A car is a piece of art, and when you are restoring a vehicle you need to make a plan to get all of the work done. From the issues that surround getting a towing company to get the vehicle, to assess the car and then to the final product, a car restoration takes time and patients. Here are some great tips on how to best plan your restoration efforts.
Assess the car
An assessment is an important part of any restoration product as you need to know what is wrong or what is missing from the vehicle. Are you simply fixing up an old rust bucket or dealing with an accident victim. The amount of damage or work that needs to be done will greatly affect the bottom line of the project, and you need to have an accurate budget to allow you to start!
Decide on authenticity
There is going to be a long list of parts that you will need to find, and the decision has to be made early on if you want to find authentic parts. If you choose to go authentic this will make things a little more expensive, and frankly more difficult to find, but for those who love their cars they often try and go this way. You will need to contact dealers and scrap yards, and the search will be half of the battle. If you choose a replacement, you can often find suitable parts online, and it will save you time and money.
Do it yourself?
This naturally will depend on your current ability to work on cars, but if you are an amateur you might run into problems diagnosing or fixing parts of the project. If you do need a professional it is often going to cost you, and if you are not sure how to do it, make sure to call a pro. Plus, at some point, it is always good to have a pro look at your work and make sure you did not misstep somewhere.
Determine your budget
A budget is what will take your restoration project and make it manageable. With an accurate budget, you will be to know how much you can spend on parts, accessories, tires, wheels and doors, and have someone help you out with this step is never a bad thing. The general rule of thumb for car restorations is to take the current budget and add 30%, this way you will not run into any nasty surprises along the way.
Plan your work schedule
The old saying of working smarter not harder could not be more accurate for when it comes to car restoration projects. If you are dealing with a dismantle, you will need to work from the bottom up. As you replace parts, make sure to catalogue them as you go to make things a little easier. As well, as you start to go through replacing parts, ensure you are budgeting your time. Rushing a project is how a nut or a screw gets missed which will only add to problems in the long run.
