On the road to restoration, often many problems come up, such as where do I start? What procedures should be followed? Financial resources are often limited, so how can the funds be allocated for the most effective use? Should one begin with the engine or the body? What comes first, the chicken or the egg? How does one go about finding a reputable body repair shop or person? Since this issue seems to be a universal dilemma, I thought I'd share my answers with all of you in my column this month. The best way to get started is to map out a plan much the same way you would go about starting the restoration of an old house. Say you have $2,000 (1977) to work with ($20,000 in today's dollars). Set that as a financial limit at the top of a page and then make a list. Number one should be the engine. What modifications do you want there? Next should be the transmission, followed by the rear end, the interior, the bed, and finally the exterior bodywork and paint. Keeping this list of procedures in mind, you can compile estimates on engine work, conversion, transmission repairs, etc.
The body work and paint, in my opinion, ought to be your last step. It is far better to have your truck running well at the time of the final prepping and painting for two major reasons. The first is that it is easier for people doing paint and body work if the truck is in good running order, and secondly, if you were to paint before the heavy engine work, and repair, you take a chance of scratching up your paint Job. The body work and paint are generally the most expensive step, and sometimes the hardest step to have done right. As far as finding a reputable body repair or shop person for a fair price, well, that is a task in itself. Some guidelines that you can go by to help select the proper shop to do your particular job are as follows: First, drive to your local body shop and talk to the body Shop manager in person. Some of the questions you might ask are how many vintage trucks he has painted of your same year. You might also think to ask for references from the people who owned those trucks.
Other priorities you might want to inquire about are the time factor involved in completing your Job, the type of materials necessary, and the techniques he would use in dealing with rust and dents. The body work and refinishing. In the process of discussing your truck, size up the shop itself, the working habits of the employees, cleanliness, and other conditions that give you a personal feeling about the place. Remember that the owner is the salesperson, and you are the buyer. Make him meet YOUR standards. This puts you in a real touchy situation, because in signing a repair order, you must sign before actually seeing the quality of what you just paid for. After visiting approximately ten shops, you will be able to sort out fact from fiction and automatically discard a few shops on the basis of cleanliness and detail. From there, you ought to be able to boil it down to one or two shops to choose from. On the road to restoration, I suggest you start with the mechanical aspects of your truck.
Rebuilding hinge pin kits, steering boxes, and other weekend repair jobs can be done inexpensively and in your own garage. These small Jobs will make a big difference in the way your truck handles and performs. Often times the search for parts and information can be fruitless, frustrating, and misleading, which is precisely why the National Chevy/GMC Truckin' Club was formed. The best help for truck owners can often be found by other truck owners.....members helping other members . .. and I have yet to come across a truck owner who doesn't enjoy talking about his truck and what he has done to get it in the condition it is in. Good luck on your road to restoration.