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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does it cost?
A: It all depends folks. How many parts will need to
be replaced due to poor quality? How long will it take to search for parts,
or even fit them to your vehicle for that matter. How much rust does the
vehicle actually have? Estimating the cost a full restoration or any custom
job is impossible. A great deal of structural damage can be hidden on a car,
and is usually only visible once full disassembly has been completed. It is
the unseen damage of a vehicle that changes the project costs. This is why
inspections and project planning is crucial to any restoration project.
While they cannot provide a definite total cost, they can help to better
prepare you financially for the project while also eliminating the chance of
mistakes and delays. Steer clear of any shop willing to give you a solid
estimate. This is dangerous for you and the vehicle. Shops like this often
under bid jobs and then look for ways to cut costs, usually by cutting
quality, in order to get out from under the vehicle. The point is, cost is
relative. Relative to your car, your goals, and most importantly, your
preparation!
Q: How long does a restoration project last?
A: Again, this is not an exact science. Some vehicles require only months to
finish, others have been known to take years. While you may see TV shows
cranking out vehicles in weeks, maybe even days, remember, that is TV.
Groups of technicians, 25 or more, are used to complete those vehicles, and
that type of manpower is way outside the scope of most budgets. The thing to
remember here is that proper planning will greatly reduce your build time
and insure that the project process is efficient yet effective.
Q: Is my vehicle worth restoring?
A: No restoration shop can honestly answer this question. In reality, 80% of
the vehicles restored today are worth maybe a fraction of the money that was
invested into their restoration. Keep in mind though, among the right
people, anything can be valuable. The Barret Jackson auctions are a prime
example. vehicles have consistently sold for far more than they are
technically worth at these auctions. Why? Because the cars are being
marketed in the right environment. The only person who can decide whether a
car is worth restoring is it's owner. They are the ones who must fund the
project and they are the ones who will make the investment. It's all a
matter of how much does it mean to you. Unless of course it's a 67 Shelby GT
500, then it's a no brainer!
Q: Which is better; Acid Dipping, Sand
Blasting, Hand Stripping, or Soda Blasting, when removing paint?
A: Hands down, Soda Blasting is the way to go. Acid dipping is messy and
environmentally unsafe. Not to mention it's banned in Washington state.
Dipping leaves a nasty film on your vehicle and ruins filler work but does
not completely remove it. Sand blasting is dangerous to metal and hazardous
to the environment and the technicians. The hot sand tends to warp the metal
surface and often leaves massive amounts of imperfections which later have
to be filled in. Also, free silica is released into the air and can be
hazardous to the technicians health. Hand stripping simply takes far to
long, is not nearly as thorough, and can even warp the metal. Soda blasting
uses baking soda forced out at high speed. It does a tremendous job of
separating paint and metal without harming filler work. It is
environmentally safe and fairly inexpensive to do.
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