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We got this question (May of 2004) and thought it
would make a good "tip": I have a 1981 Camaro Z-28 with 2,686 original miles on it. I has been
garaged since mid 80's. The car is untouched and all original. The undercarriage has dust, cobwebs, etc. on it. There are still original
stickers on the springs, tires and other areas of the car. Should I leave the underside alone or should I have it cleaned? If I have it
cleaned, will this hurt the future value of the car? Thanking you in advance for your answer,
Mike C., Kentucky
I want to start off with some definitions:
Unrestored
Original: A car that has NOT been restored in any way. No fresh paint, no
replaced visible parts. Most older unrestored cars DO have a new battery,
and probably newer or reproduction tires, maybe a new accessory drive belt or
spark plug wires, but if the engine has been detailed or something repainted, it
should be mentioned in the description when on display. Some judging
standards will allow a percentage of the car to be repainted and still allow it
in unrestored original classes. Many people confuse Unrestored original and
"restored stock or original". I see many cars labeled as
"unrestored originals" when they have a total repaint and a detailed
(repainted) engine compartment, and they should be called "Restored
Originals". 
9000 mile '71 Z-28 and 10,000 mile '72 GS455 Stage 1
both true unrestored originals and national champions.
Restored
Original: A partially or totally refurbished car that is still "as
manufactured". Without modifications, upgrades or changes. For
instance a car that was originally a 6 cylinder car that is now a V8 car, even
if correct for the year, is no longer Restored Original. Stock: Can be either
unrestored or restored Original. Must be correct for the model and year in
all respects. Original Modified: something that appears stock and may be
correct for the year/model, but has been upgraded or changed. Bigger
motor, swap an automatic transmission for a manual, or upgrade drum brakes for
correct for the year disks. Restified: A new word that is a combination of
Restored and Modified. This includes older cars with newer drivelines,
upgraded brakes/suspension parts that are not correct for the year. Custom:
Not stock, having parts not available, and modifications to the
body/interior/engine compartment that are clearly not from the factory. Now
to Mike's ultra low-mile '81 Camaro here is my reply to his question: Mike,
Do NOT have the underside cleaned! All those little stickers and paint dabs are valuable!
A high pressure wash, or steam cleaning will take them off, or harm them. Plus water under there will just cause more
rust. Some rust is inevitable, it happens before cars are delivered to the dealer in most
cases, you just don't want to add to it.
If the underside is as good as you say, then you can take some rags, and some general purpose cleaner (we sell a great
one, the Wurth Super Spray-ALL) and gently spray and wipe
down the entire area. Where there is factory undercoating, you can spray and dab, but don't try to remove it. If there
is any film of oil or tranny fluid, clean it gently, our Wurth Clean Solve or similar product is perfect for that.
At all times make sure that you have good ventilation, and a fan running under the car is a good idea. Wear eye
protection for the occasional rock that might fall down.
If you find paper tags coming loose, take some rubber cement and using just a tiny bit, glue them back down.
What you plan on doing with the car also determines what you will do.
If you are going to keep it a low mile show car, then follow the advice here:
Do you have good dry garage space and plan to keep it an ultra low-mile car? Then keep fresh oil/anti-freeze/brake
fluid/power steering and tranny fluid in it. Change ALL of this every two years at least, with engine oil changed at
least once a year, better to change in the spring and fall
if you store it for several months in the winter.
If it still has the original exhaust, then make sure any time you start the car, you get it good and hot. Don't just
start it to let the engine run for a few minutes. Better to let the car sit undisturbed for weeks/months than start it
once a week for a few minutes. Only start it if you can run it for at least 1/2 an hour on the road. This gets the
exhaust dry and all the fluids nice and warm. Follow my
other storage hints on my web site.
IF you have to drive the car, and use it for transportation, then don't worry about the tags and things, they will be
gone no matter what you do if you drive it much. Just enjoy the car as you would any car.
The value of this car is in it's low miles and unrestored original condition. Anything that changes either of those
aspects will hurt the value. Having said that, a reality is that 80's pony cars aren't worth a lot. Yours is obviously
worth more than a worn out example, but compared to a 60's
version of the car, it doesn't have a lot of value. But, 80's cars WILL start coming up in value as the kids born in
the 60's and 70's start getting into their peak earning years. That has already started. Your car is now 23 years
old, and when it crosses 25 going on 30, it WILL come up in value. Just don't expect to retire on what it is worth.
Insurance and upkeep will mean that if you sold this car and put that money in a good stock fund, or even savings bonds,
you might come out better. But it won't be as much fun. Plus if this car has sentimental value to you, that is hard
to put a value on.
If it was mine, I would keep the miles low, keep it as original as possible and take it out on nice days and show
it off. Also, look into getting an original style battery, even a dead one, that you can gut and use in the car for
display purposes. I am not sure what is available or what was original for the 81 year, but if you take it to a major
show where originality is king, they usually want an
original battery, and a gutted dead one works unless they require the car to start and lights to work (some judged
shows require that, others don't care, most indoor shows won't want you to have the battery hooked up anyway, so a
gutted battery is just fine for that).
If the original tires are starting to rot any, use a good tire dressing on them
(Wurth Tire Foam or Lexol Vinyex are
both good to use) and keep them out of the sun as much as possible. Maybe buy a set of extra rims and mount some new
tires on them to drive, and put on the originals when
showing the car.
You may have seen the 1971, 9000 mile Camaro that I formerly owned. It is featured on my web site. I once had to
stop at a tire store employee from picking the little bits of rubber off the sidewalls of those original tires when he
balanced them!
If you get the car worked on, keep an eye on the mechanics, they will sometimes pick those paper tags
off or remove covers on things under the hood and toss them! Also things
like your original radiator cap are valuable. Mechanics will replace them
sometimes without your approval and toss that valuable original.
Your '81 Camaro sounds like a great car. Keeping it original is going to
be a labor of love but the main thing is to have fun with it. One other
thought. Ultra low-mile unrestored cars used to get short shrift from car
show judges that were uninformed or just plain stupid. Today, every
auction house and appraiser will tell you that an unrestored, low-mile original
is worth MORE than it's restored counterpart. To the editor from that
magazine long ago in Ohio at the Camaro Nationals, that told me "anyone can
stick a car in a garage for 20 years", all I can say is "told you
so" and hope you got a clue at some point! Low mile originals are the
BEST yardstick for future restorations. I have a book full of letters from
people that I let photograph in detail my low mile original cars. Then
they went home and wound up with a BETTER restoration on their similar
car. If nobody saves their original cars like our friend Mike in Kentucky,
then how will you know what to do when it comes time to restore a similar car. So
while I have total respect and admiration for anyone that restores their own
car, my reply to that editor long ago was: "You can restore a car a
thousand times and not hurt the value, but an unrestored original is only
original ONCE, and it takes skill, effort and talent to keep a car in near
perfect condition for decades."
Thank you for the detailed reply. I will certainly follow your advise. I did see your 71 Camaro on your website. It looked great. I will buy the
Wurth products that you suggest. I do have a temperature controlled garage and I have even put the car in a Car Capsule. I do plan on servicing the
vehicle at least once a year. The battery Idea is a great one. The tires
are like new and still have the little rubber stems on them. Again thank you for your detailed advice. It seems everyone in the car collection
business is very open and always ready to help. You went above and beyond.
Sincerely,
Mike
Don Mallinson, President
DC CarCare
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