1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

[Brandon Metzger]

Re: 1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

Eddie,
There is some great advise here. Take a breather and then look at your options. I am a first time vette owner myself. I, like many others, wanted one since I was a youngster. I found one at a fair price and made the major mistake of buying it unseen. However, the price was good enough I knew I had a lot of room before I startes spending more than it was worth. My point hear is that I bought a '72 BB, AC, PW, PB, Ps that had three tires in the salvage yard. Front clip needed replaced, wrong engine, all new wire harnesses, interior, and a little frame damage. I never worked on a car before. However, I am good with my hands and can figure things out. There are many books, assembly manuals and people to help. Start going slow. Pick one thing, learn how to fix it and go onto the next. It is a very rewarding process to see something being brought back to life. What I am saying is you don't need to know how to do this, although you will when you are done. Nearly everyone looks at my car, now in many parts, and asks if I know how to do this. My responce is "NO, but I will when I am done". I have not loved every minute of it must most of them. My wife asked if I would buy the car if I knew the shape it was in, I said no. You probably are in the same boat. I and you would probably not make the same mistake but now that I am in this I am enjoying it. I had the same thoughts you are expressing and perhaps then some. Take a momenent and thing things threw. There is no wrong decission as long as you are happy in the end.

Lastly, look into renting a "secure" storage unit. Many have electricity, heat and so on. you could store the car there and work on parts and pieces in you house and back yard. put things together at you storage unit. There are options, if want to keep the car you should be able to figure something out. Also, contact the local NCRS chapter and some members and see if they have any suggestion.

Save the FI unit till latter, put that money into gettng the car running. You can always and the FI when every you wish.

Best of luck.
Brandon

[Michael D.]

Re: 1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

Hi Ed
I bought a 65 convertible back in 1976 because it was a Corvette and I wanted a Corvette. The block was cracked the paint was dull and it needed a top and complete interior but it was a "Corvette". A few friends and I restored the car to "drivable condition",so we thought. I didnt know a thing about Vettes. A few friends and I got together and we painted the car in one of their garages as well as put a different engine in it and doing a self upholstered interior. I drove the car for 13,000 miles. I decided to restore the car the "right" way. However, getting married, buying a house, having children and other important events of life left me with a decsion to sell the car. However, I had an accident with the car on what I called "the last ride" around the block. I put it up for sale every year for 10 years or more and always backed out before the cash changed hands. I had many offers on the car, more than I was asking and more than the car was worth BUT I just couldn't sell it. I took the Vette to three different body shops paying for work to be done that never was finished. I took the car out of each shop loosing my money. This was an eight to ten year nightmare. I too lost interest and money in my Vette, and again put it up for sale, again I just couldn't sell it even though I didn't really want the car. A love/hate relationship. I didn't have the money you have invested in yours but I owned a Corvette that I wanted. I put the car in a friends garage for almost twenty years not even going over to see if it was still there, I just didn't care about that Vette. I almost wished someone would steal it to relieve me of the nightmare. In 2003 I found this Web Site and it stired my interest for Corvettes again. I joined NCRS in 1976. When I lost interest I let my membership lapse. I rejoined in 2003.(Great site and People) Last year I sat behind the wheel of my dusty, dirty, flat tired, grey primed, not running 65 Vette and grinned from ear to ear pleased that I never sold the first Midyear Corvette I owned. Now I am restoring it as money and time will allow. I have bought, driven and sold other Corvettes during these times but none of them made me fell as good or comfortable as my first Corvette. This Vette beat me up mentally for years but if I sold it I would have regretted it. With the prices of the Midyears today I would not be able to buy another one. You have the major work done, you don't need a perfect interior or paint job but the car has to run well to drive it. My opinion is if you HAVE to sell it then do so, If you don't, maybe find a place to store it for a while and then go back to it later on. Good Luck with which ever way you decide to go. Sorry for the long drawnout story.
MikeD#1787

[Rick S.]

Re: 1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

Eddie,
What city do you live in. Maybe others on this board, including me, might be able to come up with a storage deal that you can't pass up. If you live in the Detroit area I might find a freebie for you.
Rick

[Eddie Lamb]

Thanks Brandon, Mike, Rick and all

THanks to all who took the trouble to respong and offer their stories and their support.

It is DEEPLY appreciated.

I guess we'll just have to see what happens...

By the way Rick, I live in New Jersey!

I can keep the Vette at the restorer's for "free" as long as work goes on. The guy has become a pretty good friend, but his space is very tight.

Thanks again!

Eddie Lamb

[Chuck S.]

The "Dumb" tax

Eddie;
There`s a thing called the "dumb" tax. You have paid yours.......
We all have paid on one thing or another. In some cases it`s only a few bucks. I know some guys who paid in the mid six figures on the dot com stocks.
Some "investors" who bought at the BJ auction haven`t gotten their "surprise" yet.
Don`t feel alone. Some "dumb" taxes are higher than others.
If the 64 makes you feel good, finish it to the level you`re satisfied with, find a safe place to store it and ENJOY the ownership experience. They`re printing money as you read this post but they haven`t made C-2s since 1967.
Regards,
Chuck Spiteri
C-2 Owner (since new)

[Jay Garris]

Re: 1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

My 2 cents, Try to always remember why did I buy this. If it's the B-Jackson mentality of we're all gonna get rich quick. Well thats a whole other issue. But if you had sleepless nites comming up on how and why you going to restore your car. Thats the focus. Take to any local car show see the reaction. It's a mid-year, Not a Yugo. Fuel and 65 396 cars will never go bad. What with all the creative 67 Big Blocks around. I had what turned out to be a 64 Gm Styling Car. Sold it to a well know collector in MI. Did I sell it too cheap? Sure. Regrets none. I have a Orginal one owner 67 SS396 Chevelle Convertible that is a and was a passion. I don't regret the trade off. Drive your car enjoy it. It will go up in value. My dad taught me a lesson back in H.S about my 58 270Hp Vette I got for $600.00 Remember you own the car, The Car does'nt own you. Best of luck with your 64 Fuel.

[mike cobine]

Re: 1964 Fuelie Coupe Restoration Advice

Eddie,

You have received a lot of good advice. Here is what I would do, based on some assumptions on your story.

Assumptions:
1. Car looks good, car has paint on it.
2. Interior is intact, but shows age.
3. Car would be drivable if the engine was installed and ran.
4. It might need some other minor work to drive from sitting so long.
5. You are into it for a lot of money, but you are not starving at this point, nor have you lost your house or family.

Here is what I would do.

1. GET YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT. You are worrying about the small details instead of the big ones. No one cares if the interior screws or the fuses are correct if the darn thing is in pieces!!!! Chainsaw mentality.(1)

2. TALK TO YOUR RESTORER. Tell him you need to stop for awhile: money, get your head on straight, etc. Find out where he is on each stage and see what it takes to finish JUST THE PART he is working on now. I.e., installing the engine, well, bolt the thing in. In the middle of putting on brakes, well, finish the brakes. ROLL IT OUT OF HIS SHOP IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

3. While waiting to finish the immediate project, FIND A PLACE TO TAKE THE CAR. I had my 66 Corvette race car at a place west of Flemington. A guy ran a trucking company south of Baptistown on 519 and had lots of buildings and space. Looks terrible, but lots of space. He also owned a red '57 Corvette, so if you are anywhere close, go see him. Tell him the guy with the yellow '66 Corvette race car sent you.

Even if you are not close, it could be a storage place to put it for a year or two until you get your head back on.

Go to church. Yeah, go to church. There are typically LOTS of old ladies who have old homes with garages that do not drive anymore. If you are nice, you find out about those garages and can often store your car in them. You might find one on your block or a few blocks away.

4. JOIN A LOCAL CORVETTE CLUB. Nobody should do this stuff alone. The fun is not just having one, but driving, going, and being with others who love them. It doesn't have to be your NCRS chapter, as it could be far away. But the local Corvette club will have guys who know how to do things, know where storage places are, know where you can work on them, and probably willing to help you with your project.

The online help here is from people who can't be beat, but two real hands beat white type on a black screen any day. JOIN A LOCAL CORVETTE CLUB.

5. If you can find a place to work on it, work on it yourself or with friends. (JOIN A LOCAL CORVETTE CLUB.) MAKE IT RUN, NOT NECESSARILY CORRECT. Slap a Q-Jet and intake on it and make it run. Buy regular tires so it can drive, not restoration trailer-queen tires. Put a spin-on adapter and run regular oil filters from Pep Boys, Advanced Auto, WalMart, etc. More lose out on Corvettes by having them non-running than anything else. Regular plug wires and forget about shielding, MAKE IT RUN!

6. FORGET ABOUT MAKING IT PERFECT, MAKE IT RUN AND DRIVE IT _NOW_. That $7000 FI unit will be sold by your wife after your funeral for $50 at a yard sale. So buy it ONLY when you are ready to mount it on the car AND you have lots of time to keep it running. FORGET the FI unit for now. Drive the car for a year, then go back to restoring. If you lose the spirit, then all is lost and you might as well give it away.

7. You will never clear the forest by picking up twigs. MAKE IT RUN NOW and restore the details afterwards.

8. As crazy as it sounds, put this one away in a barn or other cheap storage. Buy a late '70s or '80s Corvette for $5000, drive it a year, discover "Corvette " again, and then "find" the '64 all over again. (JOIN A LOCAL CORVETTE CLUB.) You are in need of serious Corvette FUN.

9. After you love Corvettes and this '64 again, then you can restore it. Not a day sooner.

10. Been there, done that, got a dozen T-shirts. I know where you are and how to get out.

---------------
(1)Friend ran a fence company and his dad went with him on a wood fence job. He got called away and his dad said he'd stay and do the fence. When he got back an hour later, he found his dad carefully measuring each board, cutting and t******* the edges. He said, "Dad, this is a half day job, it only pays $xxx. Your way will take a week. This is how we do it." With that, he stacked a bunch of boards, knocked them somewhat even on the top edge, fired up the chainsaw and cut the bottom off the stack. "Here, done, now let's nail them up. No one looks at the bottom down in the grass."

Moral: No one cares about how good the details are if the job isn't done.