Chevelle Restoration and Authenticity Guide 1970-1972. Dale McIntosh
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Compare the original equipment driver-side fender with a typical after-market replacement. Not only are the two windshield wiper fluid bottle holes located incorrectly, but the overall bracing structure of the sheet metal itself is vastly different.
Find Discounts on Parts
I contact several different dealers to obtain the best price and terms for parts. Let them know that this is an ongoing project and work out the details beforehand. For example, many dealers offer a 10-percent discount on purchases more than $1,000. Let them know that in all likelihood you will not spend $1,000 on each order but will spend several times that over the coming year. In doing so, many will assign you an account number to ensure you get the discount every time you order regardless of how small.
One very important point I can make is not to always order based on price alone. Shipping costs, lead times, customer service, return policy, and product quality all come into play. Usually, there is a reason someone can offer you the lowest price, and it is not always to your benefit.
Find Work Space and Parts Storage
Set aside a work portion in your garage, barn, pole building, or your basement and ensure it is large enough to accommodate the entire restoration. Workable space and storage to perform the task—and not have it interrupted by garage sales or the family’s bikes, portable basketball hoop, and lawn equipment, etc.—is advisable. All that does is help deter your interest in completing the restoration.
Set up shelves to place items on once they are removed from the car and catalog them. I recommend buying quality zipper-type plastic storage bags in various sizes to accommodate various size parts as well as a permanent marker to label not only the bags but also the parts when applicable. Buying cheap bags does not work here, as they will tear easily, so go with quality heavy-duty ones. Label every bag with the contents, such as “right front fender bolts,” and put them onto a shelf near other bags from similar areas of the car. Never simply put all the bolts in a box or coffee can. It will only come back to haunt you later. String tags also come in very handy. Since I am often doing multiple cars at a time, I am in the habit of putting string tags on many parts, but it can also work well for the home restorer. You may not recognize that left front bumper support or those fuel line clips in six months.
Use plastic bags of various sizes for nuts, bolts, and any number of small parts. Use non-stick tape to keep smaller items together in a group, and use wire and string tags to label larger pieces. The labels will come in very handy in six months when you are ready to reassemble your Chevelle.
Large, portable storage boxes can be used to store larger pieces both before they are refurbished and after while waiting for reassembly. Engine pieces being sent out or stored, such as starter, carburetor, distributor, etc., can be stored in one container, while chassis and suspension pieces can be stored in another. All those plastic bags you’ve filled with small pieces can be stored in the larger boxes so they don’t get lost.
Photograph Everything!
I cannot stress this enough: take photographs, and take a lot of them. Let’s face it, with the advent of digital cameras and almost unlimited space on our computers for storage, there is no excuse not to take lots of them. I have more than 70,000 photos in my library and have only just started using my available disk space.
Check each photo after taking it to ensure it is in focus and shows what you want it to show. If you cannot read it now (yes, you know what it is … now) you will not be able to read it or recognize it when it comes time to identify the part. When taking photographs, pay special attention to detail more so than taking a picture to show your buddies or post on Facebook. These detailed photos will come in very handy during the reassembly process.
Take photos of everything, including how the wires were routed under the dash, quantity of alignment shims installed on a given suspension part, or as a reminder that a certain bolt was installed differently than one would assume. These are just a few of the many reasons why photos are so important.
Before I ship parts to a subcontractor, such as when having plating done, I lay the parts out, photograph them, and make a written list of all of the parts. This helps you, and it also helps the subcontractor know what parts they should have. This can also help ensure you get back the same parts that you shipped out originally. I also engrave many parts in an inconspicuous place with a job number or customer initials.
Factory Markings and Overspray
If you are restoring a car back to concours standards, then you should also document overspray, how primers were laid on, and how and where the factory sound deadener was sprayed on. These are just some of the things that will help the painter finish the car exactly how it was originally built. On original cars, I also use photos to document bolt-head logos to show how sometimes one bolt type was used on one side of the car, while a different bolt head was used on the opposite side as it was going down the assembly line.
Documenting inspection marks and paint daubs are yet another reason for taking photos. I photograph these areas before, during, and after the cleanup process. In the case of firewall markings, I duplicate what I find in a similar-colored crayon or grease pencil and then photograph it again to document it. From there, I make templates that can be precisely duplicated during the reinstallation process.
Keep a notebook handy and take notes. During the disassembly process, I make notes on parts that are missing, parts that cannot be reused and will have to be ordered, parts that need to be plated, etc. I also note any issues I encounter along the way that will need to be addressed at a later date. Another good step is to list the order in which something was taken apart, such as removing a complete dash to aid in the remounting of that particular item so that you do not forget a ground wire or bolt.
Gather Your Tools
Your skills will probably determine what tools you have on hand, can borrow from friends, or can rent. If you only own a small set of sockets, a nine-piece wrench set in a bag, a couple of screwdrivers, an adjustable 6-inch wrench, and a pair of pliers, you do not have the tools needed to rebuild your Chevelle. If your Chevelle shares the same garage with your family SUV, your kid’s bicycles, the washer and dryer, etc., you probably do not have the space to truly rebuild your Chevelle.
Not to put a damper on your enthusiasm for the project but, realistically, it takes more than enthusiasm. Sure, you can do small tasks such as adding custom wheels or adding some engine dress-up items in your cramped garage, but even a minimal restoration takes some skill, tools, and space to match your enthusiasm for the project.
For a restoration project, you will need a lot of specialty tools that you may only use once, unless you do a number of restorations. Air-powered tools such as impact drivers, paint guns, grinders, etc. require a quality air compressor and ancillary items such as air hoses and compressor filters. If you need to repair or replace body pieces including quarter panels or floorpans, you will need a spot-weld cutter, welder with supplies, cut-off wheels, grinder, etc. To blend the bodywork, you may need dollies, specialty hammers, fillers, sanders, etc. Plus, it can be invaluable in getting debris and trash out of those hard-to-clean areas and generally cleaning up the shop after work. The home-size 10-gallon compressor used to air up your tires or inflatable swimming pool is just not going to cut it. You will need at least a 50- to 100-gallon tank with at least 10 cfm at 90 psi to get any serious work done. A good hydraulic press will allow you to remove and install bearings, bushings, ball joints, and similar items. A quality bead-blast cabinet or portable sandblaster can quickly clean paint, surface rust, and years of crud off smaller parts.
Engine-Specific Tools
Rebuilding an engine, transmission,