Before You Begin......

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That is so correct its not even funny.

I saved it and will be sending it to a few folks.


Thank you.
 
LOL.. "the elevator ride".... It's the first thing I talk about with new customers..
I assist people doing home restorations for a living.. out of 20 calls I'll look at one car or truck and actually work on two out of three of those on average...
Most people don't have a clue...
 
And how many of these, "Maybe it won't cost so much" restoration projects wind up getting sold for 50 cents (or less) on the dollar at the halfway point?
 
Wow. I thought this thread would be up to 4 or 5 pages by now. I am sure we all have thoughts or interesting stories on this subject.
 
LOL..........I didn't need an article that long to tell me what I already know. I like many here are not even interested in a "restoration" either. And we are still in a hole!!! But...........for some reason............we ............still............keep................on...............................
 
They didn't really address one of my recommendations. And that is if you are going attempt? Select a car that you are more than just an average familiarity. I wouldn't dream of attempting any Porsche or European model restoration.

I HIGHLY recommend selecting a vehicle in a tight body and year style window. And one you are very familiar just as a do it yourself mechanic. You will be surprised how fast that knowledge goes out the window on a unfamiliar platform. Even from like Chevy to Pontiac. If you know Pontiac. Do Pontiac.

JMO.
 
JMO, that article seems to state that full professional restoration is the only option and that ignores all the nicely done home - garage restorations that show up here daily at FABO.
I also believe that full restoration is not always the best choice. A full restoration may be the best choice if one wants to build a 100 point trailer queen. But if one wants to actually use their classic as a daily driver, or use it in road rallies or autocross or other specific events, concentrating the re-build on the purpose of the car would be a better solution.
 
One comment stated, “Everyone has a different idea of what a restoration is.” The word as used, is extremely subjective.
Some think it’s a quick paint, parts store seat covers and an engine degrease. Others want every part of the car put back to assembly line originality. And then there’s the countless opinions in between.
 
67Dart273 said:
LOL..........I didn't need an article that long to tell me what I already know. I like many here are not even interested in a "restoration" either. And we are still in a hole!!! But...........for some reason............we ............still............keep................on...............................
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Hit the nail on the head, Del.
 
my68barracuda said:
JMO, that article seems to state that full professional restoration is the only option and that ignores all the nicely done home - garage restorations that show up here daily at FABO.
I also believe that full restoration is not always the best choice. A full restoration may be the best choice if one wants to build a 100 point trailer queen. But if one wants to actually use their classic as a daily driver, or use it in road rallies or autocross or other specific events, concentrating the re-build on the purpose of the car would be a better solution.
Click to expand...
I agree. It was even a little insulting that anything but full nut & bolt off full restoration was the only true option? I've seen plenty. And most the time went too far. Everything popping far more that original new production build. Once in a awhile you do see a build that takes that into consideration. And very close to how it looked on the factory line.

And all a layman as myself can do is tip the hat.
 
Well, considering that the only makes mentioned in the article are foreign cars, Jaguar, Porsche, Healey, Triumph, Ferrari, and Mercedes, that leaves me out. While I have an admiration for some of those brands, they are very far from my budget.
That does however explain why the author stated that "driver quality" isn't a good plan for a restoration, and a comprehensive "return to original" should be the only consideration, which leads me to conclude that this article is written from a position of snobbery.
While I have to agree that it is important to understand that a project can very quickly become an overwhelming nightmare for anyone who is not knowledgeable about what they are expecting, and this is making that point, I don't agree that anything less than a full on bare metal restoration is the only way to go. I believe in driving my cars, and that includes making both safety and performance upgrades for reliability and peace of mind.
Just my .02.
 
That does however explain why the author stated that "driver quality" isn't a good plan for a restoration, and a comprehensive "return to original" should be the only consideration, which leads me to conclude that this article is written from a position of snobbery.
Well put.
I was thinking the article was geared more for people who are not that mechanically inclined and may have unreasonable expectations about restoring a old car
I totally disagree with the author about what constitutes a "driver quality" car. He seems to imply a driver quality restoration is some what below par restoration of a vehicle
My car is in my opinion driver quality. Let me put it this way, every part on that car has been replaced, rebuilt, refurbished, restored with only one exception, the centre link. Ive done updates and modifications to give me a better handling car and safer. There is literally not one part overlooked from bumper to bumper
The body is straight and has a minimum of body filler, the quarters were leaded as were other panels.
The paint while not perfect is nice and shows well. The underside is clean and undercoated
I drive it, and just don't look at it, so I dont have a clue to what this video is implying other than to farm out a total restoration of any old car is expensive, some more than others of course, but still lots of dollars
 
I will never "restore" my Dart. Enjoy driving it too much...

Don't care if there isn't a headliner or there is rust in the lower rear quarter, etc.
 
Personally? I don't take as much stock in "All numbers matching" as today's collectors. Maybe with an antique type vehicle. But muscle cars? I lived that era. And we didn't give two hoots about keeping original. It was about performance and tuning. To see what you can do and get from your garage.

Collectors are missing the point of muscle car ownership in my opinion.
 
I restored my 68 GTS H-Code, did all the work myself except for the engine work, that cost me 5K alone, When I added up all the receipts for parts alone it totaled over 20K. With the purchase of the car and parts I'm into it for $28K
 
Ron816 said:
I restored my 68 GTS H-Code, did all the work myself except for the engine work, that cost me 5K alone, When I added up all the receipts for parts alone it totaled over 20K. With the purchase of the car and parts I'm into it for $28K
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Not an unreasonable total for the car that you have, plus it is probably worth at least that much if you were to sell it. My 1970 Dart Custom was my last real big project, full body and paint, most of the interior, complete suspension and brake rebuild/upgrade, and motor and transmission upgrade. I did all of the mechanical myself, as well as the interior, and some of the metalwork, only farming out the 1/4 skins and paint. I never added up every nickel that I spent on it, but I'm confident that it was not much more than the $14k that I sold it for, after having enjoyed it for several years. I doubt that I will ever take on as big of a project again, I just don't have the desire or the patience, and definitely don't have the $$$, but I have done what I feel is necessary with my 75 Dart Sport to make it safe and enjoyable to own, on a much smaller budget.

One last thing that I thought of regarding the original article is the idea of buying a car that's already done. While the majority of us in the hobby are honest and would not mislead a potential buyer, that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of scammers out there, peddling junk as "restored to driver quality". We've all known or heard of someone being screwed badly by someone on a classic because they didn't know enough to do a thorough inspection themselves, or have a trusted and experienced person do one on their behalf.
 
Bought a 59 Dodge Sweptside about 15yrs ago with intent to restore it to original condition. 6yrs later had a very nice rare pickup. (Approx 100 built) Hired out body, paint, engine build, headliner, and seat upholstery. I did the frame, detailing, and disassembly and assembly. It was mostly an enjoyable experience. I do drive it and could make a profit if I’d sell it… I don’t know if that would happen now days
 
My 70 Challenger 340 (A66) is the only car that I have that will be restored. It's all numbers matching, and only a few bolt ons are not date code correct. That car deserves a nice restoration. The rest of my cars will be 'refurbished' to my liking, and I will run the dog walkin snot out of them!
 
I was supposed to be in that group with a failed restoration when I did the Ex-wife's 66 Chevelle. Basically everyone expected me to fail at it once I got it all disassembled. I can easily deflect from a project like that and move on to the next thing in life.....

It is definitely a challenge and if you aren't careful it can literally never end. But I remember trying to do something to it weekly and what got the juices really flowing was when I got it running. That's when the checkoff list actually got longer with a goal of getting it done. But I have seen more than one project never get off the ground or never reassembled. And in one case torched and sent to recycling....

JW

Picture 009.jpg
 
1969reddart said:
I will never "restore" my Dart. Enjoy driving it too much...

Don't care if there isn't a headliner or there is rust in the lower rear quarter, etc.
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I hear what you are saying. It totally depends on your view of restored. Some people think it means 100% perfect just as it left the assembly line. That would mean mimicking the mediocre single stage paint jobs, overspray in the appropriate places, paint and crayon marks in many places to indicate things got done on the assembly line, date codes on practically everything, and perfect matching number drivetrain. I tend to believe you can have a 'restored' car that may not have the original engine and transmission (and a few other things), as long as it looks pretty much like it did when new. I consider the first case to be a concours restoration and the second to be just a restoration. Some may disagree, but if your car is 95% correct, I'll consider it to be restored.
 
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