The First Thing To Do When Restoring A Car

Car restoration can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re treating it as a project.

However, while it can be a lot of fun, it can also be very difficult, particularly if you haven’t got any prior mechanical experience. The best way to tackle your restoration project is to study, research, and read articles like this one. Here, you will find an informational and comprehensive guide to getting started with your car restoration. If you still struggle after this, then you may want to enlist the help of an expert mechanic – bear in mind however that paying a mechanic to work on your car for you can be incredibly expensive.

Professional Restoration

Following on from the last point made in the introduction, professional restoration is always worth considering if you aren’t a mechanic and don’t particularly know what you are doing. In fact, many would argue that professional restoration is the best idea so that you don’t damage the vehicle’s core or exterior beyond repair. A restoration directory will give you a full list of all of the car restorers and mechanics in your area. Though oftentimes they can be costly, the price makes up for the service. This is especially true if you haven’t got the time to restore your vehicle yourself.

Finding the Right Parts

If you are going to persist and do it yourself, then you need to find the right car and the right parts. Some cars are very expensive to restore – you need to know this before you get started. If you select a car that’s going to be expensive to find parts for, then you are making your life more difficult than it needs to be (unless it’s a dream project, and you have time). Some cars have parts that are very rare, so you will have to look around for several months – or years – before you find all of the parts that you need.

Type of Restoration

You also need to plan out what sort of restoration you want to do. There are four types of restoration, progressing in intensity and complexity. At a very basic level, there is driver restoration, which is fixing minor cosmetic problems. Next, there is street show restoration, which involves fixing internal parts and major aesthetic problems. Then, show car restoration, which will require the help of a professional mechanic. Finally, you have a concourse, which is the highest level, best-suited to a car that’s going to be placed in your personal, private collection, and won’t be driven much. The last two categories are best performed by trained mechanics and professionals. If you haven’t got mechanical experience, it’s unlikely that you will be able to complete the restoration to a satisfactory standard.

Safety Equipment

The problem with many older cars is that their safety equipment doesn’t meet road legal requirements today, nor are they as safe as some cars currently on the market. You need to make sure that you work on your car’s safety equipment before you take it out, otherwise, you could injure yourself or worse. Fortunately, there are guidelines that set out what a car needs to be considered road safe. You can follow these guidelines. You may need to add aftermarket parts to your vehicle in order to bring it up to scratch.

Restoration Reading

Another thing to do before you get started is to do a little reading on restoration – like you’re doing here. Most experts advise picking up a book dedicated to car restoration, so that you can get concise, useful information on more detailed aspects of car restoration. If you aren’t an avid reader and aren’t enthusiastic about picking up a book, then you could alternatively read up on car restorations on your laptop, phone, or a device that has internet connectivity. Car restoration can be very complex, sometimes a book or online resources are the only things that can help you.

Car Resale

If you are restoring your vehicle to sell it, then you will need to ensure that you get only original parts, otherwise, people might not be interested in buying it. Collectors want cars that are as close to the car’s original form as possible. A few aftermarkets, new additions won’t be too problematic, but if you have too many, then people may not be interested in purchasing your car. If they do, they will buy it for significantly less than they would if it was complete with all of the original parts – which as we have already mentioned, can be very expensive.

If you want to restore a car, then you’ve got your work cut out for you. Not only can it be time-consuming, but it can be a lot of work. Fortunately, with the help of articles like this and instructional manuals, you will be able to restore your classic car and get it back in working order.