Restoring a car seems like a pretty simple concept: You take everything apart, bag and tag all the parts, and begin the rather laborious process of repairing, repainting and reassembling.
What if a step-by-step manual existed that told you exactly how it went back together?
After so many decades of figuring out restorations largely on my own–sometimes with help from …
What's a TOME??
In reply to handyman85122 :
It's a BOOK
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=tome+definition
First generation Mustang guys have approached the Corvette guys when it comes to restoration accuracy - one thing about Fords is they seemed to stamp a date code on just about every little component; I have a friend who's big into Mustangs and I've spent a lot of time at swap meets with him where he was looking for radiator caps or other minor parts that had the correct date code for his cars. There are also certain GM cars (like late 60s GTOs, Chevelles, etc.) where the factory assembly manuals are available which helps a lot.
For most cars you have to rely on what others have figured out or from examining low mileage examples. I have a 1961 Pontiac Bonneville; I also have a full set of shop manuals, a parts catalog, dealer update newsletters, etc. which helped but you can't tell exact paint colors or finishes from small black and white photos in a 60 year old book.
RadBarchetta said:In reply to handyman85122 :
It's a BOOK
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=tome+definition
Sorry, couldn't resist. Okay, enough with the veiled Twilight Zone references. Continue on. 
Many/most cars came from the manufacturer as only partially developed vehicles and all the shortcomings were detected and in most cases solved without factory assistance. Books on how the cars were assembled can be useful, but they usually leave out all the problem solving done after they left the factory, by the owners.
While I appreciate the detail some Corvette guys go to (including the knowledge about every factory paint mark, which company made the original marking pens and what time the guys on the line who made said marking pen took their lunch break), it is a bit over the top for my tastes. I know some Corvette people who have NOS date marked gas caps only used for judging so they don't get yellowed from gas fumes while in storage. I would suspect one could buy a brand new Corvette and find it well below the maximum 4500 point 'mythical' mark and spend as much dough (or more) attempting to keep a car that never gets driven in perfect condition as one that gets used regularly. I vote for sympathetic restoration, drive it often (as this is/was its intended use) and repair/reburbish as necessary; build, break, repeat. Will your Elva ever be exactly as delivered from the factory?... probably not. Will anyone know?.. also probably not. Will you actually use it without fear of damging the original factory markings etc?...I hope so. Sometimes too much knowledge is detrimental to enjoyment of cars, but to each, their own. Are your storing date marked NOS 'judging' gas cap in a sealed nitrogen environment 'cause' those suckers will also oxidize sitting on the shelf in room air...maybe Car Capsule can capitalize on this concept and offer sealed nitogen storage containers for whole cars to keep them 'factory fresh' forever. The 1960s are 60 years in arrears and guess what...cars age just like their owners; enjoy the journey and laugh at the scars as none of use are like the day we left the proverbial factory no matter how hard we try to mitigate that fact.
Tim, you should get Don Sherman's book, '427 Corvette - Practical Restoration Of A '67 Roadster'. The cover jacket states: 'insights & techniques applicable to all '63 - 67 Corvettes'.
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