I was reading this article in the corvette forum...i thought i d share it with you....
Although I consider corvette restoration a lot of fun, I am a bit confused about the whole NCRS Bow Tie/Top Flight/Duntov thing... I realize that there are original "survivor" vehicles that are truly intact. Those cars are judged on their own merit. However, is there a point in a restoration where a vehicle suffers from being "overly restored?"
Where do the judges draw the line?
Just wondering...
Mark Replied:
Mark,
I hold strictly to the dictionary definition of "restored"... Makes things easier for me. The sad truth of the matter is that most of the restored cars that you find on the judging field (be it NCRS, Bloomington Gold, or some other organization with similar judging standards) are overrestored... The majority of them significantly so.
It comes down to several factors... All of which combine to make a "restored" car different than the one that originally rolled off of the St. Louis assembly line years ago. People have a hard time spending a great deal of money for marginal work... And to be fair, Corvette quality was barely adequate from a new car buyer's standpoint. Poor panel fit... Lousy paint coverage with lots of orange peel... terrible chrome quality... The list goes on. Even owners that do attempt to recreate the "factory look" usually compromise on certain issues, whether they want to or not. This is one of the reasons that truly original Corvettes can be such an education in Corvette history.
You and I (and I would guess the rest of the forum membership) consider restoring these old cars a lot of fun... Part of my enjoyment is in the history and production processes which is one of the reasons that I tend to be interested in the NCRS/Bloomington Gold way of doing things. If you want to do well in one of their shows, you play by their rules (which are clearly spelled out, unlike some organizations). I always liked competing against a standard rather than against other owners/cars which is another reason that this type of judging appeals to me. If this format doesn't appeal to a person, NCCC or another such group might.
If you are content with your car Mark, I wouldn't worry too much about where it "fits" as far as restoration goes. If NCRS or Bloomington Gold judging is something that you would like to look into, there are many here that either judge, have had cars judged, or both... They can answer questions and get you pointed in the right direction.
Enjoy that '69!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?p=1543932124#poststop
