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This is Part 3 of a four-part interview with Custom Automotive Restoration in Portland, Oregon. Be sure to also watch:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Classic Car Repair
Part 4: Bumper Restoration
Video dialog for this episode:
PR: What areas should we inspect and consider when looking to buy a new restoration project?
CAR: The more complete the car is, the less money you’re going to spend. And you need to check the car out thoroughly for rust problems--problems that may not been seen through the paint. If you can, have a professional look at the car for you. If you already own the car, bring it to us, or a shop like ours, to tell you if that car is a good candidate to restore. You need to look at the floors, underneath the carpet for rust, and underneath the car; physically get underneath the car and look at it. If it’s a rare car, you may not be able to purchase a new windshield or new rear glass, so be careful when you’re looking.
PR: Can we assume that a part is a part? As in something like a rear window--would that be about the same price for any car?
CAR: For a 1968 Plymouth GTX, the rear window is about $500.00. A ‘68 Camaro rear window may be $150.00. There are lots of little things you need to look into and it’s worth asking a professional. Call us on the phone, we’re glad to answer any questions.
PR: How do you feel about taking on a potentially bad candidate?
CAR: If we get a car in the shop where the money keeps adding up and adding up, then we have an unhappy customer with an unrestored car and we don’t want that.
PR: Have you ever had to say, ‘go buy another one?’
CAR: It’s happened a number of times. The owners of this particular car, this Metropolitan, wanted to restore it. I always advise customers to look at Hemmings or Craigslist to try and find a vehicle that’s already been done or maybe a project that someone else has given up on or grown tired of. You’ll spend less money in the long run. But this particular car has sentimental value to the family, so they wanted to do this car, this particular car. Much like the Flintstones, you could drive the car with your feet through the floor. So we had to fabricate the floor panels. All of that can be done, but the more fabrication we do, the more money we spend and that’s why it’s better to find a good solid candidate to start with.
PR: What impact does custom fabrication, like the floor panels in that Metropolitan, have on the value of a restored classic?
CAR: If the floor panels are fabricated, if they are done correctly, the value remains the same. So, again, be wary of who you have fabricate the panels. You can also buy floor panels for many different cars aftermarket, but just because you can buy the panel new, doesn’t mean that it’s a good quality panel. Check with the people who are doing your restoration to make sure you’re getting a quality product.
PR: Don, let’s talk a little bit more about the Metropolitan. The floor panels were bad, but how about the rest of the car?
CAR: This car wasn’t a particularly good candidate as far as the floors were concerned just because of the amount of rust. But on the other hand, it was a complete, running car, and it was drivable. If it’s drivable and if all the stainless steel trim is intact, that makes it a much better candidate. And also, if you decide to do a particular car, spend some time online researching parts availability. And as far as stainless trim, the trim that you purchase now is not as good a quality as the original trim. The original trim is better material and if it does exist on the car, we can straighten and polish it, and make it look better than when it was brand new.
PR: It seems like trim is a big deal on these classics. Can an expert spot the difference between original and fabricated trim?
CAR: We did a 1959 Toyopet, made by what’s now Toyota. It was one of only 280 delivered to the United States in 1958. And one of the pieces of stainless trim, on the rear quarter, was missing. Toyota tried to find it, we tried to find it, but it wasn’t available. So we made it. We are capable of reproducing stainless trim, if necessary. Later on, a group of business men from Toyota travelled here just to look at the car and I asked them if they could tell which of the pieces of stainless trim wasn’t correct--and, of course, they couldn’t tell, but I asked them just for the heck of it.
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