How To Install Urethane Swaybar Bushings

Restification and Restomod are a couple of popular terms flying around the restoration industry for the past couple of years. These custom word contractions come from melding the terms restoration and modification together. And while they seem to be oxymorons in terms of language, in practice they fit together quite well.

Restomod
Restomod (my favorite of the two) really got its start from the musclecar restorers. Some purists believe every vehicle should be restored to "exact-as-delivered from the factory" condition (not better, not worse). And there are those who believe that vehicles should also reflect the period-correct modifications that were made to these cars such as exhaust headers, shifters, traction bars and custom wheels.


Restomod takes this concept a step further. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since the '60s and '70s heydays of musclecars, so why not take advantage of this technology to make these cars more reliable and fun to drive, as long as it doesn't permanently alter the vehicle or detract from its potential value?


The concept of Restomod doesn't need to be limited to musclecars. Real early iron such as Model Ts and the cars of the '40s and '50s can benefit from a little massaging here and there (upgrading to 12-volt charging systems is a perfect example). I personally love the character of vintage vehicles, but I enjoy them more when they operate and drive better. I also derive a lot of satisfaction knowing that each of my vehicles has my personal touch applied to it.

The Whole Jalopy
How far you go is up to you. I'm in the process of "restomodding" a '69 Buick GS convertible and I plan on going all the way. Buicks were overlooked during the musclecar era by many horsepower junkies because of their stodgy image and the increased price and weight of the luxury items they came with. However, the Buick was one of the quickest and fastest cars available with '70 GS 455 Stage I cars humiliating a 426 Hemi Mopar on more than one occasion.