When a person tells you they've restored a car, it's natural to wonder if their definition of the word restore is in agreement with yours. After all, we've all seen a few restorations that were barely more than fresh paint blown over poorly done bodywork or lurking rust. Read on. This is clearly not the case with Angelita.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, to restore means first to bring back into existence or use, and secondly, to bring back to an original condition. Check out the pictures of our Swiss-based beauty, and you'll see the definition certainly applies. There were no shortcuts taken in the refurbishment of this Corsa.

The little coupe was stripped to bare metal to make possible the complete inspection of the unibody before it was cleaned, repaired and refinished. Marcel did most of the work himself, with the exception of final body paint, and some of the Corsa's interior detail. Those tasks were performed by professional craftsmen. In the picture at the right, we see paint specialist Max Weilenmann preparing the car for pigment. In all, Marcel and his colleagues invested more than 1800 hours in Angelita's makeover.

The restoration also involved the removal and examination of all interior components. Parts that could not be restored were replaced. Those, and many other parts needed for the project were obtained from one of America's better known suppliers, Clark's Corvair Parts.

The Corsa's cross-member was removed and disassembled. All metal parts were media blasted and painted before being fitted with new rubber parts, ball joints, and bushings.

At both the front and rear of the car, Marcel replaced wheel bearings, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, and fluid lines. Everything in the suspension assemblies was made to meet or exceed factory standards.

This is what we like to see in a restoration. All of Angelita's important (life supporting) mechanical systems have been carefully reconstructed.

Properly restoring a vehicle is a tough job. As you remove parts and assemblies, you quickly realize the importance of being organized. Some people recommend taking pictures, or keeping a written record of disassembly to follow in reverse order when reassembling. It is helpful to store parts in see-through containers or clear plastic bags, and to organize them logically in distinct groups; engine parts, suspension, interior parts, etc.

A factory assembly manual is an invaluable tool, and in the case of the Corvair, one is available from the better Corvair parts vendors. The manual's level of detail is revealed in the partial illustration at the right. In the actual manual, illustrations include lists of part numbers, descriptions, and other helpful information such as factory torque specifications.