#2 A Little Before And After. Paid $1000 For A '72 Ghia That Had Been Sitting In Yard 5 Years Under A Tree. High-Speed Wool Pad And Polishing/Cutting Compound
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.
#4 I Found A Rusty Morgunovka (SeAZ S-3A From 1960) In My Neighbor’s Garage, Installed A CVT And Made A "Candy" Out Of It
#5 This 1970 Chevelle Went Through A Full Restoration Process To Get Its Glory Back
#6 My First DIY Post, But I Restored A 1969 Mustang In High School And I'm Very Proud Of How She Turned Out
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.
#7 A Friend’s Aunt Gifted Me Her Deceased Father's Car. "If You Think You Can Get It Running, You Can Have It"
#8 The Original Car My Grandpa Purchased At 16 Years Old: A '31 Chevy 5-Window Coupe That Was Restored By Him And My Dad
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.
#10 Here’s My Father And His Before And After Pics Of His ‘65 Bus Restoration Project. He’s Very Proud Of It And He Spent 4x Of My College Degree To Make It What It Is Today
#11 1969 Karmann Ghia Before And After - Restored And Converted To Electric
#12 Before, During, And After The 6-Year Restoration And Customization Of My 1967 Beetle
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.
#14 Just Over Two Years Ago I Started My First Major Project, A Non-Running 1967 Triumph TR4A. Here's A Before And After
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.
#17 I Can’t Draw But I Consider This My Art. Restored A Classic Stingray In My Garage
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.
