VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 1936 restoration sequence (newbie)

I am totally new to restoring old cars but want to get involved. I studied auto mechanics in the early 70s and consider myself mechanically inclined. I am considering buying a 1936 Master 4dr Sedan. It is well worn but it runs and drives and is without any past restoration. All major parts appear to be there and the body is solid (very little paint remains).

Where do I start? Is it a matter of personal preference or is there some agreed upon order of work that makes most sense. Do I go through the engine and drive train first or start on the body and interior? I would like to keep it drivable as much as possible.

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.

FredW, I would say Go FER it' First get a place to start, and a shop manual and owners manual, get some catalogs, check out some vendors' web sites, get really aquainted with eBay (search for your chevrolet year) decide if you want to do a complete restoration or with your car do the needed P.M make it safe to drive, and do some fixing up.

....Now, since you found this site, consider joining up with all of us that sponser the site. The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America... there is an application on the www.vcca.org site or ask one of us members for an application.


If you are mechanically inclined you will enjoy the work, and also be pleased with all the clever engineering and mechanical work that the builders in the 1930 were capable of without any computers, electronic sensors, LEDs, Diodes, Alternating current, CDs T.Vs and governmental mandates.

Fred, I've been working on a 35 Master Coach for 4 years now. It was a barnyard case with most wood shot (or missing). One of the first things to do is to see if all of the wood is intact or if some is in need of replacement. The bottom ends of the vertical wood parts in the doors and between the doors will be suspect, unless your car has been kept inside all of its 70 year life. If the main fore-aft wood rails are shot (just below the floorpan at the left and right edges of the body) you may need to remove the body from the frame to replace the wood.

If you do remove the body, it gives you a good opportunity to clean up and repaint the frame, as well as the bottom of the body.

If all the wood is intact and you want a car to drive, you may just need cosmetics (new paint, rechrome or replace some external parts. How is the interior? How many miles?

Fred:
Welcome, and I echo what Mr. Mack said...go for it, join the national VCCA and a local region. You'll find both to be a wealth of support and information.
There's a fairly new idea to our hobby that started a few years ago, and the '36 you're looking at may be a candidate. Rather than take the car off the road for a total rebuild (very lengthy and super expensive) we now appreciate the unrestored or 'preserved' cars. The VCCA now has class just for this sort of unmolested car. Just do the maintenance required to keep her safe and between the white lines and most of all, enjoy the ride!
Coach

Fred
As most others on this site will probably confirm, when you start to repair something you will find something else that needs repair and be much easier to repair before you finish the original repair.
My 38 was a none driver when I got it and decided to go all the way first.
Tony

Thanks for the replys. If I buy the car, the deal will include several manuals and books.

Thanks for the tip to check the wood condition. I always read about wood in the doors of a 36 but is there wood elsewhere? The car has 61k miles. The interior is all there but worn. There are stains, holes near seams and the driver' seat sits very low probably from a broken spring.

I may check into that new class for unrestored cars.

I know I will have some work to do if I buy this car. I do not know how many times at home I start to do "one thing" and end up doing ten before I ever do what I started out to do.

Fred
Buy it. It will be fun. Join the VCCA, national and regional. There will be lots of help from fellow members.

Where is there wood? The structure of the body is greatly enhanced by lots of wood parts. The door hinges attach to wood in the doors and wood in parts of the body. The main rails that tie the body to the frame are wood. There are wood rails above the doors - which is probably ok.

Preservation class may be a good way to go for you. For me, I had no choice but to take everything apart and work from the ground up.

Good luck

Fred,
I was in your position with similar experience about 2 years ago. I drove my '36 2 door Master for a few months, making some minor repairs before finally deciding that I couldn't do anything halfway. It's now completely disassembled, body and frame bead blasted, epoxy primed. Now I'm rebuilding it part by part. It's a labor of love that gets addicting if you enjoy mechanics. To each his own, but be prepared to "get the bug". Even if you decide not to do a frame off restoration, you're likely to do much more than you originally planned. If you decide to buy this car, keep in mind that there were a lot of '36 Chevys built, so there's a reasonably large number of others restoring them. Most parts have been plentiful on ebay, or are readily available as reproduction items. Some exceptions are chrome trim, steel running boards and mats (though fiberglass is available), steel fenders. If you decide you want to restore the interior with original style material, and you want to do it yourself, kits are available (but expensive). However you decide to proceed, take lots and lots of pictures during dismantling. I've got tons of pictures if you need some supplemental ones. Good luck and call on the experts at this site. They're invaluable and always ready to help.