Maintenance
Owning a classic car is a never ending story of maintenance and repair work. You have to fight corrosion, tired suspensions, leaking rubber seals and soft-tops etc.
And even though most classic cars are not in daily use you also have to with signs of wear out on engines, piston rings and other parts.
If you happen to drive your car even in winter, you should wash it regularly because of the salt on the streets. Otherwise the salt will be responsible for even more corrosion. But make sure it can dry properly.
The electric wiring also is something you should always keep an eye on, as damages can be a potential fire hazard, especially behind the instrument panel where a lot of wiring can be found. You should check this area regularly and repair things as soon as possible.
Before you start driving your car again in spring, you should really check everything properly and make sure your car is in a perfect condition and safe. And never forget if there wasn’t the maintenance on your car, it wouldn’t be that much fun.
Museums in Germany
This is a list of museums in Germany that might be of interest for you:
- Motorrad-Museum in Augustusburg – Schloss (Palace), Saxony: Here you can see a collection of classic DKW and MZ motorcycles. On October 3, 2010 there will be a vintage car meeting. www.die-sehenswerten-drei.de
- August Horch Museum in Zwickau, Saxony: The museum is the place where August Horch had his car factory for decades. Here the Horch, later the Audi and the East German Trabant were produced. www.horch-museum.de
- Autostadt Wolfsburg in Wolfsburg, Lower-Saxony: In the Autostadt you do not only see new Volkswagen cars but classic cars too. This is a place for lovers of old and new cars. www.autostadt.de
- Feuerwehr- und Technikmuseum in Eisenhüttenstadt, Brandenburg: Firefighting from the 16th to the 20th century, with old fire engines and tools, is what you can see here. www.museen-brandenburg.de
- Fahrzeugmuseum Suhl in Suhl, Thuringia: Here you can see the legendary “Greifzu” racing car. And you can learn about the long vehicle manufacturing tradition of the town. www.fahrzeug-museum-suhl.de
- Auto- und Technik-Museum in Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg: Here you can not only see the old Concorde but also classic cars from different countries, racing cars, vintage race cars, and much more. A visit will really be worth it. www.technik-museum.de
- Porsche-Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Baden-Württemberg: Here you can see 80 Porsche cars and learn about the history of Porsche car manufacturing. www.porsche.com
- Deutsches Museum in Munich, Bavaria: In the Verkehrszentrum (traffic centre) local branch of Deutsches Museum, you can see lots of vintage cars, motorcycles, and more. Also see the main museum and the Oberschleissheim airfield. www.deusches-museum.de
Classic Car Events 2010
- 24 January, 2010 – The Grand Restauration Show and Classic Vehicle Auction in The Exhibition Hall, Royal Norfolk Showground, Norwich NR5 OTT. It is an auction of classic and vintage cars and motor cycles and automobilia auction.
- 5-7 February, 2010 - The Bremen Classic Motorshow is the first big vintage car event of the year in the north of Europe. It is a high quality vehicle fair with more than 550 exhibitors from 11 countries. The name of the special show this year is “Bella Macchina”, documenting classic Alfa Romeo cars. At the Bremen Classic Motorshow you can see everything about rally and racing for two and four-wheelers. The Bremen Classic Motorshow certainly is an event you shouldn’t miss.
- 13-14 February, 2010 – The Footman James Great Western Autojumble & Charterhouse Auction, a vehicle auction run by Charterhouse and a huge autojumble at The Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England.
Old Car City
A video I like, simply from the artistically point of view:
More about Classic Car Restoration
After having made up your mind about what way to restore your classic car is the best for you and of course your car, you should check what you got. An inventory about all parts of the car and what state they are in, is as important as one about the parts you will need, either because they are completely missing or need to be replaced. After this inventory you have to find out where and if you can get the missing parts. Sometimes this can mean a lot of research work on the car and its history, but it is very important. Some parts might be easy to get, others might not be available at all. Parts you can’t get, you might be able to reproduce yourself or maybe you can get them from special workshops. Getting these parts might be the most expensive and tedious part of the whole restoration of your classic car, and if it is getting too pricey you really have to think if your car is worth it. And you should find out as much as you can about manufacturing methods and materials used, too. The inventory can be the basis of a documentation of the whole restoration project. It is so easy to take photos and write down the main points of every step you take. You can use it in the end for further restorations or to find out where possible mistakes were made. And you can of course help others who are facing the same problems.
Classic Car Restoration
If you want to restore a classic car, you have to decide what you really want, as there are different ways of how to restore a car.
You can of course restore a car in a way that makes it look and be, better than new. That sometimes means to change and improve the engine and brake system. Especially when upgrading the engine, you should also improve the brake system. Better than new can mean completely new bodywork, paint and interior, too. In the end no signs of use will be visible. And it might even look little different than the original car.
But you can of course restore a car in a way that it will be as good as it was on the day of sale. This means using original parts, materials, and manufacturing techniques. The car will in the end be like new, without any sort of improvement.
A third way would be to restore a car in a way that is more a conservation of the present state than a renewal. But even though you might not change a lot, no completely new upholstery, new paint, and buckles still visible, you should take good care of the technical and security aspects of the car. Improvements out of security reasons might still be necessary. In the end you will have a car that is technically OK and save but still looks like an old car. You don’t really need an anti-ageing treatment for a car, do you?
Why don’t you leave a comment telling others about your car restoration?
Willys-Overland Whippet
When John Willys had been taken his chief engineer with him on a trip to Europe, they sent several European cars back home to Toledo Ohio. After having decided that the cars were too little and therefore unsuitable for the American roads, they wanted to design a “better automobile”.
The 1927 Whippet was a four cylinder model with 30 hp and a length of just over 12 feet. It was the smallest car in America. Not long after that, Willys offered a six cylinder with 40 hp that was only a little longer for $ 695. The Wippets grew. Within a couple of years they had 50 hp and the wheelbase itself was longer than the entire 1927 unit.
1929 Willys-Overland Whippet:
- Engine – L-head straight-six, cast iron block and cylinder head, 50 hp
- Chassis – body on composite steel frame
- Body style – four door, five-passenger sedan
- Wheel base – 112.5 in
- Length – 159 in
- Width – 68 in
- Front track – 56 in
- Rear track – 56 in
- Shipping weight – 2,691 pounds
- Top speed – 50 mph
- Production in 1929 – 242,000
