Yup, we've restored a few cars over the years including several Vettes. On our experience with the Vettes, we were lucky enough with the first one (66 Big Block Coupe) to find a literally all original, high option car so we didn't have to chase down a lot of incorrect parts other than the battery, tires, exhaust and starter. That can be a frustrating experience but there are many sources out there now for most everything.
The paint was also in remarkable condition other than many years of small chips and some fading. I can't remember just how many hours were spent in filling, sanding, compounding and polishing the chips and paint but my fingerprints were almost gone by the time it was finished.
On this one we didn't remove the body but rebuilt the suspension, cleaned and repainted the underside, etc. as I didn't want to disturb anything and the frame was in excellent shape. We did rebuild the engine though which was a good thing as we found two broken rings and one main bearing bolt broken!
The car was lucky enough to receive a Top Flight at it's first NCRS show and a 99% score at it's second show. It was great to see the results of all the work confirmed and I think we enjoyed working on it as much as driving it.
Restoration, if done with the right research and care, can be a lot of fun.
Rich Lagasse