Hot Rods What do you look for in a quality restoration?

What do you look for in a quality restoration?

 

Who "restores" we build hot rods and custom cars.

\A "restored car" is stone ass stock with no mods and exactly as it would have sat on the dealer's showroom floor with maybe proper and correct accessories that were available the day it was new and those are usually shiny.

 

Quality restored cars still retain factory imperfections

 

The Devil is in the details

 

I look for half assed restorations, they're usually a lot cheaper to buy, then I hot rod them

 

Could be he mean restoring a hot rod or custom with history? Needs some context.

 

yeah, that's about as vague a question as you can ask. Sort of like "how long is a piece of string"

 

I see how the question is vague. I'm a newbie at paint. What does one look for in a high quality paint work? Paint can bubble, fish eyes... Will a high quality paint job have some fish eyes? What do you use to identify high quality paint work? I'm not sure what the standard is.

 

Is anyone else sitting here scratching their head & looking at the screen like me?

 

No. I’m at a house party listening to a drunk karaoke

 

IMHO, I look for and expect quality work if it's a restoration or a hot rod, I have never had to use a shop that does restorations but having had a accident in the wagon and recent health problems I am looking for a shop that does work that is as good if not a lot better than what I originally did.

I visited a few shops around my area that were highly recommended, I found one shop that gladly gave me the grand tour and I got to talk with two customers, these kind of shops are generally backed up for several months. HRP

 

Quality paint should not have any fish eyes. Go to a car show and look at the high dollar cars displayed inside. You will know high quality paint when you see it. There are varying degrees of quality based on skill, man hours, and budget. Quality paint can be subjective. One mans art is another mans junk.

If you're buying a car you can ask for receipt's that document the materials used. That can also be very subjective. The best materials in the hands of less skilled body men or painters may not result in a quality finish yet people with skills and experience can get amazing results with middle of the road materials. The body work is where it's at. Paint is mainly a reflection of what is underneath but still needs to be applied properly and according to the paint vendors data sheets.

One look down the side of the car in reflective light will reveal flaws in the body work. Even if everything looks perfect if mechanical and/or chemical adhesion were not achieved the paint wont be long for this world. Hopefully this give you some food for thought.

 

That's more entertaining than this is. I'm jealous

 

Not for me. Been on the HAMB the whole time while there. Home now.

 

Wiring, always shows a bad restoration. Splices, bad crimps, wires draped across with no clips, no cable protection.

 

Go look at some new cars, see how the paint looks....it's smooth, consistent, no imperfections showing. A really high quality restoration paint job will look the same. You won't see any fisheyes, scratches, low spots, bumps, orange peel, color differences between panels, etc.

Usually there is a high $$$ cost associated with top quality paint. So a lot of restored cars just don't have it.

 

Simple answer: Everything.

OTOH & IMO, “Restoration” or more specifically “Complete/Full restoration” is and has always been THE most commonly misinterpreted/-understood concept associated with old (i.e. used) cars.
Just look up its definition in dictionary and think how many you’ve ever seen to qualify.

Also, there’s usually a huge difference between “Restoration quality” & “Show quality” paint job, but like with above reference, majority of people, including most old car enthusiasts, painters or even concours/show judges couldn’t tell the difference if their lives depended on it.

 

If I am buying someone else’s work and they expect me to pay full nut for their paint and body work, they better have pics of the car in bare metal. And then at each stage of work. No way I’m paying up for a cherry paint job only to have it fall off when the bucket of bondo that’s slathered on under it falls off.
To my point: Heard a horrible story about a poor slob that bought a rare mopar ‘bird’ at Barrett only to have the side of it fall off when unloading it from the trailer (in a cold climate). Heartbreaking!

 

RECEIPTS

 

paint in door jambs/hinge areas , paint under rockers ,, and wiring under dash .
will tell you if they cared about paint and if its cobbled together right off
fabricator john
miss you dad

 

Make use a magnet can stick everywhere!

 

Hello,

Semantics comes into play. A restored or stock Model A Coupe with pristine lines, fit and appearance is what all of us want to start with for our hot rod projects. If that is the case, then the running motor upgrade, transmission, suspension and rear end fit, is the biggest remodel of the coupe. The body is pristine as is and so, it is off to the side when the other things come into play.

A complete rolling chassis with suspension and mounts makes putting together a nice hot rod with just a few steps away. But, the chassis is an upgrade to the old chassis, even though it is stock.

So, now, one has a pristine body and a new suspension chassis and driveline for power and reliability for modern day traffic and road trips.

Jnaki

When we started, my brother had some money from his job. But, we did have enough to buy a pristine Model A Coupe. It was all in one piece, the body was worn, but straight and it was a “normal” backyard find. It cleaned up well and if it had a nice shiny paint, would have looked like the first stock Model A photo. We got it to run and drove a nice clean Model A Coupe around the block with the chugging 4 cylinder motor. That was fun.

So, that is a low end version of finding a fairly good condition Model A and start the hot rod pathway.

If we had more money, there were several pristine Model A Coupes for sale, as there are all of the time. One has a “restored” Model A Coupe and wants to move on to the next project, so, it becomes available.

There are a lot of Model A Coupes in all sorts of condition. If one types in stock Model A Coupe for sale, now there are pristine versions 17k to 24k. So, that is a good starting point to not having to do body work, matching numbers and straight lines. All that is needed is a nice rolling chassis for more compatible hot rod power and handing of current traffic/road trip conditions...YRMV

 

Well, who knew I'd chime in? Standard? The absolute best you can do (you being anyone). Like a dart game with names vs numbers, pick the wedge and put your dart there. "Authentic" might be it. That means you follow the OEM std. If that standard is not wet sand and buff to car show level then you have to surface after like you were going to polish, then instead spray a nearly perfect 1 or 2 coats with no dirt, runs or excessive texture (orange peel) and try to achieve an OEM look. In some cases wet sand and polish is OEM. Every heavy American Classic I've ever done was polished when new. And in fact so were many Ford products thru most of the 30s and Lincoln/Continentals until 1971. If you're doing a Mopar it was painted as an assembly. That means you have to hang doors, fenders, hood and deck. When you paint you won't be able to get everything. It'll be a bit light by the door hinges, overspray on the underside of the floor vs rotisserie painted, and it's usually over red oxide sealer so what does get missed shows thru that way.

Restoration IS what we do here but not many like to get up and speak of it at our sessions. We restore old speed parts, old engines, old accessories, we don't Katskin our interiors we choose period vinyls and cloths. We don't run digital gauges, we find old or restored stuff. We don't do engine covers outta plastic or metal, we wanna see that noisy bastard. But make no mistake, we touch almost everything. The standard? Best of the bunch. We don't really like modern wires but not everyone coughs up 2 bucks a foot for all cloth wire and spends weeks making a custom harness. Oh fuck yeah, some do. Some of us are happy to run those said newer wires in lacquered loom vs that (EEWWW!) disgusting convolute plastic. Best of both but at a price most are happy about. So we're not Redline HEMI here, we're more Red Ram. If you see overhead cams they're Offy or Ford SOHC. Fuel injection? Yeah maybe Hilborn, not Accell or Edelbrock electronic. What have I mentioned that DOESN'T need restoration? Well, other than the new shit we don't use.

You make a dart board, put selections in place of numbers, throw the dart. If your board says the dreaded rodent rod you're disqualified if the dart lands there. In a final twist im NOT doing a restoration on my 39 std despite a lifetime of just that. However I have indeed restored a lot of it. Seats, moldings in woodgrain, engine details, but the body and paint are OG and will stay that way. Yes I will indeed repair and blend a ½ dozen spots here and there. I look fwd to haters saying it's not OG because I fixed a thing or 2. Fuck off. What's your original paint car look like? Thats what I thought. My dart landed on "save it."

Next week, be sure to tune in for a new episode of diesel talk. We explore what parts work where, as in "Hey, diesel fit."

 

When doing a restoration, removing the body from the frame (if it has one) can be a big concern
getting the fender, door, hood and body lined up properly can be an issue

does the door open and close properly and are the gaps set.

model A rads and hood can be a nightmare

 

Restored for mass produced rides means it still has misaligned panels with inconsistent gaps. Decent paint with hit and miss gloss/overspray underneath and in the jambs.

 

If you want to get an idea of the quality of any build, one of the first things to do is ask who built the vehicle, or if it is the culmination of several shops over years.........then research those shops on line for their reputation. However, just because someone built it themselves doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't done well or at least pretty well.

Don't just look at the shiny and straight paint. Get a magnet and put it inside a rag within a plastic bag and move it around in the areas that likely would have rusted. That gives you an idea if there is thick layers of bondo under the paint.

Look at the detailing under the hood for being neatly done, and check the inside of the trunk for any cover up of rust . Look at the exposed wiring to see if its been upgraded to new stuff.

Last, look under the car...get it on a rack if possible. In other words, look at everything other than the paint to see what kind of work was done on the car. What you get will also reflect the price you need to pay. If you are looking for a stock restoration instead of a restoration of a recognized modified rod/custom, then expect the factory level of flaws to exist in the build.

 

A high quality paint job won't have; fish eyes, dry spray, orange peel, sanding scratches, etc, etc. How high of quality you can afford is another matter. Fish eyes are a no go even on the lowest cost jobs though.

Also IMO, you really see how good paint is when you have the car on the rack and the rockers at eyeball level. A lot of guys have a hard time getting good coverage down low, and the cut and buff work starts getting lazy below knee level.

 

Most 53 Vettes restored today are worked over really well, good gaps, smooth finishes, etc. They weren't when new. You could see unfinished 'glass fibers in the trunk and the paint finish would show some of the glass a little too. It was shiney but had a 'glass texture here n there. Doors were not aligned well, hood fit was sketchy at best. I'm fortunate to have one here that's really authentic. Done in lacquer long ago which made it really easy to blend and is probably the reason the fiber look came back like it would have in 53. A fresh one is done to today's high standards with superior material, but I must say I can really feel the vibe as get things done on it. This car has the ability to go Duntov Award for a modest investment vs a full blown restoration. Most give up the 20 or so points and have slick finishes and perfect gaps. Personal choice at play I'd be in the line that likes this. Also fortunate to see an unmolested running and driving 53 with all original paint. It's cracked here n there, still looks good far away, the OG texture is supremely evident. Even the most hardcore hot rod hoodlums would appreciate such a thing. Pics later, or some day.

 

Friend didn’t receive a Bloomington gold for his vette because it was over restored.
It was missing flaws.
He had to correct the missing flaws by putting them back.
A other guy I knew liked to restore 1st gen Camaros. Had a book that detailed every factory flaw. From bad panel fittment to crappy painted areas.

 

I think it is possible to over restore a vehicle. I care more about durability however. All this work and I don't want to have paint this again due to failure. That could be not properly preparing for paint. No weld thru primer. It is difficult to see this work unless pictures were taken as the work was performed. So I'm taking alot of pictures.