Chadillac2000

Entire project is now for sale for $10,000 for the whole lot.

I started this thread after realizing I probably needed another set of eyes on this project for criticism and suggestions!

The car: A 1979 L82 Chevrolet with 93,000 miles.

Background Story

-- The car was recently given to me before being sold for scrap.
-- Has sat for the past 7-8 years under a carport without being driven.
-- Was running at the time it was parked.
-- This restoration is going on in a large garage with plenty of tools.
-- My intentions with this build are to build a car that is solid through and through, with anywhere from 350-400hp.
-- This car will be listed for sale as soon as its rebuilt, so I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible.
-- A close friend of mine, with far more wrenching experience than I will be assisting.
-- He's performed a frame off restoration once. I never have.
-- Any work that I can do myself to cut costs is a plus.

After the car was towed from the carport to my garage, this is what I was looking at.

















I was able to get the car up on jacks in a section of the garage that I can dedicate to this project.

After the 30-minute pressure wash session, the car didn't look half bad.



First order of business was stripping the interior. Took the better part of a night.



And hiding under the wet and rotten carpet...















After getting the all the interior pulled apart, we moved on to the engine, front suspension, and exhaust.





















The next order of business we've decided should be to remove the body from the frame, so we can work with both sections separately. Checking on prices for sandblasting and powder-coating the frame and other components later this week as well as trying to decide what direction to go with as far as the powertrain is concerned.

Any suggestions, advice, criticism, etc, is encouraged!

7T1vette

So far, I'm impressed with your undeniable optimism, your intestinal fortitude, and your gluttony for punishment. But, you have a not-so-blank 'canvas' to work with and, if you are creative, handy, patient, and dedicated you might end up with a 'silk purse' coming from the proverbial 'sow's ear'. We shall see...

I'm looking forward to some more photos as the next episode unfolds.

doorgunner

AAAAAAAAAAHA......so THAT'S what I'm supposed to be doing!

Good pics and write-up!

LudemJo

I love these threads...one day I will do a frame-off...after I buy a second Corvette so I can keep driving one for the two or three years it would take to get through the project.

John

Chadillac2000

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest unfolds myself.

Ahhh...exactly what I did. I have a 77 I drive often. Even sleeps in the same garage as the project.

mudbone64

What do you think the car will sell for once completed?

Priya

Having done several such restorations myself I think you're going to find once you factor in a value for your labour you're going to put far more into this car than what you're going to sell it for. For me I don't mind that when its a car I plan to keep but as far as a money making venture goes I really doubt this is it.

The last car I did was an '81 AMC Eagle. I put aproxiamately $10,000 cash and 2000 hours of labour into it. Sure, it appraised for $18000 but figuring $20 per hour for my labour I've got $50,000 into the car. It looks fantastic but obviously I could never sell it for anywhere near what I've got into it.

Chadillac2000

I'm not really sure what it'll actually sell for (or even how much I'll have in it once everything is said and done), but like Priya said, probably not as much as I'll have invested once time is taken into account.

My logic was that since I was gifted this car, and the fact that I have a job that allows me a lot of free time Monday-Thursday, restoring the car and flipping it could still yield a decent profit.

Plus, like many of you, I take enjoyment out of tinkering with these things and it helps direct my free time towards something productive.

I have a prior engagement taking up my time this weekend, but we plan on pulling the body from the frame early next week. One thing I've learned from previous failed project cars, is that if you don't stay motivated and keep moving forward, you will inevitably lose interest, hence why I'm trying to complete the whole thing as soon as physically and financially possible.

Priya

Well, hopefully everything goes smoothly for you. I'm not exactly a driven person so it took me 4 years to complete my Eagle but my philosophy is "As long as you keep at it, even if you don't do much any given day, eventually it'll get done.".

Looking forward to watching your progress.

Chadillac2000

I appreciate the kind words. Hopefully the financial cash out light at the end of the tunnel will keep me motivated to keep this project moving at a brisk pace.

More pictures to come next week!

LS4 PILOT

You are saving this poor cars's life for sure , if not for you she was surely doomed

Good luck ....will watch

tx75vette

The frame and underside looks pretty good. I think getting it in good running and driving condition with a driver quality paint job would be best for flipping.

Doing a frame off adds to a lot of while your at it's and is very time consuming. It seems most buyers don't appreciate or understand all the time and money that's put in for restoration of that magnitude.

Any who awesome color combo and good luck with your venture.

Chadillac2000

She was definitely doomed. Thanks for following along.

The frame and underside looked much better than I thought they would originally.

But yes, I agree. No buyer ever fully appreciates all the time and effort that goes into a proper restoration.

OnPoint

Chadillac2000

With the engine, transmission and driveshaft completely removed from the car, it came time to make a big decision. I could either attempt to restore the car with the frame still attached to the body or I could take on the task of separating the two. I opted for the latter. We found some hooks and proceeded to use the existing seat bracket holes to bolt them down. After placing two on each side, one towards the front and one towards the rear, we were ready to start unbolting the 8 body mounts on the car and disconnecting any wires connecting the two pieces.



Working from the back to the front, we immediately ran into problems. The two rear most body mounts had been secured from inside the cockpit, which also meant they had rusted completely. This caused a bit of delay while we used grinders, pry-bars and vice grips to finally break the two body mount bolts in two. The six remaining bolts came out much easier. After removing some miscellaneous wires, we were ready to start jacking up on the engine hoist.

5 minutes later, with some careful guiding, we had the two pieces sitting side by side. This was the first time I'd ever removed a body from a frame, so naturally I was pretty scared knowing the entire body of this car I was supposed to be putting back together was hanging 5 feet in the air attached to chains.



With the body sitting completely off the frame, I was excited to see how easily restoring this frame would be. Everything was now easily accessible for cleaning, restoration and re installation. With this method, we can know get the frame portion refurbished and finished, then proceed to dropping the body back on top of all our completed work.



The next step is removing the majority of the components from the frame. Once we have that done, we can move on to getting this frame stripped down and repainted, possibly even powder coated depending on price.

Seeing all these parts spread out all over our garage is pretty intimidating at the moment, but I'm hoping that if we keep moving at such a brisk pace throughout this entire restoration, we won't have time to worry.

Priya

I don't know why, but I just love seeing a car get taken apart and then restored bit by bit.


What I found helped for me is to avoid thinking about the entire project and keep your mind focused on the next relatively easily achievable small step or project within your project. That way you don't get the feeling of being overwhelmed by the entire list of things to be done and on a semi-regular basis you get a small feeling of accomplishment as you complete your sub-goal.


For example, getting the body of the frame is one mini-project, getting the frame ready for paint is another mini-project to focus on and so on.

929nitro

You are making very good strides. Will be a good project to follow.

Chadillac2000

That's a great way to look at it and a state of mind I need to adopt. Getting the frame ready for paint is definitely next on my agenda. Dropping the rear end, removing the fuel tank and anything else miscellaneous. Need to check on some sandblasting/powdercoating prices as well. Any suggestions as to whether or not I should go powdercoating or just have it sandblasted and then prime/paint it myself?

Thanks bud. I just need to keep on keeping on at this point.

Priya

I don't know much about powdercoating but its my understanding that its more durable than traditional painting methods. I'd get your costs first and if you can afford powdercoating get it done. If you do decide to prime and paint it yourself use quality products, just covering it with Rustoleum won't last long.

tokim

The build threads are the best.
Another one following along with your build.
Keep your eyes on the prize.