Average Guy’s Car Restoration Services – How it works.

I get asked often how our restoration service at Average Guy’s Car Restorations works.

This is a great question so I thought I’d lay out the basic steps, keeping in mind that each car and each customer is different and we do our best to accommodate those differences.

From a full-blown frame off restoration – like we have going on with the rare 1975 Model 110 VW bug, to a customized ride, to a simple refresh to keep the family classic safe and reliable, we make it happen.  Whether you are going to keep it, sell it at the next Barrett Jackson auction or hand it down, we’ll get it to the level of perfection you desire and it deserves.

To start we’ll sit down and discuss your goals.  This is a critical step for us to understand your goal.  As you know a key component of any restoration is budget, so we’ll have that discussion too, including your budget range, initial deposit and billing/payment arrangements.  Based on this interview we lay out the next steps and you’ll know what to expect every step of the way.

After we completed the administrative tasks, we get to the exciting part.  We’ll arrange to get you vehicle transported, safely and secure.  Our rare Model 110 VW was brought to us all the way from the great state of Iowa. We select only reliable transportation contractors to move your car, so it won’t be jammed on the back of livestock truck, which just happens to be coming this way. Once we have the car in our possession it remains safe and secure at all times including when it’s with any of our subcontractors.

We begin with a complete inspection of the car, keeping in mind the customers goals, to decide the logical progression for the restore, refresh or customization. We call this the ‘Project Plan’ and we give you that step by step document. You can then compare that to your objective.

One of things we love to do is document the restoration process and you’ll be given updates, including pictures, on a regular basis and comprehensive documentation when the project is completed. Our Model 110 VW’s owner has visited from Chicago several times to personally inspect her “Buggy”. We love that interaction.

So that’s the framework of our restoration process and to just show you the quality, here are a couple of examples.

From this:
IMG_2488

 

To this:

The 302

The 302

From this

enginebay31 photo_3

To this:

in1

 

Let me show you one more.

From this rusted out VW:

IMAG0845 IMAG0835

 

To this:

74VWFloor 74VWBodyOn-1

That’s the expected out come – not just our customers want but we demand.

Of course getting these types of results isn’t by chance, you have to start with skilled professionals and you have to manage each car like a complicated project with personal oversight.  Not a bolt get’s replaces or polished or a dollar spent without my knowledge.   With two double “Best In Class” trophy winners to my recent credit, you know the attention to detail will be there.

If you are interested in the process or have questions,  feel free to contact us at AGCarRestoration@cox.net or call us at 520-405-5314.

Tim

1984 Corvette twice Best In Class winner

1984 Corvette twice Best In Class winner

 

IMG_4900

Double Trophy Winner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install Part IV

The final part of this install of the window felt on  1973 Sports Roof was as easy as it gets.  This outside piece just snaps in – with a small adjustment.

Take a look:

 

The goal is to get the car sealed up and keep any more water damage from occurring to the floor pans by rain leaking into the car.

Here’s the kind of seal you want to see on the windows.

 

 

I was asked an a couple of forums about why I bothered with this task, when I’m just going to paint the car.  That’s a good question, especially when we car enthusiasts are bombarded with car shows that turn cars around in 3 days and strip a car to bare bones and send it off to the paint boot.  Well that how’s they do in T.V. land but the Average Guy isn’t going to be able to make that happen.

So yes the car is going to be painted and yes I am fairly certain that the engine is going to get rebuilt, but that’s not going to happen in a week (which I’m very dubious actually occurs in real life – T.V. or not T.V. cameras.)   But I’m going to fix we what I can now and drive it before all the big $$$ stuff has to happen.   Although the car may take a different direction, I still want it to be a drive-able project car – keeping it fun.

Thanks for reading and as always – drop me a note with your opinion.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

 

1973 Mustang Sportsroof

Just picked up my second classic Mustang and I’ve got my Marti Report in hand…love those guys!!! I had a couple questions and perhaps someone here knows. Car was ordered with forged aluminum wheels – any one know that they would have looked like …

 

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install …

Continuing on with the felt install for the 1973 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof), I’ve already removed the old felt and we are about to replace it with the new piece from.

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install …

Let’s wrap up the window felt install on the 1973 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof). Let me show you a bit of what we started with. Top Inside Door Panel.

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – What are You Gonna …

#ProjectSportsRoof will be the way I want it, which I haven’t nailed down yet, so suggest way by dropping me a comment (got your crate motor idea swimming around in my head, Bill) and that will happen fast or slow and cost …

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install Part III

Let’s wrap up the window felt install on the 1973 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof).

Let me show you a bit of what we started with.

Top Inside Door Panel Removed

Top Inside Door Panel Removed

 

The white panel I’m working with in the videos is from this part of the door.

Here’s the next couple of steps.

 

So the stable were to large in diameter to fit through the existing holes and if you ever tried enlarging a hole this size, even slightly, you’ll break more than a couple of drill bits.  So with the holes misaligned for the felt strip and the wrong size I opted to just drill the felt and the door panel.

Worth mentioning is that the upper door panel and original felt strip has more hole, requiring more stables than the number of stables included with the kit.  Not using as many stable would allow the strip to sag  and not give a good seal, so I made the extra stables out of finishing nails by cutting off them to size a bending them in to a ‘squared’ U shape.

Next up is the a look at the outside felt strip – that really isn’t felt – just rubber and how replacing helps with quarter mile times!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

repops felt kits

1973 Mustang Sportsroof

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install Part I

Thanks for checking back in on #ProjectSportsRoof. For a long time I thought installing door window felt or window seal was an impossible task. Either you couldn’t.
1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install …

Continuing on with the felt install for the 1973 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof), I’ve already removed the old felt and we are about to replace it with the new piece from.

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install Part II

Continuing on with the felt install for the 1973 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof), I’ve already removed the old felt and we are about to replace it with the new piece from Repops (I misspoke in the video, but you can clearly see the name on the paperwork).

 

Seems simple enough and done in no….time…..but wait….small glitch!!!

So the company is called Repops and to be fair, the pieces that went on the outside of the door were near perfect.

More coming up in part III of this install.

Thanks for reading

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

73-17

1973 Mustang #ProjectSportsRoof

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Window Felt Install Part I

Thanks for checking back in on #ProjectSportsRoof. For a long time I thought installing door window felt or window seal was an impossible task. Either you couldn’t.

 

Corvette AutoX @ Bondurant in Phx, Az

The next few posts will have pics and some videos to show the fun that was had at this event.  This first one shows one of my runs and where I left the course.  I did get back on, but the course rule was you either stopped or limped home.  This was my worst time, 44 seconds plus.


Thanks for watching.
Tim