View Full Version : 1970's Auto Restoration Question
So a friend has a mid 1970's Cadillac, which for some reason he is thinking of restoring, and he asked an interesting question:
This car, at the the time supposedly at the pinnacle of American automotive manufacturing, came from the factory with poorly fitting panels and runs in the paint. If restored to original condition, should that include paint runs and gaps between panels the size of a child's thumb?
First thought is "no" but then again if that is original condition, then for an accurate restoration the answer might be "yes".
Anyways a good tongue-in-cheek question!
Once I belonged to a Mustang car club.
At a show, one of our members had a ?66 coupe that he had bought brand new.
At the show, he was giged for having a kick panel on the passenger side that had one of the securing screws missing.
Try as he might, he couldn?t convince the judge that it came from the factory with that screw missing.
That car was ORIGINAL, but . . . .being a Ford, it had it?s flaws!
(Gotta love that damn query mark, rather than the apostrophe.)
one shot
09-11-2021, 07:23
fix it right
which 70's vintage,
1970? or 1979?
makes a difference
Factory/original is not always best. These production line autos were rushed and the workers probably had a quota of some type. No one is going to want or pay good money for a restored car with gaps and runs.
I hate to see classic cars modified unless the original parts stay with the car and the car can be returned back to original state if need ever come. (less the imperfections).
If this cady is mid to late 70's and anything but a convertible or Eldorado it is probably a waste of time and effort but that's his money, not ours. I think 1976 was the last year for the Eldorado convt. If it is a 4dr it may be worth more as a donor or parts car to someone else.
Saw a '59 Eldorado convertible sell last night on Mecom auctions for $300K. Probably the nicest one in existence though.
which 70's vintage,
1970? or 1979?
makes a difference
1977 I believe.
The bad years when they came off the line already rusting.
Bad style era too.
God Only Knows why he thinks it's a good restoration choice.
Forget which model.
Late 1970s GM cars were not great vehicles, if it were mine and I were going to restore it I'd put a great paint job on it.
I know, lipstick on a pig.
Now this is a '64; probably a better choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpDVvAlHC70
77,,
I would fix as best I could (mechanicals were not good in that era) and maybe go a step or 2 above a MAACO paint job,
jaie5070
09-11-2021, 03:12
There is a difference between factory original and perfect/flawless restoration.
Major Tom
09-12-2021, 07:51
The cost to restore by a GOOD shop would be astronomical! Not worth it unless you had money to waste!
jon_norstog
09-12-2021, 11:19
It could be worse. Every now and then I see a lovely, two-masted, wooden sailboat for sale .... fix it up and sail to Tahiti! Right! Could be a LOT worse than an old Caddy.
jn
Once it's been restored it's obviously no longer in original condition.
Restoring anything to it's original bad condition sounds like a really dumb idea.
Johnny P
09-14-2021, 01:44
One of the locals still had his 1970 Chevelle that he bought new. Recently he had a total restoration, and the car looks factory new again. I didn't see any ill fitting body panels or runs in the paint, but the finish looks like it just came from the factory and not a custom show car. Just what he ordered.
Mark in Ottawa
09-14-2021, 05:05
These comments pretty much explain why the Japanese were able to overwhelm the big 3. I had a 1979 Mustang (my mid-life crisis toy). At about 60,000 km, the paint job failed and became dull; at 80,000 km, the engine started to burn about a quart of oil per week (ring job?) and I was scared that I would be stopped by the police for polluting the city with the blue smoke. At about 80,000 km the front axle stated to act up and the car shook until I had it repaired. At 103,000 (about 64,000 miles) the timing belt failed when I was on the highway. At 103,001 KM, I said "Screw this" and had the car towed to the scrap yard. I went out and bought a Toyota.
These comments pretty much explain why the Japanese were able to overwhelm the big 3. I had a 1979 Mustang (my mid-life crisis toy). At about 60,000 km, the paint job failed and became dull; at 80,000 km, the engine started to burn about a quart of oil per week (ring job?) and I was scared that I would be stopped by the police for polluting the city with the blue smoke. At about 80,000 km the front axle stated to act up and the car shook until I had it repaired. At 103,000 (about 64,000 miles) the timing belt failed when I was on the highway. At 103,001 KM, I said "Screw this" and had the car towed to the scrap yard. I went out and bought a Toyota.
1979 Mustang. Timing belt.
This model was bascially a Pinto. It even had the 2.3 Pinto engine obviously which was made in Brazil.
In your case you traded up but Jap cars weren't always better. The Japs make a good 4cyl engine, if that is what you want. A couple of co-workers in the mid 80's each bought a Toyota Corolla. Each gave up their mid size to full size cars in lui of what they were told got great MPG. Both ended up getting 18MPG with a 5 speed. Both regretted their trades.
There's always good and bad experience's. In my case the worse car I've ever owned (by far) was a Mercedes.
Johnny P
09-15-2021, 07:20
Front axle in a Mustang?
Front axle in a Mustang?
maybe a control arm, hub or suspension piece?
hard to imagine a Corolla (for that vintage it was probably a 1.8ltr?) getting bad mileage,
we bought a Corolla FX (1986 model) after we got married, and it sipped gas,
good little car,
my 79 Celica (20R, 5 spd, and around 25-26 mpg) and 82 HiLux 4x4 (22RE and 5 spd 22+mpg) did better mileage,
Speaking of 1970's vintage Japanese cars,
My driver's test car was a '74 Datsun B210, automatic transmission. As cars go, not a bad one for the parallel parking exam.
Bright sunny day, I'm fired up. Equipment check, lights, wipers, etc. Wipers. The locking ring on the pull-to-activate switch chooses that moment to unscrew completely from the dash, so pushing the knob in does nothing. Got it screwed back together later that day but missed my exam window.
So I'm driving home madder than a volcano, still on my learner's permit, with the wipers mocking me every mile of the way as they squeaked back & forth across a clean dry windshield.
My old man tried, unsuccessfully, to help me keep perspective. He did think it was a little bit funny, a point on which I respectfully expressed my disagreement.
Stuff still goes wrong on cars but overall so much better now.
49646
This 57 Chevy is completely restored, inside and out and was recently sold for $70K by my friend and neighbor. The buyer is picking it up today. I brokered a deal for the car about 10 years ago. It was completely disassembled on its way to being an off frame restoration when he bought it and finished reassembling it about two years ago. It acquired a 4 speed standard transmission and a 1960 283 C.I. engine somewhere in time, so it’s not completely original. There was lots of rust that was covered with body filler in the rocker and quarter panels that he had to have replaced with fresh panels welded in place plus all new floor pans. The body is as close to factory fresh as possible. Since the engine and transmission are not original, he went a little overboard and had everything chromed including fuel lines, alternator, valve covers, etc. The car would have probably been worth a lot more if it was original but he kept everything that he had to work with. Nice car. I’ll miss it.
My neighbor bought a '57 Chev, Robin Egg blue, with some of the insurance money from when one of his children was killed in a MVA. Nice car, he drives it sparingly. Apparently has a way of keeping the rodents out of it. Still, a heck of a way to come by a classic car.
Yes, body filler. That made alot of instant " bodymen" You had to be alert when shopping for used cars.
I was surprised to see all the body parts that are available for old cars.
I was surprised to see all the body parts that are available for old cars.
Yes, on popular models, and no one makes all the parts. If restoring a badly bent or rusted car a donor car is still sometimes needed for certain parts. Often, smaller parts can be fabricated from scratch. All of this adds up quickly to the total cost.
It's easy for a good restoration job to cost way more than the car is worth.
I was surprised to see all the body parts that are available for old cars.
JEEP's, VW's and a few American cars can be assembled from parts ordered thru various supply houses
Johnny P
09-18-2021, 06:58
You only have to watch the Barrett-Jackson auctions for a short time to see what a bath someone took in some of the less popular restorations.
JB White
09-19-2021, 05:24
Mid70?s to early 80?s American cars are from the planned obsolescence era. They failed miserably by design. Detroit?s way of selling more cars sooner than later.
The Japanese capitalized on that folly by offering cheaper but longer running vehicles.
I did my share of shade tree body and mechanical work. After I completed my automotive apprenticeship and left the trade behind me.
Those cars were junk off the assembly line for the most part. Even Caddy?s had orange peel paint most times.
In 1977 Ford had 26 recalls to be done before an LTD was allowed to hit the streets. Anything from bad wiper circuit breakers to fan blades which could fly apart at speed.
Had a couple of engines which didn?t have the oil galley completely drilled in the blocks. Meaning it ate lifers like a gator at feeding time in a zoo.
If your friend wants to dress up an old car to have a seldom seen daily driver, then that?s OK. They even sell/swap better.
To win at shows judged by paint and chrome nazis?go the custom route. Original is too costly. Why restore an old turd to a like new turd? The nitpickers will definitely hurt feelings.
Once knew a guy with a cherry 68 Vette. Always lost because the drivers side mirror had a1969 part number etched into the glass. That car wasn?t restored to original. It was original. It wasn?t until he could prove the glass and the ?early 69 console? was correct for his 1968 1/2.
Mom had a Pontiac Gran Safari LeMans wagon,
old lady green with wood grain decals,
it as not a great car, (1978 model)
for a short bit later she had a Gran Prix, may have been a 82,,, similar body and drivetrain as the LeMans,,
it was a nice looking car, but not reliable,
most folks that I have seen in this area that still have them, have done a good paint job, an a crate motor added,
and either the hoopty 20 or 22" rims,, or Cragers,,,
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