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Muscle Car Restoration: A Comparative Analysis

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Since the days when the cars were first rolling off the factory floor, classic muscle cars have been immensely popular in the United States. From the hugely popular and world renowned Ford Mustang to the somewhat less popular “Mopar” vehicles like the Dodge Challenger, they have all had a large following since they hit the streets, mostly in the United States. Since then, the cars have retained their popularity, but in the form of restoring the cars. The culture surrounding the cars has somewhat changed since their release, but they are still loved by many people. People who want to restore a car need to look at two different aspects before undertaking the project: what all is involved in restoring a car, and why they would want to restore …show more content…

The first is the amount of work involved, and who is going to be doing the work. The website CarsDirect does a good job of helping explain this in their article titled “Muscle Car Restoration: A Beginner's Guide." Will the restorer be personally working on the car, or will they hire a professional shop to do the work? If the restorer decides to hire a professional shop to do the work, there is an endless supply of potential car shops. In Mark McCourt’s “How to Pick the Right Restoration Shop” article on the website Hemmings, he discusses various ways to find good establishments to restore the car. If the restorer is going to be doing work, how much of it are they going to do? What kinds of tools are needed? These are all questions that need to be considered, as car restoration is not a simple process. The second thing that needs to be considered is the fact that every tiny little part of the car needs to be checked for deterioration, not just for the sake of restoration, but for safety. The exterior of the car needs to be checked for rust and rust holes, as they will only get worse if not taken care of right away. The exterior also might need to be completely redone, involving both the paint and the various chrome pieces on the car. On older cars, this could even mean the bumpers. When it comes to the interior of the car, anything is possible. The upholstery …show more content…

The first would be to have a very nice show car. All over the United States, there are car shows every day that involve classic cars. In my hometown of Covington, Virginia, there is a local car show every year in early August called “Streetscene.” When attending this show, one can see nearly any type of classic car imaginable. The best part is that everyone there has a common bond and interest: cars. By restoring a vehicle to be a show car and bringing it to the show, they are creating a way for them to make friends and interact with other people that have common interests. The second reason that it is good to restore a classic car is to have a fun and entertaining car to drive around. Obviously, they are not the safest cars to drive around. The overwhelming majority do not have airbags, and at most they have maybe one or two safety features like a padded dash. Some cars are lucky enough to have disc brakes in the front, with most having drum brakes on all four wheels, therefore making the brakes not effective in the slightest. Some cars might have included power brakes and steering, however, these were just luxury options back in the day. All of these “features” are what contribute to making it an entertaining car. When driving a classic car, everything done while driving is a risk, and every destination is an adventure. J. Drew Silvers talks about the various aspects of owning and

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