Many times I have been asked what steps are taken in either a partial
restoration or a full turnkey customization, and the answer for both is the
same; ALOT! The choice for exactly just what to do is strictly up to the person
who is doing the restoration. You can do as little or as much as you either want
or is needed. If your going for an original appearance, then almost a total
restoration will be in order. The photo above shows the starting point for this
example to take you step by step in showing you what is usually done during a
restoration and re-paint. What will not be shown is the suspension rebuild and
window/t-top rubber replacement that are always done by Marks Custom Kits. Space
limitations prevent showing everything.
The
most obvious place to start would be the interior since it is better to get all
the removal and re-installing done BEFORE any paint work is started, it prevents
your paintjob from getting possibly scratched or chipped while yanking out
either the body plastic or seats, which in proper restoration, MUST come out for
better accessibility. It also allows you to see any visable damage, body rot or
weld work that may need up-grading or repair. Now is the time to find this out,
not later!
In
taking out the seats and body plastic, it allows the proper fitting and minor
trim work to be done to your new under-padding and carpet. It is to note, that
if you are looking for a top quality restoration, you cannot expect a top
quality end result if you cut corners, and not getting a good quality carpet set
will come back to haunt you. Do not skimp when it comes to buying replacement
parts. Buying the proper fit carpet should make the car look new and not just
restored.
Properly
cut carpet sets are molded from actual floorpans of the vehicles they are
replacing. When done right, they will just drop into place with only MINOR
cutting of holes for seat bolts and electrical connectors. You should not need
any glue or steaming with newer carpets. Proper fit is the key to pain free
change-outs and body plastic installation.
Preparation
for painting the car is actually the MOST time consuming job. The act of
painting only takes about 1.5 hours, where the prep work can take six hours to
properly prepare the car by masking off all rubber, glass, trim, wheels, and
anywhere that paint is NOT suppose to be sprayed. Usually all removable items
such as spoiler, door handles, marker lights, name badges, etc. are taken off
the car for better painting results to help prevent buildup of paint around
these raised objects. The less follow-up work you have to do after a paint job,
such as sanding out drips or runs and over-spray, the easier the overall job ends
up being.
You
can see from this angle that the rear hatch glass and tail-light lens has been
totally covered, as well as the license plate being removed. This way if paint
is shot on the masking, it is not a great worry since that is a throw-away item
and paint will not have to be removed from those masked areas.
This
is what the primerd car looks like just prior to getting painted. Normally it
takes 2 or 3 coats of paint to give the proper coverage, and then 3 or 4 coats
of clearcoat, so after all wet-sanding has been done, there will still be at
least 2 good coats of clear. If a show car quality paint job was specified, then
all sanding/buffing will be done by the paint shop. You should NEVER have to do
any corrective action on your paint job. It is ultimately up to you when you
pick up the car if the end result is what you have paid for. A good custom paint
job with normal body work normally costs in the general range of $ 2,500 to $
4,000. All the cars customized by Marks Custom Kits, get a show car paint job,
and they look it!
Here
is the above primed front end now painted and clearcoated, prior to any
wet-sanding. If the painter is good enough, no sanding should be needed.
Wet-sanding is mainly a corrective action to either eliminate runs, sags or
orange peel finish. If done right, it should have the proper depth and high
gloss already on it. Notice the reflection of the ceiling in the hood.
Restoration is a time consuming and labor intensive job. Done properly, the end
results will look like a million. If not, then you will be stuck with something
that your not happy with and possibly have to have redone. This brief overview
was not meant to act as a cut-in-stone procedure. Each project requires some
variations in certain areas, but almost all require the basics shown here. If
you own a 1983 car like I do, then it is almost a classic. If treated as such,
there is no reason why it would not look good in another 20 years!
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