This past week I stopped by my dad's house down in NH. He has the ultimate barn/shop for his hobby, which is antique German cars. I needed to use his bead blaster, which I often do, just be cause I can.
While there I realized one of my favorite cars was missing. When I asked about it he said she was in the paint shop for a complete body off concourse quality restoration. This means every nut bolt and washer is stripped, cleaned, re-plated, re-chromed, or basically what ever it takes to make it 100% as close to perfect & factory original as is humanly possible.
The car is a 1959 356-A Convertible D Porsche Speedster. This car, by just about anyone's standards, including mine (well OK not totally) was as close to pristine as it gets and had been his "driver".
In the last five years the value of his 356 collection has more than tripled so he decided to bring her up to the ultimate standards because he will still be under what the car is worth and the resto will nearly double the current value.
She when in the paint shop on January 1 and is not predicted to be out until at least April 1. Every body panel will be brought back to original factory spec meaning every panel junction will be exactly a 2mm gap, no more no less. She will get multiple coats of German Glasurit two part paint and hours of buffing each panel. There will be no Bondo anywhere, not that there was, only real old fashioned tin knocking and English wheeling to meet the specs. Every nut and bolt will be cleaned, re-machined or replaced with the exact nut and bolt that was used in 1959. Many of these are now only custom made one off reproductions so it is wise to never wreck one. The rest will be new old stock, "NOS", that my dad paid an arm and a leg for. The car will go back to her original factory color because she is already a numbers matching vehicle. She will be exactly as she left the factory in 1959 except better, much, much better..
He estimates the body work alone will be close to 40k then the car has to be completely re-assembled & upholstered with NOS material. She will also get a new top of NOS German cloth. He is targeting a 60k restoration but admits it will certainly go over. Of course my step mother thinks its 40k total restoration....
So if you guys think I'm anal retentive and detail focused please understand where it comes from..
This is before the restoration! Again, by anyone's standards this car was a perfect ten but not to a concourse judge or my father..
Unfortunately no she won't be driven much after this restoration..:cry::cry:
We're not the only ones with expensive hobbies..
While there I realized one of my favorite cars was missing. When I asked about it he said she was in the paint shop for a complete body off concourse quality restoration. This means every nut bolt and washer is stripped, cleaned, re-plated, re-chromed, or basically what ever it takes to make it 100% as close to perfect & factory original as is humanly possible.
The car is a 1959 356-A Convertible D Porsche Speedster. This car, by just about anyone's standards, including mine (well OK not totally) was as close to pristine as it gets and had been his "driver".
In the last five years the value of his 356 collection has more than tripled so he decided to bring her up to the ultimate standards because he will still be under what the car is worth and the resto will nearly double the current value.
She when in the paint shop on January 1 and is not predicted to be out until at least April 1. Every body panel will be brought back to original factory spec meaning every panel junction will be exactly a 2mm gap, no more no less. She will get multiple coats of German Glasurit two part paint and hours of buffing each panel. There will be no Bondo anywhere, not that there was, only real old fashioned tin knocking and English wheeling to meet the specs. Every nut and bolt will be cleaned, re-machined or replaced with the exact nut and bolt that was used in 1959. Many of these are now only custom made one off reproductions so it is wise to never wreck one. The rest will be new old stock, "NOS", that my dad paid an arm and a leg for. The car will go back to her original factory color because she is already a numbers matching vehicle. She will be exactly as she left the factory in 1959 except better, much, much better..
He estimates the body work alone will be close to 40k then the car has to be completely re-assembled & upholstered with NOS material. She will also get a new top of NOS German cloth. He is targeting a 60k restoration but admits it will certainly go over. Of course my step mother thinks its 40k total restoration....
So if you guys think I'm anal retentive and detail focused please understand where it comes from..
This is before the restoration! Again, by anyone's standards this car was a perfect ten but not to a concourse judge or my father..
Unfortunately no she won't be driven much after this restoration..:cry::cry:
We're not the only ones with expensive hobbies..
