Hello fellow Olds owners. I am new to the forum site, well not really, but this is my first post. I have a 70 442 convertible that I have owned since 1984. In 1990 I started a frame off resto. I really had it going, collected many parts, even extras of many parts, most original from every boneyard in the area.
I found an excellent body man that started working on the car. I was selling welding gases and equipment at the time and I traded a welder, plasma cutter and several other items for the work. He got several things done, put on new GM quarters, stripped and painted the underside and painted the frame.
However, I found out later he had a nose candy problem and was losing his business. I went out to check on the car one day and it was sitting outside in the rain with my freshly rebuilt 455 uncovered. I was pis*ed! I took the car home, pulled the heads and found water in one cylinder with a tiny bit of pitting. By the time I got back to him the doors were locked and he was out of business, getting divorced and sitting in jail. I was devastated and depressed. I lost the welding equipment and my car was not done. I shoved it and all the parts in the corner of my shop and let it sit. Then the kids came along and I didn’t have the money or time to start again.
Now 19 years later, I’m getting fired up on it again and ready to do something. I still have all the parts I collected and I have moved it to the middle of the shop. I’m in the process of looking for a good body man again. I have started doing some things to it myself and have been going through all the parts. I have many new GM parts as well still in original boxes.
Please give me a little encouragement so I can get this thing back together. And wish me luck.
Any tips on finding a quality body shop are appreciated.

 

You are already one step ahead of many who start a resto, since you collected parts back when they were easier to get.
First thing to do is take a deep breath and decide what your goal is. Then as you work toward, take time to enjoy the process. Pretty soon, you'll be showing off your results.
Cheers.

 

I Have had a few projects in the last 10 years, for me the most important part of restoration is getting it on the road, that is my first goal. Paint might suck, interior might look like crap, but at least I'm cruising. Once the mechanical work is done, its one step at a time to get it looking good. First thing I do is the body work, then some new paint, then the interior. I know some people do frame off restros and amazing showroom quality cars and thats great for those who have such patience and resources but guys like me are never going to pull there car on a trailer and show off their car in a competition. Guys like me are in it to cruise the block, burn off new tires, drop peoples jaws, and have a great time. My newest project runs good and IMO looks good, ya the paint needs done, there is some rust around the tires, and the interior isnt perfect, but it brings me joy everytime I turn the key and hear 330 horses come to life. Once its running good, I get the joy of fixing it up one part at a time one piece at a time one goal at a time. I am on a small budjet so droping 10Gs into my car every month isnt going to happen. 50 dollars here couple hundered there, thats how I do it. Another great thing about getting it running first is that I never get discouraged looking at it sit. So many buddies I have drop 5 grand into their cars and never touch the engine. They end up selling their car for a loss because they lose interest. Then some people have the type of mind that can look at a car for a decade and not care. It might take them 15 years of work but when there car hits the road for the first time its perfect. Thats great its just not me, I wanna cruise every weekend. I dont care if my car isnt perfect yet. It will be one day its just one part at a time. Right now I am fixing rust. Have 4 areas around the tires. I do one area at a time one month at a time. This winter I will be able to pull it into my dads paint shop and give it a new paint job. Then through the next summer I am going to focus on the interior. New carpet, new headliner, new radio, some speaker kickpanels, ralley gauges, all the works to make the interior mine make it how I want it. I like to put my heart into my ride, get my kids involved with the process, ever time I get in the seat its like going back in time. It liberates me from the problems of the world. Its just me and the road (my kids and wife love cruising with me too). I dont know what it is about the muscle car era but it was the greatest era for cars IMO. I hope that you find the encouragment to establish your own goals, your car can be an extension of yourself. You put your heart into your car. Make it how you want it, have fun with it, and dont give up. Each person has their own approach to life and I beleive that we all have to find whats right for us. Have fun, and you have found a great place for encouragement. I have been able to find loads of info, I post a question and I get answers, there is a wealth of information on this site and from what I have experience this is a great community of oldsmobile fans. Good luck on your ride and be sure to keep us informed on how your project is coming!!!!

 

When i was looking for a paint & body shop I went to local car shows and asked guys who had cars that were straight and had good paint where they had it done. Then I went by those shops and checked out the facilities and talked to the owners. Get a couple quotes and DO NOT PAY upfront. Good luck. Look forward to seeing some progress photos. Like others said get it running and drive it. No shame in driving a work in progress.

 

I ask everybody about body shops and paint guys too. I liken it to Diogenes with his lamp wandering the streets of ancient Greece in search of an honest man.

Don't pay up front is right, only a few hundred good faith money at the most, they get ripped off too.
Pay as you go, agree (in writing with a notary or third party disinterested witness) beforehand on how much for each section or phase, inspect and approve that the work is finished and to the level agreed on before paying. I'm in residential remodeling and it's normal business procedure, covers everybody. All hidden extras that may be found estimated and agreed to in writing too. Those can really add up if you aren't careful and the people choke when you hand them the bill, or you do when they won't pay it, I've learned the hard way.

I prefer to get the car running and all shaken down before paint too. I don't trust anybody touching the car after it's painted, not even myself.
I hate when I'm screwing the door mirror on my fresh paint job and the screwdriver slips, no kidding.

You have to keep thinking of how great it will be when it's done. Imagine yourself cruising with the top down, engine humming, tunes playing, the sun on your face and the wind in your hair (if applicable).

Good Luck.
Convertibles are great, when your head gets big that first time out you can put the top down and make room for it.

 

You've got some great advice from Bluevista here, KY70442. Thank goodness you just put everything aside and didn't liquidate!
I'd just like to add that to keep the motivation, enjoy the journey, not just the end product. Join clubs like OCA if that's something you'd like. Like Rdrokit said, don't feel you have to have a finished product to take it anywhere. Go to meets, cruises, etc even before you can take your car.
You are an Oldsmobile owner, even if it is in pieces!
It has often been rightly said, to help obtain a goal, you have to start thinking and acting like you are already there.

 

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. Looking for a shop is no fun. You hear one guy say “Yea, they’re real good” and the next guy says “I wouldn’t let them paint my tricycle” I guess the shows and cruises are the best place to start. I’m looking forward to posting some progress pics. I’ll post a couple of pics soon to show you where I was 19 yrs. ago & where it is now. I’m going to build a body dolly so I can free up the frame for work and be able to take the body alone to the body shop. I need to go over the engine again. I know it’s going to be slow, but it will be fun along the way. I’m sure I’ll be asking questions. From what I have seen, it looks like Olds owners are one big happy family. [/font]

 

I was told the other day that the reason many shops only do collision and not resto is resto takes too long and ties up floor space too long and the rent factor comes into play. Made sense to me.

 

That is a true statement. If you look at the auto paint catalogs put out by the paint manufacturers, you'll notice that they spend a lot of time talking about quick drying times, rapid turnover, and increased profits. Body shops make money by cycling cars through as quickly as possible. Most people can't tell the difference between a good repair and a shoddy one, particularly not right when they pick up the car. People who want resto work usually can tell the difference and are very picky. Not the ideal customer.

 

I'm not sure how adept you are at rebuilding engines, but I highly recommend a DVD from this place. Extremely informative and clear. Makes it more than manageable to do it yourself.
http://www.boxwrench.net/

 

I guess I was lucky, but I found a guy in my town who just left a body shop and was just doing stuff in the garage behind his house. There are a few of those guys in my small town. Anyway, he just charged me per hour and I supplied the parts. This was his first restoration job, so he WAY underestimated the time for the body work. Fortunately (or unfortunately) he is kind of a perfectionist, so he kept priming and blocking until I told him enough! The car looks great though and he knew a local guy who has a paint booth in his garage, so he hooked me up with that guy. Now all I have to do is put it all back together. Good luck and have fun.