Buildsheets were the single sheet pieces of paper that the line workers used to guide the assembly of every specific car during the second half of assembly. There were dozens of each printed for use on the line as well as at the sub-assembly stations situated around the plant.
In most cases the buildsheet showed a color or abbreviated number to help workers identify the needed part so that identification could be quick and accurate. Unfortunately most of the copies used to build our cars were destroyed, either intentionally or due to age and the elements.
Sometimes a restorer gets lucky and finds one copy between the underlayment and the floor boards of his/her car. Unfortunately the years of direct contact with the tar based underlayment results in a heavily stained and discolored piece of paper. Many, many years ago, after some experimentation, I found a method that can vastly improve the readability of these old historical helpers. I've shared this method on many web sites and forums since the web opened up to the public but only in words so I thought an illustrated version was about due - especially since we've got a special place to post and share. Look for the article in the Library section of the web site - there is a link you can find in any of the specific year article list. For a short time its marked
NEW Like most endeavors this is only the way that has worked for me. Your results may vary and there is likely a better method, but this is what has worked for me.
Hope it helps in your efforts to produce a better concours restoration and your enjoyment of that task.