Before lifting the first spanner, heck, before even popping the hood, one has to be prepared to invest a minimum of 1 000 hours to even the most straightforward restoration job, says Jackson Reed, an authority on the subject. Roughly 2 000 hours should be set aside by first timers hoping to refurbish vintage car. Which equates to 90 minutes daily for a solid year. And you must know it: everything will start from street rod chassis kits.
And despite the time and money put into doing the work, there s still the very real prospect of the job not being finished on time, or even finished at all. Numerous compromises will need to be made. One has to either dig deeper into their piggie bank than initially envisioned, or they ll have to skimp on parts and service quality. There are never any pleasant surprises, says Keith Martin, publisher of Sports Car Market.
For example, the cost of restoring a six cylinder 65 Mustang is comparable to doing up a GT 350. In strictly monetary terms, that s like exchanging a hundred grand for twenty five. Because the price of acquiring the brake kits, gaskets, and weatherstripping, etc., will always be exorbitant in comparison to simply remodelling a newer model. So, unless the vehicle has some other inherent, perhaps sentimental, value, it s highly unlikely one will ever actually profit from its restoration.
Having decided to proceed with the project in spite of it not promising any real financial rewards, you then decide which components to take home to your workshop, and which parts to leave in the garage. Bearing in mind it s going to be a long term project, having the option of working from home when weather conditions aren t conducive to working outdoors ensures the work doesn t become stalled by factors outside one s control.
With bolts and nuts being all that s holding the bumpers in place, they re easier than most trimmings to unfasten. If the bolts are rusty or otherwise too worn down to be unscrewed, heating them with a propane torch will usually help them come loose. The panel and side trims, along with hood ornaments and all lettering, must all be removed with great care. They re amongst the most difficult to find, and therefore most expensive, parts to replace if broken or misplaced.
So, all trim should be heaped together and tagged so as to specify its exact location on the vehicle. Some sections look alike but don t serve the same function making them easy to confuse with similar looking parts. All the more reason for being meticulous when detailing them. Taking apart the window trimmings, and hopefully without ripping the rubber, requires much patience. And after having already spent a day removing the other trimmings, the tedious nature of the work might start becoming apparent at this point.
Removing all the glass is what comes next. The fragile nature of glass makes it the most breakable aspect of vehicle disassembly. And while the windshields are usually easily replaceable, it s the side and vent windows that are more vehicle specific and harder to come by. Side windows are typically held in place by channel strips inside the doors that get lowered and raised by the window s opening mechanism.
The process detailed so far should give you a rough idea on how to get started with your planned refurbishment. The rear window is removed similar to the windshield. After that there s the side windows, vent windows, vehicle interior trimmings, the dash, and the drivetrain which would require some specialized tools especially for lifting out the engine, and so forth. Hopefully by now you realize your vintage car refurbishment won t get done overnight, so while its good to focus on the end result, for the time being, learn to enjoy the ride and it ll be a smoother and more enjoyable one for years to come.
And despite the time and money put into doing the work, there s still the very real prospect of the job not being finished on time, or even finished at all. Numerous compromises will need to be made. One has to either dig deeper into their piggie bank than initially envisioned, or they ll have to skimp on parts and service quality. There are never any pleasant surprises, says Keith Martin, publisher of Sports Car Market.
For example, the cost of restoring a six cylinder 65 Mustang is comparable to doing up a GT 350. In strictly monetary terms, that s like exchanging a hundred grand for twenty five. Because the price of acquiring the brake kits, gaskets, and weatherstripping, etc., will always be exorbitant in comparison to simply remodelling a newer model. So, unless the vehicle has some other inherent, perhaps sentimental, value, it s highly unlikely one will ever actually profit from its restoration.
Having decided to proceed with the project in spite of it not promising any real financial rewards, you then decide which components to take home to your workshop, and which parts to leave in the garage. Bearing in mind it s going to be a long term project, having the option of working from home when weather conditions aren t conducive to working outdoors ensures the work doesn t become stalled by factors outside one s control.
With bolts and nuts being all that s holding the bumpers in place, they re easier than most trimmings to unfasten. If the bolts are rusty or otherwise too worn down to be unscrewed, heating them with a propane torch will usually help them come loose. The panel and side trims, along with hood ornaments and all lettering, must all be removed with great care. They re amongst the most difficult to find, and therefore most expensive, parts to replace if broken or misplaced.
So, all trim should be heaped together and tagged so as to specify its exact location on the vehicle. Some sections look alike but don t serve the same function making them easy to confuse with similar looking parts. All the more reason for being meticulous when detailing them. Taking apart the window trimmings, and hopefully without ripping the rubber, requires much patience. And after having already spent a day removing the other trimmings, the tedious nature of the work might start becoming apparent at this point.
Removing all the glass is what comes next. The fragile nature of glass makes it the most breakable aspect of vehicle disassembly. And while the windshields are usually easily replaceable, it s the side and vent windows that are more vehicle specific and harder to come by. Side windows are typically held in place by channel strips inside the doors that get lowered and raised by the window s opening mechanism.
The process detailed so far should give you a rough idea on how to get started with your planned refurbishment. The rear window is removed similar to the windshield. After that there s the side windows, vent windows, vehicle interior trimmings, the dash, and the drivetrain which would require some specialized tools especially for lifting out the engine, and so forth. Hopefully by now you realize your vintage car refurbishment won t get done overnight, so while its good to focus on the end result, for the time being, learn to enjoy the ride and it ll be a smoother and more enjoyable one for years to come.
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