“Man and machine in perfect harmony”
This is the essence of Auto Nirvana
The first step towards a successful restoration involves finding the right car. And so begins the spiritual healing.
There’s a place out there for rust buckets; destined for the junkyard, and it is advised to stay well clear of them. But, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to restore a classic car, it can be a truly rewarding experience (keep a paramedic handy for your wallet though). Regardless, bringing a classic car back to life will be the ultimate labor of love. And somewhere in the future, if you decide to sell the car, you may even make a good profit. Sort of like the Monk who sold his Ferrari.
Stage 1
The Persistence of Time
A restoration is usually not a quick process, with the average build requiring at least 1000 hours to complete. Take into consideration your regular day job and other factors beyond your control ( like ordering new parts online ) and you may be looking at several months or even years to bring your car back to its former glory, or barely road worthy, whichever may be the case.
Finding the perfect work space is also necessary. You will be spending a lot of time on your hands and knees, so a well lit garage or workshop equipped with the appropriate tools is paramount. You may choose to go the way of restomod, mixing new and old technology to get the best of both worlds. There are advantages to resto-modification, like greater comfort, better performance and reliability. On the other hand, you could keep it all showroom original or factory stock, in order to preserve the mechanical and cosmetic appeal.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have it all meticulously planned out before you start the project, to avoid any speed bumps on the way.
Divide the project into 3 distinct areas for simplicity sake. Mechanical, Electrical and Body Work.
Mechanical includes all the running gear. The engine and transmission gearbox, suspension and steering, brakes and wheels.
Electrical system consists of the power supply, battery, lights, alternator and distributor, ignition system and the entire wiring harness loom along with the dials and gauges.
Lastly, we have the Body which comprises of the chassis, body panels, trim and interiors.
Stage 2
Rust In Peace
Now that you have the car in the workshop, it time to get to business. First, take a good look at the car from all angles. This is the right time to document the process with pictures and videos. Besides making for a good before/after photo-shoot (spelled Photoshop), it can help you analyse the dimensions more closely. Ask for an unbiased opinion at this stage.
Look for anything that doesn’t seem to fit right, like saggy suspension, uneven body panel gaps, weathered interiors, etc. Also check to see how the engine runs (or rather if it runs at all). Assuming you have driven the car previously, you should have a good idea of the steering and suspension geometry, handling, brakes and the state of tire grip. This will give you a clue on which areas to focus, and save you time in the end.
It’s here that we dismantle the car completely, known as the tear down, leaving only the bare chassis. In case you don’t have access to a car lift, start by putting the car on jacks and stilts/stands. Next take off the wheels, doors and hood. A good time to inspect for rust along the body lines is while taking off exterior trim like headlights, bumpers, grilles, etc. An angle grinder will prove useful here, especially for parts that have fused with stubborn nuts and bolts.
The interior now has easy access, so take out the seats, seat-belts, carpets & upholstery, interior rubber & plastic trim, roof lining, steering and dashboard. The windscreen and rear window can also be removed at this point. Inspect the interior panels for any signs of rust or damage that was not visible from the outside.
Next we have the engine, which is a tricky job and would require the help of an assistant. Start by disconnecting the battery and strip all electrical wires from their harnesses. Take down the exhaust headers and tail pipes and remove the transmission and drive shafts from the differential. You can unscrew brake pads and rotors from the axle now and clear out the brake lines.
Cool tip : Be careful not to spill any engine fluids onto the workshop floor. Keep a tray underneath to collect and discard / reuse after assembly.
Drain the engine oil, transmission fluids and empty the fuel tank before it taking out, along with the fuel lines leading to the fuel pump. Next dismantle the radiator & fan, cooling pipes as well as all ancillaries like the alternator, distributor, starter motor, water pump and A/c compressor. Remove the carburetor / fuel injection assembly and intake manifold. What’s left is the engine block housing the pistons, cylinders and crankshaft.
You should now have enough space to unbolt the engine mountings and torque rods free from the chassis. Use an engine hoist to ease the block out of the engine bay.
Cool tip : Observe critically before starting to remove a component or part by loosening bolts, nuts and the like. What you may find before and during disassembly is valuable information necessary for successful reassembly.
That done, this stage is complete. With the chassis in its bare, naked glory you can get on with the task of grinding all the rust out and working your way to the bare metal. There’s no point in trying to restore any chassis panel that is rusted beyond repair. Filling it in with metal epoxy compounds would just mean that it would fall apart at a later stage when the rust gets the better of it. So, replace all panels wherever possible. The effort you put in now will go miles in the long run. Also, you get a lot of shiny new parts. And that’s pretty cool.
Stage 3
Metal Massacre
One of the first things that people notice about your ride is the paint work. It needs to look good. However, there’s a lot of prep-work that goes in before you lay down the color.
First refer to the technical manual for exact dimensions of the chassis and make necessary corrections. Any panels that need welding will have to be carried out at this stage. MiG, TiG, or spot welding is recommended, but make sure to grind and finish off the welds to leave a neat surface to work on.
After cleaning the entire surface and wiping it dry, begin to sand the chassis and body panels with an electric sander. Alternatively, you can sand-blast the surface. This will expose the bare metal underneath and remove any traces of rust.
Repeat this process until the chassis feels smooth as silk to the bare hand. Inspect the chassis under bright lights to check for any unevenness, dents or dings. This ensures a flawless finish. Carry out the same procedure for all body panels. Once your happy with the base metal you can start priming the chassis and body.
Epoxy primer is used to protect the metal from exposure to the elements. Applying coats at 30 minute intervals will give the best results. Now the prep work is complete. Once this is done, wait 24 hours, then carefully sand down the epoxy primer, again, to achieve that flawless concourse finish. You can now add the first layer of polyurethane base coat of paint.
Stage 4
Black Gives Way To Blue
Be sure to clean all surfaces of any dirt, grease and debris. You don’t want anything scraping into your finished surface once you start sanding it, post paint. At this point it is assumed that all chassis surfaces and body panels are laser straight and will fit perfectly onto the finished car. Use a high build paint primer first, and lightly sand with 180 grit paper until everything is smooth. Wipe down and its ready for the paint.
Whichever color you choose and the finish (matte solid, metallic or pearlescent) should ultimately reflect the true nature you want to bring out in the car. Your ready for the base coat, so spray it on lightly and repeat with 10 minute drying intervals. This will reduce overlaps and high spots in the finish. Allow to cure for 30 minutes.
Once your done, it’s time for the clear coat which gives a glossy finish and provides a fair amount of UV protection. Spray about 3 coats with 20 minute intervals between them. Now you can have a good night’s rest. One day should be sufficient to cure the paint.
Stage 4
Mechanical Animals
Restoring the engine is one of the most important stages of the project and it is essential to refer to the manufacturer’s service manual for replacement limits, in order for a thorough and precise rebuild. Rebuilding and restoring the original power plant is a usually the best choice, because installing a newer modern engine would stretch the budget a tad, not to mention the added modification required by way of mountings and engine bay clearances. Also it may cause the road legality complications.
The most common type of engine is the water cooled, in-line, 4 stroke petrol unit with S.O.H.C. ( single overhead camshaft) mounted over the cylinder head and driven by the crankshaft through a timing belt, therefore this configuration is referenced here.
Cool tip : Be careful in handling aluminium-alloy parts. They are softer than steel or cast-iron parts and their finished surfaces are more easily scratched.
With the parts disassembled, inspect the cylinder block for evidence of water leakage or damage. Give it a rigorous steam clean, to remove grease and carbon deposits, and dry off with compressed air. Descale the water jackets leading to the radiator.
Important : Have trays and pans ready for setting aside the disassembled parts in an orderly manner. Tag or label all parts and segregate them, so as not to disturb the set combinations of valves, bearings,etc.
Step 1 : Valve-train
Inspect the rocker arms (look at cam-riding face, on the valve side usually the valve stem wears out), push rods, rocker arm shaft, valves, valve guides for carbon deposits, burn, wear, signs of deflection or distortion. Visually examine each rocker arm spring for evidence of breakage or weakening.
Remember, damaged valve springs make the engine noisy, not to mention reduce power output due gas leakage caused by decreased valve seating pressure. Also check the squareness of valve springs, i.e. their straightness. Measure valve stem and valve guide diameters and determine whether replacement is necessary by referring to limiting values from the service manual. Check if the valve seating contact width is within limits. Closely inspect all vale-train parts. If the components are damaged or fail service limits, it is a better choice to replace with new ones, rather than attempting to correct them.
Camshaft
A noisy engine or one not producing adequate power is frequently due to the camshaft being worn, bent or bowed. The wear can occur on its cam lobes or journals.
Measure the amount of deflection in the camshaft, the extent of wear in the cam lobes, journals and journal bores (which supply oil lubrication to the camshaft) and replace the camshaft if it exceeds the limit. Also check the clearance at the camshaft thrust plate.
Step 2 : Cylinder block
Inspect the intake, exhaust ports and combustion chamber. Decarbon the cylinder head to remove carbon deposits on the surfaces, as excessive carbon accumulation are the cause of overheating and loss of power output.
Check the cylinder head top surfaces and gasket surfaces or flatness. Use 400 grit sandpaper to grind off any high spots. Machine with a surface grinder for the top surface of the cylinder head. Leakage of combustion gases due to a warped gasket surface will result in loss of compression, reduced power output and hence a higher consumption of fuel per kilometer. Also check exhaust and inlet manifold seating faces for flatness to determine if these should be corrected or the cylinder head replaced.
For the cylinder bores, measure the diameter in two directions, longitudinal and transverse, and at three positions – top, middle and bottom. If the bore is badly scored or burned, rebore all cylinders to the next oversize and use oversize pistons during reassembly.
Inspect pistons to for evidence of burn and for scratch or groove marks. They should not be worn, or deformed and piston diameter should be within limits. Also measure the piston-to-cylinder clearance (bore diameter minus piston diameter) in the direction transverse to piston pin axis. Check each piston ring in its groove for side clearance. Measure the piston ring end gap as well (clearance between piston rings and bore).
Cool Tip : Use a soft metal scraping tool to decarbon the piston crown and ring grooves.
Check the big end of each connecting rod for thrust clearance, with its rod connected to its crank pin in the normal manner. Observe big end bearing shells for signs of fusion, pitting, burn or flaking. Check crank pin-to-bearing clearance, and re-grind the crank pin to use an undersized bearing. Bearings in defective condition must be replaced. Inspect the small end of the rod for wear or damage (inspect the bushed piston pin bearing), and check piston pin clearance. Replace the connecting rod if its small end is badly worn, damaged or exceeds the clearance limit. The connecting rod should not show signs of bow or twist.
Step 3 : Crankshaft
Measure the crankshaft deflection at the center journal, rotating the crankshaft slowly. Check the crankshaft thrust play while it is set in the cylinder block (thrust bearing fitted, bearing caps installed). Read the measurements in the axial (thrust) direction of the crankshaft. Replace thrust bearings with oversize ones if limit is exceeded. If any of the journals or the crank pins shows uneven wear, out-of-round, taper or is badly damaged, repair by regrinding or replace the crankshaft.
As with the big end of the connecting rod bearings, if the crankshaft journal bearing are damaged, pitted, fused, burnt or flaking, they must be replaced. Check journal-to-bearing clearance.
Note : On most engines, each bearing cap has an arrow marked on it. Be sure to position each cap with its arrow pointing towards the crankshaft pulley side and match it, by the correct cylinder number, to its journal. Refer to the service manual for specifics.
Next we have the flywheel, necessary to even out the fast angular velocity fluctuations propagated through the crankshaft. Inspect the friction surface (the face in contact with the clutch disc) for wear, damage and face run out. Most surface imperfections, if any, can be removed by simple machining, but a badly damaged flywheel must be replaced.
Inspect the timing belt and pulley for wear, cracks and signs of failure. Replace them as necessary.
Cool tip : Use of new oil seals is recommended during reassembly. Do not bend the timing belt. The belt and pulley must be kept clean and free of oil and water.
Step 4 : Clutch
A diaphragm spring clutch of dry single disc type is referenced here. Regarding the clutch disc facing surface condition, a burnt or glazed (glass like surface ) facing can be reconditioned using 120# – 200# grit sandpaper. If the surface is in a condition beyond repair, replace the whole clutch disc assembly.
Check backlash (circular displacement) in disc serration fit by turning the disc back and forth when mounted on the transmission input shaft. A clutch disc exhibiting a large backlash will make an impact noise each time the clutch is engaged, and will not engage smoothly.
Step 5 : Transmission and Differential
A manually operated fully synchronized transmission is referenced here. Inspect the chamfered edges of gear teeth of the driving, driven and idle gears. If the gears are worn badly, it will result in abnormal noise of gear slipping due to worn tooth edges of these gears, therefore they will need to be replaced. If any of the input shaft gears is broken is found to be chipped or with broken teeth, replace the input shaft. Check each bearing by spinning its outer race by hand to feel the smoothness of rotation. Replace the bearings if they exhibit sticking, resistance or abnormal noise when spun.
Check the spline of the input shaft for wear and damage, and replace if defective. Measure the clearance between the synchronize ring and gear and ensure it doesn’t exceed the service limit, otherwise replacement is necessary for smooth shifting without clashing or grinding of gears.
With the synchronize ring properly assembled on the shaft, push in and twist to see if mesh occurs or not. If not, it means the overall wear is excessive and the entire synchronizer assembly must be replaced.
If the gears are slipping out of mesh, check the fork shaft locating spring for strength by measuring their free lengths, and replace them if their free lengths are less than the service limits. Also check the gear shift arm spring. These springs are used to arrest the shifter fork shafts and gear lever. Finally check the backlash (circular displacement) of gears and the groove of the shifter fork for wear.
Differential
Check the differential case bolts for looseness and tighten if loose. Measure the backlash of the side pinion and side gear. If backlash exceeds the specified value, adjust it by varying the thickness of the thrust washer at the back of the side gear.
Step 6 : Driveshaft
The driveshaft referred to here is a constant velocity joint which slides in the axial direction. Check the barfield joint for axial play, which shows up when a push-and-pull motion is given to the live axle shaft and wheel spindle held in both hands. There should be no play at all, but if play exceeds the service limit, replace the drive shaft.
Check the driveshaft boots for breakage (both wheel side and differential side) and replace if broken. If there was an abnormal noise at start or while running, confirm that there is no free play in the rotational direction and that it rotates smoothly. Inspect the contact condition of parts for wear and replace if worn remarkably or damaged. Check each part for chips and cracks, and check the circlip, snap ring for deformation or breakage and replace if defective.
Step 7: Steering
The steering referenced here is of rack and pinion type which provides dynamic maneuverability. Check for excessive steering wheel play. Check the steering joint for wear, breakage and other damage and replace if any defect exists. Check the steering rack boot for deterioration, cracks and other damage and replace if defective. The rack and pinion tooth surface is to be checked for wear.
Align the front wheels for straight ahead and fit the steering wheel on the shaft so that the steering wheel spoke is horizontal or makes an angle of not more than 6 degrees to the horizontal.
Aerospace Dynamics 