How to Restore a Muscle Car

When you think of a Camaro, Mustang, Trans Am or Corvette, the term muscle car immediately comes to mind. These often "souped up" vehicles have been popular for decades and still evoke a sense of male pride, so restoring one of these classic metal machines is a challenge many are willing to undertake.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

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

1. Subscribe to magazines that offer information you'll need during the project like "Hemmings Muscle Car," which has information about cars for sale and places to find parts, tools and other supplies. The "All You Can Read" website also has a list of the top 20 car magazines on the market.

2. Locate a clean place with electricity for power tools and lighting to restore your muscle car. Make sure it's large enough to house the vehicle and parts and still leaves enough room to work in. Place a large, plastic tarp on the floor to help keep from loosing small parts when you start disassembling the car, and set up shelves with bins that you can label and place parts in as they are taken off the car to further aid in keeping track of parts.

3. Start disassembling the car by unbolting the outer components, including the wheels, doors, bumpers, hood, trunk lid, front and rear lights, grill, front and rear, 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. Remove the larger components such as the engine, transmission, driveshaft, axles, springs, radiator and sub-frames with larger tools, which may include a hoist to lift the engine and transmission.

4. Detach the various pieces of the interior, like the seats, console, carpets and any trim pieces after you've finished with the removable outer pieces. Once the interior has been removed, you can cut out any exterior body pieces that will have to be replaced, such as front or rear fenders and quarter panels.

5. Rebuild your muscle car by starting with the outer body work, which may include using a MIG welder to repair holes or replace whole sections in areas such as the trunk and floorboards that are rusted out. Once the body is patched, you can re-hang the other restored outer pieces, including 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.

6. Install the new or rebuilt transmission, axles, engine, driveshaft, radiator, wheels and other engine components like the alternator, carburettor and starter. Again, you may need the assistance of an engine hoist to restore some of these larger pieces back onto your muscle car.

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

8. Finish up the exterior of the car by rewiring all of the headlights and taillights and reattaching the front and rear bumpers. You may also need to replace broken or cracked windows, including the windshield, which may also require re-chroming the outer trim on each of these.

9. Complete the restoration of your muscle car by finishing the interior, installing your re-upholstered seats and replacing any carpet, trim pieces, consoles and door panels. These interior pieces, especially the type of seats and trim, will vary depending on what make, model and year of the muscle car you are restoring.

Tips & Warnings

• When looking for a muscle 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 is a lot more complicated. Newer models or those kept inside or otherwise protected from the elements may have less rust.
• If you aren't going for a completely authentic restoration, you will find there are ways to "upgrade" your muscle car and make it even better than the original. This is especially true with engine components.
• Be sure to try to salvage as much of the trim pieces as possible, as these are sometimes the most difficult pieces to replace on some classic muscle cars.
• Because of their continuing popularity, finding genuine parts for muscle cars is challenging, but not always impossible. However, some makes and models may be more difficult than others and you must be willing to compromise by using a part that's not so authentic.