Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

[Michael H.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

What is overrestoration? If you go to the trouble of doing a body off restoration to a corvette and bother to follow the proper guidelines for assembly and finishes you should shouldnt be penalized for making the paint look as good as possible.

I think this discussion may have drifted a bit off center.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with making a corvette body perfect if that's what an owner wants it to be. I don't think that was ever the point of disagreement. I can appreciate the time and money that goes into a project to produce that type of body/finish.

However, if we're trying to bring a car back to original, including the body and paint, then perfection in this area will likely cause a deduction on the judging field. The point, as I saw it, was "should Corvettes with over restored bodies and paint be able to achieve full points on these items.
My reply was "probably not". That's not the way they looked when new.

Does the body and paint appear to be the same as it was when the car rolled out the door at St Louis? The answer has to be no. They just didn't look like that.

It's not for everyone but it is restoring. It had nothing to do with good or bad. It's just a different. Personally, I prefer the ripples and waves.

[Steven B.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

I have a good non-NCRS friend who has had his '54 for about 35 years. He also had a body shop, restored Aunurns, Cords, Duesys, and was an ACD judge. He has two untouched 1950's hot rods, two Auburns, etc. He has redone his '54 two or three times. He blocked under the hood, under the other lids, the body and even all of the underside and inner fenders. Parts are stock, mostly original. It is not for NCRS judging and he built it not for judging but as close to perfection as he could get it. It looks beautiful, ACD type rebuild. Do I like it; YES! Would I build one today with that much perfection in the body work? Likely not as I also like factory original. I don't make a judgement call as the car was done as the owner wants it and he takes tremendous care of it and values it highly. I have a factory correct car untouched, one close and one I have mechanically modified the heck out of. They are all different, have different purposes and I love each of them!

[Gene M.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

The Corvette was GM's flagship car and it did look good in the day. The fiberglass has over the years moved and gotten more wavy with age. As the body pieces came out of the mold and assemblied on the car they were fairly straight. Not by todays standards but straight. Some of you guys state the hang ups of NCRS to see defects. But keep in mind that the defects were not intentional. I like to see the body de-aged and remove most of the waves and re-sharpen the lines from previous sanding and paint jobs. There is an art to getting a car to look perfect but not over restored. Body paint can also look "thick" which may appeal to some. I personally don't like it. It makes the cars lines disappear and look "undefined".

My feeling is if you are restoring your Corvette and putting all the time and money into it one would want the best craftsmanship possible. Even when applying overspray I attempt to make it as neat and uniform as possible. All in attempt to meet NCRS requirements and still look appealing. Sloppy glue is another example as I mask it off to "controll" the sloppyness.

So all I'm try to say is some like it exactly "'60's GM worker" sloppy and another want to see it "perfect" sloppy.

I like an engine to look crisp and sharp without the thick layers of paint as seen on so called over restored cars. Using a primer on the engine castings allows great coverage with out dozens of coats or paint. Thick paint on the engine loses the cast surface identity of the metal. And I don't like that, judge's pencil also have negative reaction to it.

As I said there is an art to getting a car to look perfect but not over restored. When one walks this line you are always under the decision of the judge looking at your car weather you cross the line of being over restored.

But I know I wouldn't be happy with my car if it was all "'60's GM worker" sloppy. Do your car the way you want don't be bullied by guidelines..............

[Chris E.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Here's a picture that makes it clear about orange peel in the paint. I just wasn't willing to have orange peel in my paint job that cost most of what my one year old Subaru did a couple years ago.

A 2009 Cadillac CTS4 in the first picture, and my base coat/clear coat red 67 in the second and third pictures. Can you see the car in the reflection of the Cadillac paint job? How about the leaves on the ground in the reflection of my paint job.......exactly.

[Michael H.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

The Corvette was GM's flagship car and it did look good in the day. The fiberglass has over the years moved and gotten more wavy with age. As the body pieces came out of the mold and assemblied on the car they were fairly straight.

I can say, positively, that any part of the body, below the center/body line on the side panels, was absolutely not wave/ripple free when these C2 cars were new. They were that way right out the big side door at the assembly plant. I know this for several reasons, one of which is the fact that we purchased a brand new 64 coupe in 1964.
The first time I had the car on a hoist to change the oil, I was VERY surprised at how bad the lower half of that car looked.
Fortunately, this was almost not visible when the car was on the ground.

The focus on "straight/smooth" at St Louis was the horizontal surfaces 1st, (hood/deck) then the sides down to the body line. Below that was... well, pretty much left as is.
The fact that the paint was somewhat textured, especially on the lower half of the body, hid the ripples and waves. Sorta.

I promise, there was no one at the plant with a sanding block trying to make the lower panels look pretty. No piece of sand paper EVER hit any area in the side louvers behind the front wheel.

[Rick G.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Hi Pat,

A few years ago, Chip Miller of Carlisle Productions fame, and another gentleman, whose name escapes me, restored what they called "a perfect 1953". It was built to be auctioned off for charity. I remember seeing pictures of the car and it appeared to be flawless. I also remember seeing the car prior to restoration and it was in sad shape. The car was sold at auction and I have never heard anything more about. I believe most members of our organization prefer originality.

[Justin B.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Don't lose any sleep over an over restored Vette or still be upset about it 10 years later...they aren't ruined. If they restored to look too good than the next owner can re-restore it to look rough as they want it to look...even a 57' airbox car.

[Bill M.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Keep in mind why NCRS uses "as delivered" for the standard. That standard is the most objective, definable standard for judging. How close can you get your restored car to the imperfect, all-original example used to define 100%.

[Gene M.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

[QUOTE=Michael Hanson (4067);405303]I can say, positively, that any part of the body, below the center/body line on the side panels, was absolutely not wave/ripple free when these C2 cars were new.

Mike, I never stated the Corvette body was wave/ripple free when these C2 cars were new. I did state " The fiberglass has over the years moved and gotten more wavy with age. As the body pieces came out of the mold and assemblied on the car they were fairly straight. Not by todays standards but straight."

So don't turn this around as if i said the body's were flawless. Everybody that knows or works with fiberglass knows dam well it moves and is not flat like steel bodies. Any attempts by a restorer to correct the deviations from perfect will in time get lost anyway. Fiberglass panels by nature take on a stress just by bonding/riveting them down to the body birdcage. This causes or at least contributes to waves and ripples. And it is commonly known by persons that have experience with fiberglass that if left alone the wavieness will be worse over time. Its just a fact one has to live with about fiberglass.

And yes the new 64 in 1964 had some ripples and waves. But if it was left alone, today it would be even more rippley and more wavy.

[Calvin C.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Hey, there must have been a good one to leave the assembly line, maybe on a good day, so that's the one I like.

cal

[Michael H.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Hey, there must have been a good one to leave the assembly line, maybe on a good day, so that's the one I like.

cal

Maybe they were all good... except mine.

[Stewart A.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

Any over restored car takes alot of effort to keep it that way. Most end up weathered after a decade or two. That brings them back to an every day look !

[Edward C.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

I disagree that a overrstored can be unrestored. The body can never be returned to origional once it has been overrestored. Ed

[Stephen B.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

I'm with Roy in that I'd much prefer the factory imperfections. When I walk onto the judging field, the original or corrected restored original cars seem to jump out at me as being unique as compared to the common over-restored cars.

[Roy B.]

Re: Anybody Ever Saw a Perfectly Overrestored Vette?

I was lucky my 55 had the original paint job and never was repainted and the body was perfect with no stress cracks . So we did a light sanding and painted it waves and all. We dint sand out the fenders that bond to the fire wall that all Corvette usually are showing a light bulge . We cleaned the engine area and inner fender panels then painted it .Drips of resin and all. Which I see in many restored Corvette looking like a mirror.
Now with 30 years of driving most people think it's never been redone. If many people in NCRS dint know my 55 I think I could go for the Bowtie or crossed flags award