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The demand for vintage cars is on the rise. Many car connoisseurs are willing to pay large sums of money for some of the high quality models out there. If you happen to own a run-down vehicle that has the potential to be a great vintage car, you could consider putting it together and then […]

The demand for vintage cars is on the rise. Many car connoisseurs are willing to pay large sums of money for some of the high quality models out there. If you happen to own a run-down vehicle that has the potential to be a great vintage car, you could consider putting it together and then selling it later. This can be a very good investment, as long as you get through the process with planning.
restoring vintage cars


Facts you need to get before starting the project
Before going ahead with the project, it would be wise to do a few preliminary things. These include surveying the market to find out if there is any demand for the sort of car you want to spruce up. It’s also important to find out what people look for when shopping for such cars. For instance, some very strict connoisseurs might be interested in buying cars whose parts are all original. This makes it a bit more difficult for you to put the car together, but then again you will end up making a lot more out of it.
Collecting your materials
Once you are sure about what you want to get done, you will then need to find the materials you need to get the job done. This is especially so if you are interested in doing the rebuild on your own rather than using a mechanic. Some of the rules you should observe when doing this include:

  • Try to get spare parts that closely resemble the ones that were in the car originally. If you go online, you can find lots of fact sheets about the configurations of old cars. You can go through them to get an idea of issues such as what types of aluminum split lock washers they used to have. You can then buy the exact same kind for replacement.
  • If possible, buy everything you need at one go. In the case of fasteners such as alloy 20 tee head bolts, this will give you an opportunity to benefit from economies of scale. You may also get bulk purchase discounts.
  • Remember to also buy an equipped toolbox. Using the wrong tools to fasten car parts together increases the risk of damaging the car part, the fastener and the tool you are using for fastening. It also slows you down considerably.
  • Minimize the number of vendors you have to deal with. For instance, by buying all your fasteners from one vendor, it will be easy for you to ensure that the quality of each fastener is consistent. This also makes it easy for you to do things such as doing returns in case you find that you bought the wrong ones.

Starting the rebuild  
Once you have done the above, you can then start the process of rebuilding the car. This is a process that is best done slowly, so you should give it enough time. This is especially so if you are interested in restoring the car to its original state. You may also find it beneficial to work with other car enthusiasts who can help you with issues such as finding particularly rare car parts.

About the Author

Larry Melone
By Larry Melone
President

Started my career in the fastener world in 1969 at, Parker Kalon Corp. a NJ based screw manufacturer located in Clifton, NJ working in inventory control, scheduling secondary production and concluding there in purchasing. In 1971 I accepted a sales position at Star Stainless Screw Co., Totowa, NJ working in inside sales and later as an outside salesman, having a successful career at Star I had the desire with a friend to start our own fastener distribution company in 1980 named: Divspec, Kenilworth, NJ. This was a successful adventure but ended in 1985 with me starting Melfast in August 1985 and have stayed competitive and successful to date. Melfast serves the OEM market with approximately 400 accounts nationally.

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