Getting Started - Volume #1

Restored?

res•to•ra•tion

Pronunciation: (res"tu-rA'shun)
—n.
1. the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment.
2. the state or fact of being restored.
3. a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
4. restitution of something taken away or lost.
5. something that is restored, as by renovating.
6. a reconstruction or reproduction of an ancient building, extinct animal, or the like, showing it in its original state.
7. a putting back into a former position, dignity, etc.

Like many words in the English language, the term "Restoration" can be intrepid in many ways.  However, the process of vehicle restoration should not be confused with the term "Restored".  Restoration is a process, rather than a condition of a vehicle.

Generally, a "Restored" vehicle is a vehicle that has been returned to a "like new" condition.  This level of restoration work requires virtual every part on the vehicle to be rebuilt or replaced with new components.  Considering the number of parts, the time involved and the financial investment, truly "Restored" vehicles are in the realm of Concourse, Museum and Show vehicles.  Now,  there are street driven "Restored" vehicles, but there're the exception rather than the rule in terms of the hobby. 

The point is, most of what you see on the street in the way of  restored vehicles really fall into the "Street Restoration" category and it’s this category that most hobbyists and enthusiasts work within.  Now there are many different levels of "Street Restorations", but generally, the scope is to bring the vehicle back to an "as-new" condition, in which only parts that need replacing are changed and good original parts are retained.

As an example: Last year I purchased a very nice 1967 Mercury Park Lane form the original owner with just over 26,000 miles showing.  The interior was immaculate, the body was super straight and over-all it was a good Class 3 car.  On the short side, the engine compartment was UGLY, the front-end rubber was shot, resulting in the need for new tires. To top things off, a fresh coat of paint would be required to bring the car back to "as-new" condition.

The "Street Restoration" performed on this car took care of these areas and the car was brought back up to the condition of that of about a 3-4 year old vehicle. Now, areas like the transmission, which was over 20 years old, received only servicing.  So, there are some trade-off’s in terms of which areas get attention and which don’t.  With only 26,000 miles on the transmission, wear on internal parts would be minimal.  But age and the fact the vehicle sat for long periods unused, could have been more damaging than daily wear. This is just one example, of the many considerations that you will need to make when choosing a vehicle for this type of restoration.