How to Restore an Antique Car

For antique car enthusiasts there can be no greater satisfaction than bringing a dead car back to life and restoring it to all its former beauty. Although this can be a long, tedious and costly venture, the pride gained when you restore an antique car is priceless.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large enclosed work area
• Access to electricity
• Magazines on antique cars and parts
• Replacement parts
• Full range of automotive tools
• Automotive knowledge
• Large tarp
• Large air compressor
• An auto lift (handy, not required)
• Engine hoist
• MIG welder
• Re-upholstery kit

Getting Ready

1. Subscribe to magazines that offer information you'll need throughout the project. Magazines like "Hemmings Motor News" and "Hemmings Classic Car" have information about cars for sale and places to find parts, tools and other supplies you might need. Magazines like "Popular Mechanics" offer information about car innovations and tips on completing specific projects.

2. Locate a place to work on your antique car that is not only large enough to house the vehicle and all the parts needed for the project, but also gives you plenty of space to work in. You will need a clean facility with electricity for power tools and lighting.

3. Place a large, plastic tarp on the floor of the shop where you are working. This will help keep you from loosing small parts when you start disassembling the car.

4. Set up shelves, preferably with bins you can label and place parts in as they are taken off the car. This will alleviate frustration when you start putting the car back together, because everything will be easy to find.

Taking the Car Apart

5. Unbolt parts on the outside of the car, including the wheels, doors, front and rear bumpers, hood, trunk lid, front and rear lights, grill and all other small parts. You can do most of this work primarily with standard hand tools and some oil to help loosen stubborn parts.

6. Remove the larger, inner components including the engine, transmission, driveshaft, axles, springs, radiator and sub-frames. You may need larger tools to remove some of these items including a hoist to lift the engine and transmission.

7. Detach the various pieces of the interior, like the seats, console, carpets (if any) and any trim pieces. Be sure to try to salvage as much of the trim pieces as possible, as these are sometimes very difficult to replace.

8. Cut out any exterior body pieces that will have to be replaced, such as front or rear fenders and quarter panels.

Rebuilding the Car

9. Rebuild the body. This may include doing some welding in areas that are rusted out to fix holes or replace whole sections in areas such as the trunk and floorboards.

10. Re-hang the restored outer pieces, such as the doors, fenders and trunk lid. These pieces may be replaced if they aren't salvageable or welded back together using new pieces of metal similar to the areas on the body that were rust-damaged.

11. Install the new or rebuilt transmission, axles, engine, driveshaft, radiator, wheels and other engine components. Again, you may need the assistance of an engine hoist to get some of these larger pieces back on the antique car.

12. Repaint the outside of the car by sanding, priming and then painting it a classic color. You can do this yourself with the right equipment or take your antique car to an auto body shop to have it done.

13. Rewire all of the headlights and taillights and reattach the front and rear bumpers.

14. Replace any broken or cracked windows, including the windshield.

15. Finish up by completing the interior, installing your re-upholstered seats and replacing any carpet, trim pieces, consoles and door panels that may have been included on your antique car. These interior pieces will vary depending on what make, model and year of the antique car you are restoring.

Tips & Warnings

• Although older cars are easier to work on than newer vehicles that are full of computer components, you will still need a fair amount of automotive knowledge. Depending on the model of antique car you are restoring, it may not contain nearly as many components as newer cars.
• When looking for an antique car to restore, lean towards those with the least amount of rust damage to the body. It's not too difficult to figure out how to replace a fender or two, but replacing large portions of the body becomes a lot more complicated.
• Inexpensive re-upholstery kits and replacement foam for seats and sometimes door panels are available from a variety of companies, and there are also companies that offer custom upholstery work, if you're willing to pay the price.
• Because you are dealing with an antique car, it might not be possible to find all authentic parts. Odds are the original manufacturer no longer makes the parts you may need, so you will be relying on salvage yards, classic car part dealers and individuals selling parts they no longer need. Be prepared to compromise, if you can't find a genuine part.