Just thought I'd get your opinions on the topic of Restoration of an entirely original vehicle vs. Preservation of it.

For example my 1966 Mercury Parklane. This is an all original car, the only items I've changed are what I call maintence items, such as the tires, brake shoes, shocks ( I still have the factory shocks), sprak plugs and wires. I've had to fix the frame, or it would be a lawn ornament. I've added a couple of things such as a tach and a cd player, but neither added any holes to the car and can be taken out and you would not notice they were ever there. My car is 20 miles short of 100,000 miles, just over 40,000 have been by me. The interior is completely original and I've touched nothing in it. The body has the original paint is it is starting to craze, the drivetrain has all original parts and are starting to wear out, head gaskets have been changed.

So I've come to the point it's starting to not look like a tip top shape car, but I don't plan on winning anything at shows either. I enjoy the car very much the way it is. So I'm contemplating wether to just do the bare minimum to keep the car going and to keep it as original as possible and just keep enjoying it until it pukes, it works fine, just things are starting to wear out. Or have I already gone too far and changed too many things from their original parts? Or do I do a showroom perfect restoration so it looks like it did when new and is way more pleasing to look at?

I was just giving an example, I am curious on your opinions on the whole restoration vs. preservation topic. Me personally I am more in favor of the preservation, as it is only original once and while not perfect, you can drive it, which is its intended purpose.

 

well the problem i have now with both my 53 and the 52 is that while they are both survivors , and in really good shape , they are or have developed major issues that require attention , and i tried to just keep it running with the 53 . they are not going to be restorations though as my 53 had half a'd been converted to 12 volt before , the 52 is going that way as we speak , and i am dropping a 5 speed and other non stock items in the 53 , and the wife is begining to see things she want's to do too the 52 so .... all of them are changes designed to aide in driving them all the time as i have my 53 till recently , and make them a lil' more user friendly in today's traffic . so unless you intend to keep it in the garage i tend to lean towards tweaking it to suit your tastes , and style , and driving conditions , a restoration is just going to continue to show the shortcomings of it . now don't tell me you wouldn't do electronic ignition , or an od tranny if you could ...............

 

I would say, use original equipment parts or better on any maintenance, upgrades or repairs done. With that being said, since it is mostly original, I would only add options and upgrades that it did not come with originally and not chop it up to convert it to something it is not. If you want to keep it, use it, and enjoy it, then I would only add things to it that would make it more enjoyable for you while still keeping as much originality as you would like. On the other hand, if the vehicle in question is not worth much in investment terms, then you could do whatever you want to it (ie; chop, channel, lower, or hot rod it out), or even keep it completely original. The choice is yours.

 

Personally, I wouldn't 'hot rod' it.
I'd make repairs as necessary and bring the items up-to-date.
I'd toss the original shocks, etc., because for a daily driver, they'll not mean anything, to me.
I'd rebuild the engine and keep it as 'stock' as possible!

IF the paint is starting to look shoddy, have what bodywork done that will put it in top shape, and re-paint with today's technology, but leave it the original color.

Good money after bad?????

Nah.

If you like this car, and like everything about it, update it to the 21st century and drive it another 40+ years!

 

X2, I would totally agree with this.

 

Ya nothing I've changed on the car can't be changed back with little effort and no modification. The first thing I did to it was put pertronix ignition, I like their system as it is completely hidden in the distributor. I did keep the original points just in case. I did replace the shocks with one with bigger pistons, the ones I removed from the car were stamped 1965 FoMoCo so I had to keep them.

As far as a value standpoint I have maybe $2000 into the car including purchase. and The book value as it sits is almost $10000. Not that I would ever sell the car.

I was aiming more for do you prefer cars that were restored to original spec or cars that are drivers and very nice originals with very minimal modification.

I do not attend shows much with it anymore, kinda boring sitting there all day. I've been doing alot of poker runs, cruises, that kind of stuff. For some reason people are always impressed when a 20 foot car does burnouts I will most likely just keep driving it and keep replacing the original parts as they fail.

And the only major issues I'm having with it are it is high compression and does not like todays fuel, and at least around here I can't find batterys with decent cranking amps and they all have a hard time starting the car. But it still drives and corners like a race car.

I will most likely repaint the car, but I want to get a few more repaints under my belt before I do it, I got a few planned for next summer. Someday with all this practice I might actually get good at restoring cars

 

IMHO, if the car is solid inside and out, then there is no reason to do a complete restoration. i wouldn't hesitate to repaint, re-chrome as needed, re-lamp / re-lens as needed and perform any interior work as needed or wanted. I would however try to keep it as close to OE s possible. One never knows what the future holds. Most importantly, the car has to be safe and you have to be satisfied with it.

 

Theres too many restos out there, I would rather see the real McCoy preserved by someone who knows its worth and cares about it. High dollar restorations are not very faithful to what the reality looked like back in the day.

 

I agree. They are only original once and I've come to appreciate these more after seeing so many resto mods, clones, etc.

 

Well my 66 Merc just hit 100,000 original miles, and still going strong. Just before that mark for some reason the sending unit seal came apart and pours fuel out. kinda weird as I just changed it earlier this summer and have filled I several times since then with no leaks, Guess something must have shifted. I will in all likely hood just keep driving the wheels off this thing and fix things as they break and hope they have at least original looking parts for it. The original paint will stay until it really bothers me, in the meantime rubbing compound should do the trick.

I'm definitely sick of seeing 350 Chevys and ford 9 inches in everything, just seems all cookie cutter to me. THough for a street rod I'd love to get a 49 Merc kit car and put a worked over 429 into it

 

I like them either way, and restorations can get "very" expensive. Many guys end up selling them un-completed wishing they never took the car apart. Make the car safe, do the necessary upgrades, and enjoy the car. That's what it's all about.

 

I would love to kick Bill Harrah's (of Harrah's casinos) "tailgate" across the United States for starting the overrestored, 6 figures spent restoration craze back in the 1970's.

As for my opinion on what to do, do what YOU want to do to the vehicle. I think you have been on the right track with some safety and drivability upgrades, but otherwise keeping it nearly stock. Keep going down this path, and you will have a wonderful, enjoyable classic automobile for years to come. I did the same thing to a 1955 F100, kept it in good condition, and enjoyed it for years. Never did a restoration, but it was not hacked up with modifications. It was a great learning experience in auto mechanics and the restore versus maintain versus hot rod debate.

One of things I have found with those people that spend on a full restoration is that once they spend those tens of thousands on the restoration, they then worry about using the car ever again as transportation, and worry about how what they may do will affect its supposed future value. A friend did this to a '66 Mustang GT, and the thing never again set foot outside a temperature controlled storage unit unless the outside conditions were perfect weather for a drive. Today, that car only goes to shows and other events, and is hardly used like it was prior to the restoration. To me, it was a waste of money to do a restoration on the car and then be afraid to use it because you put tens of thousands into a restoration.

 

Good post Bill. That's usually the way it plays out for the average guy if he manages to finish the restoration.

 

I agree with Bill and you both. If you can't use it, what good is it. That's what I'm doing with my truck. I'm only adding things that it didn't come with originally, to improve on what I use it for. I keep it around because it's the first vehicle that my wife and I got after we were married. Now, it's delegated to camping, dump runs, and just picking things up that won't fit or are too dirty for our cars. I'm about to start working on the body to prep for paint, but am torn on what type of paint to use. I want it to look really nice, but not so nice that I worry about not keeping it in a garage, or going in the woods with it. Oh well, I guess we can't have everything.

 

I personally wouldn't touch the paint unless it's so hideous you can't stand looking at it anymore, but I believe in a quality paint. PPG carries an omni line that's pretty good and priced right. I'd also most likely use single stage on my truck.