Hot Rod Restoration: Completely Stock

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Joel Jones, I own Jonesy's Inc. A company that specializes in auto restoration and customization. So, if you've decided that you want to do a completely stock restoration, here's what it's going to take and here's what it means. We have a nineteen sixty two Corvette right here that has been restored back to its original condition from nineteen sixty two. The paint, its appearance has to be exactly the way that it was off the showroom floor in nineteen sixty two. It needs to have bias-ply tires, exactly the way that it had in nineteen sixty two, the hubcaps need to be exactly what they were in nineteen sixty two, over spray on the paint has to match exactly the way that it was when it was coming down the assembly line in Michigan, the engine has to have exactly the correct date stamps, casting numbers, size, cubic inch, horsepower, everything needs to be exactly the way that it was in nineteen sixty two. This takes incredible attention to detail and patience. You're going to have to search to find new, old stock parts, which are also referred to as NOS parts, via the internet, swap meets, junk yard. You're going to have to scrounge sometimes things that are fifty years old, to try to bring these cars back to what they were on the showroom floor. Some of the intricate details that you're going to have to really struggle with is learning how to identify whether a part is stock, or is not. That can be pretty difficult to do, so in order to determine whether a part is original or is accurate to nineteen sixty two for this specific car, you're going to need literature, you're going to need manuals. Some of the manuals that you're going to definitely want are factory service manual, an assembly manual, if it's available. Some cars, their factory assembly manuals are not available. This is what the factory workers who built this car used as their guide, and it's now going to be your guide, if you have to bring it back. Finally, when you've done most of the work on your vehicle, and you think you're ready to have it being judged, you need to get a hold of a judging manual. And, this is sponsored by the car clubs that will be specific for your vehicle. There are Mustang clubs, Thunderbird clubs, Fifty seven Chevy clubs, Corvette clubs, and kind of clubs, you name it. Get on the internet, do some searches for it, I guarantee you're going to find a classic car club for your vehicle, in your area, that you can join and gain information. So, you've joined the club, you've got the judging manual, you're ready to go, your car has every single number matching that you know about, and you say "my car is ready to be judged." So, then you enter it into an event and you're going to get it judged by supposed experts in certain areas. Mechanical judges, cosmetic judges, interior judges, and what you're going to get back is you're going to get a score card, which is a punch list of all of the things that they found that are wrong about your car. Now, there is no such thing as a perfect nineteen sixty two Corvette, but you can get pretty darn close. So, with that in mind, get out there, do the best that you possibly can to try to restore it back to exactly what it was in nineteen sixty two, preserving the history of the car and having fun while you're doing it."