What is the best way to start a restoration of a 65 chevelle? Is this an acceptable method:
disassemble everything
remove rusted out body panels
sandblast what is remaining
install new body panels (starting with the doors)
coat everything with rust inhibitor
remove the body and work on the frame
then put everything back together?
Any other method that you all could come up with to do a restoration would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

More experienced guys will need to answer your question, but...

One good tip I've learned is to restore parts as they are removed....
For instance... pull the bumpers, have them chromed... pull the engine, rebuild it... pull the seats, recover them... etc, etc... that way when you get the frame done and start reassembly, everything is ready to go back together.

the only down side is you have to be careful on how you store stuff...

allengator is right. Restore as you go. It will make sure you remember to do everything and that you have a smoother installation process. It will also make your storage a LOT cleaner. It may seem like slow going at first, but in the end, it will make things easier.

Don't forget to photograph every detail and measure and note every adjustment. And make sure you have a VERY organized storage system which includes well thought out storage arrangement, as well as a catalog system such as boxes with bagged and tagged components with a list of each boxes contents on the outside and a master list you can refer to, both on computer so you can plan and in hard copy form right there beside your stored items so you know where to look and have a reference always on hand.

A great book to pick up is How to Restore Your Collector Car by Tom Brownell (I've even done a review of the book so you can get an idea of what is in it, check that out here: www.classicsandperformance.com/collectorcar.html)

If you are replacing panels, it's important to leave the doors in place for alignment purposes and make certain that they are hung correctly (IE all bushing are in good shape and there is no slop).

From what it sounds like, I'd suggest learning a lot more before you start to tackle a job of this magnitude. Not knowing enough before getting started on a total restoration is a good way to spend a lot more money than is neccessary, take way too much time and possibly (or probably) fail to have your vision realized. I'm not trying to be condiscending, but that comes from personal experience and I'd hate to see a fellow enthusiast (and prized classic) run into that same trap.

Another good resource I've found is to check out different programs at Technical and Community Colleges and if not taking the course, pick up the text books and read and learn what the classes are teaching. It may seem expensive, but it's only a drop in the bucket compared to what the mistakes will cost you.

As far as the process goes, check out the Super Chevy articles on the Goodmark Chevelle. They aren't by any means comprehensive, but they will give you a feel for the process. You can find those at: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/additionaltech_perfdir/carbuilds/

There's also a very short series (4 articles) on a '63 Nova restoration that will give you a nice glimpse into the process: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/chassis/completebuilds/

Ryan


What is the best way to start a restoration of a 65 chevelle? Is this an acceptable method:
disassemble everything
remove rusted out body panels
sandblast what is remaining
install new body panels (starting with the doors)
coat everything with rust inhibitor
remove the body and work on the frame
then put everything back together?
Any other method that you all could come up with to do a restoration would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

What is the best way to start a restoration of a 65 Chevelle? Is this an acceptable method:

Q1 “disassemble everything”

Also take plenty of pictures from different angles and document things you will surely forget later. Start a sheet of paper for a list of parts needed or that might be replaced that are questionable.

Q2 ‘remove rusted out body panels”

Do not take the shell too far down as it may shift or move making it harder to align the new panels or a new panel attached to another panel even harder. When I took off both quarters and both outer wheel housings on my 74 Nova what remained of the hatch floor and body moved on me. Luckily I had thought ahead and added steel tack welded to the bottom of the car and had it in contact with the garage floor. I knew it had moved after one or two of the supports lifted off of the ground but by adding weight above these spots I got the remaining shell back into position so the new metal would line up properly.
You may also find more rust under the rust you have seen already and be prepared for getting more metal or fabricating it yourself or having to go and get the section out of a donor car.

Q3 “sandblast what is remaining”

Sandblasting is one method and it works but it cannot get in behind corners. Some things lend themselves very well to sandblasting and other types of media blasting while some things do not. Dipping parts immerse them into a solution and providing there are no air bubbles trapped the solution will hit a lot more area’s than blasting. Ideally if the parts are dipped to remove the rust then a person needs to do any metalwork and then clean it again and then immerse it into a protective coating to seal the bare metal.

Q4 “install new body panels (starting with the doors)”

If the car required doors and quarters I would start to hang the doors and then start to hang the quarters and then start to hang the fenders, hood, and trunk lid. This way you can move some things a little here or there and say yep, it’s all good now and do the final welding or no I need to shift the door back some as well as the quarter so the fenders and front end fits properly as well as the trunk lid and other parts. Essentially mock it all up, tweak things here and there and sneak up on having all the parts work together and fit right.

Q5 “coat everything with rust inhibitor”

Yes. Unless you want to go through this again on the same car in the near future.

Q6 “remove the body and work on the frame”

Properly support the body when removing it from the frame, check the frame for any damage, install new frame bushings, put the body back on the frame and make sure all of the body metal fits like it should. If not figure out why. Was it from welding new body panels onto a tweaked frame or from a bushing being missing or a body bolt being broken. Hopefully you catch any problems before new panels are fully welded into place.

Q7 “then put everything back together ?”

You will have to assemble and disassemble the car and some of the parts more than once unless you are real lucky or talented and by doing so you can tweak things so after the car is all done it looks the best it can.



Any other method that you all could come up with to do a restoration would be greatly appreciated.

Try and think two or three steps ahead so you do not have to take apart what you thought was done.

Put all small to medium sized parts in ziploc freezer bags. Use a perminant
marker to explain what is in the bag.
Do not throw anything away until you have the new part in hand.

When I do mine over,
1. I will paint all parts OFF the car and then assemble.
2. Plus, I will NOT use a laquer based sand and fill primer with acrylic enamel topcoat. It will all be two part urethane.
3. I will take a picture every 15 minutes. ;)

I only have three or four pictures of the process.
I was too busy working.

What I would mention is getting the body panel off to a good start. So what I have started to do with my 68 vert is to replace the Floor Panels and Floor Braces first. Making sure I start the exterior panels on a level foundation so to say, this means relplacing All my Body Bushings as I go and even ahead of my Trunk,Floor Pan replacement. Then I know my body is pretty close to where it is suppose to be before I get too far along.

Have Fun, Tony

What everyone else said, but here's more advice:

Do all sheetmetal cutting/welding to the body with the body ON the frame, once all the metal work is done on the body then it can be safely removed from the frame.

Spend the extra money to have your frame and misc. frame parts blasted, or better yet "Galvanized" (do a search for that one).

If you can swing getting your body blasted as well (soda or walnut or what not), it will save you TONS of time.

The above are all the things that I didn't do and it REALLY slowed down my restification on my Chevelle other then weather. I did everything the hard way to save a few bucks, and regret it because it took so long.

Replace ALL frame bolts, rather then reusing the rusty ones and slapping a coat of paint on them to hide it (like the bastard I bought my sprint from did).

Last but not least Document EVERYTHING as you disasemble so when you put it back together you know where the hell that extra clip goes. :thumbsup:

Just take it slow and ask plenty of questions when your in doubt.

Like 350_malibu wrote you could leave it on the frame but be sure the frame and bushings are right or else you might be having problems like this:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156016

Jim

All the previous ideas are very good. I'm doing it a little differantly. I did the body patching with the body on the frame, then removed the body. My steps will be 1. frame, 2. body, 3. engine & trans, 4. trim.
My thinking is I don't want a freshly painted body sitting around while i'm doing the frame. And 2, by rebuilding the engine last, It won't have time to develope any rust on the inside. (it could be months or years before it's time to reinstall it). As I said, They are all good ideas. Just figure out the best way for you. Grab some wrenches and get dirty.
Good luck, and take lots of pix. And box, tag and label every nut, bolt , screw and clamp. They will help when your standing there with that "thing" and trying to remember where it goes.

Check this out:

A company called Cortec that manufactures anti-rust coatings and cleaners makes a self-sealing bag that has VpCI (Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors that attach themselves molecularly to metal but don't leave a film) agents in the bag and REALLY seals out rust: http://www.cortecvci.com/Products/products.php?showonly=MRO

Scroll down to the section titled VpCI-126 Blue (towards the bottom of the page).

They also make a really kick a** organic and enviro safe rust removal gel and liquid that just requires wiping to remove rust (VpCI 423 & 422 respectively).

They also have a funny video of Rusty Chevrolet on their homepage.

Ryan



Put all small to medium sized parts in ziploc freezer bags. Use a perminant
marker to explain what is in the bag.
Do not throw anything away until you have the new part in hand.

When I do mine over,
1. I will paint all parts OFF the car and then assemble.
2. Plus, I will NOT use a laquer based sand and fill primer with acrylic enamel topcoat. It will all be two part urethane.
3. I will take a picture every 15 minutes. ;)

I only have three or four pictures of the process.
I was too busy working.

When I get ready to do my convertible, here is how I plan on tackling it:

1) Brace the body and remove it from the frame, mount on rotisserie, have it sandblasted then shoot a good coat of epoxy primer on it to prevent future corrosion. (Don't forget to bag every single set of bolts and label them, label all parts, get lots of boxes so nothing gets lost!!!)

2) Mount the body back on the frame with NEW bushings, then do all the metal work and body work.

3) Remove the body from the frame again and set it on a spare frame (they are nice to have around :)).

4) Have the frame and all major parts galvanized, then paint and reassemble. Install all suspension, brake & fuel lines, and anything else that gets bolted on. Install the engine & transmission

5) Shrink wrap the frame, then remount the body on the finished chassis

6) Do all the final blocking and prep the body for paint.

7) Paint the car, color sand, and rub out

8) Reassemble the body

9) Install Interior, fire engine, tune as needed

10) Go have some fun driving it!!

Some other useful tips:

Have a digital camera handy ALL THE TIME!!
Get yourself a Factory Assembly Manual.
When doing sheetmetal work, particularly quarters, make sure the doors are ON THE CAR so you can line up the design lines properly.