Fresh Perspectives

by Wes Anderson
 
Restoration is All About the Details

During my first semester in the Restoration Program at McPherson College, I have gained a wealth of knowledge, both inside and outside of the classroom. Because I am a freshman I don’t yet have the prerequisite knowledge for many of the automotive-related courses. All freshmen take the required Introduction to Restoration course, along with another basic foundational automotive class. In my case, I enrolled in Upholstery and Trim. With my other academic courses, I felt that I had a favorable and balanced schedule.
The restoration introduction course offers a broad overview of the numerous automotive courses offered at the college and touches lightly on many core concepts necessary for restoration. Personally, I really enjoyed taking it. Here is some of the useful information that is presented.
The history of the automobile is a preeminent topic and is regarded as essential background to restoration. We learned about various eras of the automobile and analyzed significant events throughout history. These range from the earliest cars, such as the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, to the “modern” cars of the early 1970s. We discussed everything from the materials that cars were made from to the numerous fasteners that were used.
The instructors emphasized one very interesting point: Preservation versus restoration can be a sensitive topic, especially when emotions get involved. Both are entirely different missions, but they are both correct. Preservation is the attempt to maintain the car in its present condition by limiting its use and by controlling the environment. This is mainly suitable for one-of-a-kind cars or rare survivors. When a car is preserved, every variable must be considered. The ideal scenario would be jacking up the covered car in a dark room with controlled temperature and humidity.  Also, the car must be rarely, if ever, driven.
Extreme cases of preservation would be considered conservation. Conservation is based on the logic that the car is “only new once.” Similar to preservation, conservation has many of the same attributes, but is more extreme. Conservation demands draining all fluids and the car must be protected from everything, including humidity and temperature changes. Obviously, fun is not the objective in conservationism. The car may be used to educate restorers who are working on a similar model, or research in methods and materials used in manufacturing when the car was produced.
Restoration is the effort to return a car to its condition at a specific point in time. This is common for many collectors who plan to eventually drive their cars on occasion. Because many of the parts will be replaced or refurbished, there is less worry about normal wear and tear over time. If the car has racing provenance, proper restoration is particularly important. For example, the car could be restored as it was raced at some point in its lifetime, or restored to original factory specifications. This depends primarily on the client’s demands and the available budget.
Proper documentation is also a vital step in the restoration process. Without ample documentation, confusion can occur during reassembly and lead to wasted time and unnecessary stress. In some cases, the project may turn into a parts car if the disassembled pieces are not tracked properly. Documentation can also increase the resale value of your project. Taking thorough photos, sketches and notes during disassembly will aid in the reassembly process.
Organization of the individual parts is also vital. Small plastic bags are great for small pieces. Jars and plastic containers with holes for ventilation are a practical way of keeping fasteners organized for later use.
As the parts are disassembled and labeled in their respective containers, it is wise to store the parts from the various sections of the car together. For example, keep all of the suspension pieces together, or keep all of the engine accessories together.
My other automotive class was  Upholstery and Trim. Although often overlooked and not included in many restoration curriculums, upholstery is a major part of a restored vehicle. Throughout the semester, I became familiar with the tools and procedures necessary to properly repair and reupholster interiors. During the class, students were given a number of elementary projects to practice various techniques. These included various types of seams, cording, and panel assignments. After these were completed, we made a miniature seat from our own design. After we completed our miniature seat, we were free to work on our own projects.
The rear seat of my ’83 300d had a few ripped blind seams, so I took it upon myself to fix the problem. There were perforated holes where the thread used to be, so I set the sewing machine’s stitch length accordingly, and repaired the seams. While the seat was apart, I replaced the deteriorated backing material inside the seat. Both the springs and the horsehair padding were in remarkably fine condition. Overall, this wasn’t a difficult project. If one has reasonable knowledge and motivation, anything is possible.

Wes Anderson is an active member of the mbca.org Forums and a freshman in the Automotive Restoration Department at McPherson College, the only college in the country that offers an accredited four-year degree in automobile restoration. In his columns, Wes shares with us the principles and techniques he is learning in his courses.