Thread: Restoration?-What is a true restoration

I reckon it's a personal thing - a resto can be done in many ways, all of them valid. But with different results.

I always thought it was back to original condition using the original components and to be a true restoration using the original parts and matching numbers. This to me reflects the true value of the vehicle.

Yes - it can be - often is - but if a fellow decides to take a clapped out S1 that has been sitting in a paddock with a tree growing through it, and then fixes the rusted chassis, repairs the body work - even replaces the engine with something else, and finally paints it hot pink - it's still a restoration, in as much as it's then restored to a going concern.

Might not be restored to original condition - but that is the question - what do we want to achieve?

I believe amongst the vintage/veteran brigade a restoration is using the original parts, while to use reproduced parts produces a "rebuild".

Originally Posted by bayrover

I always thought it was back to original condition using the original components and to be a true restoration using the original parts and matching numbers. This to me reflects the true value of the vehicle.

Then there's chequebook restorations where someone hands over a wreck to a company and the vehicle is totally rebuilt using NOS parts. Dunsfold did an average 1950 recently and the quote was 30,000.00 GBPounds which went ahead.

I guess it is in the eyes of the beholder, some people will do a mecanical only restoration and leave the patina intact, even without paint on the alloy panels.

If you consider only a true restoration is using original parts and matching numbers. Tell me about the battery, will it be rubber case with exposed lead? How about the tyres? I'm not riding with you on 60 year old rubber! Where can you acquire Dunlop T-28 TrakGrip tyres lately?

On a Land Rover what are matching numbers? We know the original engine number on a Grenville Motors distributed vehicle. Should we judge one of those differently to a vehicle distributed by Annand & Thompson, Regent Motors or Champions where we don't know the numbers?

Tell me about the baked enamel paint? Do you know that you can no longer acquire the old paint tints? So will you use synthetic tints and two-pak enamel?

60 year old vinyl probably won't be much good, or at least good enough to sit on without cracking. The texture of Exmoor Trim seats is not exactly the same as the original. What will you do about that? How about the Dunlopillo latex seat cushioning, won't be any good these days, tell me where do you get that?

Given your above definition there won't be very many restorations out there.

Diana

Addit: As others have said, it depends upon what you hope to achieve out of a vehicle. Last year at ABD we met a pensioner who restored a 1949 working in islolation using his manuals, available parts and his ingenuity to replicate missing and broken parts, the result was an acceptable working vehicle of which he was rightly proud. Those of us in the know, could pick details which were less than original. I would never want to inform him that under some people's definitions his is only a rebuild, it is his restoration and so it will be with me.

Also, I do not believe that a series Land Rover should ever be considered or judged concours d'Elegance condition no matter how well it was maintained or restored. IMHO it's not a Land Rover thing!

So the point is we will never have any complete restorations but we will have restorations that are true to what we can do now. The others using repo guards/ tubs etc should be called rebuilds????

Originally Posted by Scallops

I reckon it's a personal thing - a resto can be done in many ways, all of them valid. But with different results.

I'm going with Dan on this one.

At the end of the day its your vehicle so you can do what you like.

Iam also going with Dan as every resotions is different!