Car Restoration: Make that Vintage or Classic Car Shine
Restoring a car can be an extremely rewarding experience. But before you begin, you should know what you’re getting yourself into. The Internet offers the resources you need to decide whether restoring a car is up your ally. If car restoration is a hobby you truly want to pursue, or if you’re an old vet looking for more sound advice, this guide provides the necessary tips and tools … but you’ll have to supply the gumption.
Expand All Guide SectionsGeneral Information on Car Restoration
Before you begin, ask yourself this essential question: is it worth it? In other words, you need to determine whether restoring a car is something you are truly passionate about. Car restoration is a huge commitment that demands a lot of money and time. Review the sites in this section for a better idea of what to expect. You’ll find a general overview of the process through articles, blogs, and car restoration magazines.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Restoring cars is often synonymous with collecting cars. To get a wider perspective on the dual hobbies of restoring and collecting cars, take a look at the findingDulcinea Collecting Cars Guide.
- Most car restoration sites cover the same basics. As a result, many of the links in this section overlap with links from the next section in terms of content. In general though, the information found on these sites is shorter and less detailed. While this section helps you decide if you want to restore a car, the next section will walk you through the process.
- Car magazines are a great resource when it comes to restoring cars, and you can probably find a restoration article if you check their archives online. World-newspapers.com lists many popular car magazines. Browse through to see if any provide worthwhile content for your specific restoration endeavor.
- If you know what car you want to restore, there are many magazines specializing in specific types of cars, like Vette for Corvettes, or VW Trends for Volkswagens. Check these brand-specific magazines first for the most applicable advice on the type of car you have.
- Don’t hesitate to be in touch with other people who share your passion for car restoration. Find out if any of your friends and neighbors have restored cars to see what you can learn from them. Or visit the blogs and forums recommended in this guide. On them, you can ask questions or post updates as your project unfolds, and then submit photos of your restored car.
Dulcinea's Picks
For overviews of the whole process …
DoItYourself.com
has a quick introduction to vintage car restoration, but you can certainly apply the advice here to any type of car. There are a number of useful tips on saving money, like inspecting the tires before you buy. You’ll also find recommended considerations to make before deciding which type of car to purchase.
Enjoythedrive.com
has information on improving and customizing vehicles. This concise section focuses on restoring cars and dispenses some valuable knowledge. Take a look at the “Glossary Terms” on the right side of the page for definitions of words like “repro” and “restomod.”
Auto Restorer On-Line
has a project gallery where visitors can post pictures and recaps of restoration projects they've undertaken. The “Resto Talk Q&A” area is the place to ask questions and get advice.
Auto Restorer Magazine
offers wisdom and tips about restoring and maintaining vintage cars and trucks. Browse the message boards for free, or subscribe to contribute to forums and read a wealth of archived articles that can make your restoration process easier in the long run; subscription is about $20 a year.
For blogs …
Classical Drives
is a classic car blog with coverage of auctions, restorations, and automotive history. Scroll down to “Categories” to see the entries arranged by topics like “Alfa Romeo,” “Barn Finds,” and “Vintage Racing.” Be prepared to stumble on photos of some very cool cars.
Diseno-art.com
is devoted to “all interesting vehicles.” The author has restored a number of cars and takes you step by step through the process, from choosing a car to restore to setting up a proper work station, with tips and a list of tools and pictures. Be sure to revisit this site once your project is underway.
For articles …
Motor Trend
has this article from August 2006 in Q&A format about restoring a car. The article doesn’t go into a lot of detail but it does answer some common questions about car restoration. Read the helpful suggestions on choosing a good restoration shop, for example.
AutoWeek
just might make you second guess your desire to restore a car. The article, “Four Reasons NOT to Restore a Vintage Car,” points out that the process is not as glamorous as it may seem. The author argues that you won’t make a profit by selling the car in the end, you’ll probably exceed your estimated budget during the process, and you may not even complete the restoration at all. But if you’re not bothered by these caveats, and this truly is a “labor of love”—as car enthusiast Les Jackson says—then you know you’re ready to begin.
Who knew?
Pimp My Ride
is a show on MTV in which regular people surrender their broken-down cars for a glamorous transformation. If you are into car restoration, you might enjoy this show. Traditionalists won’t enjoy seeing gold-plated rims, high-tech sound systems, video games, and even fish tanks installed in some of these remade vehicles, but others will be amazed (and maybe even get some ideas).
Car Restoration Instructions and Tips
So you’ve decided you want to restore a car. What do you do now? The sites below will hold ... read more »
Find Auto Restoration Parts
If you are looking to restore your car it may be difficult to find the part you lack, particularly ... read more »
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