The summer is nearly upon us which means that many Midget, Austin and Triumph fanatics pull off the covers and polish up their cars and give them a run out with their fellow enthusiasts. But for many there is a desire to join these clubs with a prized car, but are stalling at the restoration phase.
The most effective place to start a restoration project is with excellent organising and planning, as well as a financial background to keep the project running smoothly. Restoring a car can be expensive with unforeseen expenses having to be paid for throughout the project, so setting a budget and sticking to this is good in theory but sometimes hard to keep to.
List the essential items for every single job and evaluate which repairs you may reasonably do yourself and those where you will require a mechanic to do the work on your behalf as you do not have the knowledge, tools or facilities to do the work. Having somewhere to carry out the work is also crucial, a garage is obviously the most desirable place but sometimes this is not possible, so alternative solutions have to be sourced. For work that can be outside, a pop up gazebo could provide adequate temporary shelter but something more substantial may be required.
Somewhere to record the restoration project can sometimes be helpful. There are a number of computer programs that can assist with this, the benefit being that not only can you see what work is still to be completed, but it provides a basis to keep track of expenditures. In addition, somewhere to store before and after photographs and videos can provide a sense of achievement when the project is completed. Documenting the work that is done and posting these onto a personal website or forum can help others who are trying to tackle the same project as well as sharing information which can assist your project.
When you begin work it may be an idea to photograph or write down how the parts were disassembled, this means that there is a reference should anything go wrong. At this stage you will be ready for sourcing and buying parts, this can be an issue for more obscure makes and models but search the internet and you may come up trumps, one website to consult on a regular basis is OldClassicCar.co.uk. When the parts are ready for fitting, clean and degrease all of the elements to improve their productivity as well as making the end product look more desirable.
The interior of the vehicle can be one of the most expensive tasks during the restoration, but for authenticity purposes try and stay true to what there is before and if repairing isn’t an option because of wear and tear try and buy like for like. When the mechanics and interior are finalised the project is nearly complete with one more phase to finish… The exterior.
The paint work is what people see and obviously with so much pride about the vehicle you will want to get the best job done on it. Therefore source quality car painters who will do a fantastic job and this is probably one area that you will not want to scrimp and save on. Search the internet for products that can then help maintain this finish so that when the project is complete you can take time to erect your gazebo and spend the day polishing and buffering your restored prize possession.
