Classic car restoration has come a long way since the days of the flathead Ford. Whereas once the idea was just to get some old scrapyard refugee running, now things are aimed more at creating personalized expressions of automotive beauty. There are many facets of the restoration craze currently taking hold in the country, but one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle can be found in the selection of a power plant for the new project.
Because forty to fifty years have passed since many of these vehicles came off the showroom floor and they have passed through the hands of countless hot rodders for decades, it is a wonder that any of them survived at all. This leaves the proud new owner facing a set of interlocking choices.
First off, he may choose to restore whatever engine he inherited with the purchase. There is also the possibility of going with an OEM-style rebuild, where the idea is to restore or recreate the original power plant called for in the VIN.
There is also the quest for maximum horsepower as opposed to showroom fidelity. This usually calls for the installation of a more modern engine. In turn, this generally requires a virtually complete transplant of the wiring harness in order to make all the current gadgetry work inside a classic body.
The problem for most aficionados is that they are new to this sort of complex fusion of the past and present. As an example, just buying yourself an LS to drop into the engine bay may sound like an easy swap, but it soon turns out that there are a lot of external factors to be dealt with. Clearances for cooling and exhaust systems often produce unwelcome surprises. Wiring harnesses are an automatic barrel of fun. All of that is challenging enough before the addition of things like air conditioning, massive sound systems, extreme light packages, and so many other things that are just not going to bolt into an old body without careful measurement and patient fitting.
No matter if you are looking for a frame-off restoration or the creation of a modern super car hiding inside golden-age sheet metal, the length, cost, and difficulty of the project can be greatly reduced by consulting with a professional restoration specialist. One of the finest shops around is right here in the Atlanta area. Give Brian Kilgore a call and find out what his company can do to make your project run smoothly.