Ward72

After seeing so many great complete restrorations here on the forum, I ask: "When did you decide to pull you vette off the road and restore it." You know, to the body off, engine/tranny teardown, new interior, big dollars, level.
Since getting my vette one year ago, I have rebuilt the rear, new trim here and there, currently working on rebuilding the cooling system and plan on replacing the exhaust. I would really like to completely tear it down and make it look as good as many vettes that I have seen here.... however, don't want to be with out the vette to cruise for too long...or maybe.

What was your point of no return?

cnyc31976

My position is different than yours but I'll chime in anyway.
Mine was in pieces and I was looking forward to a project anyway.
For you, you have the ultimate decision and if your're like me, I like working on cars and will have the pride & satisfaction of rebuilding the car and getting compliments & enjoy driving it
Its up to you.........

Good luck

Scott

SlappyCow

For me it was easy. My car sat out side for 15 years with mother nature kicking the crap out of it. Honestly the best advise I can give you would be to set your mind on a date/time to do it. I have been working on my constantly for the past 5 years. The only thing still original is the tranny. (going for paint soon). But anyways, however long you plan, and how much you plan to spend.. it will double very fast. If you car isn't what you want then go for it now. The point of no return was when I decided to rebuild the stock L-48 internals, then the next day was told the suspension was hosed. Sorry if this doesn't help much, but maybe someone else can give you a better perspective on when they did theirs. Good luck with whatever you decide.

NMT1957

There is another option. The way the prices are right now, you could buy a project car to restore and keep yours on the road to drive. Since you are from CA and you could be driving yours all year round. I think the prices right now are at an all time low.

stpman

For me it was easy I bought my 73 with a rotted frame so the body came off as soon as it came home.

jnb5101

you'll never recover all the money invested in restoring one of these cars. the question to ask yourself is whether you enjoy driving it more than you enjoy working on it. once you open one of these can-of-worms be prepared for the worst. if you enjoy cruising, continue as you have been, just fixing items as needed to keep the wind in your hair and a smile on your face.

vette54728702

That is a tough decision. When I purchased my '75 it needed full restoration, so I began immediately. 2.5 years into the restoration I just couldn't go another summer without getting to drive a 'vette... so I purchased another one. It was in very very good condition and I tied for first at a Corvette show about a month later with the one I just purchased. I did some minor personal touches to that car, and next week I am getting a third one. These cars are addicting.... or am I just obsessive compulsive.... probably both! These cars are our pride and joy, and if you are looking forward to the project and are financially ready then I say jump into it this fall if you have a place to work on it during the winter... that way you can enjoy it this summer before you start. Give you an opportunity to stock up on parts and watch for sales on items you need. Just my opinion though.

Alan 71

Hi Ward,
I think you raise the biggest question when you mention not being able to drive the car for a period of time.
A body off restoration that you do yourself takes a lot of time, and money; a body off restoration that you pay someone else to do takes not as much time but a LOT more money.
Most people that I talk to that do a restoraton themselves do it because they enjoy the process.
My wife couldn't believe I was taking a perfectly good car completely apart. I wanted it to be better than it was and I wanted to build a car myself.
I had a budget and I stuck to it but I had no schedule because I was having more fun working on the car than driving it. This doesn't work for most people, but it did for me, will it for you?
I think when I started working on my car I knew I wanted to do a body off but needed to get the confindece to begin, so I played around the edges for a while and then finally said 'it's coming off'.
Regards,
Alan

Red70vette

I agree with JNB you have to base your decision on what you want to do with the car. You will never recover the cost of a complete restoration. If you are looking on restoring it and flipping it to make some money you can forget it. You would be better off working in Walmart for the same amount of hours it will require. You have to enjoy doing it and have the time and money to complete the job or you will be looking at pieces for the next 5 years.

I prefer driving and enjoying the car. I do restoration one thing at a time and only when I can't drive the car. Living here in the Northeast it is off the road for 4 months a year and that is when I do most of the work. If I lived in Ca. a whole lot less will get done.

Remember if you start a full restoration it will take the car off the road for a long time.

2TONE82

My two cents...you can restore a car hundreds of times - it's original only once...see signature!

I'd drive it and replace/restore/update only what needs to be for safety reasons. One day, down the road something may let go and your decision will be made for you.

Or...you could go this route. This is my second '82. I bought my first one, a high mileage car that needed paint but was pretty solid. I drove that car for five years and really learned a lot about the '82 in every way. I started a resto - rebuilt the tranny (it let go...) - but while getting ready to do the motor I got a quote on the repaint. It was a two tone car so twice the fun for a repaint. That price alone made my decision to sell the car and start my quest for a C5...this was in 2003.

Long story short - everytime I looked at C5s on line I found myself searching for another '82. I found this car, very low mileage in great condition and negotiated a price. In the end, the money I would have spent on repainting my first '82 combined with what I sold her for bought me my current '82; an identical version of my first two-tone car...an easy 9.5 out of 10 condition car. With prices the way they are you might be able to pull off a similar deal on a bumper car. I like to turn wrenches on my cars but prefer to drive them and couldn't imagine one being down for years.

If I ever do a "frame off" it will be for an LS powered mid -year resto mod; need to get the daughters through college first. Oh, in the end I found my C5 as well...see, it all works out.

3JsVette

........when you pay for it?

It's really important that you are honest with yourself when it comes to deciding whether or not you want to work on the car or drive the car. If you decide that you want to do a full restoration be emotionally and finacially prepaired. It will take longer than you think and will cost more than you budgeted. Be realistic. Do you have the time and patience to do a full restoration? Look at how many projects there are for sale. They are often .50 cents or less on the dollar. There is a reason. Very few people are like Alan71 who can say "I was having more fun working on the car than driving it." Most people get frustrated because they are watching what they preceive to be "everybody else" driving their car and having fun while they have a car all apart draining their wallet and consumming all their time. Yes I might be a little harsh here but you need to know what you're getting yourself into. Good luck with what ever you decide.

eastltd

If you put aside the emotional aspects of the restoration momentarily and just look at the cost factors you may get a different feeling about pulling the body.

I started my restoration with a two year plan and a $30,000 budget. I'm now into my third year, I've spent the budget and still have paint & interior to go.

I think its important to research the costs of your plans and write them down before you start and make adjustments as you go.

Through the course of the restoration, I've put together what I think is a reasonable budget for a full restoration to show quality and feel it pretty well reflects the spending to date. Obviously, depending on the initial condition of car, spending will vary in each area but should even out the same.

I have the spreadsheet in Excel but cannot post it here, so I've included a scan of it. PM me if you would like the file.

I know, some will think this budget is too high and it probably is, but looking at the potential costs of your plan now may help with your decision.

If you decide to go for it, there is lots of support here.

Good Luck.

Curby

That's quite a list.

I keep spreadsheets on all my cars.

You definitely need to have one to drive while you are restoring the other one, or in my case, a few other ones.

I have a nice C5 that I use on cruises and trips, a nice 73 that I am doing light upgrades and repairs to that I can drive to club meetings and car shows. Then I have the monster big block 72 that I can take to the dragstrip.

Then I have the 82 that I bought to make a daily driver and my 71 convertible that will be undergoing the frame off rebuild.

The convertible is the car I have always wanted to restore. It was restored in the 80's and could get by with jsut a freshening up, but I want to build it from the ground up. I ahve no budget and no time limit on this car, and it may take me 10 years to complete, but that is fine with me.

hwcoop

Mine was the same, however once I rebuilt the chassis and had replace the body reinforcements I dropped the body back on and am driving and enjoying the car until I can spare some money for the Paint & Interior. If I did not go this route it would have been a basket case for years.
For me the worst part is coming up with spare cash for the project with kids in university, home rennovations etc but i'll get it done

7t2vette

I bought my vette in Aug 1995, it was a decent driver, and I spent the next year fixing the minor things that needed attention. In the course of fixing things, I found the windsheild frame was rotted, so I replaced it and all of the weatherstripping in the spring of 96. During the winter of 96/97 I discovered the frame was badly rotted in several places when I started removing the suspension to replace it all with a VBP kit. I then had to decide to do a quick fix and sell it or pull the body off and dive in head first. I decided to do a quick frame replacement, but once the body was off, and the disassembly began, I knew I was past the point of no return!!

I didn't drive it again until the end of summer in 04 when the resto was finished. It was 7 1/2 years of work, whenever time and money would permit.

13Days

Only you can answer the question as far as whether you can be without driving the car while it is being restored.....

But as they say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" so by the time you are done with the restoration you might be missing the crap out of driving it!!

Ward72

Well, I think that I'm going along restoring with my car a piece/section at a time. Thanks for all your input and PICS. Alan, real nice car you have there.

My parts from ZIP have not arrived and it is really nice weather here in Northern CA. so, I drove my 1992 Camaro down the MSI to visit the rest of the local vette guys. Just got back and will start cleaning up as soon as I sign off.... Thanks again for all your input!

Droptop-Rob

I bought my 1968, 427 Conv, back in 1983 when I was a senior in High School with some help from my parents. I joined the army shortly after High School and drove it all around the army bases I was stationed all in the southern US. It did leave me stranded a few times and I ended up having to park it and buy another car for a daily driver. After a few years of dealing with whatever issues that popped up on the car, in 1997 I attended the Corvettes of Carlisle show, and that for me was like pilgrimage to Mecca. A few months later I pulled the body, I just didn’t have faith in being able to drive it anywhere. So after a couple deployments and a couple of divorces I am determined to complete this car when I return home, since I am currently on my third deployment. I am currently buying all my parts to complete it and visit this site as much as I can to keep the fire burning in me, it all gives me something to look forward to.

Rob