Everyone has been asking for a step-by-step, affordable restoration to be added to Muscle Car Motion magazine. So the staff here at the AMCA have started this new feature and will be continuing to provide some interesting details on "How to" as we go along. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact us.

Affordable is a relative term when rebuilding or restoring any classic. It is dependant on ones financial status, condition of vehicle and the end goal one wishes to achieve. One first should get an idea of what they want to spend on their restoration. These costs will be dependent upon how much one is willing to do themselves versus what they will have done at a shop or other specialized business.

Of course nothing can replace the pride and excitement of actually doing the restoration yourself (or at least most of it). There are areas, that even with experience, I choose not to tackle myself, such as painting my restored classic. I can rework or rebuild just about any area of the car either on my own or by getting pointers from others, but I tend to take the body to a state of etching primer and then take it to the professionals for block sanding and painting. This keeps all my time and effort from being covered with a spray bomb quality paint job. This doesn’t mean I am not willing to watch and learn, just that until I get a better grip on doing it, I want the best for my time and money. What this means is, there is a lot one can do right at home in their garage, but to reach your ultimate goal, don’t be afraid or embarrassed to have something done or ask for help.

The first item of importance when looking to restore a muscle car is the car itself! We would recommend that you find the car that you want. Settling for a lesser car to learn from will usually end up half finished from loss of interest or enthusiasm to complete. Restoring a car takes lots of time and effort. Keeping your self excited about the end result is important.

The state of disrepair of the car you purchase (or wish to restore) has a direct bearing on cost. Obviously if you drive the car in the garage for a restore, you are one step above a lot of people. A lot of magazines will take this approach by selecting a complete car that is in driver status to do an article on. Well, just to be different………! What about a rust bucket?

That is exactly what we have chosen to tackle for a restoration project. A lot of the cars available these days have been sitting for a long time in fields, barns, or sink holes, either half rotted away or stripped by parts vendors or auction fanatics. Not that this is entirely bad, without

these parts avenues, we would have a harder time locating the parts needed to build our cars. A great deal of hunting is involved at times to locate the part you want at a reasonable price, since some vendors seem to gold plate the item (within their own mind!).

Restorations are also a good time to get the family involved. Sparking the interest of younger generations is not only helpful, but essential in keeping the hobby alive for the future.

My nephew "Nicholas Whitcomb" had recently become interested in the great American Muscle of the past and began his search for the right car to "fix up". The old 65 GTO hardtop in the back corner of my shop seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. So to help out, we gave the car to Nicky with our blessings, and will be helping with the restoration. This not only gives him a great opportunity to learn, but to build and own "one" of the most feared and sought after muscle cars from the 60’s.

Of course, this isn’t like handing over the keys and saying, "have fun". It is more like handing him the toolbox and saying, "you’ve got a lot of work to do".

This 65 GTO came out of Ohio where it was stored under a tarp behind a barn for many, many years. Although it is now missing the engine, tranny, cross member, dash, interior, and has a bad posi rear end. It also has a sound frame and a workable body. It will take a lot of parts hunting, bodywork, and mechanical reworking to complete, but contrary to most opinions, it can be done without a second mortgage.

Originally this GTO was a 389, four barrel, 4 speed, posi rear car with tinted windows, console, reverb, power antenna, power brakes, and power steering. The original color was blue mist slate with blue interior. Nicky will have plenty of time to decide on his final color choices as we go along.

The next item (after finding the car) is to get any information available about that particular vehicle. A lot of the old service/chassis manuals are now being reprinted and show or tell in detail how to work the different areas of your classic. You will also find other books of worthwhile information on the specific areas of your car. The one for our project is available through Year One for $69.95. This is an essential tool for anyone without many years of experience and for those

wanting to do the work themselves. Many of these books are available through specialty parts houses such as Year One and Original Parts Group.

You will also need to order a parts catalogue from the company of your choice. This will allow you to make a list of items needed and get a general idea of the cost involved. A catalogue will usually cost between $8 and $10 and is usually refundable towards your first purchase. Ordering a list of parts at one time, versus the "as you need them" approach saves in shipping and also can save you money. Some parts houses such as Year One, offer a discount of 5% to 10% for orders exceeding $500 and $1000 (respectively).

Probably the cheapest part of any restoration is disassembly. You will need a work area (The larger the better). This is a common problem with car owners. To get a two bay area for a frame of restoration is difficult when the family van is nestled in one of them. Sending it out in the cold for a year or two could create a "cold" environment in the household. Especially when ones spouse is now being made to go out in the sub freezing temperatures to warm up his or her car/van. You will need room for not only the chassis and body after separation, but for all the parts you remove. One option is that if you have a kind relative or friend with extra garage or barn space, you may try to borrow or rent some of it for a while. One can also take the body out side and cover it with tarps and protect it until it is needed. Another option is to rent a storage space. These come in various sizes and are usually in a secure area with a lockable overhead door. A space large enough to actually store the body while the frame and suspension is restored can be obtained. The key thing for those that have limited room is "Be creative"! You can use attic space, put up shelving, stack boxes or other to help store items. If you get stumped at this point, you will never get your project started.

Disassembly is an area that requires certain guidelines. Simply taking everything off and throwing it into a pile will leave you with a mess, and possibly with the problem of "what did this part go to" scenario. I have found that documenting each area is VERY useful later on down the road. Taking pictures, drawing guidelines, diagrams, etc…., along with even video taping, can give you an incredible library of information when it is time to reassemble. Simple items such as the direction of a bolt will slip your mind in time. Separate and mark bolts and parts. Zip lock baggies and a permanent marker will help to label and store bolts and smaller parts as you remove them. These can be placed in a box for easy storage and location at a later date. Be sure and utilize that marker for the outside of the box with a list of the items inside. Many times have I forgotten this, only to stand and stare at a stack of boxes, dreading the fact that I now have to go through all of them to try and find one item! And yes, it’s always in the last box you look in.

Now that you have the car you want to restore, and a place to do it in, now the fun part. Taking it apart! Let me say this before we go any further........SAFETY FIRST! Always wear protective gear such as goggles and/or gloves. Never work under a car that has the potential to fall on you without proper bracing, support, and supervision! Supervision? That’s right, but not the kind you are thinking of. I NEVER work under anything suspended in the air or of any danger unless someone knows where I am and is willing to check on me periodically. My wife and kids make great supervisors for this and check on me frequently.

Eye protection is a must! I cant stress enough how quickly one can get rust in their eyes while working on an old car. Seems the smallest jar of the body will reward you with a shower of rusted flakes. I have also learned that wearing goggles while grinding all day will not spare you from that "one little spot" you missed and decide to touch up with out eye protection. I have been to the emergency room on many occasions after attempting this. You would think I would have learned after the third trip, but after all, it’s just that one little spot. It can’t hurt me if I’m careful, right?

Note: For those who have never been under a "Rust bucket" before, be forewarned that you will get dirty. If you are not accustomed to this and are not sure if you can get dirty, this may be the time you put the car in a restoration shop and have it done. I am sure it will be completed sometime within the next 5 or 10 years. Restorations through body shops usually can be faster, but require more "Money". Auto shops make most of their money by repairs. Total restorations have proven to be less than profitable to some shops and get the back burner. If you are not sure about getting that dirty, walk out in the yard and find a nice muddy or dirty spot. Throw yourself on the ground and roll in it. If this is not too offensive to you, you should survive the rest of your project. Of course the neighbors tend to look at you funny when doing this, but you really don’t have time to play with them now anyways. Speaking of neighbors: Please refrain from storing the body or parts in your front yard or against their house. Use a tarp and keep items out of sight if possible. This is the best way to keep the peace and reduce the anger you will see from your neighbors for those weekend nights of banging and grinding on your project at two in the morning.

First things first, Leave the tires on! The longer your car stays mobile, the better. Start by stripping the contents of the body plus the doors. Interior items such as seats, carpet, panels, etc… are easier to remove while the car is on the ground and in one piece. Removing the front dog house (Hood, fenders, grill, etc.) will require some effort. Remember that these bolts have been on the car for probably close to 30 years, and wont be real cooperative when coming back out. A good penetrating oil will aid in freeing tight or rusted items. Planning the next days items for disassembly and spraying the bolts to sit overnight can be very helpful. Remember to bag and note the areas that the bolts and parts came from. Store the doghouse items in a good location. You will not need these for a long time.

If your car has an engine, with the front end removed, you should be able to remove the engine and tranny easily. You will need a engine hoist to help with this step. These can usually be rented at a local automotive machine shop or rental store. Make sure all items are detached from the engine and tranny that connect to the body and chassis (such as wires, shifter linkage, clutch rods and levers, fuel lines, grounding straps and in case you didn’t remember to do this one your own, the radiator and support should be removed prior to the engine.

After you have stripped the body and interior, and you have removed the engine and transmission, you will have to make some more decisions. When removing the body from the frame, you will need to decide on what options are available to you. If you are fortunate enough to have access to a body rotisserie (a metal frame work that attaches to your body and allows you to rotate the body for easy cleaning and working on the under side) then you should use it. Realize that by doing so, you will need the room for not only the flipper, but also for it to rotate. This will keep you from storing the chassis or other parts under the elevated body.

To keep this on an affordable level, we decided to use the poor man’s style of concrete blocks and timbers (This method is one I use when doing it by myself). I have seen individuals use four 55 gallons drums with timbers to support the body. However, this requires a team of four to six people to lift the body and carry it to the drums.

On the 65 GTO, there are 14 bolts that hold the body to the frame. If you’re lucky, you can get all the bolts to come out with out breaking. Although I have gotten away with this before by loosening and retightening the bolts a little at a time (making progress with each loosening) we were not that fortunate with this old goat. Two of the front bolts broke off and one was so rusted that the nut that is usually held in place by a metal bracket, allowed the nut to turn. Many of the nuts are not accessible and therefore you cannot hold them with any wrench. We used a reciprocating saw (or Saw zall) to cut through the stubborn bolt and nut (by carefully cutting through the body bushing and bolt) and will deal with the nuts that need replacing at a later time.

Two of the side body bolts would not cooperate either and we ground the head of the bolt off with a grinder to allow us to remove the body. (Remember to use goggles or even a face shield when using grinders. The disks not only kick back and bite, but can break and fly out to cause damage to skin.

With all the bolts removed, we are ready to lift it off the frame. Remember that there is great danger in these next steps. You should make every effort to not only avoid injury, but also try to have help there to assist you. We first placed our concrete blocks around the four areas of our car. We will raise the body on 4 x 4 timbers and use the blocks to support them. This will allow us to roll out the chassis after the body is elevated. If you use concrete blocks, be sure and place the smooth flat areas upright so that the center brace of the block is standing up and down (holes towards the top and bottom). This is the strongest direction of the block. Note that there are lightweight blocks available (feather weight) and you should use the heavier, stronger type blocks. You must be sure and place blocks at a point where they will not "kick out" sideways from the weight of the body. We recommend using larger blocks to help prevent this from occurring. Standard size blocks will be unstable at the height we need to go for rolling out the chassis.

Using a hydraulic floor jack, we begin by jacking the ends of the car (front and rear) from a strong area of the floorpans. Raise the body only enough to slide the timbers between the frame and body and let the body rest on the timbers and frame. Keep raising the ends of the body one at a time and bracing the ends of the timber with blocks as you go. Always alternate raising the ends to keep the body somewhat level. Do not try and raise one end the full height and then the other. This can cause the body to shift and slide.

Make sure that the timbers do not rest on the bottom edge of the quarter panels. This can cause damage to a vulnerable area.

With the first couple blocks in place on the front and back, gently rock the body (with the jack and other supports under car) to assure it is going to be stable on your blocks and timber. Extra measures for safety can be a simple as placing eyebolts in the joists of your garage ceiling to run ropes under the body (from side to side). Although not a good method to hold the body up for long periods of time, it can help save you should the body try and fall. Placing four or five ropes under the body using the eyebolts will give you piece of mind. Plan on having an additional timber of the correct length and blocks to further support the center of your car once it is the air.

You will find that it will take three or more blocks per side, per timber. The objective is to only raise the body high enough to roll the frame out. This requires the body to be high enough for the tires to clear. This will also allow you room to get under the body to clean and repaint.

Note: A simple method of rolling the frame from under the supported body is to use four bare wheels/rims. It is unbelievable how much height the tires take up. This would allow you to reduce the height required to remove the frame.

We now have our two main sections of our project accessible for the next step. In the next issue we will have our catalogue and look at making our list of parts to order, along with more disassembly of the suspension to prepare the frame for blasting.