As children become older, or retirement looms, car restorations become an integral part of many people’s list of hobbies as a way to spend their time, either alone or as part of a team. Many dads and sons have found common ground in spending damp Sunday afternoons in a cold garage fixing up an old banger. Likewise, once the daily routine of a nine to five has vanished, an intensive hobby is a brilliant way to ease oneself into retirement.
Car restoration isn’t a hobby to be undertaken lightly, which is why it’s really important to select a car that really incites passion in those who’ll be working on it. Of course, a level of skill will be beneficial too, although learning new skills is all part of the fun. YouTube is a great place for online tutorials for free, and a good manual will make excellent bedtime reading in regards to a car’s specific detailing.
Likewise, the skills involved in hunting down the correct parts turns any Tom, Dick or Harry into Indiana Jones. Traipsing through eBay for parts from across the world can swiftly become an obsession, with the familiar ping of a reminder from the app coming through to a phone throughout the day. Going old school, the Yellow Pages will provide details of every scrapyard and car part dealership locally, where getting on good terms with the owner means that they’ll soon start keeping an eye out for parts suitable for your project.
Once the correct parts have been located it’s imperative that the right tools are to hand so they can get fitted as safely and easily as possible – because if it’s taken six months to find it’ll be devastating to break it when attempting to install it. If you don’t want to buy the equipment as you won’t use it too often, Hire Torque Ltd rents out torque wrenches and nut splitters. This can save valuable pennies to go on shiny new parts.
The most important thing to invest in however is a decent set of car ramps. As tempting as it may be to improvise with a couple of breeze blocks, it’s really not a fun idea to be squashed under the classic car you’re restoring, it’s definitely not the best way to either bond with your son or begin your retirement – being rushed to hospital while the ambulance staff are tutting at your stupidity.
