Tag Archives: restoration

Tunable Tension: An ol’ fashioned fitment fix

raustin | May 13, 2013
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Gappin’ doesn’t just happen. When a body on a rotisserie must become reacquainted with the frame rails to which it belongs, or when new mounting pads and a box full of shims aren’t enough to square things up, you’ll likely twist panels and cut parts to get a good gap. Here’s how you can fix it. More »

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Rescuing the Avanti #1001

raustin | April 30, 2013
Avanti #1001 Rescue Project. Photo Credit: Renee Crist

LeMay-America’s Car Museum continues to make progress on the Avanti #1001 Rescue Project. More »

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Tips and tricks to make your next door assembly easier

raustin | April 16, 2013
The door dolly is used to lift the door to the correct height and roll the door into place so it can be mounted on the two hinges that have also been removed and painted. “You’re eliminating another guy’s labor and now you can raise it, lower it, move it in and out by yourself. When it’s in raw steel (not painted yet), this thing is really handy. You don’t have to worry about the door banging off the cowl and scratching anything because it’s all just raw metal. But it is a time-saver, for a shop anyway. This dolly is really a nice thing to have for a shop,” said Ken’s Klassics shop foreman T.J. Krueger. “Then you can’t blame your buddy for helping you put a door on and chipping something.”

Mounting door hinges and hanging doors is one of those restoration steps that professionals — such as the guys at Ken’s Klassics in Muscoda, Wis. — make look easy. But as many novices can attest, it can be a frustrating job, especially for first-timers, and frought with trial-and-error learning. More »

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Sting Ray in the grass: Neglected ‘Vette to see new life

raustin | April 1, 2013
This 1967 Corvette looks lost and forgotten, but it will soon be getting a complete restoration after sitting for many years in a farm yard at an undisclosed location.

Tall grass attempts to drown Lee and Amanda Sloppy’s Corvette, but the unique profile of the Sting Ray sports car floats above the grass tips. The Sloppys have not forgotten their numbers-matching 327-cid, 300-hp 1967 Corvette roadster as it slips into a sea of green. More »

Categories: Features, Hobby News, Reader Stories | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

100-day makeover: Restoring a ’57 De Soto for the auction block

raustin | January 2, 2013
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Rust to Riches: Can a 1957 Dodge De Soto Firesweep go from scrap yard to prime auction condition in just 100 days? You have to see it to believe it. More »

Categories: 50's Cars, Auction News, Features, Hobby News | Tags: , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Model A 101: Car connects club and career center

raustin | November 16, 2012
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KANEVILLE, Ill. – Fox Valley Region of the Model A Restorers Club, Geneva, got together with students of the Auto Tech class at the Fox Valley Career Center, Kaneland High School to introduce the Model A Ford. Automotive classes are … More »

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Car of the Week: 1966 Ford Mustang

bearnest | October 15, 2012
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When Scott Meadows brought his 1966 Mustang coupe into Jeff Lilly Restorations in Helote, Texas, the little black 289 V-8-powered “pony” looked like a good “20 footer.” But Jeff Lilly knew better. More »

Categories: Car of the Week, Muscle Cars | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Fending for yourself: Attaching fender skirts

raustin | October 12, 2012
A rubber gasket on the skirt is required to seal it against the wheel opening. On a Pontiac such as this 1966, the wheel opening trim will be removed and the NOS skirts will be drilled for bright metal moldings that continue the body line.

Fender skirts are a fad that comes and goes. When vehicle documentation shows that a car had fender skirts when it left the factory, some owners want them reinstalled, regardless of the current fashion. This usually requires a lot more work than it did to glue fender skirts to the model car they built as a kid. More »

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Project Heaven

raustin | September 7, 2012
Postcard picture perfect is this scene with a 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe Bel Air hardtop with colorful brush growing alongside and the Rocky Mountains in the background.

Family-run Colorado yard is the place for complete cars   Story and photos by Ron Kowalke Taking the road less traveled often leads to great discoveries. While that sounds like a phrase found in a fortune cookie, it sums up … More »

Categories: Salvage Yard Ron | Tags: , , , , | 10 Comments

Do-it-yourself patch panels

raustin | September 5, 2012
Schrock cuts the sheet metal with the power shears.

Even on the West Coast and in Texas, it’s getting more difficult to find a 30-year-old or older project car without a case of the tin worm. Chances are, a project car is going to require some metal replacement, and when that metal isn’t available from a reproduction part producer or a parts car, there is but one alternative — make the part yourself. More »

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