Classic Restoration! Do You Know What I Mean?

"All my life I'd dreamed of owning a classic Mercedes. I finally bought an old one and restored it. I parked it at the far end of the office parking lot so nobody could nick the paint. Then one day, believe it or not, a tree fell on it."

The anonymous writer of this advertising text certainly catches the humor of the great American automotive love affair and indirectly leads one into thinking about the ambivalence of the classic car owner relationship. Do you own your much loved car or does its growth through TLC (tender loving care) and restoration result in its owning you? Is it an extension of your personality; like the pampered but gifted child (that grows up unresponsive to the parent) is your Mercedes restored as a classic as a result of a psychological drive to achieve immortality through creation of an object d'art ?

Before you attempt to answer the above question - for yourself, let's examine some of the aspects of classic restoration and the inherent conflicts that must be resolved. Like politics, there are compromises that are required on the restoration road. Mr. Truman's remark, "if you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen", comes to mind; and considering the patience-taxing time consumed (not to overlook the expenditure of funds), also appropriate to recall is Mr. Morgan's remark, "if you have to ask how much, it's not for you".

Classic Defined

What is a classic? There have been about five thousand car makes and no less than a quantum jump in models; obviously age and rarity are neither the sole or principal criteria. The Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A can serve a provocative example. Slightly more than one thousand of these elegant small convertible coupes were built by Daimler-Benz during the years 1951 to 1955; certainly the survivors are rare.

The U.S. delivered price in late 1974 dollars was about $20,000, so the car was not built for the masses. The body styling heritage is that of the 1936 Type 170V, so it is a distilled vintage. The luxurious furbishing in all wool headliner and carpeting, exotic wood decorated veneers, and top-grain upholstery throughout as well as extensive accoutrements such as individual ventillation controls, tilting seat backs, and fitted luggage attest to the model's elegance. From an engineering standpoint, its reliable 220 motor is perhaps the most successful engine model built by Daimler-Benz; the horsepower to car weight ratio allows for spunky performance, high cruising speed, and surprisingly high mileage per gallon (17 to 25). Its coachwork is the watershed of carrosserie technique. After this model, no major manufacturer ever built a model with such extensive use of heavy structural wood on the body and doors; unlike mono- or single-unit construction, these bodies can be unbolted from the massive frames. Lastly and most importantly, the model evinces a charismatic mystique over owners and lay viewers; one Hollywood celebrity who has driven a 220 Cabriolet A since new would rather part with his Oscar.

A leading U.S. self-appointed arbiter is the Classic Car Club of America. They have developed a limited and closed list of what they consider to be the automotive classics. No post-1941 car (other than the Lincoln V-12 Continental) is included, thereby excluding the great postwar Mercedes models. The word "classic" is, of course, not proprietary. The Milestone Car Society, another leading arbiter with an open list of classics voted upon by the membership, designates outstanding cars of special interest as Milestones. Several postwar Mercedes-Benz models have been certified as Milestone cars.

Buying and Selling a Classic

As you can readily surmise from the following table, compromise is both unavoidable and essential. If you're the buyer, it is desirable that you either know the car (model) or the seller (assuming he knows it) and consult (pay for) objective disinterested expert. Even though ownership of a classic may be subjectively motivated, knowing why you are buying or selling and keeping this knowledge foremost in your mind will facilitate the exchange.

Consideration	Buyer	Seller
Completeness	Get all the parts before payment.	As is, where is; avoid parts-chasing.
Guarantee	Hold out $ 1000 to $2000 for 90 days/3000 miles to pay for mechanical failures.	Thirty/thirty. (30 seconds or 30 feet.) You can't guarantee a driver.
Authenticity	No VW parts on MB's, no Phillips screws on models prior to their adoption.	As in restoring race cars, "Authentic to which race?" (John Burgess)
Running Condition	"Buying a car that doesn't run is like sleeping with a manikin". (M. L. Cohn)	"All it needs is new plugs." (Anonymous)
Detailing	Door alignment perfect, no squeaks, etc., better than original showroom condition.	Collect $1000 additional for each point above 90 demanded by new owner.
Price	A steal"; they didn't know what they had.	Highest recorded in Kruse "Green Book".
Relationship	Requires on-going support (plus).	DO NOT SELL TO FRIENDS OR RELATIVES.

Restoration

Almost as widely applied to automobiles as "classic" is the term "restoration". Again it is easier to illustrate by example than by narrative; look at the winners in the different classes at a Concours d'Elegance - the annual Ambassador Hotel or Pebble Beach shows are the best - and study the detail to which these cars have been maintained or brought back to original condition, material, and specifications. Most of the winners are overrestored; that is, they are even better than delivered by the manufacturer. But then, the competition is fierce and generally these cars are more for show than daily use.

For your car, consider the following questions:

Do you really like/love the car?
Can it be laid up during the lengthy restoration process?
Do you have an accurate idea of the car's resale value after being brought to the desired condition?
Do you have the workshop manual, parts catalogue, and other literature (such as sales brochures) to guide you?
Will your spouse put up with becoming a "garage widow"?
Have you arrived at a definite concept of how your car will be used afterward?
Do you want to do "all" of the work yourself, act as "general contractor", or put it into the hands of a professional restorer?
Do you have the space in your garage for the project? Are you willing to leave the other cars outside?
If you are going to use professional help, are you willing to pay what may seem to you to be very high rates for their craftsmanship?
Disregarding inflation and just keeping in mind the growing scarcity of no-longer- available parts, are you prepared for the expensiveness of replacement parts or the time consumed to resurrect old ones? (Consider how you would remove a sheared steel screw from an aluminum part.)
Are you prepared to enter into a time and material contract which will probably take twice the "ball-park" estimate in both calendar time and money?

After contemplating the answers to these questions, buy a Polaroid camera, plenty of shelving-space, lots of lockable clear plastic bags, a felt-tip marking pen, a full set of prayer beads, and go to work.

Copyright 1974, Robert H. I. Silver
Mr. Silver is Coordinator and Instructor of UCLA Engineering Extension's innovative course, "Classic Cars: Fun and Profit". and Proprietor of Cabriolet Enterprises.

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