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Google Larry Lyles, get yourself some of his books and videos. Keep in mind that some of his restorations would *not* get invited to Pebble Beach, they are not original enough, although I personally like his approach.
When you say you want to "restore" a Camaro, I think you mean you want to get a decent car and do some work over time to make it better. A true full on "restoration" to exact as-built condition is really beyond the skill level and resources of all but the most hard-core DIY people.
FWIW, I would have about the same doubts of a guy who wanted to restore a classic Camaro as his first project. In fact, as a girl, you (probably) don't have the strength and misplaced bravado that leads to a lot of broken parts and other problems for first time guys...
I used to be aquainted with the owner of a Corvette restoration shop in Kennett, MO. It was one of the few that could turn out the best of the best restorations in the country. There are very few people out there who have the knowledge or skill to do what they could do with the first 3 gens of Corvettes. And there aren't a lot of people who have the money to make something like that happen either. I came to know them because a guy I knew when I was growing up was having them restore the very first production '58 Corvette that rolled off the line. He also had two other mid-60's vettes that were restored there. But these cars lived in his climate controlled garage. What's the fun in that???? I want to build cars I can drive and not feel bad about it!
I also used to know the owner of a classic chevy restoration shop. They did '55-'58 Chevy's primarily. Again. So much knowledge and know-how. When I was building my '57 I used to go consult with those guys about parts and or if I problem with something. They were also a good resource for some of the most random automotive trivia I've ever seen. I saw so many drool worthy cars roll out of there. The one that sticks out in my mind was the Matador Red '57 Convertible with continental kit. OMG if I ever win the damn lottery I'm going to go find that car.
...sorry for the OT ramble...I just had a teenage flashback and I just went with it...
Like M3 is saying it sounds like you just want to fix one up instead of actually making it restored to it's original condition. It's just a very difficult thing to do in comparison to just doing a custom job when you don't care if the numbers match, if it's got the wrong wheels on it, etc etc.
I used to be aquainted with the owner of a Corvette restoration shop in Kennett, MO. It was one of the few that could turn out the best of the best restorations in the country. There are very few people out there who have the knowledge or skill to do what they could do with the first 3 gens of Corvettes. And there aren't a lot of people who have the money to make something like that happen either. I came to know them because a guy I knew when I was growing up was having them restore the very first production '58 Corvette that rolled off the line. He also had two other mid-60's vettes that were restored there. But these cars lived in his climate controlled garage. What's the fun in that???? I want to build cars I can drive and not feel bad about it!
I also used to know the owner of a classic chevy restoration shop. They did '55-'58 Chevy's primarily. Again. So much knowledge and know-how. When I was building my '57 I used to go consult with those guys about parts and or if I problem with something. They were also a good resource for some of the most random automotive trivia I've ever seen. I saw so many drool worthy cars roll out of there. The one that sticks out in my mind was the Matador Red '57 Convertible with continental kit. OMG if I ever win the damn lottery I'm going to go find that car.
...sorry for the OT ramble...I just had a teenage flashback and I just went with it...
Like M3 is saying it sounds like you just want to fix one up instead of actually making it restored to it's original condition. It's just a very difficult thing to do in comparison to just doing a custom job when you don't care if the numbers match, if it's got the wrong wheels on it, etc etc.
Wow...sounds awesome.
Well yea, I'm not going to go crazy if it's not perfect...of course, i'm a rookie. I just want to play with one lol....I want to fix it up so I can drive it around and, as you said, not feel guilty about it. I don't care if it doesn't come out perfect I'd just be happy if it came out running .....My mom's first car was a 67 Camaro and when she brought it out here to Arizona from New York it was stolen...she loved that car and used to talk about it all the time...I just think it would be a cool project for me because it's something totally out of my "element"...but also something i'm strangly fascinated by.
Well yea, I'm not going to go crazy if it's not perfect...of course, i'm a rookie. I just want to play with one lol....I want to fix it up so I can drive it around and, as you said, not feel guilty about it. I don't care if it doesn't come out perfect I'd just be happy if it came out running .....My mom's first car was a 67 Camaro and when she brought it out here to Arizona from New York it was stolen...she loved that car and used to talk about it all the time...I just think it would be a cool project for me because it's something totally out of my "element"...but also something i'm strangly fascinated by.
that reminds me of my moms '66 impala she drove when I was growing up I remeber dropping my ninja turtles throuth the rust hole in the floor onto the road LOL ahh to be a kid in the 80's again she sold it for a brand new '91 honda accord after the rust ended up killing it.
I know right?! thanks.....I probably will...then i'll be on here, probably in panic mode, trying to figure out what the hell I did to it lol....that should be entertaining.
that reminds me of my moms '66 impala she drove when I was growing up I remeber dropping my ninja turtles throuth the rust hole in the floor onto the road LOL ahh to be a kid in the 80's again she sold it for a brand new '91 honda accord after the rust ended up killing it.
Hahahaha...that's cute. I was a huge turtles fan too . My dad was a truck guy....he bought an 86 pathfinder brand new, I was like 5, and litterally abused that poor truck off road....it was fun and it surprisingly lasted him until about 99....when the AC went out and he didn't feel like fixing it...he sold it for like 3k or something crazy like that....yea, 80's were definitley interesting.
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.....My mom's first car was a 67 Camaro and when she brought it out here to Arizona from New York it was stolen...she loved that car and used to talk about it all the time...I just think it would be a cool project for me because it's something totally out of my "element"...but also something i'm strangly fascinated by.
she sold it for a brand new '91 honda accord after the rust ended up killing it.
