Overhaulin'

Restoration?

Restoring a classic car has been a dream of mine since I was a child. I'm about to go off to college so I thought that restoring my dream car would have to wait. Well, my mother told me today that she's letting me keep my car there (one I find one) and when I come home on breaks I'll be able to work on it. I'm going to school several states away so bringing the car up there with me just isn't realistic. I'm pretty new to all of this so any tips on finding and restoring a car would be greatly appreciated. I'm very eager and excited to learn. I'm definitely not in a rush. I was planning on working on it little by little when I'm able to come home from school during breaks and then however long after it'll take.

Public Comments

1. u should start with something u like and something thats not too badly beat up, something easy to work on
2. you should sit down and think of what car you want to restore than write to how you want to do ,hot rod factory .just keep in mind it takes time to this .i started to do a 1973 super beetle three years ago and still working on it a little at a time
3. check out this magazine it will give you great tips and ideas of how to restore it properly.... thats something i want to do soon as well
4. You can go several ways in restoration. You can do a popular restoration like a Mustang Camaro ,57 Chevy , 60's Pontiac's like Firebird and GTO's and buy most every part you might need to make a 100 point car out of a catalog. I call that mail order easy restoration Then you can do a real restoration of a car not that is not so popular that will require you to scrimp and find and search the world for parts or "gasp" have to fix the parts you already have. If you do a restoration like this you will need a subscription To Hemmings Motor news it is the authority on getting and finding all kinds of parts from the 1800's to now. Hemmings also advertises services where firms will restore your old parts like radios and heaters and transmissions. Before you buy a car, find a copy of Old Cars Price Guide and search the models your interested in it spans from 1900 to the 1980s mostly. If your super serious and get a real "humdinger" of a project you will need to learn how to use a Hollander Interchange Manual (bigger Libraries) a set of books that tell you what parts interchange among the cars of the same make and indeed other makes. You can often find the same mechanical parts on many different brands of cars. It is also worthwhile to join a club for Example If your doing a Hudson or a Hupmobile join a Club of other owners for support and advise, the clubs are also listed in Hemmings.
5. I have restored several cars over the years - done parts myself, had other worked farmed out. I have won AACA Jr Hershey 1st and Dearborn Sr 1st prizes. Have worked with a variety of restorers. There are good books out there. Want to do the work yourself? Don't discount the cost of tools and a place to work. Also, work done that sits too long needs to often be re-done. amateurly restored cars bring about 1/3 the price of profesionally rstored cars on the open market. It costs the same to restore a fender on a classic as it does for a plain jane sedan. Choose your car carefully (unless there is some great sentimental attachment to your plain jane car). subscribe to Hemmings, join a club for your dream car before you buy it, and do your homework. Great hobby, and can be affordable (like Model T's are a great way to start, at under $10,000). Re-chroming is very expensive, re-upholstery not too bad, engine rebuilds can cost $5,000, and paint can easily cost $5,000. Often, it is cheaper to buy a car someone else has just restored. Always buy the best you can afford. Get proper insurance through Haggerty of other hobby car insurance specialists, like Silver wheel Plan. Decide early if you are restorign as a driver, show n shine car or pebble beach contender, as this will affect costs. When finished, remember, antiques don't drive like new cars, so be careful on the road - drive them liek motorcycles: very defensively. Have fun!
6. KC: I think the first four response before mine are correct and make good points. However, what no one is mentioning is the cost. It is very typical that you will sink in far more money then you ever get out of a restoration. Old cars are very, very expensive to make 'like new'. I have asked the owners of many restored Mustangs, Corvettes and others how much they have invested in their cars and how much they are now worth. Every person that I have spoken with has said that they have more into the car than it is worth. I guess there are some expectations. And some cars do appreciate. But overall, it is a labor of love. Check out costs for an excellent paint job, chroming, glass, upholstery, engines, etc before committing to a project. Jin Ju