I'm currently in the slow process of restoring my dad's 69 Camaro Convertible. It's nothing special, just a standard LF7 without any bells and whistles. He's had it since he was in college with my mom so he is doing his absolute best at keeping it as original as he can and only replacing parts that he absolutely needs to. Well, 25 years in a barn doesn't do pretty things to a car and my question is this.

Do I try to restore the old parts that it has by bringing them to separate places and seeing if they can refurbish them to as new as possible? Or do I buy new parts all together? I've gotten it to run just fine, but I think that it could run better or at least shinier if I do more to it. Again, he's very nostalgic about it so i'm wondering if it's even possible to refurbish parts like the alternator or something as extreme as the engine itself to get everything back to it's pristeen shiny condition?

 

On a car like that, I would use all the factory parts that could be restored.

 

i agree use as much of the original stuff as you can then try to find new old stock stuff for the parts you cant reuse. mainly because aftermarket stuff is just not as good as factory parts

 

I couldn't agree more with both of the previous replies when it comes to body parts. Aftermarket parts will never compare to original body parts for fit and quality. I've been in the business of restoring original parts for over forty years so most people must agree.