The first step in deciding what kind of vehicle to restore, or partially restore, is to determine what you want to have when you’re finished. Do you want a point-judged, concours-quality show car, or something to simply drive and enjoy at a Saturday night cruise-in or your local show-n-shine car show? The former will require infinitely more of everything, including money, to bring it to the lofty standards required by judges. Every fastener must be correct, right down to the factory markings. The latter falls into the category that most of us strive for and desire – an original looking vehicle with a few modern upgrades, such as disc brakes and modern tires. On this type of vehicle, you can do most of the work yourself, which adds to the pride of ownership, accomplishment, and most of all, enjoyment. The cars that fall into this category are the Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, VWs, MGBs, and many other common vintage cars and trucks. All these type vehicles were mass-produced and have almost every part you would need available from any of dozens of reproduction parts manufacturers. For example, you can buy practically every part needed to actually build a ’64 through ’68 Mustang from scratch if you wanted! Try finding a reproduction tail light lens or grille for a Facel Vega or Kaiser Darrin! You’ll spend many an hour scouring classified ads and calling countless salvage yards to find what you need. So, before you choose a vehicle, make sure you can get parts for it.

Next would be your budget. How much can you spend at the start, and how expensive are replacement parts for the car you’re looking at? Get a parts catalog for the vehicle in question and take it with you when you do the inspection to accurately determine what parts are available and what they cost. It’s always a good idea to spend as much as you can up front and get the most car you can for the money. A vehicle that needs only minor mechanical repairs, and maybe paint & and upholstery, will in the end be a lot less expensive than taking on a project car that needs everything. Doing a ground up restoration on a basket case is gratifying when it’s finally finished, but can be very costly and frustrating if taken on without the proper knowledge, caution, and budget. Other general rules to consider are that 4 doors cost less to buy than 2 door models, cars with posts between the front and back windows are cheaper than no post (a hardtop), and when the top goes down, the price goes up! Also, pick-up trucks are generally cheaper and easier to restore than cars because they’re simpler. In addition, the era or year of the car will determine the price you pay and the ultimate value. With the exception of many “post-war” cars, there are getting to be fewer finds out there. Most of the pre-1946 cars are already in the hands of collectors. When these cars do enter the marketplace, they’re generally beyond the reach of the beginning collector. More than likely, you’ll be looking at cars and trucks that were manufactured in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Some of these cars are still being used by their original owners, especially in the Southwest where the climate is kinder to rust-vulnerable sheet metal. These are the vehicles that can be found in local classifieds, back yards, driveways, garages, and Internet sites such as E Bay and my favorite, Craigslist. There are even salvage yards such as Memory Lane in Wilmington California that usually have good builders. On these common cars, parts can be easily found and nearly every area has mechanics that are familiar with them. You can drive them at highway speeds with ease and don’t have problems with overheating or handling. No matter what you buy however, make sure it’s a vehicle you like and enjoy driving.

It’s important to make sure everything is there. Fortunately, the bumpers and stainless for this ’57 Chevy were inside the car.

Sometimes an abandoned project can be a good deal, like this complete ’65 MGB complete with replacement quarters, rockers, and doors. However, this is an extensive restoration and should not be taken on as a first project.

This sort of rust damage is expensive to repair and may not be cost efficient. This is what the climate in Southern Ohio can do to a car. A solid car from the West would be cheaper.

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