Page Two: The Restoration Plan

 

Restoration projects without a plan waste tons of time and money.  Knowing where you’re going helps you figure out how to get there.  A plan prioritizes spending money but more importantly it prioritizes where I’ll spend my time.  The Ramper isn’t going to be a show horse, but he will probably grace a few Cars and Coffee meet ups.  So, what’s the plan for The Ramper?

Let’s call it a “patina” restoration or better yet, a “character” restoration.  He’s done the work, he carries the scars, and I’m honoring them.

If a component is there, I’ll get it working.  For example, someone did a homemade heater-delete, but all the components of the stock heater are there, so it will work again.  Same with the windshield washer unit on the wiper motor.

Drivetrain

Will be immaculate and work perfectly!  Everything will be Corvair (meaning I’m not swapping the engine) but not slavishly original.  I have a chrome top shroud that I thought I would never use, now The Ramper is getting it.  He has a ’69 engine, not the ’63 95-horse one he left St. Louis with so original was never the plan.

But having said that, I’m not throwing any aftermarket, high-performance parts at it either, no big carbs, no special ground cam, no open (loud) exhaust, no blingy gewgaws like colored plug wires or a chrome coil, just stock components (or equivalent replacements) but very clean and tuned.  Short of doing an LS engine swap, The Ramper will never have a decent quarter mile time.

(Some good advice I got once, buy a fast car, don’t build one.)

I am doing some drivability upgrades.  I’m tossing the points for a magnetic pickup and hot coil; it’s an effective, easy and obvious upgrade.  Points suck.  I’m opting for some cool 17” wheels (I’m thinking Torq Thrusts) and modern tires because that will look very cool!

There shall be no rust on the drivetrain.  A lot of components will be powder coated or painted.  The engine, trans, differential, and suspension components will all be spotless.

AI may be coming for your job, but it made this drawing

Interior

Rampsides had meager interiors from the factory, especially when the body plate is stamped “STD,” the base trim package.  Work truck no-frill functionality.  Since The Ramper won’t be the choice for long road trips, I plan to keep the interior close to original.  The bench seat stays, and I’ll get an upholstery kit from Clark’s Corvair in the original fabric.  I will fix the interior paint with a (hopefully) matching touch-up paint.  The rubber floor mat stays too, although I’ll get a new one.

I’m not adding a sound system, car play or any other electronic stuff.  I’ll toss a battery powered blue tooth speaker on the dash and use my phone, good enough.

The Body

Although The Ramper’s body will keep his scars, I’ll mend his wounds, but I’m not doing extensive body work and paint to get it to show quality.  I’ll probably spray the repaired areas with white (or red depending) paint as I go along, but I will sand down the shine so that it matches the rest of the paint.

A functionally restored sixty plus year old truck with new shoes!