Author: Graveyard Run Restorations

Hey guys I am back and sorry for not having a blog for 2021 yet, but here we are now. 

            With the outbreak of COVID-19, things have been a little wonky for everyone, especially with car shows.  In October of 2020, the Hershey Region AACA had to cancel their first show ever since 1954.  With 2020 behind us, Graveyard Run Restorations is planning on making the Hershey Show our first car show for the year. If you have ever showed your vehicle, you will know that there is always a mile-long list of things to do before, during, and after the show. In this blog I am going to give some suggestions on how to prep for an AACA Car shows.

            As stated above, GYR plans on attending its first show for 2021 at the Hershey Region AACA Eastern Fall Meet.  Before you ever step foot on the show ground as an entrant, your first step includes joining the Antique Automobile Club of America, or AACA. (click on the AACA link if you would like to be a AACA member )   Once you are a member, you can then register your vehicle for whatever shows the AACA hosts that you wish to attend, as well as any extra events that occur during the shows or meets. You would think this is it, but NO! Before your vehicle ever leaves the garage, you should check it over for any issues that can cause point deductions during judging.  Some things to consider when looking over your vehicle: the condition of the paint job, make sure all components are working properly, check out your engine bay for any parts that may need to be replaced, check for fluid leaks, make sure your vehicle has the correct decals applied and in the correct places, and CLEAN your vehicle. Once the vehicle is clean you want to make sure that your vehicle has the right badges properly applied if it has won any prior awards at AACA shows.  (Examples – National First Prize badge, Senior tab, Grand National badge).  You may also want to bring any informational papers, photos of the build or other documentation that you have about your vehicle.  Review the current AACA Judging Guidelines Handbook, if you have one, for current general show and safety requirements. Cars must be driven onto and off of the show field and approved fire extinguishers are required. Typically, the guidelines for judging can either be found through the AACA club or online.

 When it comes time to go, you need to prepare a detailing bag because you will use these items throughout the show to keep your car “groomed”. Another suggestion I would make before leaving for a car show is to make sure your insurance will cover everything. I bring up the insurance because nothing would be a bigger disappointment if something were to happen and you did not have the coverage that you thought you had.  Whether you are hauling or driving your car, that is a whole other thing to focus on. You should make sure you have allotted yourself enough time for traveling, because incidents like traffic congestion, having a wreck (hopefully not, but you can’t control other people!), or if your vehicle breaks down.

            Upon arrival to the car show, you should be ready for more work.  The first thing you should do is get your vehicle’s show packet.  If you have multiple vehicles, you then have to make sure the correct packet is with the correct vehicle.  After packets are distributed to the correct vehicle, it is time for your vehicle to be pulled out of the trailer and then driven to its spot on the show field.  Even though your vehicle was thoroughly cleaned and checked over for problems before leaving the garage, you still need to go around again and check for any issues. During your drive, your vehicle can pick up things like dust, pollen, or any other particle that floats in the air.  I also suggest checking all your wires, plugs, etc. because anything could have loosened up during the drive.  Basically, you’re going to repeat your check over as you did before you left the garage because small things can cause your vehicle to lose points. You would not want that, because we want that that heavy trophy and the recognition! 

During the show you will also have to maintain your vehicle’s prettiness. Just like while traveling, it will get dust, pollen, etc. on it and you will want your vehicle to shine like a new dime when the judges approach it.  Make sure your vehicle’s class windshield card is in place and that the judging form is available to the judging team.  Remove any and all excess items from the interior and trunk of your car, including floor mats and display items. You must be present at your vehicle while the judging team is evaluating your car.  Be attentive to what the team is doing, stand back out of their way, and refrain from engaging them in conversation unless you are asked specific questions which is usually done by the team leader.  Be prepared to open the hood, trunk, and doors upon request. After you are judged you can take a deep breath and relax!  It is now time to put out your informational items and photo books if you so desire.  People will be walking around looking at cars and may take notice of your vehicle so be prepared for questions from the curious.

While you are cleaning and talking about your vehicle, you should be aware of what is happening around your vehicle.  Most people at a car show will have respect for the vehicle and its owner, but like most things in life you always have that one person!  So, the best advice is to never leave your vehicle by itself, always have someone you can trust stand near to watch your vehicle.

            The after show packing is really not complicated but you still have a list of things to do.  You have to pack up all of the stuff you brought as well as get the car off of the show field by a certain time.  With a mass of people all trying to accomplish the same thing at the same time, it can get hectic.  You will have to be aware of your surroundings and make sure nothing happens to your vehicle while in the exiting process. Once your vehicle is loaded up, you would then head back to either to your hotel room or head straight for home.  If you are headed to a hotel room you then will have to consider the safest place to park so no one will bother your vehicle and that my friends, is some major paranoia because no one wants anything to happen to their “baby”!

            When all is said and done, it is really not whether you came home with a trophy or came home empty handed.  It’s the good times you had visiting with new and old friends, the beautiful cars you’ve seen, or the places you visited while in the area.  Those memories are priceless.  Trophies and awards are just the icing on my cake!

Let’s not forget that with each restoration we have interiors and possibly convertible tops, chrome and stainless trim, and windows.  As with any restoration, these things will take time and are just as important as the rest of the build.

            When it comes to the interior and convertible tops (if applicable) we do them in house or outsource them.  When we outsource, we send the job out to Sharp’s Automotive Upholstery in Ohio. One reason we send the interior and convertible top jobs up North is because they only do top level cars and let’s face it, we always have a rarity in this shop. When performing in house interiors, we use our local automotive upholstery shop to sew all the seat covers, side panels, headliners, door panels, etc.  While our local upholstery shop is sewing up seat covers, we are in the process of preparing the seat frame(s) by cleaning the metal and making any repairs as needed. We also make any panels that are needed in the vehicle and once they are done, we take them down to the upholstery shop to be covered.  Once all the interior parts are ready, we then begin the installation of the headliner, insulation or sound deadener, carpet (if applicable), interior panels, door panels, interior trim, and then seats.

            Chrome is a major factor in the rebuilding process so we send it out for re-plating. We send all our chrome and nickel items to Brightworks in Ohio.  As far as our stainless, we try to keep all the original stainless on the cars and work out any imperfections at Graveyard Run Restorations.  We start our stainless process by inspecting the stainless for any imperfection. We use specialty tools, such as miniature anvils and jewelry tools to repair the dents in the stainless and we also hammer and dolly as needed. Once all the dents are repaired, we then metal file and begin hand sanding the stainless.  Our sanding process begins with 120 grit sandpaper through 600 grit sandpaper. After the first round of sanding is done, we then use our scuff pad wheel on our buffer to show any imperfections or missed spots.  After the scuffing is done and there are no further blemishes, we begin another round of sanding. This starts with 800 grit sandpaper through 3000 grit sandpaper.  With the second round of sanding done, we then go to polishing and buffing using a diamond etch compound polish.  If the stainless is unsalvageable we then purchase new stainless from a forming company in Ohio.

            When it comes to the glass and rubber seals, we always order new.  When ordering the windows, we have to know facts about the windows. For instance, the color of the glass, the dimensions, which seals are needed and the mechanism for the windows.  We have even gone as far as researching which etching is period correct and where it is located on each window.  When we get a vehicle from the 30s and 40s, it is sometimes hard to call up a vintage automotive glass company to get windows.  What makes it so hard is that the vehicle is either rare or the car had such odd shaped windows that they are not reproduced today.  When this problem occurs that means we have to pull out the measuring tape and start sizing things up. No mistakes can be made in the measuring process because specialty made glass cannot be exchanged or returned.  As far as the seals go, in most cases we can get what we need though we have run into problems due to the rarity of the vehicle.  The mechanisms that are used in the windows can be ordered through one of our vendors, fabricated, or we can start a parts hunt on the Internet or amongst our fellow “old guys.

Attention to detail is key to quality work at Graveyard Run Restorations.

Check back soon for more on our blog!

Rachel Richardson and the GYR gang

With every build we do at Graveyard Run Restorations, we always get asked the million-dollar question, “Can you give me an estimate of what it will cost me to restore my car?”.  If you are wanting a restoration to look as pristine as the day it rolled off the assembly line, then that estimate you are looking for is not going to happen.

It’s hard to give an estimate because you never know what you’re getting into with some of these cars.  Especially the ones prior to the 1950’s.  Even with a car that has been barn kept for its entire life, it can have rust, mold, dry rotted wires, or have had a small animal living in it.  The outside body of a car can look great, but once you start tearing the car down you start getting into those areas that the eye never meets, and there lies the problem.  You can have rust in your quarters, under the dash, under the windshield frame, and etc. that will cause more trouble for you in the long run if not fixed properly.

Also, in some cases, your headliner and seats may look good but there could be mold hiding beneath it.  If that mold is not properly taken care of, you can have a nice car with a bad smell and the mold could even be spread.  With small animals everywhere, you know a car sitting is a perfect place for them to nest.  With them nesting, the small animals end up chewing on the wires which can only be fixed by a new wiring harness that was never in the discussion.

Another reason an estimate becomes hard to make for a restoration shop is the parts.  At Graveyard Run Restorations, we have gotten some rare cars and with rare cars, come rare parts with heavy prices.  The most recent restorations that we have done are a 1937 Chrysler Imperial and a 1954 Buick Roadmaster.  The biggest issue we had with the Buick was the A/C parts and the R-12 that it uses for the A/C system.  The Buick A/C parts are not manufactured anymore, which leaves us either making or restoring those parts or going on an extensive Internet hunt with lots of calls from one person to another.  With parts or components not being manufactured, that drives up the price to the cost of the build. The Chrysler ran into its fair share of rare parts as well. From things such as dash panel controls, hubcaps, antenna, foot pedestal for the rumble seat, and many more things that made it the vehicle of its era. Another example that we ran into with parts is, pre-made parts for cars in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  We have run into issues where we order a part that claims to be the exact fit of that car but then it isn’t.  If parts don’t fit correctly that means we have to make modifications to make it look as it should.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”  With this being said, the people of the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s that have the knowledge of these old cars are dying out and not passing this information on.  Reasons for this information to not be passed along is it’s no longer needed because of technology.  Also, in the earlier days, a lot of information you needed was written in a book.  With information available today at just your hands, why would someone depend on a book.  That now leaves all those books with the information you needed on a 1937 Chrysler or 1939 Packard just sitting around and eventually just being trashed and lost to the next generation who may be interested in restoring their great grandfather’s 1925 Chrysler.

Rachel Richardson and the GYR gang

Hey everyone! The guys have been hard at work on the Coronet the past week, putting the gas tank in, then having to remove it due to a dent in the tank, installing the transmission and the engine! We also were able to install some of the smaller parts such as the windshield wash tank, fuel pump, and the oil dipstick and tube. It was a very exciting week for the Coronet once again and everyday we are closer and closer to finishing her up!

Mark and Harlan are still busy getting ready for Amelia Island. They were able to get the Chrysler polished and looking beautiful!