Hi again everyone,

You guys may remember my 1st attempt at a resto thread from about a year ago here: http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=112902

Well it's been a while and tearing the car down has been a painful process. Over the last year I've gotten engaged to my lovely fiance', travelled quite a bit, survived a direct hit from a little storm named Ike..... and spent appoximately 30 minutes working on the Camaro...ok well maybe a little more than that, but you get the point.

To cut to the chase, what once looked like this:

http://www.mctullis.com/public/Gordon/gordon_3.jpg

now looks like this:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec044.jpg

Along with the areas that I was previously looking at replacing, I have the following newly discovered, very disconcerting problems:

Lower A pillars and Dash (I thought this area was pretty solid, turns out its probably the worst):

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec028.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec029.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec030.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec031.jpg

AS you can see, not only is the upper dash rusted, and not only are the A pillar supports GONE, but so is the lower dash/cowl lip that the upper dash attaches to. This area has me worried BAD.

Moving on to the cowl "tulip" panels and lower hinge support area:

Passenger side has it bad:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec013.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec014.jpg

I can also see that it looks like the inner rocker is rotten here, (look through the big rust hole) http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec015.jpg

Driver's isn't as bad:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec037.jpg

When I saw this, I thought to myself, "ok self, you can handle this, along with all of the other work"


But there's more:

Roof rust:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec034.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec020.jpg

Horrible inner roof patch: (maybe someone recognizes their old work here, lol)

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec045.jpg

And of course, rear shelf rot in both corners:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec024.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec027.jpg

So...I'm back to having negative thoughts about this project being insurmountable. Remember, I'm also doing the following:

floor:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec004.jpg

rocker, or rockers:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec007.jpg

lower inner 1/4s:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec017.jpg

Upper inner 1/4 repair:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec038.jpg

And of course the obligatory "bolt-on" sheetmetal: trunk lid, driver's fender, and passenger door.

Oh yeah, I'm getting married and buying a house this year, too.

Oh yeah, theres the frame rails too

I love this car, but I'm at the point to where I'm thinking it may be more cost and time effective to find .....better.... (it hurt me to type that) project. :(

Thoughts?

Were all the exposed rust areas just filled with bondo?

Were all the exposed rust areas just filled with bondo?

Yes, and fiberglass. This was a result of the bodywork that I had done for me about 8 years ago, when I was 17 and didn't know any better, and definitely couldn't afford any better.

Yes, and fiberglass. This was a result of the bodywork that I had done for me about 8 years ago, when I was 17 and didn't know any better, and definitely couldn't afford any better.

Sorry, I just went and reviewed the other thread. Do you live near the ocean or somewhere, where they salt the roads alot? That is pretty aggressive rust. The good news it can be fixed. I have along ways to go on mine too. I have to break it down into a series of small problems, to make it seem more manageable. It can certainly be done. The good news is you have the car. I sold my first one about 13 years ago and almost never recovered until I bought the hugger one I found in March... The guys on this forum are a great resource for your rebuild. What would we do without the internet?

From the first picture i would have never guessed!

If it is advice you are looking for, heres my input. You say you are trying to buy a house, and got engaged. As much as I love Camaros the house would have to come first, considering the market is way down and you can really get the most house you may ever be able to get right now. This paticular car is a major project and will require lots of time and money. You are pretty young, and the chance the current housing market is offering now will not be repeated for many years. Also first time buyers get the 7,500 tax credit. Tough bullet to bite at a age when you want toys, but it just seems the smart move right now. Of course this is just a opinion, Camaro deals will always be there. Also you then would have your own garage to work on this car as funds permit.

Maybe, just buy a body panel, and try to install one a month. Concentrate on issues with the car that are mostly labor, until you get settled in. Parts might get pretty cheap in the next year as well. On 60 Minutes tonight, they had a segment that said the housing problem would likely get worse until 2010. Housing might get quite a bit cheaper, so be patient buying. I read something like 1 out of 10 mortgages is now delinquent.

Do you live near the ocean or somewhere, where they salt the roads alot? That is pretty aggressive rust. The good news it can be fixed. I have along ways to go on mine too. I have to break it down into a series of small problems, to make it seem more manageable. It can certainly be done. The good news is you have the car. I sold my first one about 13 years ago and almost never recovered until I bought the hugger one I found in March... The guys on this forum are a great resource for your rebuild. What would we do without the internet?

Well the car has resided in the Gulf Coast area for at least the past 10 years, before that I have no idea. Seems like it was at the bottom of the ocean!

From the first picture i would have never guessed!

No kidding! This experience will have me very suspicious of any classics I buy in the future..

If it is advice you are looking for, heres my input. You say you are trying to buy a house, and got engaged. As much as I love Camaros the house would have to come first, considering the market is way down and you can really get the most house you may ever be able to get right now. This paticular car is a major project and will require lots of time and money. You are pretty young, and the chance the current housing market is offering now will not be repeated for many years. Also first time buyers get the 7,500 tax credit. Tough bullet to bite at a age when you want toys, but it just seems the smart move right now. Of course this is just a opinion, Camaro deals will always be there. Also you then would have your own garage to work on this car as funds permit.

Sounds like good advice. My plan included having the car done before the home purchase, but thats not gonna happen. I don't think funds will be much of an issue when it comes to ordering sheetmetal and parts, but I certainly think it would put a dent in the housing fund to try to farm out this kind of work!

You seem to be listening, so keep that house in your sights. Once you have a place of your own you will not believe how much stuff you can accumulate to work on the car for very cheap. I go to auctions, estate sales, freight salvages, and if you shop wisely you will get any and all tools and material at a substantial savings, so more for the car and house. Many times you can come across deals so good, that you can resell for profit to fund your Camaro projects. Be patient, use common sense, and don"t pour good money into bad ideas. Good luck no matter what method you use, Mike.

I agree, get the house first, the car project can be done slowly as you have the time an money. I really don't think it looks that bad. Have you seen some of the projects in other threads? Sometimes it looks like there isn't any car left after all the rust is cut out, but one body panel at a time, they come back. I also agree that you should break it down into a series of small projects. It may take a while but you will get it done.

Gordon, great pics but can you resize them down to around 880x660 so they are smaller for the folks that are on dial up modems. Also that will make the pics so you dont have to scroll side to side and up and down to see the whole photo. Its our site policy to help accomodate the folks with slower computers. Or you can store them online somewhere and just post a link too. Then folks can choose which ones to download.
thanks for understanding.

In my opinion this is something that would best be handled with a new shell. Mike's Custom Cars or Muscle Car Metal. Either one could rebuild your car for you or sell you a new rebuilt shell. Then you could install all your parts on the new or rebuilt shell. I don't think this is something for a novice, and it sounds like you are a novice.

I am not advocating swapping the VIN by the way.

Just my two cents worth,
Don

I know you may not want to here this but, I had to wait almost twenty years to real be able to do the restoration on my Camaro. Why, because home and family came first. I to had a poor job done on my car when I was in my twenties that basically caused more problems than it solved.
I would work this car slowly a segment at a time as money allowed after I got the home taken care of.
Make sure the house has a good garage and that your future wife understands how important it is to you .

Good luck

Your Camaro is definitely restorable. Unfortunately it is never done overnight. Compared to other project cars, I would keep your Camaro. Check out this thread:

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=128478

I would shelve your project for now. As others have listed other things are better priority and will make your future more secure. Your car will just keep costing you money and alot of time and stress which invariably in some way be communicated to your better half. I put my wife through alot on my resto journey and if I was totally honest I dont think it was worth it. Another thing to consider is with the economy the way it is there are cars out there going for alot less than what the owners have in them. Yours will be expensive when you add up all of the receipts for all the big and " little " items you will need.

I will agree with the majority here yes yours is restorable , a house would be my first investment . The car will take alot of money as well as time & the other half may noyt like that right now. let it sit for now pick up deals on parts as you go & have a game plan ,in a couple years then hit it.

If it is advice you are looking for, heres my input. You say you are trying to buy a house, and got engaged. As much as I love Camaros the house would have to come first, considering the market is way down and you can really get the most house you may ever be able to get right now. This paticular car is a major project and will require lots of time and money. You are pretty young, and the chance the current housing market is offering now will not be repeated for many years. Also first time buyers get the 7,500 tax credit. Tough bullet to bite at a age when you want toys, but it just seems the smart move right now. Of course this is just a opinion, Camaro deals will always be there. Also you then would have your own garage to work on this car as funds permit.I would spin this a different way. Since the housing market is what it is, use this opportunity to get a house with a BIG garage. Then you will have room to work on and store the car. Set up your garage first, get the tools you need, a good compressor, a welder, and wire them up. Then start working the car and take your sweet time. Use it as an escape valve. You will be at home, so the wife will like it, and you will have something to give you that much needed personal satisfaction.

I would spin this a different way. Since the housing market is what it is, use this opportunity to get a house with a BIG garage. Then you will have room to work on and store the car. Set up your garage first, get the tools you need, a good compressor, a welder, and wire them up. Then start working the car and take your sweet time. Use it as an escape valve. You will be at home, so the wife will like it, and you will have something to give you that much needed personal satisfaction.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant in my post. I said for him to get the most home possible right now, and that includes a big garage. On another post I said just like you to find tools and equipment at yard sales, estates, auctions, etc. These actions will give him both the place and needed tools and equipment not only to tackle a Camaro resto, but anything else he pleases to do. I think we all understand his situation, and want nothing more than to steer him in a good direction. He seems to be listening, lots more than I did at his age..................School of dumb & hard knocks................:beers:

Where do you live now? House, apartment? Why do you need to buy a house? Is it for a larger family? I can see why you would want to buy the house, IF it's a necessity, but if it's just to own a house, then why spend the money? What ever you do, don't sell the car just to get the house. Find a place for the car and come back to her when time permits. You are not going to get much for a car in that condition. Not much anyway that could justify selling it just to have to buy another one later and probably have to pay more than it's worth. If it's a must, buy the house, but keep the car in storage until time and money permit a return to grace.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant in my post. I said for him to get the most home possible right now, and that includes a big garage. On another post I said just like you to find tools and equipment at yard sales, estates, auctions, etc. These actions will give him both the place and needed tools and equipment not only to tackle a Camaro resto, but anything else he pleases to do. I think we all understand his situation, and want nothing more than to steer him in a good direction. He seems to be listening, lots more than I did at his age..................School of dumb & hard knocks................:beers:
Agreed! Maybe someone can put our mistakes to good use!:thumbsup:

With as much sheet metal damage as there is if you farmed it out it would cost 10,000 easy probably more. I went through similair turmoils with my '68 and the damage to it wasn't as bad. I checked around for a couple years trying to find a better body for less than 4-5000 but ended up staying with the "devil" I knew. I had the rockers and quarters done professionally and am now doing the rest myself with the help of this forum. I have learned over the years that it is REAL easy to get caught up in the totality of what needs to be done and be overwhelmed. My advice is to get a professional estimate at what it would cost to be done-labor only-you'll get the sheetmetal. (this will give you a starting point for costs) Figure out what you can and can't do. Try and see if it is worth it to you. And most important-get a game plan as to what order you'll have stuff done in.With small goals leading up to having the project finished you won't be so overwhelmed.I've looked and drooled at the Camaros going for 15-20k and that is so almost worth it. In the end I am doing this one of mine because I enjoy actually doing the work and I get a tremendous sense of accomplishment at doing it. I hope this makes sense and helps you out.

Wow. The first picture shows that pictures can be deceiving. I have to comment on this being that I am building a car with the help of others on this site. Tons of good info on this site. From what I see for this type of build you are going to need a very good jig. The roof braces, and lower quarter structure seen here http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec017.jpg will most likely need to be replaced. So you will need a good jig to build off of. Mikes Custom Cars sells them. Or you can build your own. With that being said you will probably be better off starting with a set of these.http://belairbobs.com/inc/sdetail/1026 If your going to need those I dont see what you will be using from the origonal car. They do sell the inner quarter patches and lower front door jamb patches. You could patch those areas but seems like it would be easier to buy the complete section with rockers attached. Tuff call for me. It can be restored no question asked! But looks like every panel....EVERY ONE, will get replaced. Are the fenders and doors ok? Trunk, and tail pan ok? If your not looking to do such an extensive build, good solid projects are still out there.
I would buy the house with the extra room for the project car also. Build the car with what time and money allow.

It sounds like your heart isn't in it, just from reading your posts. Maybe focus on the house and family matters and take good care of your money. When looking for a house, don't live beyond your means. In time, you will learn there is a beautiful thing called.... EQUITY! (equity = first gen. camaro)... I don't think Charlie, above, understands this. You should always strive to be a home owner. Have you ever applied for a loan or line of credit? They always ask "Rent or Own"? There's a reason for that.

I have owned a Camaro since I was 17 so I understand your attachment to this car. I have been married twice and owned two different homes. I currently have a wife, a home (with a one car garage) and a Camaro that's been apart for 22 years. If there is any way, FIX IT NOW!

JMHO, YMMV
Jeff

Do NOT listen to any of these people....Toys ALWAYS come first!!!

do we need to explain again what equity in a home means????

I would make sure to set up a sweet garage at the new house. Then after that get to work on things that keep you working but cost you nothing. Sheet metal is cheap and so is labor. You won't get to the expensive stuff till later. ( Motor, Interior)

Back burner the car for now. Get the house and garage get set up. Work on the car and learn from it. Hell at your age you got another 30 years to work on it!

Gordon, great pics but can you resize them down to around 880x660 so they are smaller for the folks that are on dial up modems. Also that will make the pics so you dont have to scroll side to side and up and down to see the whole photo. Its our site policy to help accomodate the folks with slower computers. Or you can store them online somewhere and just post a link too. Then folks can choose which ones to download.
thanks for understanding.

Sorry about the pic sizes mods! Looking at the thread, I no longer seem to have the ability to edit my 1st post...weird.

In my opinion this is something that would best be handled with a new shell. Mike's Custom Cars or Muscle Car Metal. Either one could rebuild your car for you or sell you a new rebuilt shell. Then you could install all your parts on the new or rebuilt shell. I don't think this is something for a novice, and it sounds like you are a novice.

I am not advocating swapping the VIN by the way.

Just my two cents worth,
Don

Don, I certainly am I novice, but this is probably a good point to tell some more of the story. My uncle owns a general automotive repair shop here in Houston. Back when I thought this project was basically going to consist of a floor and quarter panels, I convinced him that we should use his spare building to work on it...thereby giving me acess to a lift, torches, a mig welder, all manner of hand tools, a forklift, and his years of (mechanical, not body) expertice. The problem is that it seems to go much deeper now, and I don't know that I can lean on my uncle for all of this work when he both travels ALOT as an ASE instructor and is trying to run a business.

I know you may not want to here this but, I had to wait almost twenty years to real be able to do the restoration on my Camaro. Why, because home and family came first. I to had a poor job done on my car when I was in my twenties that basically caused more problems than it solved.
I would work this car slowly a segment at a time as money allowed after I got the home taken care of.
Make sure the house has a good garage and that your future wife understands how important it is to you .

Good luck

More of the story....When Mindy and I met, she claims the car was one of the things that first drew her to me :P

http://www.mctullis.com//public/Gordon/gordon_elsie_sm.jpg

go figure.

She definitely understands my attachment to this car. Another thing you guys should know is that our purchase of a home is not contingent upon me keeping, or restoring, or scrapping, or selling, or doing whatever I want with this car. The fact is, I just don't know that I could handle both tasks concurrently along with keeping both of our sanity.

Your Camaro is definitely restorable. Unfortunately it is never done overnight. Compared to other project cars, I would keep your Camaro. Check out this thread:

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=128478

Man I wish it were as easy as he made it look!!

I would shelve your project for now. As others have listed other things are better priority and will make your future more secure. Your car will just keep costing you money and alot of time and stress which invariably in some way be communicated to your better half. I put my wife through alot on my resto journey and if I was totally honest I dont think it was worth it. Another thing to consider is with the economy the way it is there are cars out there going for alot less than what the owners have in them. Yours will be expensive when you add up all of the receipts for all the big and " little " items you will need.

The 2 items you mentioned; stress and security, are two very big factors here. You're point about possibly snagging a good deal on a partial resto really hits home. 67 and 69 are my favorite years, in that order.

I would spin this a different way. Since the housing market is what it is, use this opportunity to get a house with a BIG garage. Then you will have room to work on and store the car. Set up your garage first, get the tools you need, a good compressor, a welder, and wire them up. Then start working the car and take your sweet time. Use it as an escape valve. You will be at home, so the wife will like it, and you will have something to give you that much needed personal satisfaction.

very good points.

Where do you live now? House, apartment? Why do you need to buy a house? Is it for a larger family? I can see why you would want to buy the house, IF it's a necessity, but if it's just to own a house, then why spend the money? What ever you do, don't sell the car just to get the house. Find a place for the car and come back to her when time permits. You are not going to get much for a car in that condition. Not much anyway that could justify selling it just to have to buy another one later and probably have to pay more than it's worth. If it's a must, buy the house, but keep the car in storage until time and money permit a return to grace.

Good Q's. Mindy and I share an apartment about 20 minutes from dad's house, where the car is garaged. My uncle's shop is about 15 minutes away. That's where the car will be worked on if he permits, otherwise it will stay at my dad's or come with us if we end up with the "Big *** Garage" :D

With as much sheet metal damage as there is if you farmed it out it would cost 10,000 easy probably more. I went through similair turmoils with my '68 and the damage to it wasn't as bad. I checked around for a couple years trying to find a better body for less than 4-5000 but ended up staying with the "devil" I knew. I had the rockers and quarters done professionally and am now doing the rest myself with the help of this forum. I have learned over the years that it is REAL easy to get caught up in the totality of what needs to be done and be overwhelmed. My advice is to get a professional estimate at what it would cost to be done-labor only-you'll get the sheetmetal. (this will give you a starting point for costs) Figure out what you can and can't do. Try and see if it is worth it to you. And most important-get a game plan as to what order you'll have stuff done in.With small goals leading up to having the project finished you won't be so overwhelmed.I've looked and drooled at the Camaros going for 15-20k and that is so almost worth it. In the end I am doing this one of mine because I enjoy actually doing the work and I get a tremendous sense of accomplishment at doing it. I hope this makes sense and helps you out.

I love wrenching on this car! I did the LS1 swap myself in the garage that you see in the pics...and I loved every minute of it...hearing it fire up for the 1st time, bringing it home with the new paint waaay back in 2000. Those are memories that I will neer forget. I'd love to make more with it, but it just seems so daunting.

Wow. The first picture shows that pictures can be deceiving. I have to comment on this being that I am building a car with the help of others on this site. Tons of good info on this site. From what I see for this type of build you are going to need a very good jig. The roof braces, and lower quarter structure seen here http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e169/LS1stGen/elsie/Elsie_Dec017.jpg will most likely need to be replaced. So you will need a good jig to build off of. Mikes Custom Cars sells them. Or you can build your own. With that being said you will probably be better off starting with a set of these.http://belairbobs.com/inc/sdetail/1026 If your going to need those I dont see what you will be using from the origonal car. They do sell the inner quarter patches and lower front door jamb patches. You could patch those areas but seems like it would be easier to buy the complete section with rockers attached. Tuff call for me. It can be restored no question asked! But looks like every panel....EVERY ONE, will get replaced. Are the fenders and doors ok? Trunk, and tail pan ok? If your not looking to do such an extensive build, good solid projects are still out there.
I would buy the house with the extra room for the project car also. Build the car with what time and money allow.


Ok now we're getting technical :) 6d8er's, I came to the same conclusion. If I go with the new upper cowl, new door frame-rocker-Apillar assemblies, new floor, new quarters, new roof skin, then all thats left original is the lower firewall, SOME of the roof structure, and the area around the shock towers in the front of the trunk...and maybe the tail panel. Is that enough to justify saving this car???

It sounds like your heart isn't in it, just from reading your posts. Maybe focus on the house and family matters and take good care of your money. When looking for a house, don't live beyond your means. In time, you will learn there is a beautiful thing called.... EQUITY! (equity = first gen. camaro)... I don't think Charlie, above, understands this. You should always strive to be a home owner. Have you ever applied for a loan or line of credit? They always ask "Rent or Own"? There's a reason for that.

I can see that you would think that from the lack of work I've put in recently. But when I was 20 years old I completed an LS1 swap, converted to disk brakes, installed SFC's, and dedicated every waking minute to this car. It has a name. I daily drove it. I know you weren't trying to be negative, but trust me, emotional involvement couldnt be more of an issue here.

I have owned a Camaro since I was 17 so I understand your attachment to this car. I have been married twice and owned two different homes. I currently have a wife, a home (with a one car garage) and a Camaro that's been apart for 22 years. If there is any way, FIX IT NOW!

JMHO, YMMV
Jeff

Now that hits home! I really just want my Camaro back. Man o Man.



Back burner the car for now. Get the house and garage get set up. Work on the car and learn from it. Hell at your age you got another 30 years to work on it!

No kids (at least for a couple more years), dual income household.....I'm gonna get myself into some trouble if I have to wait 30 years for this car!

I'm already pining for a 5th gen too!

The paint looked awesome on the car. Did the rust start to come through the paint after a few years? I wish I had paint skills like that. I am starting at step 1.

The paint looked awesome on the car. Did the rust start to come through the paint after a few years? I wish I had paint skills like that. I am starting at step 1.

Precisely. The paint job was very impressive, even after the rust started to bubble. If you go back and read my other thread you'll see that really what made me tear into the car further was when I got ran off the road in early 2006. Creamed the pass. door and 1/4.

Precisely. The paint job was very impressive, even after the rust started to bubble. If you go back and read my other thread you'll see that really what made me tear into the car further was when I got ran off the road in early 2006. Creamed the pass. door and 1/4.


How long after it was painted, could you see signs of bubbling of rust?

thanks for clarifying that for me. I'm glad you can keep the car, work on it, and still
become a home owner with your wife. If thats the case, keep it. Cars will come and go but this one would always be the one that got away.

Gordon,

Definately do not take it to Camaro Country in Houston. He will do the same work that you already discovered on your car.

I have a friend that does restoration work that is in Spring but I would buy a house first and save to do the car. If you would like to talk to him PM me. I also restore cars but I am doing one right now.

And Gordon, with a good woman you can do anything.

Keep the car. Just try to put it aside, or as others have said, do the stuff that costs next to nothing. Baby steps. Get the house. Stuff the Camaro in the garage, it'll always be there waiting. Wife should be understanding on the situation. That Camaro is a long term type of project. Hopefully she knows this too.

I still can't believe the before and after pics.

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=147502

Gordon, read this post I started on metal spraying. This might be the very thing to fix many of your problems, maybe not all, but I am sure this could be a great alternitive. Maybe find someone in your area that will offset most of the costs for before and after advertising. Could work, and still focuss on the house, your oppertunity for buying the most house is now, and the feds are even going to cut interest rates again. That on top of your 7,500 tax incentive, dual income, no kids, low priced housing market, God I am screaming for you to make that move!! You are in the driver seat and that does not come along often, Mike.

Fortunately the job canage happening elswhere has not (yet) happened in Houston. Projects take time. MIne was mostly finished before marriage in 1989. But you are never finished. Today questions (arguments) over parts only las a second or two. What end of Houston are you in?

Sorry its takimg me so long to get to these replies guys, Team Camaro is blocked at work!

How long after it was painted, could you see signs of bubbling of rust?

If I recall, it took about 3 years for rust to start popping up on the rocker/ quarter seams.

Gordon,

Definately do not take it to Camaro Country in Houston. He will do the same work that you already discovered on your car.
I have a friend that does restoration work that is in Spring but I would buy a house first and save to do the car. If you would like to talk to him PM me. I also restore cars but I am doing one right now.

I've been told that about that particular shop..hmm:

Thanks for the tip about your friend. I just need to decide if this will eventually be something that I'll tackle myself and a little help from you guys, or if I'll farm it out to someone like you or your buddy!

And Gordon, with a good woman you can do anything.

I've got one!

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=147502

Gordon, read this post I started on metal spraying. This might be the very thing to fix many of your problems, maybe not all, but I am sure this could be a great alternitive. Maybe find someone in your area that will offset most of the costs for before and after advertising. Could work, and still focuss on the house, your oppertunity for buying the most house is now, and the feds are even going to cut interest rates again. That on top of your 7,500 tax incentive, dual income, no kids, low priced housing market, God I am screaming for you to make that move!! You are in the driver seat and that does not come along often, Mike.

This looks pretty darn interesting! It appears that there is a location in Victoria, TX. That would be something I'd want to know more about. Has anyone here tried it?
I'm working on making the house thing happen, I promise! :thumbsup:

Fortunately the job canage happening elswhere has not (yet) happened in Houston. Projects take time. MIne was mostly finished before marriage in 1989. But you are never finished. Today questions (arguments) over parts only las a second or two. What end of Houston are you in?

The car is in the Hobby area, where I grew up. The Ol' Lady and I have our aparment in the Greenway Plaza area. I work downtown making maps for a Pipeline Operator, she's a customer care manager for GE. We're hoping for the best when it comes to Houston job market....

Man, that'll buff out...

Hey, Gordon- I know you're new to the site. Just so you know, you can answer everyone if you want but it's not necessary. Your getting a lot of responses because lots of us are "older" and have families and homes and know what it's like starting out in that department.

Hey, Gordon- I know you're new to the site. Just so you know, you can answer everyone if you want but it's not necessary. Your getting a lot of responses because lots of us are "older" and have families and homes and know what it's like starting out in that department.

Yes, Mark it does hurt to say older. 40 was quite tramatic for me. 41 was nothing a few days ago. The only good thing about older, is hopefully "wiser".

Hey, Gordon- I know you're new to the site. Just so you know, you can answer everyone if you want but it's not necessary. Your getting a lot of responses because lots of us are "older" and have families and homes and know what it's like starting out in that department.

Mark,

Thanks for the tip, trust me I have alot of Camaro Forum experience, it's that most of the mindless drivel on some sites doesn't deserve a response to each post, but all the feedback I've ever gotten here has been very positive...I just like to keep each conversation going.

Gordon, look at the facts. You are young. You have an opportunity to start a new life with the lady of your dreams. Concentrate on building your future. I am 37 now and I am just reaping the benefits of all the hard work I spent going to school full time, while working full time and all while having a new born and new wife at home. It has taken me 15 years to move into our new home with the 36' x 44' camaro house seperate from the nice home with a two car attached garage. The point I am trying to make is if the sale of the Camaro is not needed to get into your home and its not costing you to store it, then keep it! Whats your urgency? I have my 67 convertible soley for the experience of the project, not for having a finished car in my shop someday that I can drive. From the pictures you have shown the car is pretty badly rusted. If you are an amateur like me you WILL get overwhelmed! Part of experience and growing up for me at least has been learning patience. If you by nature have tons of patience then put the camaro in long term storage if available and focus on getting ahead in life. People under estimate the time involved in a restoration. Time gets very hard to come by once you settle down and start a family. If it were me, I would put your baby up forsale and get what you can for her now. Cut you losses and buy a solid car later in life. Having said that there always is the possibility that these cars 15 years from now may escalate to a value that the working stiff cant justify. Long story short, put it on the back burner if storage is free and tinker with it until the point in life comes where you are equipped to do the restoration on your own. I think you may be asking an awefull lot of the uncle to throw this kind of restoration at him. One hell of an uncle if he pulled through for you. You can still buy solid 67 shells on the west coast for $7000 all day long. You have to either make an emotional decision and store it until the day comes, or a logical economic decision and cut you losses and dump it. Focus on your future, before you know it you are pushing 40 and hopefully will be thankful for the hard work you put in early like I am. Sorry to ramble but I can relate to your situation. I have lost my butt on a lot of projects in the past due to lack of funds, space, and time. I am going to finish this Camaro come hell or high water this time:yes:. Jeff

May I suggest something. Go to the websites for the cities that you want to buy a house. There are some cities that offer for first time buyers financial incentives for qualified buyers. This may make it easier to keep your car, buy your house and (oh yeah) keep your wife happy. If you have a complete rolling chassis before you move, it makes it a whole lot easier.

Keep her im five years now going on 6 ,it know looks like a car slowly, two kids a nagging wife and a good friend that puts up with the wife that helps me we ,started working two nights a week after work around 6;30 to 9:00 pm on the parts i bought over a year , in a months time it went from the crusher to a rolling beauty the wife comes out and says wow insted of when you going to come in and spend time with your kids an me check out my pics

Gordon,

Don't get discouraged! :noway: If you haven't already read through the post above entitled "In the begining...a 68 rises from the ashes" please do. Granted he has skills, but it shows what can be done. :yes:

I agree with the others as far as priorities go. Get married, buy a house, get started with life. :hurray: You sure don't want the Camaro to come between your new bride and you. At the very least you could always gather up the car and all parts and put it in storage.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

Charlie

Gordon, great pics but can you resize them down to around 880x660 so they are smaller for the folks that are on dial up modems. Also that will make the pics so you dont have to scroll side to side and up and down to see the whole photo. Its our site policy to help accomodate the folks with slower computers. Or you can store them online somewhere and just post a link too. Then folks can choose which ones to download.
thanks for understanding.


omg!

Enroll in a comunity collage or local ocupational program and have it as your project. To do this i would by a trailer and have it on it most of the time and haul to and from class. Maybe make a deal with the intructor/school that your buying the parts, helping,learning as are others and they get to use the car as advetisement for teh school/program after it's done. Follow it with some pictures etc. In other words maybe a project for you and somene else? Both come out in the end.

My current Camaro project had all the same problems as yours. I've replaced both floor pans, trunk pan, both quarters, both doors skins, roof panel, both outer cowls, decklid and the upper dash panel, not to mention all the pieces I had to repair or build replacements for. Most of this has been done in the last 4 weeks since I lost my job. So I've made a lot of progress.

My current Camaro project had all the same problems as yours. I've replaced both floor pans, trunk pan, both quarters, both doors skins, roof panel, both outer cowls, decklid and the upper dash panel, not to mention all the pieces I had to repair or build replacements for. Most of this has been done in the last 4 weeks since I lost my job. So I've made a lot of progress.

A month? Seriously? Certainly it's not an eviable position to be in, but still, I'm impressed! By my calculations it would take me.........ALOT longer than that to finish mine!

I am now considering a replacement for this project, as described in the Whats it Worth forum : http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=150349

Basically the idea would be to pull my drive train and use my hood, pass fender, and some interior pieces on the newly purchased 67, and then in the future look at the possibility of restoring my first car.

I am now considering a replacement for this project, as described in the Whats it Worth forum : http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=150349

Basically the idea would be to pull my drive train and use my hood, pass fender, and some interior pieces on the newly purchased 67, and then in the future look at the possibility of restoring my first car.

Not a bad idea but I think that 67 is going to rough once you get into it. Keep looking or get a complete shell from Muscle Car Metal or Mike's Custom Cars. I think you may have to spend just as much if not more to purchase and fix that 67.

Don