Ask any classic repair expert and they’ll tell you restoration is a daunting task that’ll take a toll on you and your bank account. But that’s not entirely true. Restoration often depends on your expectations. Classic car enthusiasts like Dylan McCool say you only need tools, a reasonable budget, and time. On a recent upload, he restored a 1958 Plymouth Savoy barn find with a couple of spray cans, a buffing wheel, and a sanding block you can find in your local chain stain store.
Let’s not kid ourselves, a full restoration of any automobile could quickly get you bankrupt. According to Hagerty, the restoration cost often depends on the number of things on your restoration to-do list. It’ll also depend on the physical condition of your barn find at acquisition.
McCool’s 1958 Plymouth Savoy didn’t need a ton of work on the engine. It looked healthy and only missed a couple of components, including a working carburetor. Kentucky-based automotive performance company Holley was kind enough to send him a custom replacement.
“We are not striving for perfection here. We’re just striving for an improvement. An improvement is basically the whole key of the restoration process,” McCool said.
The barn find’s exterior wasn’t dented but had a few rust patches all through. On the other hand, the car’s engine bay and the interior dearly needed some tender loving care.
McCool used a buffing wheel, sanding block, rust reformer, and acrylic enamel to restore the engine bay. The first step of this restoration focused on the engine bay, engine body, and suspension parts.
That said, there’s still a lot to go around to make this a complete restoration. McCool hasn’t made his plans for the upholstery public, but with the engine bay, exterior, and suspension ready, it shouldn’t be a challenging build.
We recommend watching the video below, especially if you are looking to start a classic restoration project. His methods could help you save some money on your project.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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