An accurate restoration should include restoring the vehicle's original ride height. The correct measurements appear in the respective service manual for each year.
6. Standing Above All Others
While an average hobbyist might not be able to quickly detect minute mistakes, even the most passive ones are quick to notice a vehicle with an improper ride height. Suspension springs are commonly replaced during restorations and, with a large number of aftermarket replacements available today, it's difficult to find springs with exact factory specifications.
Scott says he rarely replaces springs during restorations. "It seems that replacements require some type of adjustment, which usually means cutting coils. We try to reuse originals as often as possible and find that, once the suspension is restored correctly, the car usually sits at the right height. In either case, we use the ride height measurements found in factory Service Manuals (or in the AMA and MVMA specifications), and adjust until the original stance is restored."
Wheels seem to be one of the most overlooked areas in a restoration, and are commonly subject to the "that's-close-enough" syndrome. Steel wheels are easily restored using traditional methods, but cast-aluminum units, like the Snowflakes on this Trans Am, require a specific process.
7. Wheel Woes
To some, restoring a set of Rally II wheels involves a trip to the local hardware store to purchase cans of silver and charcoal paint, while others might choose somewhat generic colors from mail-order suppliers. Honeycomb wheels are a separate entity because of their molded rubber fascia, the flexible paint that's required and how difficult the original rough textured finish is to accurately replicate. While the proper restoration of either wheel has been covered by HPP in the past, incorrectly restored wheels remain common.
"Lacquer paint is temperamental, and its appearance can change with the ambient conditions. That's why the finish on unrestored steel wheels can vary so much, but it doesn't vary as far from the original color as we see today," says Jim. Rather than use common colors, a factory paint chart from a respective year may contain the correct paint codes that local paint supply stores can mix. For Honeycombs, OEM Paints in Escondido, California, offers premixed paint in the correct color and texture. Some hobbyists have even chosen to color-match finishes of known originals and have them posted on the Web
Cast-aluminum Snowflake wheels require a restoration process that's quite involved, and Dave Hall of Restore A Muscle Car in Lincoln, Nebraska, offers such a service. "We start with a bare wheel, media blast the entire surface and repair any curb rash or small chips with welding," says Hall. "Then we paint the surface the correct PPG color for the application and have the entire wheel machined. We follow that with a semigloss clear powdercoat, and the result is a restored wheel that looks new."
8. N.O.S. Nightmare
Anyone who has attempted to perform an accurate restoration knows how costly acquiring N.O.S. pieces can be, especially if a component has long been discontinued. Though reproduction components are sometimes less than perfect, immediate availability can increase their attractiveness during a restoration. Few rarely consider, however, that N.O.S. pieces can be less than perfect too, and might sometimes require as much work as repairing an original or installing a reproduction.
"We've seen N.O.S. parts with a great deal of shelf wear from simply sitting in a dealer's storeroom," says Melvin. "The components often arrive exposed, in plastic bags or in cardboard boxes. With hardly any protection, they can be just as beat up as a well-used original. We've also seen where the angles of N.O.S. body panels aren't as crisp as on originals, suggesting that the sheetmetal dyes used to stamp them were worn. Just because it's N.O.S. doesn't always mean it's perfect."
Firebirds on the assembly line, circa 1970.
9. Assembly Line Agony
A vehicle with a perfect exterior finish, exact panel gapping and no overspray might be most eye-appealing, but those examples aren't representative of how the majority of vehicles left the production facility, which can make original cars appear poorly detailed to an unknowing hobbyist. Most professionals are familiar with the factory flaws found on original vehicles and how to replicate them during a restoration, but they also know what it takes to produce flawless vehicles.
"Customers see over restored cars on show fields and tend to forget that these cars were originally built on an assembly line where the mentality was to produce as many vehicles per day as possible," says Melvin. "The assembly plants weren't issue free, and it wasn't an exact environment. A perfect restoration looks great, but that doesn't always mean it's correct."
"Very few cars were produced in just one assembly plant," adds Jim. "And it isn't uncommon to see different procedures or small parts used in different locations, so what's correct on one may not be correct on a similar vehicle produced at another plant. To determine what's plant-specific, you must document as many originals as possible. It's the only way to ensure an accurate restoration."
10. Research Rebels
Without a doubt, the most important element of any restoration is the restoration professional's knowledge of a specific model. We've carefully chosen those for our story based on our experiences with them and the vehicles they restored, and suggest researching all available options when considering a shop for your project.
"We've found that research is one of the most difficult tasks in any project," says Dave. "We see new restoration shops opening up all the time. Unless its service is specialized, or you've seen examples of the shop's work, you don't really know what it's capable of." Jim Mott adds, "I have a countless number of pictures of original cars that I use during restorations. They show in great detail the proper finishes and types of hardware used at the various assembly plants. They're an invaluable resource that we frequently refer to."
Besides documenting originals, most of those we spoke with suggested taking detailed pictures during the entire disassembly process of a project. "It doesn't cost anything if you're using a digital camera, and the pictures can be a great asset during reassembly," states Mott. "We've seen cars that actually contain the correct parts, but they've been installed incorrectly. It takes just one detailed picture of a specific area to answer many reassembly questions."