I normally try to set up a communication with several different dealers to obtain the best price and terms as I can. Let them know that this is an ongoing project and work out the details beforehand. For example, many dealers offer a ten percent discount on purchases over $1000. Let them know that in all likelihood you will not spend $1000 on each order but will spend several times that over the coming year. In doing so many will assign you an account number to insure you get the discount every time you order regardless of how small. One very important point I can make is not to always order based on price alone. Shipping costs, lead times, customer service, return policy, product quality all come into play and usually there is a reason someone can offer you the lowest price and it is not always to your benefit.

Set aside a work portion in your garage, barn, pole building or even your basement and ensure it is large enough to accommodate the entire restoration. Workable space and storage to perform the task and not have it interrupted by garage sales, family’s bikes, portable basketball hoop, lawn equipment, etc. is advisable. All that does is help deter your interest in completing the restoration. Set up shelves to put items on once they are removed from the car and catalog them. I recommend buying a quality zip lock type baggies in various sizes to accommodate various size parts as well as a sharpie marker to label not only the bags but also the parts when applicable. Buying a cheap baggie does not work here as they will tear easily so go with quality and heavy duty. Label every bag with the contents such as ‘right front fender bolts’ and put onto a shelf near other baggies from similar areas of the car Never simply put all the bolts in a box or coffee can as this will only come back to haunt you later. String tags also come in very handy. Since I am doing multiple cars at many times I have gotten in the habit of putting string tags on many parts but it can also work well for the home restorer. You may not recognize that left front bumper support or fuel line clips in 6 months.

I cannot stress enough about taking photographs and lots of them. Let’s face it, with the advent of digital cameras and almost unlimited space on our computers for storage there is no excuse not to take lots of them. I have over 70,000 photos in my library and have only just started using the available space. Check each photo after taking it to ensure it is in focus and it shows what you want it to show. If you cannot read it now (yes you know what it is…now…) you will not be able to read it or recognize it when it comes time to identify the part. When taking photographs, pay special attention to detail more so than taking a picture to show your buddies or to post on Facebook. These detailed photos will come in very handy during the reassembly process. Before I ship parts to a sub-contractor such as when I am having various plating done I lay the parts out and not only photograph them but also make a written list. This not only helps you but also helps the sublet out to know what parts they should have. This can also help insure you get the same parts back that you shipped out originally. I also engrave many parts in an inconspicuous place with a job number or customer initials. Take photos for such things as how wires were routed under the dash, document what quantity of alignment shims were installed on a given suspension part, if a certain bolt was installed differently than one would assume so that you can put it back that way are just a few of the many reasons why photos are so important.

If you are restoring a car back to concours standards then you can also document overspray, how primers were laid on or how and where the factory sound deadener was sprayed on are just some of the things that will help the painter finish the car exactly how it was originally built. On original cars I also use photos to document bolt head logos to show how sometimes one bolt type was used on one side of the car while a different bolt head was used on the opposite side while going down the assembly line.

Documenting inspection marks and paint dabs are yet another reason for taking photos. I photograph these areas before, during and after the cleanup process which I will go over in detail later in the book. In the case of firewall markings I duplicate what I find in a similar colored crayon or grease pencil and then photograph it again to document it. From there I make templates so they can be exactly duplicated during the reinstallation process.

Keep a notebook handy and take lots of notes. During the whole disassembly process I make notes on parts that are missing, parts that cannot be reused and will have to be ordered, parts that need to be plated, etc. I also note any issues I encounter along the way that need to be addressed at a later date. Another good step is to list the order in which something was taken apart such as removing a complete dash to aid in the remounting of that particular item so that you do not forget something like a ground wire or bolt.

Your skills will probably determine what tools you have on hand, can borrow from friends, or rent. If you only own a small set of sockets, a 15-piece wrench set in a bag, a couple of screwdrivers, an adjustable 6-inch wrench, and a pair of pliers, you do not have the tools needed to rebuild your Chevelle. If your Chevelle shares the same garage with your family SUV, your kid’s bicycles, the washer and drier, etc. and your family has to squeeze themselves in and out of the family car, you probably do not have the space to truly rebuild your Chevelle.

Not to put a damper on your enthusiasm for the project but, realistically, it takes more than enthusiasm. Sure you can do small tasks like adding custom wheels or add some engine dress-up items in your garage but even a minimal restoration takes some skill, tools, and space to match your enthusiasm for the project.

For a restoration project you will need a lot of specialty tools that you may only use once unless you do a number of restorations. Air-powered tools such as impact drivers, paint guns, grinders, etc. require a quality air compressor and ancillary items like air hoses and compressor filters.

If you need to repair or replace body pieces like quarter panels or floor pans you will need a spot weld cutter, welder with supplies, cut-off wheels, grinder, etc. To blend the body work you may need special body tools like dollies, specialty hammers, fillers, sanders, etc. Plus it can be invaluable in getting debris and trash out of those hard to clean areas and generally cleaning up the shop after work. A home-size 10-gallon compressor used to air up your tires or inflatable swimming pool just is not going to cut it. You will need at least a 50-100 gallon tank with at least 10 cfm at 90 psi to get any serious work done.

A good hydraulic press will allow you to remove/install bearings, bushings, ball joints, and like items. A quality bead blast cabinet or portable sand blaster can quickly clean paint, surface rust, and years of crud off smaller parts.

Rebuilding an engine, transmission, or rear end can also require specialty tools like valve spring compressors, micrometers (both inside and outside), dial indicators to measure piston top dead center or gear backlash, specialty pliers for those e-clips, c-clips, and various retainer clips. If you do not do a lot of engine, transmission, or rear end work it will be easier to farm these tasks out to qualified shops.

At least one good floor jack and at least two but preferably four or more jack stands are needed to raise the car off the ground and support the chassis. A set of car dollies can be a great assistance if you plan on moving your rolling chassis around your garage or shop as well.

A bench grinder with both grinding and polishing heads is handy for touch-up finishing and final polishing of trim pieces. Adhesives for gaskets, weather-strips, and special lubricants for brakes, windows tracks, etc. will also be needed.

Naturally if you do not have, or cannot borrow or rent these items you will need to find a reputable body shop that is willing to take on the project and do the work. It is often difficult to find a local body shop to do a good restoration or even a passable one. The bulk of their business is insurance collision repair and your project can sit for months with nothing being done and parts getting lost. Get a solid estimate up front of not only the work to be done and a price but the timeframe for its completion. Most body shops will not make near is much on your restoration as they do collision work so your car will always take second place in their shop sometimes making the project last years.

Probably 60% to 70% of all projects get stalled at some point and owners decide to move on. Extreme caution should be taken if considering another owner’s project. How much work has been done and is it quality work? How much of the original driveline is left and is it all there? Were removed parts tagged or bagged? Few things are as daunting as buying a roller with the engine and transmission out of the car, no trim or windows on the body, 15 milk crates of parts and a few coffee cans of nuts, bolts, small trim pieces, etc. and none of it marked. A project that assembled is much easier to work with and you will know exactly what has and has not been done and it all small pieces are there. On a car that you purchased that is in primer and “ready for paint” is usually not and you have no way of knowing if the prep work was done correctly. If they did not acid wash the metal and remove all traces of oil or other contaminants from the body prior to priming, the paint will never stay on the car.