Restorer32

We have parts sand cast often. Lot wax casting provides a better end product but costs quite a bit more than sand casting.

Fort Wayne Clutch.

Maybe we should change the mission statement of AACA to read "Dedicated to the preservation of automotive history as long as it makes economic sense".

Yet there are many cars in worse shape and with less potential being restored every day. Told my Son a few years ago that we likely would never again be paid to do a complete restoration of a Model A or T. Surprise, we completed a full on total resto of an A 4 door 2 years ago and are currently doing the same with a T. As I have said many times "Behold the Philistine who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing". Of the 15 or so cars in out shop I would say only 1 is being restored in the hopes of turning a profit. Sentiment goes a long way.

Seriously, what makes the most sense, restore this Packard for $400k or restore a Model A Ford for $100k ? Just comes down to "different strokes for different folks" does it not ?

If someone cannot live without this Packard and wants it restored we will pick it up and bring it to our shop for free. Oh, did I mention we work time and materials only? Should not cost more than $300-$400 thou plus parts, materials and sub contract.

How about engine parts, pistons, valves etc for a 1938 Willys Sedan ?

Yes, as original. This was in '79.

Second car we professionally restored was a '31 Chev Sedan. Painted it its original color of Coffee Cream with Cellini Green wheels. Found out the Cellini Green was used by VW as late as '68.

I remember the Gold Bug we restored was 45-1964. Wonder where it is now? We restored it for a fellow in Switzerland. He sold it to a customer of ours from France where it was driven 600 miles in an endurance run. Our customer consigned it with Hyman Classic cars. Somehow it ended up with Wayne Carinni and was on his Chasing Classic Cars show where it was modified a bit from original. No idea where it is now.

Oops...It was the centerpiece of the Philadelphia FLOWER show, not the AUTO show.

Maybe 20 years ago a 1921 Rolls Ghost we restored was used as the centerpiece of the Philly auto show.

As I remember, yes. I only had the car a short time before selling it.

I'll relate one of the stranger days I've had in the restoration business. Fellow asked us to retrieve a car he owned that was languishing in another shop. We were to bring it to our shop, look it over and give the owner a ballpark guesstimate as to how much it would cost to finish the restoration. The owner met us at our shop and we looked over the car together. The car was partially disassembled and needed considerable woodwork before anything else. We gave the owner the "ballpark" estimate he requested and that's when things became interesting. Owner says "There is no way I can afford to restore this car and I have lost interest. Do you have any interest in the car?" Me "I like the car but there is no way I could afford it". We had only recently built our new shop and were working hard just to pay the mortgage. Fellow looks at his wife and asks "What do you think we should do dear?" She responds "We should do what we talked about". With that the fellow reaches into his jacket pocket and tosses the title onto my desk. "There you go" he says. Me, "I'm sorry but even if you financed the car I can't afford it". Him "No, I'm giving you the car. Do with it whatever you want. Restore it or sell it. It's yours." And that is how I became the owner of a Custom 1937 Mercedes Sedan that had been specially built for the head Justice of the Supreme Court of Columbia. I am now waiting for someone to gift me a Duesenberg. Hey, it could happen!

Not asking whether you were gifted a junkyard car with scrap value only or gifts from family members. Were you ever gifted a car with significant value? Maybe something needing full restoration but of significant value when finished? What did you do with that gift?

We did a full resto on a '53 Skylark some years ago. I think we sent our chrome plater's daughter thru college.

Also, "dealer installed" does not necessarily mean "factory authorised".

I wonder if Paul's was sold before the poor reviews. We last used Paul's in '98 and I swear if you sent them a pic of a part they would return it perfectly plated. We never had less that perfect work from them. We only changed due to distance as shipping costs and insurance skyrocketed.

$7000 ?

Sad if true. We used to use Paul's exclusively. When their first shop burned to the ground we had all the chrome from a '31 Packard 840 Roadster there. They literally sifted thru the ashes and found every piece of our chrome, all of which was finished but had not been shipped. Paul's was one of the best platers anywhere and I am saddened to hear this news.

Ed, I was not doubting your estimate. I just thought the audience might benefit from knowing how you arrived at your figure. Big difference between a "short block " rebuild and a full rebuild/restoration. Folks forget that your old nearly worn out starter might not be able to handle the compression of a freshly rebuilt engine and will require a rebuild too. Same with carb, water pump, clutch. No wonder we only work time and materials.

Ed, can you educate us as to why it would cost $65k to rebuild a '33 Lincoln 12 ?

1941 Packard sedan. Bought it from a lady going into a nursing home. Paid her asking price of $20 and drove it 25 miles home.

Here is a hypothetical situation. Fellow, whose business is antique auto related, has had the same 8 spaces for 10+ years. Every year he advertises his business on 2 or 3 of those spaces. Some years he sells parts on 2 spaces and some years he displays a car or 2 for sale. What about the years when he does not have parts to sell or cars to market, meaning a couple of his spaces will remain empty? Is he to be denied rental of those 8 spaces, the location of which he likes because his customers know where to find him? Suppose, the years he does not need all 8 spaces, he allows his customers who have never experienced Hershey to park on those spaces. Many of those "first timers" go on to become loyal AACA members. Is the renter of those 8 spaces to be penalized because folks have to walk past a few "empty" spaces?

Is the cost of spaces determined by the AACA or by HERCO ?