Project Resources

This requires someone that is good at taking things apart and remembering how to put them back together.

1. You will need a good mechanic that can help your revive an old drive train or select the appropriate new that will be close to being period correct.
2. Someone with good electrical knowledge and wiring skills
   
3. A good upholstery person that can help you recreate the original period correct interior
   
4. Good sound and heat Insulation is a must on any restoration, you can use traditional insulations materials or try some of the latest spray on technologies.  Staying cool in the summer and warm in the cooler months make for a most enjoyable restoration. 
   
5. A "good" chrome shop that can also repair and polish stainless steel.  On most of these old cars what appears to be chrome moldings is actually stainless steel.  Often times what appears to be a piece of chrome over steel is actually chrome plated pot metal which can crack or break.  Depending on the crack or break a good chrome shop can repair pot metal and once re-chromed you'll never know it was damaged. 
   
6. A good body and paint person that knows how to disassemble the project, do all the required body work and repairs, repair or replace any rust spots and then paint the project and put the project back together.  Some people will shop around and have one shop do the body work and then another do the paint.  I would encourage you to find a show that can do the body and paint work.  Any good painter out there wants to know how the body was prepped for the paint.  If all the rust moisture and dust was not cleaned from the surface prior to primer and paint, it only a matter of time before before a bubble, crack or paint peel will show up.
   

For a custom restoration project build where you want to update many of the project components, you will need the same resources as with a Period Correct restoration, as well as resources that can do the following

• Someone that has good metal and or wood fabrication skills.  With our Buick and Plymouth Wagon projects we made some major changes to the interior dash boards which required metal fabrication.  The floor console on the Buick was fabricated out of MDF board; the floor console in the wagon is made out of plastic and sheet metal and the overhead console in the wagon is fabricated out of MDF board and aluminum.   Our wagon project came without any door panels so we had to make custom door panels out of a combination of Hardboard and MDF board.  
• With the wagon project we made major modifications to the floor up front to accommodate the larger motor and transmission.  In the rear we modified the floor to accommodate the rear Air Bag suspension components and the larger 30 gallon gas tank.  This all required metal metal fabrication.  the good news is that for some of the more popular models cars you can find various floor and or body replacement parts that only need to be welded together.  
• A good welder is a must on a custom project.  With both our Buick and Wagon projects we made major modifications to the chassis adding the M-II front clips and building the structure for the air bag suspension.  
• Most custom cars have elaborate sound systems.  If you want a good sound system find a local auto sound shop, establish a relationship and do some research, so when you're ready to do your sound system you get what you want and not what they want to sell you.  

​This list of resource considerations can be a very long one, over time I will make additions to the list, especially as I get feedback from visitors.