Guides Archives - Classic Cars

Feb262012 by OrenNo Comments

How Important are Authentic Replacement Parts?

The insurance market has become increasingly volatile in recent years, with the average motorist now paying £921 per year for cover. Classic car owners generally pay less for insurance on account of them being statistically less likely to be involved in accidents and make claims. Insurers recognise that this is due to classic car drivers tending to take greater pride in their vehicle than owners of more widely available vehicles and common place vehicles and classic car insurance quotes therefore tend to be lower. (more…)

Sep172009 by OrenNo Comments

The Basics of Classic Car Insurance

Classic car insurance

If the old saw that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is true, most insurance companies need glasses. They look at a classic car and write one thing on their little forms -- “old.” In insurance lingo “old” is a first cousin to “depreciation.” In order to find companies that understand that classics appreciate in value over time and have intrinsic worth beyond simple functional mechanics, owners who need classic car insurance must deal with specialty firms. (more…)

Feb102009 by OrenNo Comments

Classic car insurance

In February 2009 a 1937 Bugatti Atalante 57S coupe that had been gathering dust in a garage in northern England for 50 years sold at auction in Paris for 3.5 million euros. However, since the global economic downturn began some auction houses have recorded falling sales – with some even reporting that around a third of vehicles are failing to meet their reserve price. If you are planning on investing your savings in a classic car then now is a good time to buy, however as a classic car owner your vehicle will undoubtedly be among your most prized possessions, and as such it`s vital that you protect it with a sufficient level of insurance cover. Let`s take a look at the options. (more…)

Aug282007 by OrenNo Comments

Dealing with rust

Restoration

1. Intro Rust is the principal killer of most normal (ie mild steel) bodied cars. Look at most cars stacked up in a scrapyard and they aren't usually there through being worn out mechanically, its usually through terminal tin worm. Even fairly modern cars suffer from structural corrosion, despite them supposedly having better protection than any cars previously. Wander around your favourite breakers yard, and for every hundred or so cars there may be 10-15 that are there through having been in a crash, a similar number which are tired mechanically, and the remainder there through neglect leading to levels of rusting that became uneconomical to repair. (more…)

Jul302007 by OrenNo Comments

Fixing Paint Chips on your Classic Car

Restoration

Years ago, assembling a 300SL we'd restored as a show car, we accidentally put a few small chips in the new paint. After the car was completely assembled and finished, we repaired the chips by sanding the damaged area, applying primer, block-sanding it, and spot-painting a section of the panel, trying to keep the repair as small as possible. Matching the color might have required painting the whole panel, which was time-consuming and expensive. (more…)