Classic Cars: Preservation or Restoration?
Folks who frequent my website and Facebook page discover that my favorite classic cars & trucks are those with low miles and original paint. I greatly appreciate restored vehicles, too, but even then, I tend to gravitate towards restored vehicles that most closely resemble how they rolled off the assembly line.
I can spend countless hours with an unrestored vehicle on a lift, looking at paint imperfections due to hasty assembly, tags on suspension parts, and paint markings on drivetrain components or behind body panels. Even variations between assembly plants are quite common, too. For example, on GM vehicles, trunk spatter paint will have vastly different appearances depending on which plant assembled the car. Many times, these details and variations are lost after a restoration. Or, even worse, the details are incorrectly reapplied during a restoration. As more and more vehicles are restored, having quality examples of unrestored vehicles is incredibly important to our hobby, both for use as restoration templates, and as historical documentation for how vehicles were made during different eras.
How we repair unrestored vehicles takes thought, too, which brings us to today’s topic. Overall, I greatly prefer to preserve what’s existing on a vehicle, rather than restore it to looking like new. This approach is probably best explained with a few examples: I prefer to spend hours polishing rust off an original chrome bumper, rather than replace it with a reproduction bumper. I’ve had seat covers repaired, rather than recover them with new material. When in need of a rebuild, I’ve asked Sparky’s Carburetor Service to only replate essential metal parts of a Quadrajet, so the carburetor doesn’t look restored, or too “new.” Lastly, I’ve been known to spend 60 or more hours bringing out the best in original paint, leaving behind some flaws that can’t be removed, rather than send a car off to be sprayed…even if a vehicle has rust.
Does this mean I never replace a part on a classic car or truck? No, definitely not. However, it does mean that I like to give thought to how I make a repair, ESPECIALLY if the vehicle is significant to the muscle car era, or otherwise in exceptional original condition. I once owned a Hurst Olds that I installed New Old Stock 1970’s AC spark plugs on. The plug wires were still original to the car, and I thought the car deserved to be kept as untouched as possible. However, the 50,000 mile ‘72 Cheyenne Super survivor discussed in my recent vlog? I chose to install new, over the counter AC plugs on that truck, with a set of original looking reproduction wires, because it’d had several previous tune-ups. I approach each vehicle individually, with the intention of honoring that car or truck’s story as best I can.
In the end, restored vehicles will always have a place in our hobby. However, as more and more cars & trucks are restored, or even restored for a 2nd or 3rd time, it’s crucial that a segment of the hobby carries on the legacy and stories of the preserved survivors.
Do you have an unrestored original car or truck you’d like to share? Send a message with YOUR story, we’d love to hear it.
