49 Times Trashed Cars Were Restored To Their Former Glory

There might not be solid numbers showing just how popular car restorations are. But, the fact that everyone and their mother in the car industry keeps coming back to the topic—that alone is testament to how alive it still is today. Well, that and dedicated communities on Reddit.

While you might still see the classics on the road, today’s trends focus on more modern car models. It’s not so much the 1930s any more as it is predominantly the ‘70s, ‘80s, and the ‘90s.

Gone (ish) is also the idea of backyard restorations. According to Rob Customs, an increasing number of people tend to turn to custom body shops and the like for help restoring whatever gem they’ve stumbled upon.

With that said, and considering the rich automotive history and the prevalence of the industry, folks now have greater opportunities and more options to take on car restorations. And it’s not just parts, but also expert opinion has proven to be invaluable with big projects that folks hope to drive one day.

But, unlike most mainstream hobbies, like table top games or crafts, car restoration demands dedication. And seemingly loads of it.

Dean’s Autoglass has a comprehensive list of things to consider before taking on something as big as this. And as is with most projects, this one starts off with a plan.

The plan determines your aspirations for the project, the budget (and how plausible that is), figuring out the time frame and plan of action, as well as other smaller, yet equally important details like location, tools of the trade and professional opinion.

There are a lot of variables and moving parts to consider, so documenting everything is key. A typical car has around 30,000 individual parts and you don’t want any of it to get lost in the works. Besides, you can document the progress and make a social campaign out of it.

Next up is the business phase. And by that, we mean you start work on the car. Stripping the interior, removing the wiring, taking out the gearbox, transmission and other necessary parts, removing external panels and windows—pretty much everything that won’t be painted on, or shouldn’t be painted as part of the main body. This phase is also good for keeping inventory and seeing what you are missing and need to order.

Phase three is pretty much cleaning the surfaces. So, gritting, removing sand and dents, priming, sanding, undersealing, stuff like that. This is all in preparation for a new paint job. While the guide doesn’t specify anything about the cleanup part, it recommends that the paint job be done by a professional car painter. But if you insist, then at the strict supervision of one.

Then comes time for the engine. Before doing anything, check it out and decide if it’s better to upgrade and refurbish, or to swap it out altogether. Whatever the case, it’s also best to take the opportunity—now that the engine is lifted out—to swap out the auxiliary parts as well as belts and water pumps and all that jazz. So you could sleep better at night.

Before the engine goes back into the car, fire it up, see how it works.

And if that goes well, reassemble everything else: the break system, the fuel system, the suspensions, the wiring, the gearbox, the cooling system, the rubbers and pretty much everything else that you need and want your newly refurbished car to have.

Arguably, the best part at this point would be the test drive. And that’s actually the last phase. It’s a reward for all the hard work you’ve done, but also a time when you can tackle any kinks in the car left over from the refurbishment process. The way it sounds, handles, accelerates—keep an eye (and ear… and other sensory faculties) on it.

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Do you now want to take on restoring an older car? Share which one and your stories in the comment section below!

And if you want more car goodness, both of the old and new variety, then you’re in luck.

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