Experts Reveal 10 Common Resto Mistakes

As the number of unrestored vehicles found on today's show fields dwindles, with it goes opportunities to document the myriad of factory-installed pieces and original finishes such examples contain. This presents us with a wide range of mistakes commonly made during restorations. Though most are inadvertent, they are quickly becoming the norm and can oftentimes make accurate restorations appear incorrect.

There are a wide number of restoration professionals who've gone a step beyond, researching countless original vehicles in an attempt to provide customers with restorations that replicate a factory-fresh appearance. We contacted several who have had examples of their work featured in HPP, and asked them to share the mistakes they find most common. Here's what they had to say.

1. Filler, Filler Everywhere
Most consumers aren't happy paying for the same job twice, and bodywork is just as critical as paintwork when dealing with any repair. Dave Chalek of Chalek's Auto Body in Bellevue, Nebraska, sees poor bodywork on a regular basis, and often finds repairing another shop's work more labor-intensive than what was originally required.

"It's most common when an entire panel has been replaced," says Dave. "We feel it's better to leave as much original sheetmetal as possible, and have seen instances where a small patch could have been used, but instead the entire panel was replaced. Reproduction panels can require lots of fitting to get the bodylines straight and, if they are installed incorrectly, it can ruin a vehicle's looks."

Melvin Benzaquen of Classic Restorations in Pine Island, New York, agrees and adds, "Lack of initiative is a common problem, as is the improper use of body fillers. Some shops don't trim panels correctly, or they warp panel joints with overheating while welding or grinding. An excessive amount of body filler is then used to fill the depressions, and the car becomes a sculpture. We've actually seen body dents filled with body filler-that's just not the right way to do things. It eventually shows up in the exterior finish."

2. Fastener Follies
We've all taken a trip to the local hardware store to fetch nuts and bolts for a project, but Scott Tiemann of Supercar Specialties in Portland, Michigan, says that misuse of aftermarket fasteners is very common in restorations. He adds, "Few restorers know what nuts, bolts and clips go where. Instead, they simply reinstall what they removed, or replace them with modern interpretations."

There are countless reasons why original fasteners may be missing, including repairs that occurred early on when correctness was of far less concern. With years of normal service, a well-aged aftermarket fastener may appear as if it's an original, but that's not always the case. Tiemann suggests documenting original or correctly restored vehicles to determine what's needed in a specific application.

"An accurate restoration includes correctly plated fasteners with proper head markings," he states. "Any local plating company should be able to restore the fastener's original black zinc, gray-and-black phosphate and silver-and-gold cadmium finishes for less than $150 per vehicle. (Since cadmium plating is no longer available, it's replicated with zinc.) If you can't find originals, AMK Products in Winchester, Virginia, (www.amkproducts.com) offers a wide variety of correctly plated, OEM-headed fasteners for many applications."

3. The Parts Catalog Isn't Always Right
Where can hobbyists turn when trying to determine the correct part for a specific application? Some might suggest a vintage Pontiac parts catalog as a credible source, but since they were periodically updated over the course of a model year, they can contain misleading information if the print date isn't within a few months of the subject vehicle's production date.

Components specific to a single model year were often superseded by a common replacement over time. Melvin adds, "Even though a parts catalog might suggest a part number for a range of model years, an earlier print-dated catalog might contain the correct number for a specific year." Jim Mott of Jim Mott Restorations in Twin Falls, Idaho, says, "This is one reason we try to restore or refurbish as many of the vehicle's original pieces as possible. There's much less confusion about originality when reinstalling components we know the car was built with."

4. Engine Paint Parade
Most hobbyists know that Pontiac has changed its engine paint many times over the years, but few know what shade of blue is correct for their application. The most common shades are '62-'65 light blue and '66-'70 light metallic blue. Why, you might ask? It's likely because they are readily available in spray cans and stocked by local-area auto parts or paint supply stores. While various Pontiac engine paints are available from different sources, some may vary slightly, while others may be totally incorrect for the stated application.

Scott suggests color matching the original paint found in areas of an engine that are not directly exposed to contaminants such as coolant or oil. The valve or timing covers, harmonic balancer, and different portions of the block may be a solution. If the original engine is missing, or it has been completely repainted in a non original color, an alternative is to document the original engine color found in other original or correctly restored vehicles. In either instance, any local-area auto paint supply store should be able to accurately match the engine's correct color at an affordable price.

5. Carpet Concerns
The smallest details can separate a correct restoration from an amateur effort. One area often overlooked is the carpet. What, besides a loop-pile or cut-pile (depending upon what's correct for the year), differs among the reproductions on the market? Scott says that it isn't so much the pattern, but the way the restoration professional installs it.

Some models contained plastic trim panels that cover the seat's mounting bolts, while the carpet of others had T-shaped cuts that fit snugly around the seat frame legs. "The legs protrude upward through these slits, and the carpet fully covers the seat's four mounting bolts," says Scott. "Reproduction carpets usually don't have these, so the restorer has to cut them in."

He continues, "It's easier to lengthen the cuts, so the bolts can be accessed with the carpet in place, which is incorrect. The correct method for accessing the mounting bolts is to remove the sill plate and fold the carpet towards the seat frame. To ensure that we make the cuts the correct length, we usually remove the seat tracks from the seat frame, bolt them to the floorpan, and cut accordingly."