Having owned some of my collector cars for as long as five decades, I’m faced with the rather daunting task of tackling some re-restoration. It’s time to go through them yet again.
Quite frankly, I’m not looking forward to it. I’m not even a fan of regular upkeep.
I would rather find a dilapidated old car, buy it, learn about it, restore it, and take it to an event or two. From there, I stash it away in what my family and staff have christened my car church. Then I go on to the next project.
But during that sitting process–even in a climate-controlled space–the condition fades: Paint dulls, dirt accrues, and little scuffs and scratches take their toll. Tires go out of date. A little piece of rubber trim pops out of place and, with other cars vying for attention, the issue is forgotten about.
[Are your tires too old to be safe?]
You don’t really notice those issues when you walk past the car, of course. But they sure do come to light when you go to a sell a car and the prospective buyer points them out–usually with potential hard feelings.
“My car is in No. 1 condition,” you proclaim. “I personally restored it to the highest standard.”
Then reality sets in: That restoration was done a few decades ago.
So, how to better keep tabs on things? When I had a half-dozen cars, it was pretty easy to remember what was done when. Triple or quadruple that number of cars, and there is no way you can remember any kind of maintenance schedule.
We originally kept a book with notes. Now we’re playing around with a couple of apps, including one called Carport. It’s specifically designed for car collection management.
But better than tracking them, I also try to drive them, even though our season is shorter than expected–blame the very hot summers plus my own time constraints due to travel and, of course, work on other projects. As we’ve learned time and time again, however, not driving these classics can be the worst thing for them. Regular exercise remains key.
I can’t ignore some of these issues forever, though, and lately we’ve been busy in the shop. We decided that we needed to spend more time on that pressing re-restoration work rather than starting new projects, even though magazine deadlines and a constant crush for new content demanded by our modern multimedia company keeps pressure on me for restoration stories on a constant basis.
I do have some help, though. I tend to focus on new projects while he’s been sticking with the maintenance and repair issues.
While the system works well, it seems that we cannot catch up. The Sunbeam Tiger we restored 20 years ago has been plagued by a transmission that likes to jump out of third gear, the Meyers Manx dune buggy needs a bit of tuning, and we need to redo the seats in the Model A as I last recovered them back in 1974–some 50 years ago.
Do I thin the heard to reduce some of that load? I often talk about it but haven’t done it–and probably won’t for a while. These cars have kind of become my children now that my actual children are grown and thankfully running the company.
A friend has similar issues–too many cars, not enough time. In a few weeks, I’m going to check out a Ferrari 308 GT4 that he seems interested in selling. I’m sure adding a Ferrari to the collection won’t cause any issues, as I understand they pretty much take care of themselves.
More like this
Comments
Wow. This article hit home.
I also got to the point where I just couldn't manage the care and maintenance my restoration projects deserved. Not just the time required, but the energy. I'm 63...the days of limitless mojo working on stuff are gone. And the management of information and keeping spare consumables like brake pads, oil filters and other spares I would accumulate that were great deal but certainly not necessary, were becoming overwhelming. Thus...
Step 1: I drew a line in the sand...no more than 5 vehicles. I say "vehicle", because that includes cars, motorcycles and karts. Not 5 of each...5 combined. I thought it was a good number I could effectively manage...so I thinned the herd, by alot. And I was doing okay with that...mostly because I could cheat. Big garage with attached workshop, RV gate with big backyard...space wasn't really an issue.
Step 2: We relocated...and downsized...to another City and State. I would have to haul vehicles and their life support equipment and fit into a smaller garage and workshop. I sold and tossed alot of what I deemed unnecessary or easily replaceable, before we actually moved. Step 2 is actually going pretty well...mostly because I had alot of stuff I would never use again or that phase of my life has passed.
Step 3: My collection of memorabilia has expanded. Life has slowed down a bit, so its nice to take a minute to stop and look, shop and display items from the sport/hobby I've enjoyed for decades. Also, I've taken an interest in slot cars and RC cars...both offer a connection to motoring and racing that are relatively cheap and won't land you in the hospital or the morgue after a bad crash.
And finally Step 4: My wife and I are discussing building a shop/shed in the backyard. I was thinking it would be fun to restore a vintage kart, or put a motorcycle engine in a formula car...or...yeah, old habits.
husky450cr said:
Wow. This article hit home.
I also got to the point where I just couldn't manage the care and maintenance my restoration projects deserved. Not just the time required, but the energy. I'm 63...the days of limitless mojo working on stuff are gone. And the management of information and keeping spare consumables like brake pads, oil filters and other spares I would accumulate that were great deal but certainly not necessary, were becoming overwhelming. Thus...
Step 1: I drew a line in the sand...no more than 5 vehicles. I say "vehicle", because that includes cars, motorcycles and karts. Not 5 of each...5 combined. I thought it was a good number I could effectively manage...so I thinned the herd, by alot. And I was doing okay with that...mostly because I could cheat. Big garage with attached workshop, RV gate with big backyard...space wasn't really an issue.
Step 2: We relocated...and downsized...to another City and State. I would have to haul vehicles and their life support equipment and fit into a smaller garage and workshop. I sold and tossed alot of what I deemed unnecessary or easily replaceable, before we actually moved. Step 2 is actually going pretty well...mostly because I had alot of stuff I would never use again or that phase of my life has passed.
Step 3: My collection of memorabilia has expanded. Life has slowed down a bit, so its nice to take a minute to stop and look, shop and display items from the sport/hobby I've enjoyed for decades. Also, I've taken an interest in slot cars and RC cars...both offer a connection to motoring and racing that are relatively cheap and won't land you in the hospital or the morgue after a bad crash.
And finally Step 4: My wife and I are discussing building a shop/shed in the backyard. I was thinking it would be fun to restore a vintage kart, or put a motorcycle engine in a formula car...or...yeah, old habits.
That's sound advice! Thanks for sharing!
wspohn
UltraDork
12/22/24 11:31 a.m.
Re-restoration is certainly an issue if you have lots of cars and keep some of them over the long term. I am faced with waking up one of my cars after several years of idleness and am happy to farm it out to a knowledgeable shop - rebuild braking system, fuel system etc. It is a 1971 Jensen Interceptor.
Displaying 1-3 of 3 commentsView all comments on the CMS forums
You'll need to log in to post.
By Tim Suddard
