When is it repair, and when is it restoration? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

crs82 · #1 09-11-2010, 10:09 PM

Can you "restore" a 10 year old car, or at that age is it still just repair. Is there an age requirement. My '79 SD I think qualifies for restoration, but what about a 1995 BMW 325i. Is that really a restoration in the classic sense.
Just a rambling thought.

TheDon · #2 09-11-2010, 10:14 PM

Restoration is to bring it back to original condition or concours restoration to bring it to super factory original. Down to the correct number of threads in the seat and hell all of the screws torqued to factory spec, facing same direction as well as not dinked up.

repair is just fixing it to make it another day.

vstech · #3 09-11-2010, 10:42 PM

it depends if it's a collectible car or not.
but any improvement to the vehicle that brings it to a level of a desirable trend is restoration.

I think a fully restored Duce coupe with a flathead ford and a quick change rear would be a wonderful restoration candidate, but it would hardly be a factory original vehicle.
a full restoration bringing a worn out or damaged car to pristine condition would qualify as a restoration. likewise a 2010 Z28 driven hard and put up wet would also qualify for restoration if it's condition is rebuilt using original shop components, like a "Yenko" dealer delivered vehicle wouldn't be stock, but it certainly would be a collectible restored vehicle.!

69shovlhed · #4 09-12-2010, 10:55 AM

restoring a 95 bmw? kind of like restoring a bic butane lighter ain't it? or maybe gold plating a turd...

t walgamuth · #5 09-12-2010, 11:10 AM

I agree with The Don and VS tech. No reason it would have to be factory to be a restoration.

Significant hot rods are now being treated to full restorations including a class for it at Pebble beach!

#6 09-12-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Significant hot rods are now being treated to full restorations including a class for it at Pebble beach!

Sad, but true.

t walgamuth · #7 09-12-2010, 11:40 AM

Why sad?

glenlloyd · #8 09-12-2010, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Why sad?

Because the hot rod itself is worthy of preservation, it marks a specific period in America, at the very least, that's important. The original car might be important but it's what the hot rod tells us about the social history and the people associated with that, and about America that is really more important.

Preservation is maintenance, restoration is a complete overhaul of everything and returning to a state of factory perfection (if it ever existed is debatable) but often the end result is overrestoration.

steve a

Biodiesel300TD · #9 09-12-2010, 12:09 PM

Repair is fixing broken parts to keep the car on the road. Restoration to me includes repair but also replacement and refurbishing of parts that aren't necessarily broken but may not look very good. Replacing a cracked dash is restoration. Replacing a leaky water pump is repair.

t walgamuth · #10 09-12-2010, 12:18 PM

Cars are cars. A fifties or sixties Ferrari is largely hand made, and the difference from car to car within the same model is legendary. They often used parts bought from large manufacturers such as Alfa, Lancia or Fiat, so to me they differ little from the hand made hot rods we built here in the US.

In Italy they did it partially due to lack of options and they had a lot of skilled folks who in a depressed local economy could find no other work.

Here most folks had industrial opportunities so the hand work was done more often as a hobby.

Hot rods are bastards, but bastards need love too!

#11 09-12-2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Why sad?

I have no use for hot rods, 99% of the time I would rather have a correct original than something that was hacked up. Recognizing hot rods at major shows will tend to encourage this type of vandalism.

t walgamuth · #12 09-12-2010, 12:44 PM

How can you not love a lowered, channelled 32 ford with an early dodge hemi engine and a caddy lasalle transmissioin and a duvall windshield?

4x4_Welder · #13 09-12-2010, 12:45 PM

There is a world of difference between restoration and resto-mod. I personally can't think of too many people who would put together an early Nova with a six cylinder, Powerglide, pea-green paint and bias ply tires, but I can think of plenty who would drop in a 454, four or five speed, and some nice fat DOT slicks on the back on alloy wheels with a nice dark blue or candy apple red paint job.
Some newer cars, especially in the rust belt qualify for restoration. I think the line is somewhere around major body panel repair, interior re-upholstery, and body off frame work.
I have had many older vehicles that were simply repaired, and did not need restoration.

#14 09-12-2010, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

How can you not love a lowered, channelled 32 ford with an early dodge hemi engine and a caddy lasalle transmissioin and a duvall windshield?

I can't tell if you're joking?

Personally, I have no use for modern, domestic power plants in anything. If a hot rod was built at or near the time of the original car with period correct parts, it does have some historical value. Anyone who chops up a vintage car (or even an original body) to make a hot rod today deserves to be crushed while in the car.

t walgamuth · #15 09-12-2010, 01:02 PM

I am not joking. The car I described would have been built in the mid fifties and afik any car built today would not qualify for the pebble beach class.

Being a creative sort I am sympathetic to any sincere effort at creativity. That said, some things "jest aint right" ....such as benz bodies bolted to 4wd truck chassis.