Gripe: "Restoration." Yea right.

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Syleng1

Syleng1

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Okay,

So I try not to ***** much as everything is going well for me. BUT: I'm getting really tired of the word "Restoration" being used on cars that are anything BUT restored.
To me a "RESTORATION" is a car brought back to the day it was sold new.
Not after market wheels, or custom seats or "Bitchen stereo system" and headers with a non- factory paint.

Now I dont care if you do that to your car- but its not a "restoration!"
That is a "custom rebuild" or "Rest-if-a-cation." or even "period correct" for a certain era.
Like- This 72' Dart is how I had it in High School in 1988.

Please stop over using the word "restoration" when it is clearly custom- its cool to make your car yours, but if it is not 100% factory - it is "modified."

OKAY, off my soap box.
Joe
 
Joe..same goes for me, but my phrase is "barn find". Seems anything with more rust than metal, or a car thats been ignored for 30+ years is a barn find.
 
Times change as do phrases.
Bringing any classic or antique car back to life and making roadworthy is a restoration IMHO regardless of build type.
You are restoring life to it again with your build whatever type that may be.
 
i hear "day two restoration" being used as well,,,esp on barrett jackson,,,i guess it means restored AND modified to be period correct for a certain snapshot in time,,,
 
If A ratrod is done right it def fits the term. But what you often see is guys that dont have enough money, time etc to restore the car correctly so they half *** it, throw some primer on it and call it a "Rat rod"
then try and sell it for way more than its worth - hahahaha
 
jack68gts said:
i hear "day two restoration" being used as well,,,esp on barrett jackson,,,i guess it means restored AND modified to be period correct for a certain snapshot in time,,,
Click to expand...
Never heard that one.
Friken Hate what Barrett Jackson has done to the cost of classic cars. (thats a whole nother thread!)
 
A dictionary is great for people that do not know the actual definitions of the words they use.
 
To me restoration means it was a car that was in a not driveable condition. Restored to a driveable condition.

A car that is "restored" should need absolutely nothing to pass a safety, be insured and registered and driven daily.

That said. There is "levels" of restored in my mind.

Complete original/factory original: Everything is original. Everything. From the paint to the radio knobs. From the upholstery to the carpet. Technically not a "restored" vehicle because nothing has been restored (or it wouldn't be original) but had repairs or work to make it daily driveable (carb rebuilt, new gaskets, etc) when it wasn't before.
Numbers matching: Exactly as it sounds. We all know what this is.
Period correct: A vehicle that has a factory correct engine block, but not numbers matching. Or factory correct seats that have been reupholstered. Etc. You get the idea. The car LOOKS as though it was just bought off showroom floor. Even if it's not all original.
Restored: A car that wasn't driveable previously. But has now been made driveable. Can pass all safety stuff. Be daily driven. BUT still retains the original cars "character". So no crazy mods like fender flares. Or huge 20 inch wheels. Still has full interior. When you look at it, you know what it is.
Resto-mod: Cars that have been restored, but also modified so they lost some of the "original character" they had. See - Chip Foose cars.

There's obviously a lot more to it. But in my mind, any one of these cars could be called "restored". Anything that wasn't driveable before but has been made driveable now is "restored" in my mind. Maybe not numbers matching. But restored none the less.
 
I just tell curious people that I "built" my car(s).
Or that I saved them.
That usually gets the point across.to the uneducated. (Not a Nova)
And it is the best description of what I actually did.
None are correct. But they are all MOPAR.
Some people on here might not even know what is from other cars.
Nener nener.
 
I don't use the words "restore" or "restoration" when people ask me about my Duster or Polara. I always tell them that I am "replacing" or "installing" or "need to do....".
My goal is not to restore the vehicles but to enjoy driving and working on them.
 
I try to use the term " Re-Doing " because my cars generally have mods but look very close to original.

I am "Re-Doing" a 69 340 4 speed Swinger at the moment.... all stock with a few hundred extra ponies....lol
 
I think this fits here

sometimes-i-use-big-words-i-dont-fully-understand-photosynthesis.jpg
 
I think the word you're looking for is renovation.

1800's farmhouse kitchen...

Everything stays and is returned to the way it was when it was new... Restoration

Cabinets, sink, fixtures, ect stay, but counters change to granite and appliances change to stainless steel... Renovation

Everything goes, track lighting, mirrors, and gloss black cabinets go in...Re-wipe.
 
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The term "restoration" does not bother me too much per say! Some of us can't afford to do that all in one shot! I like to call mine a restoration in progress that you can still enjoy! Things like wheels and tires, a big cam, wrong intake & carb are easily fixed with time and $. As long as the basics are there (i.e. Original brakes, body, interior). If you had parts that are still serviceable and you want to drive it "NOW", why not. I consider my car a restoration even though a few items still need to addressed.
 
hmm, ya know, my 66 barracuda is in body&paint right now. i installed...new motor, new rear diff, new tranny, new interior, new brakes, some suspension mods, fixed rust, ect. it never occured to me to call it any kind of restoration, i'm just fixing the problems. it cost alot of fricken money so my wife keeps calling it a restoration. idk, i'm just making it badass, dont care whatchya call it
 
I think the OP definition of restored is a bit unrealistic and unsafe. So if your car came with bias ply tires it needs to wear these to be called "restored"? Anything built before 1974 ran on leaded fuel. Where are going to get that? If your "restored" car is old enough to not come with seat belts, will adding them as a safety issue, cause it to fail being called restored? I really don't think it's that big of deal.
 
I agree with you Joe. A restoration should result in a car that is just like it left the factory or dealer showroom when it was new. My Mopars are not restorations because I like to change stuff on 'em. My 1953 Chevy pickup is exactly like the day my Dad bought it new. Yellow pine for the wood in the bed even though it is painted black, just like the factory did it, even though no one would know if I had used white pine. That is restored. Ulf' 65 Dart Charger is an excellent example of a restoration. (With far more attention to detail than most folks put into their car)
When someone tells me their car is a frame off restoration I set an expectation in my mind and it's not the Nova with a big block, tuck & roll interior, Ford 9" , ladder bars, etc.:)
 
The only time "restored" really bothers me is when it's attached to a Capt. Hack'n'wack cave and pave job and think it should only apply to car dis-assembled, refinished,reconditioned from the inside out and put back together stock. Anything less is a partial. I like the terms under construction or in progress for unfinished cars. Tubs, slammed, modern power, etc. is a restomod. Rat Rod is a modern day term for something that never existed. It only happened because you either didn't have money for paint or didn't get to that point. It was never a finished look and still isn't.
 
R.I.O. = Restoration Is Over-rated.

Resurrection is the only term I use. I believe we are resurrecting these cars for the most part. Restoration is for cars that end up in somebody's garage or warehouse never to be driven or seen. They can have it. I'm a driver kind of guy.
:steering:
 
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