Reid,
Perhaps it is even more likely that an amateur restorer, working on his own
car would take the time to refurbish original parts too time consuming for a
professional restorer, and collect NOS replacement parts and restorable
originals at swap meets, salvage yards and private parts sellers over the
course of months if not years ---something that a professional, with a
schedule to keep cannot as easily do. --I did that, to a considerable extent,
over the course of a 10 year restoration. --Not liking things like the
reproduction bumper overriders, seat bottoms and backs, reproduction winged
badges, reproduction control knobs, gas caps, oil caps, headlight rings, and
on and on and on. --and I can honestly say that every square inch of sheet
metal is from the factory, having sourced good restorable replacements,
instead of reproductions and repair panels. Restoring and rechroming original
parts wherever remotely possible, rather than replacing them with "new".
The professional restorers do an absolutely beautiful job, from what I have
seen. --However, I cannot imagine the degree of faithfulness to the original
parts that I have seen from some of the truly fanatical private restorations I
have seen and heard about. Surely there could be no money to be made in the
labor intensive pursuit of reclaiming the majority of original pieces for a
car.
David W. Jones
'62 Mk II BT7 tricarb
Cumberland, RI USA
----- Original Message -----
From: Reid Trummel
To: healeys@autox.team.net
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 1:49 AM
Subject: Amateur vs. Professional Restoration
My recent visit to the auctions in Arizona got me to thinking about the
differences between an "amateur" and a "professional" restoration. I'm
really not sure that those are meaningful distinctions.
Why couldn't an amateur do every bit as good of a job as a professional? The
"fully restored to concours gold standards" (a truly overused phrase at the
auctions) Healeys in these auctions looked pretty good, but had a few little
things to criticize. Polished dash pots for one.
Anyway, it got me to thinking, what do people think of as the difference
between a professional and an amateur restoration? No one certifies
"professional" Healey restorers, so I lean towards saying that it is a
distinction without a difference. Restored is restored. Whether you've done
it once or a hundred times, what you have at the end is a collection of Moss
Motors parts, new paint and new chrome, and almost nothing remaining of that
which left the factory.
If I screw on a bunch of Moss Motors parts, it's an amateur restoration. If
someone who has done it a hundred times screws them on, it's a professional
restoration. No diff in my book.
What say you?
Reid Trummel
Portland, Oregon
100, 100M, Ski-Master
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