Vintage Car Restoration - By: Dan Farrell

Classic car restoration is a huge project, but if it's tackled
in the right way it can also be a lot of fun, especially if you
do it with your family and make a family pleasurable time out of
it. Classic cars are meant to be one thing, and that is
pleasurable, if it's not fun for you, then you might want do
yourself a favor and sell it.

Shop Preparation

The first step during a classic car restoration is to get your
shop ready for the task at hand. You will need a camera, a place
for the parts, and a labeling system. It is better to take
pictures of the parts as you take them off so you know where
they were came from and where the new parts should be placed.
When taking the parts of the vehicle you will need to put them
in a neat manner so you can locate them again if you need them.
Cartons come in handy at this stage. Sorting the parts is a
great way of keeping track of where they go, what they do, and
what the parts are labeled just in case buy a newer part. Never
throw away the parts until the car is finished as you might need
them again at some point.

Tear Down

The 2nd step to classic car restoration is to tear down the car
in sections. Start at one end and work your way down the car
until you reach the end. This process will take quite a bit of
time as you will need to take pictures on a continuous basis.
The pictures will be what the car looked like before the part
was taken out and then after the part was removed.

Inventory

In the next step you will determine what parts can be reused and
what parts will need to be replaced. This is the best time to
finalize your budget for your classic car restoration task. This
is a lot easier than it sounds. Sort your parts into two
categories: Repair and Replace. Go through the replace box and
mark down every part in it on list under the replace column. Now
do the same thing for the repair parts and place them on your
list under the repair column. By now have a view of what you
need and what you don't need to buy. This part of the classic
car restoration process might seem monotonous but it very well
could return a profit in the end.

Cleaning Process

Once all the parts are removed you can begin to strip your car
down to bare metal. There are several methods to get your car in
this state, including sand blasting, glass beading, garnet
blasting, and sodium bicarbonate blasting. The better way is
known as acid dipping but you will need to see if it's offered
in your area. This type of stripping doesn't leave sand in every
cranny of your car like sand blasting. Acid dipping removes a
lot of foreign substances, such as paint and rust.

Evaluation

During the evaluation period, you will calculate what needs to
be accomplished. Most classic cars will need the floorboards and
the trunk floors, including trunk extensions that attach to the
trunk floors removed or repaired, and in many situations there
will also be holes and dents. Now take a sharpie marker and
identify all the areas that should to be replaced or repaired.
This process will find out if your car is a beauty or if it is a
pile of metal when completed. Take your time to make certain you
have found all the problem areas. Once the car is painted you
can not go back.

Body Work and Final Prime Coat

Begin with the hardest job of removing the dents out and filling
the rust spots. Once this is done you can move on to the easier
tasks. Once your classic car is finished to 36 or 40 grit paper,
it is time to paint the final body coat until it is just above
level. Before completely dry you will take 80 grit paper to
along these problem areas. Once this is complete you can glaze
the car. After glazing has dried the initial coat of primer can
be applied. The priming process will tell you how even your
vintage car looks as finished product so it is important to do
it correct the first time around.

Prep and Sand

Now you will need to prepare the car for paint and sealer once
the dust has been removed from the car. Even though it is an
extra step, it is better to seal the car at this point. Begin
with 220 grit wet sandpaper to even the surface of the primer.
Apply 320 grit wet paper will assist to achieve that dull shine
that you want to complete before moving on. Applying 600 grit
wet paper will help you achieve that hazy mirror effect. Your
prep work is now complete and you can apply the sealer.

Now that your classic car restoration is complete you can cruise
around to show off all your hard work and have a wonderful sense
of accomplishment.

Classic car restoration is a huge project, but if it's tackled
in the right way it can also be a lot of fun, especially if you
do it with your family and make a family pleasurable time out of
it. Classic cars are meant to be one thing, and that is
pleasurable, if it's not fun for you, then you might want do
yourself a favor and sell it.

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Classic Car Restoration, go to: href="http://www.gifts-for-men.com/carrestoration ">Car
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