First Restoration

[Guest]

I am about to start my first restoration. It is of a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 4dr. I am looking for any info on sites or discussion boards that might be able to offer help through out the experience.

Thanks

Travis

[RoadsterRich]

Travis,

Welcome aboard! Congratulations on beginning your first restoration. The AACA technical forum is a great resource for information and assistance while restoring a car. Another great source is:

http://www.vcca.org/ The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America. They have their own website and forums.

There is also the Chevrolet forum here on the AACA site, though I do not know how active it is:

http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=Chevrolet

I'm sure other more knowledgeable folks will provide you with other great resources.

Looking forward to hearing your tales as you progress...

Rich

[poci1957]

Congratulations Travis, hope you find the challenge rewarding. Your car choice is good too, as you can easily get pretty much any parts or advice you will need. FIRST THING get a parts catalog from Danchuk in Calif and CARS in Michigan. CARS makes excellent repro interiors and sheetmetal, they are correct AND better and cheaper than custom work. Danchuk has a great illustrated catalog AND website. This way you can learn what replacement parts are available and decide what you can easily replace or what you will have to carefully restore. Immediately buy a FACTORY service manual (specific to a 1957 Chevy) and any other good restoration books you can, they are worth the money. HAVE PATIENCE and especially don't take anything apart yet without planning what to do and in what order. Consider every component as to if you should replace, restore, or reuse it, and plan accordingly. Hope to see your posts and best wishes. Todd C

[1937hd45]

Travis, Welcome to the Fourm. Before you start to work on the car, be sure this is the one you really want to restore, and are willing to spend the next few years looking at all apart. You need to deside what degree of restoration you are looking for with the end product. A nice solid driver is a great first time goal. The 100% perfect car is a lofty and expencive goal first time around. Buy good tools and they will last a lifetime.

[48LCCOUPE]

Travis, welcome. All the advice so far seems right on, my entry will seem silly until you are there. Take pictures as you go. For one thing they can be used to refer to something 6 months from now when you were sure you would remember where and how and which way is up. Most importantly is the pride looking back as well as the documentation that you did indeed do a restore and not a quick mop and glow paint job. Good luck and as said before have patience. It's a hobby for most of us, if you get frustrated or overwhelmed walk away, it's not a job it's a hobby. When you return it will all fall together.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Travis,

You found the best forum already! Before you start taking the car apart, speak with others on what "system" they used. Get a digital camera as it can prove to be the most useful tool in your hands. I will repeat what others have said. Take lots of pictures because you will not remember how that doodad fit onto that whosamawhatsit in 6 months or a year from now. Plus it chronicles the work you have done. Take a look at my website listed below and you can see how I used my pictures in the documentation.

Don't by crappy tools!!!! Thay will only make more work for you and in the end you will wish you had bought better ones. Scout the pawn shops and newspapers for great deals on tools.

Buy a box of ziplock baggies with the white area to write on for your hardware and small parts. Label them! Doors, trunk, dash etc. Also place a paper label inside just in case the written labels get smudged.

I wish you a million hours of fun! Think of it as a 1:1 model.

John Bevins' law of restoration states that "you must have only 2 things for a project to be successful ... blood and extra parts!"

[Guest Albert]

As amphicar says take lots of pictures, ie brake line routing, wiring routing hoses, It does not matter if you have the original manuals or not most of this sort of information is never shown. 2) get the manuals and parts manual if you can. 3)tools stay away from any off shore tools, you will endup breaking more sockets etc. and skinned knuckles, go with hand tools like Craftsmans, or Huskey that have a NO hasel warr. 4) Don't take to much apart at once, Ie dont be doing both the motor as well as the body at the same time. You will ending up having too much open at once. decide if doing the drive line frist or the body, and only do the other if waiting for parts & materials. 5) Make a list as you take things apart as to what needs to be replace / repaired and replated. This way you have an idea when going to swap meets what to pick up, or what has to be sent out for work.

[Ron Green]

I really can't add to much more to all of the above except: Don't take for granted that everything now on the car is correct and needs to go back together the same as it was removed. Do your research.

Go to shows and take pictures of a similiar or like vehicle, but most of all get to know someone that has one done correctly as you will find it most helpful when you are unsure or can't quite see something from a picture to just pick up the phone and ask. You will find most are willing to help.

[Tom M]

Travis,

Attached is a picture of a car my brother bought through e-bay.

70% original Paint. All original Interior. It had 27,000 actual miles on the OD.

[Tom M]

Here is another picture of brothers car.

[Guest]

I appreciate the welcome and all of the info. It lets me know I am on the right track. I purchased the 57 manual as soon as I knew that the car was mine. My first goal is to get as familiar a possible with the car. The next thing I did was start looking for sites with pics of the exterior and interior. I am not looking at being able to take my first car to show condition. I want to make it solid, run good, and look good. If I can do that on this one, then I'll see what I can do. The previous owner has already put a different engine and tranny in the vehicle, so that part will be a lot less of a headache for me. I have minimal rust to deal with (of course, I haven't taken anything apart so that may change). The interior is trashed,but it is all there except the door panels, so that will be where I will need a lot of work. Fortunately, I have done upholstery before. I just want to try to get it as close as I can to the original inside. I have one lower rear quarter panel that will most likely have to be replaced. Floorpan seems to be solid.

Once I do get to the point that I am ready to start taking things apart, where do ya'll suggest that I start? What places do ya'll recommend for inexpensive parts? Especially trim and interior parts. (URL's would be great!)

I plan on taking many pics and will post some as work progresses.

Thanks again,

Travis

[1937hd45]

Travis, Check out the auto section at Barnes & Noble or other large book store, there are lots of restoration books out there. Don't forget the monthly car magazines like Rod & Custom and Super Chevy etc. Just because a magazine is about modified cars doesn't mean that feature articles on rot repair or trim restoration isn't of use to a restorer.

[kuhner]

Did'nt say if it was road worthy or not, but if it is just drive it for awhile! Take it to some local cruise nights, sunny afternoon drives. Gives you time to scout around and gather parts you know you will need, plus lets you meet others who have the same vehicle and have gone thru the same thing. It is a very long and expensive journey to restore a car. Nothing worse than being stopped in the process when the restoration juices are really flowing for a lack of money or some oddball part.

greg

[Guest]

This may be an odd question, but how much is too much to sink into this particular model of car? It is a 1957 Bel Air 4 door sedan. I don't mind putting good money into it and having something to show for it, but I don't want to throw money away trying to get it where I want it and then find I have put in more money than it will ever be worth. Does that make sense?

Travis

[Amphicar BUYER]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Once I do get to the point that I am ready to start taking things apart, where do ya'll suggest that I start?</div></div>

Are you going to do a body off or are you going to keep it on the frame? That question will help determine where you should start. It depends on the extent that you want to go. If you are going to keep the body on and not worry about the chassis, then I would do the mechanicals first so it is driveable to the body shop. If the body is coming off, then get it removed and stripped of trim etc. While it is at the body shop, work on the mechanicals (it will easier with the body off) and interior pieces. There is no set way to do this. it is really up to you how you go about it.

I must add a good point about tools. When you slip and put a $200+ scratch in your new paint, or rip open you knuckles because of a cheap wrench, you will wish you had spent the extra money on a good wrench instead of paint repairs. Good tools last a lifetime and pay for themselves many times over, the cheap ones I only use to make other tools with. I have a drawer full of offshore sockets and wrenches just for this purpose.

[1937hd45]

Travis, A quick way to figure out "restoration" costs, and there many degrees of finish,is to do a quick estimate of the cost of major items. Get some parts catalogs for your car and make a list of all the replacement items you'll need. Bumbers,trim, an upholstery kit, add $1,500.00 for body repair and paint materials, and see what the total is compaired to the price of a finished car. That body supplies number is REAL low, and all the labor is yours and free. Don't think that you'll get back what you put into the car financially, however the fun you'll have is priceless.

[48LCCOUPE]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This may be an odd question, but how much is too much to sink into this particular model of car? It is a 1957 Bel Air 4 door sedan. I don't mind putting good money into it and having something to show for it, but I don't want to throw money away trying to get it where I want it and then find I have put in more money than it will ever be worth. Does that make sense?

Travis </div></div>

Travis, on this very forum under the heading of AACA buy and sell is the following:

http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/showflat....;o=&fpart=1

if nothing else you may want to contact this guy to see if he has parts and or experience, or to get an idea of what yours may be worth depending on how deep you go. As you can see He is looking for about $7000.00 and it's not restored just re-equipped to some extent.

Dave

[ronbarn]

Travis, Welcome to the world of "first timers", although many of us have too many years and cars to claim to still be there. I offer you a few rules of thumb (subject to challenge from others):

1. A poorly planned restoration will take 10 times longer than expected: A well planned restoration will only take 4 times longer.

2. A poorly planned restoration will cost about 6 times more than expected; A well planned restoration will be about the same.

3. A restorer who buys poor tools will end up hating the tools, hating himself, and getting disgusted with the hobby - not to mention the possibilities of injury or worse. This has been said before on this thread, but I just mention it again.

4. Even if you do all the work yourself, you will probably end up with more money in the car than it will be worth on the open market. That's why it is so important that you get a car you want and will be proud to drive or show, whatever you preferrence, and keep reminding yourself, "this is a hobby and I need a good hobby."

5. 5th and final rule of thumb - continue to do exactly as you started here - keep in contact with other hobbiests and enthusiasts to ask questions and tap their experience. That's why this forum was started in the first place.

[Guest]

I found Danchuk, but do you have a URL for CARS?

Thanks,

Travis

[Matt Harwood]

There are several excellent books that I have acquired that I will highly recommend:

"How to Restore Your Collector Car" by Tom Brownell. Excellent book.

"Standard Guide to Automotive Restoration" by Matt Joseph. Another very, very good book.

Both books are written for the layman in easy-to-understand terms and don't go into any techniques that couldn't be duplicated in a home shop. I have read each of them cover-to-cover several times and still pick them up frequently for a read or inspiration.

I'll also reiterate the advice above: take pictures and label EVERYTHING: nuts, bolts, every little piece. You can get wire-on tags for items too big to fit in the ziplock bags (I've gone though more than 400 baggies on my current restoration). Document everything, draw sketches of how things fit together, take photos, even if they're photos you think you'll never look at again. You never know when you'll get stuck and find a photo in your archives that shows you exactly what you need to see. A good digital camera is the only way to go.

Here are some cliches to help you: Work smart--remember that the journey is at least as important as the destination. There are right ways and wrong ways of doing everything--strive to do it the right way. Don't cut corners or costs because it's always easier and cheaper to do it right the first time than to do it twice.

Check out my web site below and review some of the links on my link page. Some will inspire you, some will teach you, and some are just plain fun. These are the places I go when I need advice or inspiration on my own projects. I highly recommend all of them.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[rocketraider]

I'm glad to see someone is doing a 4-door sedan. The 4-door cars are too often overlooked in the old car hobby because people think they're worthless except as a parts donor. I've found that some of the overall best cars to start with are four-doors that are still in the hands of their original owners or are being sold from their estate.

Case in point- the 1976 Ninety-Eight was bought from original owner. A nice looking running driving car, all service records from delivery, and the biggest thing I've had to do is replace the rubber taillight extensions and put on new bumpers- which I got NOS for $150 the pair, simply because they were for a 1970s big car and the seller figured they were worthless.

But that old worthless four door 70s big car gets all kinds of looks and thumbs-up when it's sailing down the road. Only problem is it has a personality crisis; people think it's a Cadillac <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />.

[48LCCOUPE]

Matt, what a teriffic site, and the links are great, I'll be looking them all over for the next few nites.

Dave

[6219_Rules]

Oh I agree, Glenn. I have never understood the prejudice against the sedan. Coupes are fun, I like their personal qualities, but the sedan is a wonderful vehicle. I was particularly happy to have found a sedan and now, in looking (semi-seriously) I am looking for a 1956 Cadillac Series 60 Special because they are so marvelously big and comfortable, not to mention prestigous.

<img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And fortunately there are quite a few sedans still out there for restoration!

[ex98thdrill]

If you have access to a video camera, videotape the vehicle before you take it apart. Along with what the others have said, take plenty of pictures as you're tearing it down, but if you haven't already, invest in a good digital camera. Unlike a 35mm camera, you can take a picture and find out that it turned out rather than take a picture and find out that the pictures didn't turn out a couple of days after you took the item apart (or a couple of hours if you decide to finish off a whole roll of film). A digital camera will also allow you to zoom in to get a closer look that you might not get with regular 35mm film and your eyes.

Even if you don't choose to use a digital camera, you'll be glad to have the pictures when you get stuck trying to put something back together. The pictures are even nicer when your car is done and you can look back to show others what you have done. The photo documentation can also prove to be invaluable when and if a question arises on your vehicle's authenticity during the judging process.

If you choose to take a large amount of pictures of your car, the money you spend for a good digital camera will soon pay for itself if you have to pay for several rolls of film and the developement costs of each roll of film.

[poci1957]

Hi Travis, the CARS site is www.carsinc.com. If the interior is indeed the worst part of the car you are in luck. The CARS interior is all top quality reproduction for less than having a replacement made yourself. In my (old) catalog, their seat upholstery is $595, their door panels are $625, and all other trim parts are available too, see if they have a special on buying everything at once. You can't get a cheap substitute for much less, and this is all show quality stuff. A fresh interior is one of the most satisfying parts of a restoration, and on a 1957 it is all right there, ready made and ready to put in. Enjoy, Todd C