With spring brings a renewed interest in driving a classic car, and even to make repairs or even a restoration of your favorite car. A family trip to a car show also brings out the desire to start your classic car restoration planning.
Over the past 30 years, automotive restoration has become big business, with thousands of specialty shops restoring old cars and trucks for profit. But before that, it was done by dedicated enthusiasts, working in their home garage, often in their spare time away from regular day jobs. This tradition is still carried on, and thanks to modern technology, it is easier than ever to restore an old car.
For the weekend hobbyist, it may take several years to complete the same restoration project that a pro shop can complete in six months. Most of us have other commitments, such as families and jobs that take up most of our time, leaving us weekends or an evening or two. But we can get it done. For those of us who have taken on the projects our selves there are steps to making the restoration project more likely a success than a never-ending headache.
A Simple Plan Is Better Than No Plan
With limited time and money, it is essential that you make a plan. Completed results always reflect how well a project was thought out.
Try this – think about how you want the car to look when complete, then in reverse order, write down the steps of how that could be accomplished. This is an excellent way target your goal better. It is also important to consider what level of restoration you are looking to complete as this part of the restoration planning will have a direct impact on the total cost of the project.
Project Car Selection
For most motorheads, turning down any project car is hard, but that is what will separate your next project from ones that fail. Consider your time and your money while selecting a project car. Not many people can realize the effort it will take to finish until they are actually in the middle of a restoration.
Shop for a Car and Compare Prices
You have a lot of options when it comes to finding a seller the vehicle of your choice so use some best practices when shopping. The internet has opened up a whole new world for people interested in buying a classic car. Make sure you do your research and find out a good price range for your preferred vehicle; then, compare prices from several different sellers.
Make sure to consider the condition of the vehicle before you sign an agreement. Many classic cars need some love to get them back into top shape, but you should not be paying the same price for a vehicle that needs work as you would for one that has been fully restored.
Buying A Muscle Car Project
There are still worthwhile muscle car projects out there, and a quick glance at price differences between finished and un-finished examples shows you just how important the restoration process is.
What Does “Numbers-Matching” Mean?
With few exceptions, engines and transmissions in U.S. built cars were coded from the factory at time of manufacture. Most carry a number/letter stamping that corresponds to the vehicle it originally went into. Of course, these can be altered (which is illegal) so you must be careful. Familiarize yourself with that year and model to help spot a non-original motor.
If you find a real numbers-matching muscle car, many of the original components could be long gone by now. The first things that usually “disappear” from an old muscle car are the motor, transmission and factory wheels.
As motorheads, we enjoy looking for old cars to fix or restore, and love taking on projects. Accumulating them is easy, but finishing one is 100 times harder than bringing another one home.
Restoring A Car on A Budget
Yes, you can easily restore a car on a budget. It just takes longer to complete. All my old car restorations were confined to a specific, but flexible, dollar amount. Before starting your next project, grab a pen and paper and write down a simple budget. Having those dollar figures written down in black and white will help you target the result better.
Finally
Over the past months and years, we have provided a quite a few posts on restoration planning as well as guides to avoid the pitfalls many can make in hiring as restoration shop or even in doing it yourself. A classic car restoration can be a very rewarding process with many years of enjoyment in using your vintage car, but it also can be a nightmare so we wish you the best in your success in any restoration project you may take on.
