Classic car restoration: how is it done?
Vintage cars are unique objects that are definitely loved by motorists from all over the world. Consider, in fact, that the reference market has an annual induced activity that exceeds 2.2 billion euros in Italy alone.
Being old cars, however, in most cases, once purchased, they must also be restored, which is not as obvious as one might think. In fact, the restoration of classic cars is a difficult and lengthy activity to carry on, it takes patience, determination and a heterogeneous set of skills to be able to complete it correctly.
So let’s go deeper into the topic, analyzing the critical issues, the steps to take and the innovations in the field.
Classic car restoration: important things to know before starting
There are two possible ways to deal with the restoration of a vintage car: the first, the safest, is to outsource the project, i.e. hire a professional to carry out the work, the second, however, is to restore the historic car by yourself, if you have the technical knowledge to deal with them.
In both cases, however, it should be clarified that, regardless of the path chosen, the restoration of a historic car is always and in any case a decidedly expensive operation and this, essentially, for two reasons: first because, to carry out a restoration , it is necessary to own a whole series of machinery and equipment whose cost is decidedly high. Second, original spare parts are rare and therefore expensive and hard to come by. Often, in fact, it is necessary to opt for non-original spare parts and readjust them, which involves a further expenditure of time and money.
In short, when you buy a vintage car you need to be very clear that, in addition to the money spent for the purchase, you will need to have other money to cover the various and necessary restoration costs, whether you choose to rely on outsiders or do it independently.
Classic car restoration: the necessary steps
If you decide to deal with the restoration of a historic car, there are 4 essential phases that this must go through:
- check the condition of the car
- cataloguing, grouping and photography of parts
- parts repair
- bodywork repair
Every self-respecting restoration begins with checking the condition of the car. In this phase, the condition of the engine must be checked, as well as all the electrical and mechanical parts and the bodywork.
Once the state of the machine has been verified, the parts are disassembled with photography, cataloging and grouping of the same. This phase is necessary for two reasons: first, in this way the reference to the original state of the machine will always be accessible and, second, it will be easier to reassemble the pieces, having cataloged and grouped them adequately.
At this point, the actual restoration can begin, both of the internal parts (mechanical and electrical) and of the bodywork. The various spare parts will have to be searched for in time, so as to disassemble the old ones and weld the new ones, as well as real artisan operations such as paint stripping, reconstruction of oxidized areas, application of anti-rust, stucco , primer and sanding, necessary to remove excess parts and properly level the bodywork.
Classic car restoration: SkeletimeⓇ innovation
As it will be easy to understand from what has been read, the restoration of a vintage car is anything but simple and obvious, it takes up a lot of time and specific skills are needed to complete it. Fortunately, however, the technological industry undergoes continuous innovations, upgrades and modernizations that make complicated operations such as the restoration of historic cars easier and smoother.
One of these innovations is SkeletimeⓇ, a patented system of supports for the abrasives of sanders which, thanks to its composition, allows you to obtain a top-level restoration in a decidedly reduced time. The qualitative results are excellent because SkeletimeⓇ is able to adapt to the profile of the bodywork and recreate the original shapes, without undulations, even when sanding the filler or primer, compounds that are notoriously difficult to sand. And that’s not all, because SkeletimeⓇ supports are also very easy to use, thus allowing excellent results to be achieved even for those with little experience.
As mentioned, what makes SkeletimeⓇ special are precisely its 4 innovative components:
- the “Pad Totem”, an exclusive backing pad and is designed for the perfect use of the special patented inserts
- several patented inserts with steel skeleton of variable hardness, to keep the abrasive with a hard and stretched support always in contact with the shapes of the car.
- the patented inserts are divided into two categories, i.e. Professional” with high sanding precision and working performance with a reasonable duration, or SemiPro”, for those looking for a long-lasting product combined with satisfactory sanding results.
- (both systems are characterized by 53 suction holes always in contact with the surface to be abraded and 24 suction micro airboxes on the backing pad, as well as channeled holes for dust extraction)
Thanks to its innovative structure, today SkeletimeⓇ is promoted and used also in specialized schools for the restoration of historic cars, where the same teachers support the usefulness of the equipment, both to make less effort in obtaining excellent results, and to give an opportunity for young people to achieve professional quality in restoring cars of any level, in unimaginable times.
Well, we have seen both the steps and the innovations in the field of historic car restoration but, in any case, as always, we remind you that the above represents only an introduction to the topic in question and that, to find out more, it is necessary refer to industry experts, so as to minimize the possibility of error. If there are still doubts or clarifications regarding the above, do not hesitate to contact us! Our staff will be more than happy to answer any questions.