Automedia.com - Restoration - Classic Talk Articles

Bolt Torque

Torque specifications frequent shop manuals. That’s a given. Today, you’ll sometimes find stretch measurements for certain fasteners along with torque angle figures but, generally speaking, “bolt torque” is still king. In many cases, the use of a torque wrench is the only way possible to measure the tension that is brought to bear on a fastener...

"Time Machine" Hemi Dart

Longtime fans of musclecars fondly recall the heyday of Mr. Norm, the "King of Hi Performance." Norm Kraus, along with his brother and father, started Grand Spaulding Dodge in 1963 at the corner of Grand and Spaulding in the heart of Chicago. After years of specializing in selling used performance cars at this location, Norm believed that selling new performance cars could be the foundation for a successful dealership. Industry naysayers said that a new car dealership using this business model would never succeed...

1969 Camaro Z/28 Identification

The Chevrolet Z/28 is genuinely a legend in its own time. Conceived by Chevrolet engineer Vince Piggins, the car was Chevy's entry into the new Trans-Am racing series in the mid-Sixties. Battling against the Mustang Boss 302, Mercury Cougar, AMX and other muscle cars, it won the Trans-Am Championship in 1969. Today, the street versions are highly prized by Camaro collectors and restorers. But there is a caveat—the really valuable examples must be numbers-matching and factory-stock...

Anatomy of the Musclecar

Editor's Note: Co-creator of the Pontiac GTO and several other Pontiac specialty cars, Jim Wangers, also known as the "Godfather of the GTO," helped establish the "musclecar" of the Sixties to its rightful niche in the history of American car marketing. As Pontiac's marketing man, Wangers was there, helping to steer Pontiac down the road of success during American musclecar glory days of the '60s and '70s...

Automotive Diagnostic Tool Tips

Your engine is like your body: it usually tells you when something is going wrong. We get aches and pains; your engine starts making funny noises. Squeaking, grinding, pinging, chirping and the dreaded knocking are all telltale signs of trouble. Finding the source of the noise is sometimes very difficult under the hood with the engine running. There are so many different simultaneous mechanical sounds that isolating the problem with just your hearing is virtually impossible. So, let's play doctor and get a stethoscope...

Blast Cabinet Parts Cleaning

One of the most daunting tasks with any restoration is cleaning parts. Grease, grime, rust and corrosion have taken over your car. Now it's time to reclaim it, making it look showroom fresh again. The best way to do that is by blasting components clean in an abrasive blasting cabinet. There are other options such as chemical dipping and stripping and the old wire wheel and brush method, but nothing seems to prepare a vehicle's various surfaces for refinishing as well as abrasive blasting. And with the price of home workshop blast cabinets and larger compressors becoming more affordable, many restorers either have the equipment or know someone who does...

Build a New Garage

The person who coined the phrase "he who dies with the most toys wins" must have owned a gigantic garage. Anyone with a passion for collecting automobiles might very well believe that. In many cases, the need for multiple cars also attracts the various automotive accoutrements that help define a personality and prove vital to the hobby, or sport, of collecting. This further confirms (to all who share this fervor) that there is never enough storage space...

Building Custom Car Parts

The befuddled counter guy has been looking at the computer for about 10 minutes now. Finally he looks up from his monitor and says, "Sorry, I don't even have a listing for a '69 BMW 1600, much less have a master cylinder." This incident happened to me at a mere 17 years old, while trying to work on my first car. Unfortunately, it would turn out to be one of many...

Buying a Classic Car Sight Unseen

Today, with our world becoming smaller and smaller, thanks to our ever increasingly sophisticated forms of communication, is it becoming any easier to buy a used car? In other words, with our ability to be in contact with virtually anyone, do we need to rely on the local dealership or newspaper classified when in search of that elusive vehicle—the one that must be just so?..

Buying a Hobby Car

The First Commandment of becoming a car restorer is deciding what car to restore. You must first love the vehicle or the project will be an exercise in frustration. Most people have a favorite make and model, possibly the first car they ever owned or one they always wanted but couldn't afford at the time. Before you begin your vehicle search, do your homework. Check the availability of reproduction or original parts such as exterior trim, interior seat-cover kits and engine and suspension replacement parts. The Internet is an excellent source for this research. Buying a car you can't find parts for is a major cause of project burnout. Carefully consider the vehicle, whether car or truck, and make sure you really want to emotionally and financially tackle the restoration. If you don't choose wisely and simply buy on a whim, the consequences can be costly...

Buying and Selling Older Cars

Buying a "normal" used production car isn't all that hard. When evaluating it, the checklist is pretty simple and straightforward. Check for overspray that would indicate a repainted repair job. Sight down the sides to make sure nothing has been bent. Listen to the engine for knocks or bearing whine. Do it all right and you can drive away in a car that will serve you well on the daily grind to work. For collectible older cars, however, ascertaining mechanical condition is just the first step in determining whether to purchase or not...

Carburetor Classics: The Hailed Holley 4150

Although Holley has churned out millions of carburetors to fit everything from the Ford Model T to DC-3 airliners, the one that became a hot rod legend and has been installed on untold numbers of resto projects is the Holley 4150. Knowing a bit about its design and construction is essential for anyone involved in the restoration hobby...

Carburetor Classics: The Humble SU

Ask many former owners of 1960s British sports cars about problem areas on their steeds, and they will likely digress into horror stories concerning the dreaded SU carburetors. In most cases though, they'd be wrong...

Carburetor Classics: The Notorious Stromberg 97

From the dawn of hot rodding to the present day, one carburetor has always been synonymous with traditional hot rods—the Stromberg Model 97. Although the Stromberg Company built millions of other carburetors from the 1930s to 1974, the Model 97 stood out as the carburetor that fed the hot rod movement...

Classic Car Evaluation - Purchase

"When did you get this—" you ask Buddy, your car buddy, while eyeing his glistening '58 Chevy in your driveway one Saturday morning...

Classic Car Restoration Management

That abandoned restoration job in your garage might just represent the classic "bad end to good intentions." It happens when the romantic in you buys a project car and then your inner manager falls down on the job. The cold, hard truth is that the ability to efficiently manage a restoration is just as important as the actual work you perform. Here's how to plan out your restoration so the job keeps flowing...

Classic Car Show Preparation

There are about as many types of shows as there are cars and trucks. Most shows are just for fun, a good excuse to drive around in your favorite ride and spend time with like-minded enthusiasts. However, many shows also involve some type of judging, which results in trophies for participants or the car clubs they belong to. Preparing your car for serious car shows can be as involved as getting ready for a race, but knowing what to expect is half the battle...

Classic Car Travel Preparation

Old cars are a delight to see in Museums, but for me the real fun involves taking one on a trip. It's always an adventure. You never know what's going to happen, and it can be a test of your perseverance and resourcefulness. A case in point involved my trip from Hamilton, Virginia, to York, Pennsylvania, in early June, in my 1934 Ford coupe. My goal was the National Street Rod Association's East Coast Nationals, which attracts me every year, along with about 5,000 other entrants and a huge crowd of spectators...

Compression Check-Up

At some point in the restoration process, the engine will come into question—to rebuild or not to rebuild. An engine rebuild is a lot of work, and to do it right costs a lot of money. You certainly don't want to do it if the engine is internally in good condition. That $3,000-$5,000 could go for a new paint job, new chrome or even some rare number-matching parts you may be missing. Answering the usual diagnostic questions such as "How many miles are on it? How much oil does it use? Is it down on power—" will help with the decision, but a simple 30-minute compression test can answer a lot of questions if you know what to look for...

Confirming a Matching Numbers Vehicle

For the purist musclecar collector or restorer, having a "matching numbers" vehicle is extremely important. A musclecar that still has all its original parts is more valuable than one that has been restored with reproduction parts. Originality is considered the basis for value, particularly when it comes to low production number vehicles such as the 1969 Trans Am or 1970 Buick GSX, both of which had less than 700 total units manufactured...

Converting to Electronic Ignition

Restoring, driving and maintaining older vehicles can be a lot of fun. Every car enthusiast has a favorite make or model that they would like to drive and restore, or possibly modify to personalize it. We're not talking about expensive classics—just special-interest vehicles. This current trend is being called "Restification" or "Restomod," and one of the most popular modifications is to convert the antiquated breaker-point distributor to a solid-state electronically triggered distributor. This easy conversion provides a solid boost in performance, eliminates breaker-point maintenance and greatly improves spark plug life while maintaining a stock appearance...

Custom Car Culture

Whether you call them Customs or Kustoms, these unique and unusual vehicles have carved out a colorful and fascinating niche in the hot rod arena since their roots in the 1940s. Today, they're more popular than ever, sculpted in a dizzying array of artistic and even eccentric designs. Whatever production car they started out as, most of them end up as low, long, and sleek shapes with "uninterrupted" lines...

Custom Car Part Fabrication Tools - Part 2

In our first installment on fabrication we discussed some of the reasons that a part might be fabricated. Some parts may no longer exist due to the rarity of the vehicle. In this instance a new part would need to be built or a similar part would have to be modified to work. In some circumstances, such as in the case of racing classic cars, the original parts might not bear up under the stresses that occur within the vehicle. The solution for this is to build a new part that is designed to be strong enough to survive when the going gets rough...

Engine Rebuilding: The Preparation

Rebuilding the engine in your restoration project is a big commitment of time, energy and money. It can also be one of the most satisfying parts of the restoration process. Nothing beats knowing that the engine has been put together right and will be dependable for another 100,000 miles...

Filler Finder

It's been said that rust never sleeps—unless it's completely removed—rust will continue to eat up good sheetmetal until it's no longer salvageable. Not surprisingly, some repair facilities fix rusted-out areas by simply patching the spot with body filler and paint. The same holds true for damage resulting from a collision. It's a lot quicker to use filler than to take the time to pull the panel and handwork the metal...

Five Pro Restoration Tips

For every problem there is a solution! Some are right and some are wrong, and the wrong ones usually cause havoc. Here are five simple hints on how to save time, money or, in some cases, your original parts. There is a method to restoration madness; hopefully these will keep you off Prozac and assist in accomplishing your resto goals...

Garage Lifts

If you're like many auto enthusiasts, you have more cars or, rather, you wish you owned more cars, than you have garages to house them. There simply isn't enough space, one laments. But, marvels of science and technology and the beauty of competition are readily available to solve the dilemma...

Great American Designers

Every mass-production car manufacturer has an army of stylists sculpting new models to match an image that hopefully will appeal to the public. There is simply too much that has to be designed for one person to pen the entire car by himself, so teams of stylists toil under the watchful eye of the head of the styling department...

Hot Rod Restoration Projects

Hot rodding may have started out as a Southern California fad, but it's now an international export. What was once perceived as an outlaw vice is now, more or less, socially acceptable—a mainstream lifestyle and big-buck business (more than $630 million in retail sales per year, according to some estimates). What once ran on the sun-baked alkaline clay of California's dry lakes is now found posing on the green, manicured lawn of the swanky Pebble Beach Concours. Owners of high-dollar hot rods who used to crack a six-pack in the garage now sip wine over their cars at museum openings. How is it that Southern California spawned so many hot rods? And more important, what sort of car should you consider for your resto rod project?..

How to Buy a Classic Car

You've done everything right. You've got the drive to do a restoration, the money and the time, and even "the vision." But your eagerness has led you into a simple but devastating mistake: You bought a trash heap to restore—a rusty money-trap that's going to take far more work to put right than it deserves...

How to Make Trim Pieces

Since the dawn of the automotive age a century ago, gauges have been required to monitor the condition of an auto engine. Even the simplest internal combustion or steam engine needs a watchdog. Mechanical gauges were the first type used, and they were usually driven by the part they were relegated to check. For instance, early speedometers were driven at the hub of a front wheel on some powered buggies. Water temperature or steam pressure was monitored at the radiator with a Manometer (a water thermometer) or a direct-sight steam gauge at the boiler...

Jewels in the Junkyard

Hunting parts in salvage yards is part of the fun of restoring or rebuilding older, classic cars. The thrill of finding that perfect part, the one the dealers have been out of since 1958, provides a sense of accomplishment that keeps your enthusiasm going on long projects. It's kind of like an Easter egg hunt for adults. But before you grab your wrenches and go trophy hunting, there are some things you should know...

Jewels in the Junkyard - Junkyard Types

In our first installment, we focused on the virtues of scrounging through a salvage yard for resto parts. Digging for automotive treasure in a junkyard can be rewarding and fun, as long as you can differentiate between precious metal and fool's gold. For this second part of the series, we'll show how not all junkyards are created equal, and how to differentiate among them...

Jewels in the Junkyard - Self-serve

In the first two installments of this series we talked about finding yards that have the parts enthusiasts are looking for, and how to conduct your salvage yard search. Now let's talk about scrounging tips on where you can find some of the best bargains—self-service yards...

Musclecar Heaven

If you are a child of the '60s or '70s (or even an adult from that era), you likely have some great memories of a time when horsepower and passion ruled the roads. One such child is Steve Barcak. A man possessed with the heart-pounding, adrenaline-inducing horsepower of the musclecar era. Many of us lust after our favorite GTO, Chevelle, Cuda, or Mustang, but not many of us can brag about the hundreds of these cars that we have saved from the crusher. Steve Barcak made it his mission and passion to save as much of Detroit's grand sheetmetal as his postal worker's salary would allow...

Mustang GT350 Restomod Part 1

Actually, the car shown here is not an authentic Shelby GT350, but a re-creation like so many thousands of others produced over the years. In comparison to the paltry number of original GT350s produced in 1965 (562 in all), Ford manufactured a bazillion stock models, so it really makes more sense to focus on these sincerest forms of flattery. (Ironically, Carroll Shelby is now endorsing reconditioned GT500 Mustangs that look and perform like the "Eleanor" model that appeared in the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds." So if cloning is good enough for Shelby, himself, why not the rest of us?)..

Mustang GT350 Restomod Part 2

Having covered the mods on the drivetrain, chassis, and interior of Dan Holm's GT350-style conversion of a '67 Mustang, it's time to take a look at the tweaking directed at the exhaust system. As with many of the other upgrades Dan chose, there were more than a few ways that the exhaust could have been handled, allowing for personal expression of taste and preference. Choices made can affect a myriad of aspects, such as the peak horsepower, powerband width and range, exhaust tone, aesthetics, cost and durability. We'll address all of these factors starting from the exhaust headers and working back to the tailpipe tips...

Mustang GT350 Restomod Part 3

As mentioned in our initial installment, the Shelby GT350 wasn't known for its engine size, as is typical for many cars. Instead, back in 1965, Carroll Shelby had grown weary in a lengthy meeting about naming the car, so on a whim he abruptly decided to base it on the number of steps between two of his shops...

Professional Restoration Tips

Executing a complete restoration of a classic car involves several major stages. Most of these—paint and bodywork, major mechanical and the like—can be left to the professionals, but with simple handtools and a weekend afternoon, you can accomplish a lot on your own. The restoration parts aftermarket can supply almost any part for most popular makes, models and years of classic cars. Your best bet is to start with a catalog of parts devoted to your particular car or truck. Most of the items shown here pertain to 1964-72 GM A-bodies: GTOs, Chevelles, 442 Cutlasses and Buick GSs. We'll pass along some tips and products that will make your car a detailed showpiece and save you a few bucks in the process. Plus, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of restoring it yourself...

Professional Tool Storage Systems

The true nomads of the motorsports world are not the drivers, or even sponsors, but rather the mechanics. These are the guys (and more than a few women) who do the real day-to-day crunch work, and deserve far more recognition than they presently receive. Sure, the drivers always thank their crews (they better!), and most crews in the top ranks of motorsports get a piece of their driver's purse (thank you very much), but it's still a tough job. Day after day, weekend after weekend, they work to make the engines stronger and the cars faster...

Protecting Your Investment

After spending four days driving the California Mille Miglia over some of the most challenging roads in America, it became real apparent that vintage cars are spending less time in the museum and more time on the road. Thank goodness for that! While their grace and beauty can be admired in a museum, nothing matches the dimensional quality of hearing and seeing automotive legends in their true element on the open road. One of the big issues facing a car collector is how to protect his car and investment, especially if it is being driven. While anti-theft devices and on-board fire systems are a good idea, an ironclad insurance policy is the ultimate protection against catastrophic loss.

Relocating a Battery

Think of your battery as a 60-pound lead weight—because that's exactly what it is. In most vehicles, it's mounted far forward and just low enough to clear the hood for easy access and maintenance. Performance enthusiasts and hardcore drag racers discovered that relocating this massive weight to the trunk improved the static weight distribution for better traction. OE auto manufacturers such as BMW place the battery under the rear seat to improve weight distribution and cornering capabilities. The mass of a battery doesn't sound like much compared to the overall 4,000 pounds of vehicle mass, but when you think of that 60 pounds out on the end of a 15-foot lever, its location takes on more significance...

Shipping Your Vehicle in Style

The search is over and you've finally acquired that one vehicle you have longed for, whether you bought it at auction, either online or on-site, or you ordered it from a dealership out of town. Maybe some benevolent relative or friend has bestowed or bequeathed a vehicular gift upon you. Or, you're simply making a personal move, and your second or third car, or that collectible family heirloom, the '57 Nomad, needs to find a way to get there. Whatever the reason, now your vehicle must get to its new home...

Suspension Restoration and Modification

It was love at first sight, the sleek lines, the shiny paint. Underneath the hood sat a powerful engine, and the interior fit you like a comfortable pair of three-year old sneakers. And when you test-drove your dream classic, the car you had always wanted in high school, it felt perfect. A few quirks, but that's what makes owning a classic car fun, right?..

The Evolution of the Pickup Truck

Some say Gottlieb Daimler's 1896 "vehicle no. 42," which looked like a horse-drawn wagon without the horses, was the first truck. Daimler claimed its four-horsepower, 1.1-liter, two-cylinder engine would haul a payload of 3,300 pounds. Imagine using a riding lawnmower to tow a trailer loaded with nine 55-gallon drums. The weakest riding mower on market today is about twice as powerful as old no. 42. Either Daimler was prone to grossly exaggerating payload potential or old-time horsepower was a lot more robust than today. Daimler later offered a 10-horsepower truck that boasted a dizzying top speed of 7.5 mph...

The Future of Auto Restoration

Thousands of Americans have restoration projects sitting in their garages, and hundreds of companies are working day and night to come up with products to help get these cars back on the road. Many of these companies were at the 2003 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas giving us a glimpse of new products for restoring classic American cars. The array of items on display tells us a lot about how the hobby has changed and where it's going...

Top 10 Collector Car Buying Tips

Buying a collector/hobby vehicle should be an exciting, fun thing to do. But—without the proper considerations—the results can be frustrating and financially disastrous. Always try to consider all the options available to you when planning a purchase. Here are some critical points to consider before you close any deal...

Top 10 Stolen Classic Cars

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (April 2003)—The Chevrolet Corvette was named the number one stolen collector vehicle in a recent study conducted by the Hagerty Protection Network (HPN) between July 1999 and December 2002. The report issued by Hagerty Insurance, the nation's largest insurer of collectible cars and motorcycles, indicates that vintage Chevrolets are the most stolen brand commanding close to 40 percent of collector cars stolen in the last three years...

Vintage Racing: Getting Started

In the first two parts of this series, we saw how vintage racing has become one of the fastest growing forms of amateur motorsports. We also discussed the various types of vehicles involved in the sport. Now it's time to find out how to get on the track and start having fun. The first thing you will need is the right attitude...

Vintage Racing: The Cars

In our first installment we talked about the fast-growing sport of vintage racing, where cars from the past are taking to the tracks again at courses across the country. This time we are going to look into the types of cars that are competing, and some of the rules you can expect to find...

Vintage Racing: The Sport

In many ways, today's racing is undoubtedly safer than in the past, but in other, less tangible ways it just doesn't seem as much fun. Fortunately, if you yearn for the "good ol' days" of motorsports competition, there is a segment that may be just right for you—vintage racing. We'll start with an overview of the sport, and in later articles we'll cover the cars, safety equipment and getting a racing license...

Vintage Racing: Your First Race

In the other Vintage Racing articles, we learned what vintage racing is all about, picked out the perfect car and surrounded ourselves with safety equipment. Here, we'll cover gettng our license and what it's like going to our first event. Hang on—we're on the track at last!..

Working with Metals: Aluminum

In the long history of tools and metals, the Iron Age was actually a pretty recent era. Large machines were made from tons and tons of cast iron, which in turn made more machines. A few of these eventually ended up becoming that mess of parts (otherwise referred to as your resto project) in your garage that your spouse harasses you about. Now aren't you grateful for the Iron Age and the Industrial Revolution? Look at where it has gotten you!..

Working with Metals: Iron, Steel, Stainless

In the long and arduous process of restoring a vehicle, it is likely that you have stumbled across a baffling array of materials used to construct your ride. From the heavy-duty components in the engine compartment to the flimsy trim in your interior, you will find that metals comprise a large percentage of your car. The older a vehicle is, the more metal (and less plastic) it contains. This is because metals have long been the first choice in strength and durability. Today, of course, advanced plastics and composite materials are starting to replace metal in parts of modern vehicles, but it is obvious that metal still plays an irreplaceable role in the construction of the automobile...

Working with Metals: Titanium and Composites

Children don't dream of being general aviation pilots with nice sensible Cessnas. They want to fly screaming fighter jets that tear gaping holes in the sky, and touch the edge of space. And when the military builds the most sophisticated attack plane out of exotic materials, adult children naturally attempt to produce their own fighter jet, at least one for the ground, by using those same materials in their cars. Is this just a silly dream, to put these high tech parts on cars? Or is there a real advantage to using ultra-modern parts in your old restoration project?..