DIY Network

1962 Corvette Restoration: Tools and Setting Up Shop From "Classic Car Restoration" episode DCR-201

advertisement

Host Mark Lambert uses the old-fashioned pen-and-ledger method for tallying up repairs and associated costs for the restoration of the 1962 Corvette. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E Figure F Figure G Figure H

Setting Up Shop

When setting up your work area (figure A), keep in mind this restoration process may well take many months. Devote an area away from other activities -- away from kids, pets, woodworking and other hobbies. Also make sure that it's well lighted and has a cement floor.

One of the most important tools in any automobile restoration is a camera. Whether it's a new digital camera or an old Polaroid, photograph every inch of your car, top to bottom, so you can refer back to those pictures later when you're ready to assemble your car.

At the earliest phase of your project, begin keeping a photo journal. This functions not only as a "before and after" record of your restoration ( figure B) but, more importantly, as technical reference as you begin disassembly and re-assembly portions of the restoration. Over the lengthy course of a restoration, it's easy to forget exactly how individual parts were originally installed once they have been removed for cleaning, repair, etc. A photo journal can be useful for helping piece things back together properly. Conventional 35mm and instant-picture cameras (such as Polaroid) can be used for this, but there are great advantages to using a digital camera for this purpose. Numerous digital pictures can be taken and cataloged without the need for film, and digital cameras generally allow you to preview your picture results instantly.

Tools and Equipment for Restoration

Following is a list of tools and equipment used in our restoration. Your needs may very somewhat depending on the extent of your restoration work, but this list is a general guideline.

• Work-lights are an essential aid in any automotive-repair work, and a restoration like this one is no exception. 500-watt standing spotlights (figure C) with dual halogen bulbs are ideal. They're inexpensive and available at most automotive or home-improvement retailers.

• Automotive parts-washer. You're going to need a way to clean many of the parts you intend to re-use during the restoration. A parts washer allows old parts to be soaked in a solventbath and cleaned with a wire brush to remove oil and fluid residues, rust, dirt and grime.

• A media blasting-cabinet is a serious piece of equipment, and is run by the air compressor. The compressed air sends a stream of fine media -- much like sand -- at the dirty parts and removes rust, dirt and other residue. This piece of equipment (figure D) is ideal for prepping parts for repainting.

• Portable pneumatic car lift. We were fortunate enough to have access to an automotive lift (figure E). You may feel that this is too large an investment, but you may wish to do some price-checking as this type of equipment has come down in considerably in cost over recent years. If you can't afford a lift, a roller jack is a less expensive way to get the car off the ground.

  Safety Alert: Always use jack-stands in conjunction with a floor-jack when working underneath a vehicle.

• A bench-grinder (figure F) that's bolted to the floor is an essential tool for removing rust and residue from parts.

• Our restoration required a considerable amount of welding, so basic welding equipment (figure G) was kept on-hand. A wire-feed mig welder is ideal repairing and patching metal areas. An acetylene welder was used to torch off the race car brackets underneath the car.

• Finally, an engine hoist and engine stand (figure H) are necessary for lifting the engine out of the vehicle. The engine hoist is what we use to hydraulically lift the engine out of the car. Once removed from the engine compartment of the car, an engine stand supports the engine while we work on it.

In the episode that follows, work gets underway with the frame, suspension and wheels.

RESOURCES :

Corvette Black Book : 1953-2001
Model: 0933534477
Author: Michael Antonick

Corvette: The American Legend
Model: 0785343741
Author: Consumer Guide Editors

Classic Car Restorer's Handbook: Restoration Tips and Techniques for Owners ...
Model: 1557881944
Author: Jim Richardson
Order this book from Amazon.com
H.P. Books

Classic Car Restoration Guide: The Complete Illustrated Step-By-Step Manual
Model: 1850108900
Author: Lindsay Porter
Order this book from Amazon.com
Haynes Publishing

Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Companies and Products)

Companies and Products

Corvette Central
Full line of Corvette parts and accessories.
Website: www.corvettecentral.com


Dunshee's Corvette Parts
Corvette restoration specialists.
7304 W. Villa Rita Drive
Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone: 602-938-8895
Fax: 602-938-9081
E-mail: 4vetteparts@cox.net


Quanta Restoration and Performance Products
Website: www.quantaproducts.com
Restoration specialists. Quanta Restoration carries (among other specialty items) "correct" fuel tanks for vintage cars.


Lectric Limited
Website: www.lectriclimited.com


Eastwood Company
Unique automotive tools and supplies.
Website: www.eastwoodco.com
Eastwood carries assorted tools, supplies and parts (many hard-to-find) of interest to the auto-restoration hobbyist.


House of Kolor
Automotive paints, primers and painting systems.
Website: www.houseofkolor.com


Strip Technologies of America
A media-blasting facility specializing in coating-removal & coating applications.
4001 Bruhin Road
Knoxville, TN, 37918


Bend-Pak Inc./Ranger Products
Bend-Pak provided the large equipment used throughout the Corvette episodes of DIY's Classic Car Restoration.

NAPA Auto Parts National Automotive Parts Association. Customer Support: 877-805-6272
NAPA provided many items that used throughout the Corvette series.


3M Corporation
Products available at retail stores worldwide.
3M provided many general supplies, including all safety equipment, used throughout the Corvette series.

Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Organizations)

Vintage Corvette video and photos provided by General Motors Corporation.
Used with permission, GM Media Archive.
Chevrolet's website: www.chevrolet.com


Corvette Organizations

The National Corvette Museum
Website: www.corvettemuseum.com
The National Corvette Museum is open to the public and offers plant tours and other services and products, including Corvette accessories and memorabilia. The museum also offers library and archive information, build-sheets and a database of information. NCM also sponsors events and gatherings.
For DIY's Classic Car Restoration, the NCM supplied research material and photographs used in episode #201.

National Corvette Restoration Society (NCRS)
Website: www.ncrs.org
The NCRS (National Corvette Restoration Society) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation, history and enjoyment of Corvettes made from 1953 through 1986. The group offers publications, database information, resources and discussion boards. They also sponsor Corvette events and NCRS Judging programs.

East Tennessee Corvette Club
The East Tennessee Corvette Club is a non-profit organization of Corvette enthusiasts in the East Tennessee area.

Corvette Expo
Website: www.corvetteexpo.com
Corvette Expo is a promoter of Corvette shows, swap meets, and auctions.

Special Thanks, Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette (Books and Publications)

Books and Publications

Classic Auto Manuals
1910 E.S.E. Loop 323 #317, Tyler, TX 75701, 903-566-1939
Classic Auto Manuals offers factory-original shop manuals, service manuals, body manuals, repair manuals and auto-parts manuals on CD format. They provided the 1962 Corvette manual used as reference in the Corvette series for DIY's Classic Car Restoration.


Standard Catalog of Corvette: 1953-2001
ISBN #0-87349-235-8
Krause Publications
Website: www.krause.com
Book and photos featured in #201 (Corvette History).


Classic Corvette: The First 30 years
by Mike Mueller
ISBN #0-7603-1358-X
Motorbooks International (MBI) Publishing Company
Book and photos featured in episode #201 (Corvette History).

Corvette Buyers Guide 1953 - 1967
by Richard Price
ISBN #0-7603-1009-2
MBI Publishing Company
Featured in Classic Car Restoration episode #209.

Corvette: Fifty Years
by Randy Leffingwell
ISBN #0-7603-1180-3
MBI Publishing Company

101 Projects for Your Corvette: 1984 - 1986
ISBN #0-7603-1461-6
MBI Publishing Company
Author Richard Newton featured as guest on episode #209.

Motorbooks (MBI) catalog & information
Website: www.motorbooks.com