Restore original parts or leave them alone?

[Survivor 69/Z28]

I have a 69 Z28 that is truly a time warp. This was not a barn find. But a car that has been treated really well over last 38 years by the previous 2 owners.
Over 90% of the car is all original. 30% of the paint on the outside is still original. The body paint was freshened up some time in the late 70's. The interior is untouched but looks almost new in appearance. All the sheet metal is original. The entire drive train has never been monkeyed with or removed from the car. Still has the "O" stamped on all of the rocker arms. Still has the original fuel pump and starter. So I think you catch my drift that this is a pretty nice original old car that has been very well taken care of over the years.

But here is my dilemma.
I want to clean up the underneath of the car and the engine compartment. For example, clean the frame the best I can and paint it or touch it up. Clean the differential and paint it. I have already started taking a few engine compartment pieces off and have repainted of course back to the original colors. I have left the original stickers alone.

My big question is....Is it a bad thing to freshen up some of the original parts on such a survivor type car? (some parts just need to have paint on them so that they don't rust...in my opinion)
To me, I am doing things that anyone would do with the upkeep of their vehicle. For example if the paint has warn off the differential then you simply paint it.(Which it has..)
I have never owned a car like this, so I want to make sure I am doing the right thing. Of course its my car and I can do as I please. But on the flip side, I do not want to hurt the value or anything like that.


Thanks for the help!

Anthony

[Bill Pritchard]

Anthony,

My Chevelle is in a similar condition to your car. I have had the same dilemma, to freshen/restore or not to. Thus far (with one minor and, to me, justifiable exception) I have just left it alone. The real killer is, once you start, where do you stop? You can clean & paint your rear axle, but then your brake lines look crappy. You could pull the engine and repaint it, but then the rest of the engine compartment looks shabby. Know what I mean? You could just keep going.

I think it all depends on what you want to do with the car. In my case, all I do is drive it and enjoy it. I do not enter any competitive shows with it and couldn't care less about winning any awards. It looks good going down the street and from a distance, and that's been good enough for me thus far.

The only thing I did involved the exhaust manifolds and heat stove. The heat riser valve had frozen up and I wanted it to be in working order, so I took it off. Of course, one of the studs holding it in place snapped off when I was removing the nuts, and to replace the stud I had to pull the exhaust manifold. It was so rusty and crappy looking I just couldn't put it back on like that, so I cleaned and painted it. And of course, I couldn't do just one side If I had to do it over again, I would just wire brush them and treat them with that Calyx stuff. The heat stove that goes around the pass side manifold was still in good shape but very rusty. Those are practically non-existent anymore, and it's only sheet metal, so I felt the need to preserve it too.

[Survivor 69/Z28]

Bill,

I plan on driving it to neighborhood car shows and just having fun with it.
After talking to some guys on the street they all have different opinions. So I am really not sure what to do if anything. Its not like I am wanting to take the body off and go to town. Just clean up stuff mainly that will include some painting.I can not see how that would hurt anything. Good point on brake lines and such. I will just clean stuff like that and leave it alone. I am really only referring to painted items that are really showing age.


Thanks,

Anthony

Anthony

[WILMASBOYL78]

Tony, best thing to remember with "survivor" type cars: less is more......keep it clean and well maintained but try to advoid cosmetic maintenance if possible. I faced a similar situation with my 70 black L78 Nova...pretty much untouched original car....a little paint work done in the late 70's, but nothing else. If you are concerned about rust or oxidation then coat the parts with WD-40 or some other suitable protectant. Keep any and all maintenance items you remove, eg; fan belts, hoses, clamps, fuelpump, brakes, etc....store and label all of these items for future historical value and reference. Most of all...enjoy it for waht it is, a time capsule of our hobby!

wilma

[Survivor 69/Z28]

Wilma,
I was afraid I was going to hear that. LOL!
Its tough to leave stuff alone sometimes.

Thanks,

Anthony

[Salvatore]

Don't listen to Wilma. He is a day-2 addict!

[Survivor 69/Z28]

Oh, what about the oooold set of headers that are on it. Forgot to mention... They look a little rough. Would it be ok to kind of revive them or just leave em alone?

[prototype]

Don't touch it!!

Cleaning up stuff is like cancer, once you paint one item the next thing you know it's in the body shop. I may sound negative but nothing stands out better than an untouched car, patina included. If you don't believe me ask any concours judge, originial is where it's at.

One of the best products out there is Boeshield T-9. It works miracles on saving original items. There is a fantastic thread on an orange second gen Camaro on here. That fellow knows how to preserve a car. I'm certain the car was judged afterwards and scored very well. If he had a mish mash of painted and original components I don't think it would carry the same WOW factor.

Just one mans opinion.