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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Restoring Collector Cars

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  • List Price: $18.95
  • Studio: Alpha
  • Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
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Product Details

Editorial Reviews

Product Description: Do-it-yourself car restorer Tom Benford walks readers through everything they need to know about finding classic cars, assessing their value, finding parts, deciding on replacement parts versus originals, and estimating completion time. From setting up the workshop to putting the finishing touches on the final coat of wax, this guide offers tips and step-by-step instructions for repairing everything from brake pads to door dings.

Customer Reviews

 
Collector Car
Reviewer: John Schube (Bentonville, AR), Date of review: May 29, 2010
Avg. Customer Rating: 3 Stars
Simple (good) read but it is not going to be a how to guide or give you a ton more information the reading Hemmings publications.
Yes, I'm an Idiot
Reviewer: renee bova-collis (VA), Date of review: August 23, 2007
Avg. Customer Rating: 3 Stars

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Not exactly what I was looking for, but there was certainly much I didn't already know. Great resource referrals! I wanted more specific, step by step instructions, but now I know where to get it from reading this. I did not waste my time or money.
One of the Best Starter Books
Reviewer: Ryan P. Dooley (NC), Date of review: August 15, 2005
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

By far a really, really good starter book for anyone looking to see what it would take to get into restoring a classic car. If you know the basics; budgeting, tools needed, what car to look for this is not the book for you.

But for those who haven't even scoped the project this is a great starting point to layout your plan of how you are going to proceed or whether your should proceed at all.
A Good Beginner's Guide
Reviewer: David Brown (Colorado USA), Date of review: July 24, 2005
Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

If you already know a lot about Pitman arms, rag joints, pinion gears, and harmonic balancers, then this book is probably not for you. After all, the word, "idiot," is in the title. As the new owner of a collector car who hasn't much of a clue where to start, I found it to be perfectly suited to my needs and knowledge level. The information is presented in such a way as to apply to a wide range of vehicle types, which I especially liked, since my specific vehicle interests don't correspond at all with the author's. Most importantly, the author is a good writer and the book is enjoyable to read, cover to cover. (There are a few typos, which always surprises me.) Overall, a good value and a great introduction to the topic for beginners.