Hot Rod Restoration: Level of Commitment

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Joel Jones. I own Jonesy's, Inc., a company that specializes in auto restoration and customization. So, now I'm going to teach you how to determine quickly the level of commitment your vehicle is going to require if you decide to do a restoration. This is a 1956 Willys Wagon. The previous owner purchased it with every intention of restoring it back to its original state. So, he went out, he bought it, he took it back to his garage, he started tearing it in in a whirlwind weekend. And all of a sudden, he realized he had completely bitten off way more than he could chew, and so now what; now what does he do. Well, we're going to use this as a learning experience, to show you kind of the things that you definitely need to look out for; the big gotchas that are hidden in every single restoration project. Obviously, one of the biggest ones that people have a hard time doing is rust repair. Rust, rust rust, it's a four-letter word that plagues this industry, and unfortunately, this vehicle has a lot of rust. It's not the worst thing about it, but it is definitely one of the biggest problems. Some of the telltale signs that rust is being covered up can always be found on floor pans. This floor pan has been repaired pretty poorly. Somebody took a galvanized piece of sheet metal, and just riveted it down to the floor, and then sealed it up with some Home Depot caulking. Terrible, terrible re repair, but you can't see it if it's underneath carpet. So, you've really got to get those coveralls on; climb underneath of em', stab everything you can with a screwdriver to determine how much rust is really in there, because that is the biggest detriment to first time restorers actually having success with their restoration. The other thing you need to keep in mind is you just have to get a feel for the vehicle. This has duct tape holding switches to shifters. It's got wiring coming hanging down all over the place, and it's it's it's just kind of a mess. That's not to say that this restoration or this project is terrible. It just means that it might require way more than what your facility, your budget, your time commitment is going to be able to allow. This actually; this vehicle actually has a lot of really, really good, very valuable parts, and in terms of parting it out and mixing and matching pieces from this to another project, it might be the best way to go. So if the price is right and you can buy this vehicle, and you know what parts are good and what parts are bad ahead of time, then you're going to be a step ahead of about ninety percent of everybody else. For instance, this vehicle has a very rare electric overdrive unit, and it's the first year of a six-cylinder engine in it, so those two items right there are worth more than what the previous owner paid for the entire vehicle. So keeping that it mind, you may just have to pound the pavement, hit e-Bay and wait, join a couple car clubs. Then try and find a restoration project that fits what you're capable of, and what you need to do."