For car enthusiasts, a dream car doesn’t only mean those latest and coolest models out in the market today. As a matter of fact, more often than not, dream cars are usually those vintage cars that were the latest rage back in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s; sometimes even older.
Part of the adrenalin rush of acquiring that dream vintage car is restoring it to its former glory, or at least very close to it. Classic car restoration does require a bit of hard work but once you’re done, the exhilaration and satisfaction are incomparable to anything else.
Basic Steps for Classic Car Restoration
There are two parts that you basically have to check and work on to restore your classic car to its former glory: the interiors of the car and the exteriors.
Interiors
The interiors of your car include checking the seats and their upholstery, the dashboard, flooring or carpeting and also the steering wheel.
1. Seats. You only have to make sure that the upholstery is still in good condition where simple vacuuming and cleaning will do. On the other hand, if you do need to replace the upholstery you can visit classic car restoration shops that provide similar upholstery.
Otherwise, you may need to have your seat covers and upholstery custom-made to make them look like the original.
2. Dashboard. Here, you have to check that all the gauges are working properly. If you need to replace any one of these, you may check car restoration services that work on classic and vintage cars to see if they still have the parts that you need.
You may also install new ones that are not the original version. You just have to make sure that they are compatible with your classic car.
3. Flooring or carpeting. Sometimes, flooring and carpeting that come with your car are still in good condition. If you do need to replace these, you may also check with car restoration services for these or you may simply use completely different ones that are as close to the original as possible.
4. Steering wheel. The only thing that you really need to check here is that this is working properly. Again, check with suppliers of classic car parts to see if they carry the steering wheel that you need. Sometime, junkshops have these parts so you may want to check them out as well.
Exteriors
Exteriors of your classic car mean the paint job, traces of rust, door handles, windshield including wipers, side mirrors, bumpers, hood and your lights.
1. Paint job. Usually, you will need to apply a fresh coat of paint to make your car looking brand new again. You can do this yourself or you may want to ask the help of professional restorers so they can take each part down and completely remove the old paint before re-painting the body.
2. Rust. Sometimes rust can be taken out through sandblasting other times, you may need to replace the entire body part such as the hood or fender where rust has taken over. Other times, you may cut out the rusted part and put in new metal sheets.
3. Door handles, windshield and wipers, lights. Classic car restorers usually have door handles for almost all types of classic cars so you can check with them if they have what you’re looking for. You may also check out junkyards for old parts.
Windshields and lights can also be replaced although for the most part, windshields in classic cars are almost always still in good condition.
