Automotive Restoration for beginners
By Phil Storr
The mechanicals:
A good motto here is "if it is not broken do not fix it". I have been guilty of pulling apart a perfectly good working engine and rebuilding it just for the sake of it. The car will most likely be a toy, not your every day driver, and a little oil consumption can be fixed by using an oil that is appropriate for an engine that has done quite a bit of work. If it smokes visibly and oils up the plugs each time you take it out for a run then you had better rebuild the engine but if it is reliable as it is leave it a loan. The biggest problem with old engines and gear boxes that have not been used for some time is often oil leaks but these may take up with a bit of use, an appropriate oil, and perhaps some additive.
Written by Phil. Storr, last updated 8th September 2000