges work. Solid frame, drives and stops great NYS inspected. All Crome, grill included. Also included, new carpet, door panels and dash pad, Extra numbers correct 283 block .
Your bro-in-law will prob get you to get the car running and sell it once he sees how far underwater he will be to have a non-numbers matching car professionally restored - or else he'll roll it back into a storage shed for another decade....
If you have a couple of Saturdays, and, the motor isn't seized you could dink around with it to see if you could get it running - don't know that I'd invest more time than that. Any more effort than that and you'll be in up to your keyster and if something is truly and badly broken in the car you could get the blame...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 02-10-2015 at 07:16 AM.
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-‘19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Revfan speaks wisely! Make sure anything that is needed - books, parts, etc - is purchased by your brother, NOT by you and added to the bill. If he does not want to spend the money to order the stuff needed, he will not want to spend the money to pay you for your work.
I have a lot of family I would work with for fun, but if it's a big job and money is involved, I would get a comprehensive parts list to rebuild the major systems- brakes, cooling, fuel to start and flat labor cost for each job at a $ you can live with. Or don't do it. Hourly work with family is a recipe for disaster.
If it were me, and I thought I'd enjoy the work, I'd tell him to have it delivered to my shop on a rollback at his expense naturally, and that you'll change the oil, plugs, wires, carb kit, points, and condenser (maybe) and flush the coolant once (no repair) and see if it will fire off. I bet it does. What would your parts cost? $150? Shouldn't take long to do the basics.
Plumb the fuel pump SAFELY to a gas can. Maybe skip the cap/rotor/wires if the wires ohm test OK it'll run. Crank it with the coil wire removed a good bit to oil everything.
PS- most hear are interpreting that you would be RESTORING it. I see that isn't the matter at hand. Getting it driving isn't a prohibitive venture.
What would I charge? $400.00 or so. If it runs and idles, you guys can talk about taking it further. Keeping it "generally" original since it doesn't have it's original engine will be much cheaper than buying the next level up restoration parts.
Last edited by ChattanoogaJSB; 02-10-2015 at 11:54 AM.
Reason: added ps
Unless this is a brother in law unlike any I have ever heard of, there is not one chance in a million that you will be paid for your time and effort. And very little chance he will want to pay the freight for the parts. His brakes would have been a heck of a lot less expensive to fix 13 years ago than they will today, now that all the lines must be flushed, master overhauled, wheel cylinders rebuilt, etc etc.
My advice: tell him thanks but no thanks. If you took this job on you would not be on speaking terms by the time you throw in the towel on it.
Don't doubt me.
Best to treat this transaction like a loan to a relative. Better assume it is a gift. That way if by some remote chance you actually get paid, getting paid will also be like a gift. Another one to remember is don't expect gratitude either, you will be disappointed. Thanks to Dale Carnegie for how to get along with others.
Thanks for all the responses,I really want to do this and my bro n law and I play golf almost every weekend,so I'm just saying we get along real well.We talked about it costing several thousand just to get this car running again.He thinks the engine will be seized, I think it can be started with some work.I think I need to talk to him about real numbers a real pay for my time, I don't expect much money per hour as I will be doing this because I want to.I do woodworking and penmaking for free all the time.If we do come to terms on this deal I will definitely need yalls help and I will be here a lot I'm sure.Thanks again.
Lets see 13 years, 156 months X 90. thats $14000. I would say he is already upside down in the thing.
Now, why would you want to just get it running and then restore it. If he is really going to restore it, just do it all then. Why waste the effort on getting it going now. He will be just like my brother. He will cover it back up and let it eventually rot.
Lets see 13 years, 156 months X 90. thats $14000. I would say he is already upside down in the thing.
Now, why would you want to just get it running and then restore it. If he is really going to restore it, just do it all then. Why waste the effort on getting it going now. He will be just like my brother. He will cover it back up and let it eventually rot.
Wow, This is starting to sound like a Jerry Springer show. It may be hard to believe in the high dollar Corvette world but some restore and build vettes for the fun of it! I help my friends and relatives replace roofs , fix cars and build homes. When I was pouring footers for my new shop the contractor could not believe how many friends I had helping us . He said "I can't believe how many friends you have that are willing to step up to the plate to help you on a personal project, and some even used a vacation day off from work." It is all about karma!
I think he just wants it to run. $400 is way to cheap to do that. I would quote and hourly rate plus parts. The brakes alone could be a thousand dollars worth of parts.
This sounds too much like the typical family deal to me. You're going to get it running for him and he's going to sell it. You get zip for your efforts.
If you want to see what it costs to fix up a car look at my interior budget. I'm not talking restoration here. I'm just fixing it up. I would give you a total but I'm afraid to add up the numbers.
OMG, after you're done beating him with a rubber mallet.....
You got a long road my friend. Tires, wheel bearings, brake lines, master, calipers, pads, radiator, fuel tank, sending unit, hoses, belts, engine - who knows what....fluids at minimum but it could be seized. Figure a complete rebuild of motor, rebuild carb, starter, battery, coil, plugs, wires, distributor, fan clutch, water pump, and that's just off the top of my head with only 1 cup of coffee in me so far. BIG undertaking. Non-numbers matching. Underwater. Sell as is to someone who wants/can afford to do a major rebuild of that car. When money gets involved between "family", it ALWAYS gets sticky. I would say thanks, but no thanks. When he sees the bills and parts start adding up, you're the guy who is going to hear about it...."your brother charged me &%^&*%&^*..." No thanks....ARA
If it were me, I would see about getting the engine running first. That engine may be a lost cause. And that may help drive the decision on where to start.
If it were me, I would see about getting the engine running first. That engine may be a lost cause. And that may help drive the decision on where to start.
Good luck with it.
Hopefully you have a NAPA around. There is also Amazon...they have a lot of parts to order online, and there's Rockauto too.
I second on getting the engine running first, make sure there is nothing wrong there. That should be easy...but I would first drain the gas, have the fuel pump and carb rebuilt, new plugs and wires and a fresh oil change.
Also, don't throw anything away, no matter how trivial (nut/bolt, etc.). Check back here if you have a question about it...
I wouldn't order parts on your dime though. Tell him what you are going to have replaced/rebuilt and let him run his charge card.
Where are all you guys who buy parts and do free labor when I need something done on mine?
There is an expectation from the BIL to pay for work being done, and an expectation from the OP, to be paid for the work that he is going to do.
I am not saying "don't do it", I am saying, establish what that is up front before work starts so that there is no hard feelings or misunderstandings.
Sounds like you are a man who wants a project. If your (BIL) is paying the parts and some labor than go for it. Like they stated above get the proper manuals and between local auto parts stores and all the corvette parts venders you can get almost every part. Besides your BIL is already saving $90 a month on his storage bill. Good luck on your decision and we will need pictures in the future or this never happened.
02-10-2015, 01:09 AM
Stored 59
day off from work." It is all about karma!
