You know how taking up ceramics or yoga can be therapeutic after a long, hard days’ work? This can be applied to a slew of hobbies and activities. And some folks do that with more long-term projects, like car restorations.
Just think about it: you’re alone, for hours on end, pulling apart a car that was never supposed to touch asphalt ever again only to put it back together with new and refurbished parts. And then you drive it off into the horizon… hopefully, not into the nearest light pole because you accidentally connected the brake pedal to the accelerator.
#1 Before & After
Image credits: knuckleheadtj
#2 A Little Before And After. Paid $1000 For A '72 Ghia That Had Been Sitting In Yard 5 Years Under A Tree. High-Speed Wool Pad And Polishing/Cutting Compound
Image credits: AlabamaPodunk70
#3 1958 MGA Before And After
Image credits: flashdrivemotors
There might not be solid numbers showing just how popular car restorations are. But, the fact that everyone and their mother in the car industry keeps coming back to the topic—that alone is testament to how alive it still is today. Well, that and dedicated communities on Reddit.
While you might still see the classics on the road, today’s trends focus on more modern car models. It’s not so much the 1930s any more as it is predominantly the ‘70s, ‘80s, and the ‘90s.
#4 I Found A Rusty Morgunovka (SeAZ S-3A From 1960) In My Neighbor’s Garage, Installed A CVT And Made A "Candy" Out Of It
Image credits: andrew1
#5 This 1970 Chevelle Went Through A Full Restoration Process To Get Its Glory Back
Image credits: Dori_Servis
#6 My First DIY Post, But I Restored A 1969 Mustang In High School And I'm Very Proud Of How She Turned Out
Image credits: glang25
Gone (ish) is also the idea of backyard restorations. According to Rob Customs, an increasing number of people tend to turn to custom body shops and the like for help restoring whatever gem they’ve stumbled upon.
With that said, and considering the rich automotive history and the prevalence of the industry, folks now have greater opportunities and more options to take on car restorations. And it’s not just parts, but also expert opinion has proven to be invaluable with big projects that folks hope to drive one day.
#7 A Friend’s Aunt Gifted Me Her Deceased Father's Car. "If You Think You Can Get It Running, You Can Have It"
Image credits: Whoiscw
#8 Here’s My Father And His Before And After Pics Of His ‘65 Bus Restoration Project. He’s Very Proud Of It And He Spent 4x Of My College Degree To Make It What It Is Today
Image credits: yeahrightgirlhg
#9 The Original Car My Grandpa Purchased At 16 Years Old: A '31 Chevy 5-Window Coupe That Was Restored By Him And My Dad
Image credits: cantteachreddit
But, unlike most mainstream hobbies, like table top games or crafts, car restoration demands dedication. And seemingly loads of it.
Dean’s Autoglass has a comprehensive list of things to consider before taking on something as big as this. And as is with most projects, this one starts off with a plan.
#10 Nysa 522, Photos Shows The Restoration Of A Polish Car
Image credits: Prostoilogin
#11 1969 Karmann Ghia Before And After - Restored And Converted To Electric
Image credits: flashdrivemotors
#12 Before, During, And After The 6-Year Restoration And Customization Of My 1967 Beetle
Image credits: RodMartinez
The plan determines your aspirations for the project, the budget (and how plausible that is), figuring out the time frame and plan of action, as well as other smaller, yet equally important details like location, tools of the trade and professional opinion.
There are a lot of variables and moving parts to consider, so documenting everything is key. A typical car has around 30,000 individual parts and you don’t want any of it to get lost in the works. Besides, you can document the progress and make a social campaign out of it.
#13 1971 Dodge Charger Before And After
Image credits: Power-Wagon
#14 My '64 Falcon Build Before And After
Image credits: grumpy__robot
#15 Just Over Two Years Ago I Started My First Major Project, A Non-Running 1967 Triumph TR4A. Here's A Before And After
Image credits: senor_sugar
Next up is the business phase. And by that, we mean you start work on the car. Stripping the interior, removing the wiring, taking out the gearbox, transmission and other necessary parts, removing external panels and windows—pretty much everything that won’t be painted on, or shouldn’t be painted as part of the main body. This phase is also good for keeping inventory and seeing what you are missing and need to order.
#16 Sometimes It's Easy To Forget How Much Work You've Done
Image credits: CarltoneUkulele
#17 Restored My Dad's Old '70 Camaro
Image credits: dldecler
#18 Arkady Babich's Homemade Convertible "Leningrad" Has Been Restored
Image credits: wroom
Phase three is pretty much cleaning the surfaces. So, gritting, removing sand and dents, priming, sanding, undersealing, stuff like that. This is all in preparation for a new paint job. While the guide doesn’t specify anything about the cleanup part, it recommends that the paint job be done by a professional car painter. But if you insist, then at the strict supervision of one.
#19 I Can’t Draw But I Consider This My Art. Restored A Classic Stingray In My Garage
Image credits: iCommunicateInGifs
#20 Before And After Of My Dad's 2-Year Smokey And The Bandit Inspired Trans Am Project
Image credits: NBE01
#21 Completed Restoration Of My Dream Car
Image credits: finallygotmymustang
Then comes time for the engine. Before doing anything, check it out and decide if it’s better to upgrade and refurbish, or to swap it out altogether. Whatever the case, it’s also best to take the opportunity—now that the engine is lifted out—to swap out the auxiliary parts as well as belts and water pumps and all that jazz. So you could sleep better at night.
#22 Challenger Restored
Image credits: GYC_Mark
#23 Rare 1967 Mustang GT500 Got A Second Chance At Life. And Women Say We Don't Cry Enough
Image credits: spiceofmylife
#24 Before And After Of A Project I’m Very Proud To Officially Consider Completed
One year ago I found a 1969 auto squareback in the weeds and bought it for $800. This afternoon I finished the final tweaks and it’s officially road-ready. Cheers!
Image credits: dlatusek12
Before the engine goes back into the car, fire it up, see how it works.
And if that goes well, reassemble everything else: the break system, the fuel system, the suspensions, the wiring, the gearbox, the cooling system, the rubbers and pretty much everything else that you need and want your newly refurbished car to have.
#25 Before And After From A Few Years Ago. I Work In My Family’s Glass, Interior, Sunroof, And Convertible Workshop
We also rent a building across the street that houses a body shop and an auto repair shop. Our customer bought the car like this because he thought he could fix it for cheap. It fell off a car carrier. After we finished it over a year later. My brother had to make the back seat from scratch out of pipe foam. He went off a picture of the seat and went from there. One of our trimmers made the covers. Pretty much a VW seat.
Image credits: indieemopunk
#26 1963 VW Dune Buggy Restoration Before And After
Image credits: okie_gunslinger
#27 Before & After
Image credits: SecretOrganization60
Arguably, the best part at this point would be the test drive. And that’s actually the last phase. It’s a reward for all the hard work you’ve done, but also a time when you can tackle any kinks in the car left over from the refurbishment process. The way it sounds, handles, accelerates—keep an eye (and ear… and other sensory faculties) on it.
#28 Restoration Camaro Z28 '73
Image credits: maiko3333
#29 Before And After. I Spent 2 Years And Too Much Money On Her
Image credits: Ern-The-Burn
#30 Before And After
The original color is Crocus yellow. It's on the back seat panel, which you can see through the rear window. The car was built for the GM show car account and is the first Impala convertible built in 1965. SS package 327 with powerglide, power windows, tilt, and rear seat speakers.
Image credits: Sinpala
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Do you now want to take on restoring an older car? Share which one and your stories in the comment section below!
And if you want more car goodness, both of the old and new variety, then you’re in luck.
#31 The Red Wheels With The White Walls Make The Look Of This Truck, Awesome
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 A Before And After Of My Father's '79 Vette That We Restored/Modified During One Indiana Winter
Image credits: smiffhouse
#33 1967 RS/SS Camaro Home-Built Restoration
Image credits: 67RS-SS
#34 1968 Ford Mustang Restoration, My First Car
Image credits: MustangGuy68
#35 My Brother Finished His Bird After A Few Years. Pretty Awesome
Image credits: BrownZac
#36 280Z Before And After. It Was A Lot Of Hard Work, But She’s Beautiful
Image credits: cody4king
#37 Got This Out Of A Hay Field. It's Been Sitting For A Long Time
Image credits: bgardner66
#38 The Before And After Of Mine And My Wife's Project Car. 2015-2018
Image credits: Luke-Mopar
#39 Some Before And After Pics Of My '68 Merc Cougar I've Been Working On For A Couple Years Now
Image credits: Overseer4
#40 Before And After. My First Car I Bought 3 Years Ago For $700
Image credits: Calvatron_
#41 It's Art And Requires Just Enough Passion
Image credits: alexmwanzo
#42 I Restored A 1977 VW Bus For Under $1,000
Image credits: LifeWithAdd
#43 Before And After Photos Of An E12 I Had To Refurbish In The Workshop Last Weekend For Our Exhibition
Image credits: mvpmp90
#44 Before And After. Still A Work In Progress. Next are Coilovers, GTI Wheels, And Bumpers
Image credits: Red__Sailor
#45 My (Wife's) 1970 Fiat 500 L Before And After Restoration
Image credits: ForcedInductionGamer
#46 After 3 Years Of Work, I'm Calling This Project Done
Image credits: middlefingerboss
#47 A 5-Year Project, And All The Work Was Done By Me And My Father-In-Law
Image credits: Alienentity555
#48 At The Ripe Age Of 22, I've Completely Restored A 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit. What An Experience
Image credits: omgwutd00d
#49 I Don't Know If I Have Posted A Before And After Pic Yet. Top Is Before, In Case You're Wondering
Image credits: General_Vodka
#50 My Very First Build. I Got The Car For The First Time When I Was 15
Image credits: eazy_does_it_now
