. I can’t say it enough you need to evaluate your skill level and buy a classic car that fits in your skill set to restore. The last thing that you need to to bury yourself in a project that you can’t complete.
A car restoration project is supposed to be fun and challenging. It’s supposed to give you a feeling of accomplishment rather then defeat at the end. I’d suggest that you make a list of your automotive skills and give each one a rank between 1 and 10.
Be truthful with yourself because this is what will help you determine what car you will buy. Remember this is not rocket science it’s just common sense. Yes you will spend more money if the car is in better condition but it’s better to spend the money at the first an get a car that you can finish.
Below I will give a list of the skills to evaluate.
- Body & Paint skills, due to rust this is often the hardest part of the process. Make sure the you have skills in rust repair before you do it. If not you need to plan your budget to farm that out.
- Mechanical Repair: You also need to be versed in all forms of mechanical repair. This includes engine, transmission, drive train, brake systems, and suspension.
- Be very well versed in electrical diagnosis and repair.
- Know if you can do interior repair.
If your weigh the purchase of the car against your skills it will save you time and money in the end. Yes get a car that challenges your knowledge, but not something that you can’t finish.
If you take your time figuring these things out you should be well ahead of the game in getting your car restored. The objective here is to have fun, and build a top notch car. This can only be done if you pay attention to every detail of the process.
Even professional restoration shops hire people that specialize in these areas so they know that they have it all covered in a professional way. It’s a matter of fact that no one person knows everything about cars well enough to do it all their self.
The point that I’m making here is that you should not be disillusioned or disappointed if you don’t know a certain process. All you have to do is take the car to the people who do know that process and let them do the work for you.
Conclusion: Plan your restoration project for ever event that could happen. Have fun restoring your your car, and don’t get caught up behind the things that you don’t know how to do. But above all enjoy the restoration of your car, and good luck.
