We know, you are excited to see your classic car restored back to full glory. We get it, we love old cars just as much as you do! But, like all good things restoring your vehicle takes time, love, and a hell of a lot of elbow grease. In today’s blog we give you a break down as to why your classic car restorations take time!
It is interesting that over the past few years when talking about the car restoration process and how it takes time; I frequently get a strange look and a response of “I do not understand why it takes so long as I was just watching a TV show about a car restoration, and it took about an hour to complete. Well, that made for TV moment took months and more likely years to finish a quality classic car restoration.
It is common to hear that a full restoration took years to complete. Many of us ask the question “why does it take so long? “To answer that you will need to understand all that goes into doing a classic car or truck restoration. You will also need to understand that the process is just as much an art form as it is an engineering science and that neither should be rushed.
The term frame off restoration means that your car is totally disassembled down to the bare frame and all the parts are clean restored or replaced, painted, or powdered coated and reinstalled. Restoration is a long-term commitment. It is an expensive undertaking, and we recommend that you consider a project of this nature very seriously.
Most restoration experts take considerable pride in their work and are always looking for ways to help speed up the process when working with clients. When clients and the experts work together to make an intelligent plan of attack the results are often much timelier and satisfying to both parties involved.
Here are many of the variables that need to be taken into consideration and understood before embarking on a restoration project. Hopefully, this will help you to realize why this process can take longer than expected.
What Is the Condition of The Car You Want to Restore?
If you are restoring a classic car or truck that has been roadworthy up to the current time, fixing it is likely to be relatively easy. You will be able to drive it to the shop, and the engine should not need a lot of work.
If, however, the car you want to restore has been sitting for many years or left outside in the elements, it may be a much bigger job. It will have significant rust that will need to be ground away. The fuel line, engine, and carburetor (if it has one) will require some heavy cleaning. And you can expect every piece of rubber and upholstery to need to be replaced.
If the car has been in one or more severe accidents, there may be a lot of work necessary in addition to the visible body damage to repair. The entire frame may be bent, which would create a lot of extra work for you.
Which Of the Original Components Do You Want to Keep?
For many auto restorationists and collectors, original components are necessary. This is often more important than everything being in mint condition. But whatever parts you restore, they at least need to be in working order.
Repairing old parts can be costly and time-consuming. In some cases, components you must replace, such as gaskets, may not be readily available. Hopefully, someone somewhere has listed them on their website.
Once you locate all the parts needed, the restoration work can also be incredibly time-consuming. Disassembling an engine, cleaning it, replacing needed parts, and then reassembling and recalibrating everything to get it running again can take 100 hours or more by itself.
As we mentioned earlier about the vehicle’s condition, it is likely that many original parts may be far out of working order. The question is, then, is the trouble of trying to restore them worth the effort and cost instead of replacing them with new parts? Even then, they still may not be salvageable.
Assess, Estimate, Analyze and Make a Plan
Put together a list of everything, and we mean everything, that needs to be completed. Most of this list will most likely be made by the restoration shop. They are better prepared to make the proper assessment of the car and create a list of what needs to be accomplished to get the vehicle fully restored.
They will also create the logical steps that need to be taken to reach the goal. We certainly would not install a new interior before the car went into the paint booth. This is common sense, but there are more intricate steps to the build that the experts know need to happen in a specific order.
The owner’s part in this plan is more along the lines of choosing the parts, materials, colors and accessories that will be used in the build. Will the interior be leather or cloth? Should the paint have a candy or a matte finish? Shall we install a new crate motor or rebuild the original? These are questions that will need to be answered by the owner to complete a restoration plan and proposal.
Acquiring Parts
If you want to reduce the time your vehicle spends at the restoration shop, an owner should try to assist in acquiring the parts and materials necessary for the build. There is no way of knowing everything required but getting as much together as possible before going to the shop will certainly help. Finding a replacement windshield or locating a rare trim package yourself means that your car will not sit idle while your restoration guys look for the parts themselves. It may also help you to understand that parts do not always show up on time or in the condition that you expected. Returning faulty or damaged parts you ordered and waiting for replacements can certainly slow down the entire process. Looking for parts yourself may also make you aware of any back-ordered items that simply will take time to receive.
Classic Car Fabrication
You may very well run into the situation that the part that you need simply is no longer available. The sooner you know about this the better. Parts may need to be machined or fabricated to replace a part that is no longer manufactured or available. This is where the “art” portion of the build comes in that we spoke of earlier. These fabrications can range from simple to complex and either way should not and cannot be rushed if you want quality that is equal to or greater than the original.
Unexpected Surprises Cause Car Restorations Take Time
Be very conscious of the fact that the original plan is going to have some hiccups during the build process… it is almost guaranteed. Until the car or truck is full disassembled will a full assessment of the project be possible. There is no way of knowing that a certain part is rusted out or defective until they get their hands on it. Be prepared for your original estimate to be increased by at least 20%. This extra work also means that extra time is required to correct the situation.
I want to reiterate what was written earlier… restoring a classic car or truck is just as much an art form as it is an engineering science and that neither should be rushed. Owners need to fully understand this before beginning a project.
Double Time Estimates from Subcontractors
Rarely will one restoration shop be able to complete every step in the restoration project. Subcontractors may be needed to paint the car, upholster the interior, or rebuild a transmission. Whatever part they play in the rebuild, be prepared for them to add a considerable amount of time to the project. Chances are a good subcontractor is going to be busy and may not be able to perfectly mesh your timetable with their schedule. They will be doing work for other customers as well and you will have to get in line.
It is The Quality Paint Finish
To get a quality job takes time. In our experience people want to see what they are paying for… and quality paintwork requires, time! To ensure this high standard a restoration shop should ensure its restoration work exceeds the minimum requirement of industry standard. They should want to give you the best possible paintwork. To achieve a top-quality paint job, it requires long sitting times between each of the paint applications to ensure correct resting & curing. This can take up to 5 x the waiting time for the quality result.
The paint dries from the outside in; so, the outside might appear dry yet without waiting. Restoration shop should not be applying paint on-top of wet paint, and this causes movement or imperfections in the paint.
For The “Home Mechanic” What Is It Going to Take?
When you know how many man-hours your project will take, think about how much time you’re likely to have every week to spend on it.
Is this going to be just a weekend thing? Will you have a few hours every night to spend on it? Be realistic about this. Do you have a family or other responsibilities? Do you hope to have a social life? Are you counting on help from someone else? What if they lose their dedication halfway through?
Now, let us do a little math. If you estimate it will take 1,000 man-hours to complete the job, and you have 20 hours a week to work on it, the job will take you 50 weeks to complete. That is almost an entire year. If you have someone willing to put in the same amount of time, that cuts it down to six months. And remember, any time you take off from working on it, you will have to tack onto the end.
Finally
The bottom line is that restoring a car is challenging work and takes a lot of time. You will make mistakes and must redo things. Maybe you will bang your head and cut your hands. You will have bolts that will not come loose, and you will not be able to make progress until you figure out a way.
The details will seem endless, and you will forget how to reassemble what you have taken apart. There will be times you do not even want to look at it. But if you love the effort and are determined enough, it can be one of the most rewarding projects you have ever completed.
You also need to understand that you have chosen a shop that you trust will do an outstanding job and not cut corners. Other classic car owners have also done their research and that makes for a remarkably busy restoration shop. Try to be patient with your time expectations as shops are doing their best to manage time and make fair workflow decisions since classic car restorations take time.
The biggest challenge is finding a quality shop to call you back when you want to do a restoration or restomod. You send emails and make phone calls but no one responds. Especially the more well known folks. Understanding that it takes time and money they still ignore you.
Would love to have someone like Joe Martin or Bill Carrelton, or even Dave Kindig but no one acknowledges emails.
Very frustrating.