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Old Car Super Highway
Frank Devine
Why Restore an Old Car?
The first thing that comes to mind for me is the preservation of automotive history. If you have ever been to a concourse show or automotive museum you know how much more interesting and gratifying it is to actually see first hand the beauty and diversity of historic vehicles, as opposed to just reading about them or seeing a photograph. A restoration is a real contribution to preservation. It’s a Labor of Love, which revises the art and master craftsmanship of a bygone era, a tangible tactile representation to be admired and appreciated for generations to come. Speaking from my own personal experience, the accomplishment of restoring an old weathered relic back to its former glory is one of the most satisfying experiences I know of and it’s quite addictive. Once bitten by the old car bug most people choose to continue the activity for many years. You will meet many colorful and interesting people along the way most of my good friends were encountered through this activity.
Then there’s the ego boost of owning and driving these attention getting beauties. Nowadays most people choose to hot rod or customize their old cars. And there nothing wrong with that if good sense is employed before you make that choice. I do all three, with respect and wisdom. Hot rodding and customizing are self enlightenment activities, restoration is a giving process. One gives of themselves out of the love for the car and an interest in accurate representation of what was produced originally. A professional restoration costs more on average than a hot rod conversion or a customizing process, however restorers are generally regarded with more respect than those who choose to modify. This is understandable since the accomplishment is so much greater. Hot Rods are fun Customs are cool, but restored cars has class because it retains its integrity.
Not every old car is a good choice for restoration some are common enough and uninteresting in stock form they scream for modification and not every fat fender car of the pre-WWII era is a smart candidate for street rod conversation. It really irritates me to see a rare and valuable classic fall into the hands of an idiot. I’ve seen so many restorable rarities ruined by morons who don’t care or don’t know about the historical significance of the car they butchered for the sake of saying “Hey, look at me. I’m cool I got a street rod”, it sickens me. A few of the easy to please may be impressed in a positive way but let’s face it, the mainstream street rodder isn’t going to be too interested in anything other than the accepted lineup of makes and models, anything else is just a me too out cast wanna be. Then there’s the informed old car enthusiast that sees and recognizes the stupidity of such a choice and Joe Cool just winds up looking like Joe Stupid.
If you’re going to put your money into a street rod choose something that will get you the biggest bang for your buck. Choose intelligently; leave the rare relics to the coinsure that knows what to do with it. Here’s a word of advice to restorers, “Don’t put your efforts into just any old heap” restorations are expensive so unless it’s granddad’s old family heirloom, choosing a restoration project should take into consideration many things such as the value of the finished product, rarity of the specimen, your capabilities to complete the task and probably most important of all, love and enthusiasm for the vehicle you choose. I hope to see more people choose restoration over modification in the future.
*Frank Devine is a 25 year veteran of collecting, restoring and customizing American cars. "Old Car Super Highway" is his on-going featured column.
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