Page 1 of 2

Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:10 pm
by 8BAK465
Maybe the end of the world is very nearly here and Electric cars are on route but the amount of people I have spoke to recently through groups and meets who have expressed they have had it with Restoring cars seems to be on the Increase!

A mate of mine has spent a couple of years welding up his car and how he wants to get a better one from the states because he says he is through with Restoration :roll:

There seems to be a trend now of what is refered to as Rustoration ie make something safe,reliable and generally structure rust free and paint those areas with whatever have you (we are not calling for concours here)

Then clean up what you have and to claim a Cold War Motors saying finish with some sketchy rattle can dust ins and just enjoy!

Speaking to others the change of heart seems to be people are waking up to the fact they are wishing their lives away chasing perfection while realising that they may never get to actually drive the car?

Who are we doing them for?

Us or for somebody else when we are no longer here?

In some senses I feel I went a little further with Shitey than I first planned but its done now but should I do another its a sketchy yet solid Rustoration for me.

It seems our time is short with electric cars and legislation on the horizon that we have no say in the matter of plus the shite they are putting in our fuel to stop us having fun :(

So better to of loved and lost than never loved at all so they say

we have been doing it for years it seems the rest are now catching up with our way of thinking :roll:

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:46 pm
by mercrocker
8BAK465 wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:10 pm

Who are we doing them for?


In my case - Me. Just me. Nobody else gives a fuck and as long as they roll safely and reliably that's job done.

Not interested in car shows beyond the odd informal gathering somewhere interesting and I certainly cannot be arsed cleaning them - I follow the old chauffeur regime of wheels, lights and windows. Sod the paint, ditto the chrome.

I wouldn't worry about the future, Jo - just have fun today!

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:00 pm
by 8BAK465
mercrocker wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:46 pm
8BAK465 wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:10 pm

Who are we doing them for?


In my case - Me. Just me. Nobody else gives a fuck and as long as they roll safely and reliably that's job done.

Not interested in car shows beyond the odd informal gathering somewhere interesting and I certainly cannot be arsed cleaning them - I follow the old chauffeur regime of wheels, lights and windows. Sod the paint, ditto the chrome.

I wouldn't worry about the future, Jo - just have fun today!
I was watching Junk and Disorderly last night when they bought a tidy Daimler 250 but i couldnt help but notice a rather scuffy mk1 Jag in the background.

It would clean up nicely that said Sam..........

Sod that i said Id drive it as it is!

You would she said :lol:

And i agree Im doing Shitey for me not for anybody else its just originally I want to rattle can the lot but soon realised it was too much for me to do so when I got offered Mates rates silly money for somebody else to do it I agreed never expecting it to come out that nice :o

Mind you when it goes a little rough around the edges ill just let it mature and tell its own story ;)

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:30 pm
by CLINT
That Granada on Autoshite is a restoration, most of the rest of us are just tarting up old cars.

Didn't we already have this thread though?

Mods please merge. Many thanks

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:35 pm
by 8BAK465
CLINT wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:30 pmDidn't we already have this thread thoughMods please merge. Many thanks
Probably :lol:

And there endeth the lesson close it merge it fix and paint the walls beige :lol:

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:49 am
by richardthestag
Me? I would walk past rows of "over restored" cars to get to something that wears it's years with pride.

The 1972 Range Rover I did! Went to great lengths to mix used but serviceable parts with new, gave it a very respectable paint job. I certainly had a friendly and patinated feel to it while bing A1 on the mechanicals and lack of rust.

Result, I loved it, alas punters at Auction only saw the Patina when they were looking for a fucking Audi Q7 finish. Auctioneers were aghast at the change in the market at the car was "in their view" worth way more. As a result...

Next one I do will be rustoration. It will be mechanically perfect and rust free but with original interior and paint. I should save over £10k and probably sell it for the same price as the last one went for.

In summary; if you are doing a commission for someone else, let them sort the paint and interior! It will NEVER be what they want if you do it. Give them a blank canvas so to speak.

If you are doing it for yourself, do it how you like it but don't expect everyone else to! They can go to hell on a handcart 😁

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 11:27 am
by xtriple
997.JPG
997.JPG (667.48 KiB) Viewed 4782 times
I have restored several cars (and more motorcycles) and I am never satisfied with the end result. There are always faults/flaws/bits that could have been done better. As a result, I always end up selling them shortly after finishing them.
The one thing I did 'piece-meal' was my Bonneville and I loved that bike to death and miss it dearly. I was tempted to strip it and rebuild it but just re-did the engine, then I very carefully brush painted the frame with everything in place and then sanded and polished it which got a better finish than a 'proper' job. I even painted the tank with it on the bike as I wanted to get the stripes on straight and with regard t the stripes, from start to finish they took me an hour outside in the sunshine. They were just an experiment but looked great and stayed. It seemed that the less time and effort I put into it, the better it turned out! Contrast that with the CBX I spent a fortune on and sourced genuine parts from America, Australia, Sweden, Norway... and I hated the bastard!
996.JPG
996.JPG (733.7 KiB) Viewed 4782 times
996.JPG
996.JPG (733.7 KiB) Viewed 4782 times
989.JPG
989.JPG (605.94 KiB) Viewed 4782 times
997.JPG
997.JPG (667.48 KiB) Viewed 4782 times

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 1:44 pm
by mercrocker
that Bonnie is just bloody lovely.

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 2:31 pm
by SiC
Why can't we have more days that sunny? Everything looks so much nicer when it is like that - warm and cold.

Re: Restoration or Rustoration?

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 2:35 pm
by mercrocker
Today was like that down here. Except I chose* to spend most of it putting up Xmas decorations.....Did get the camper out this morning for a warm-up, though. It was lovely up the farm - shafts of sunlight coming through the trees and all that kind of stuff.