 | Richard Smith has been in the Auto Body Industry for 26 years. He is ASE Certified Master Collision Tech, an I-Car Platinum Tech, and an I-Car Instructor. He and His wife own and operate Sharp's Auto Body & Collision Inc. located at 202 North Elm St. in Pittsburg, Kansas. He is a father of 5 children, Ex Military E-6 Staff SGT. and is active in his home Church. The one thing he enjoys doing is educating the public about the safety and proper repair of automobiles, no matter if it is a vehicle that has been in a collision, a small dent, or a complete restoration. The shop is always equipped with a skilled professional to handle your auto needs. |
Automotive Service & Repair
1969-12-31 18:00:00
Auto restoration series: Taking a vehicle from rust to the show room- part 1 - exterior
Question: What are some of the steps you take in restoring the exterior of a vehicle?
Answer: When starting a restoration project, expect the unexpected. A vehicle that still has paint on it may have untold stories of years past hidden underneath the paint.
First, dismantle the car and strip the car to the bare metal to uncover trouble areas. Depending on the vehicle and the location of the rust, you look to see if the replacement parts that you need are available. If not then you have to make the panel or panels that need replaced.
After the vehicle has been stripped, epoxy all bare metal to keep the moisture from causing surface rust. Begin replacing the panels and repairing dents. Fitting the panels for proper fit is something you may have to do several times until you get the panel to fit correctly. Once all the panels fit correctly and the body work is completed, it is time to prime the vehicle, and then you block and prime the vehicle again.
Now for the paint, you can put 200 hours in a vehicle real quick. It can take anywhere from 200 hours for a mini body restoration where the vehicle is in good shape, to 400 to 500 hours. On some of your new televisions shows as in “Overhauled” they get a car built in a week and make it look easy. However, you take 20 to 25 techs working on that car times 40 hours that is 800 to 1000 hours put in a vehicle
that week to get it done.
Please take into consideration this is just the restoration of the body of the vehicle. You also have the interior to replace, (motor, suspension, transmission etc.) for it to be considered a complete restoration.
