Classic Car Servicing

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Caporegime
Joined
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Location
West Yorks
I Find myself hankering after a classic car.

But thinking the prospect over has raised a few questions. Just who exactly do you take a 50 year old car to for servicing ?

Or is it the case that most classic car owners do their own servicing and everybody accepts this as normal ? Do 60 year old cars even have full service history ?

Thoughts ?
 
Most older cars are very easy to repair as they're mechanically very simple but bigger jobs will usually be done by specialists unless the car is very rare AND old at which point specialist fettling is expected.
 
I've bought a good few classics with huge amounts of history (be it from dealers and receipts for owner installed parts) and there are countless classic car specialists in the UK, it really depends on what make you're looking at buying.

At the end of the day it's mainly condition that matter, not FSH or age/mileage. With most cars over 20 years old, rust is the main item to look out for.
 
I would say that the vast majority of classic owners service them themselves - if you want a classic it's usually because you are interested in the car and therefore servicing is part of the appeal - what cars are you looking at?
 
My step dad and the few classic car owners I know (generally I'm talking Jensens and MG owners) all service them themselves. Some of the more complex issues they sometimes call in help but they generally all support each other through owners clubs etc. The amount of times member from the MG owners club etc. have been around ours to help my step dad out or vice versa is quite numerous.

What sort of classic are you looking at?
 
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Fr0dders said:
do the majority of classic owners self service, or do people seek out specialists for their servicing ?
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Many older cars were designed with self servicing very much in mind. The owners handbooks were more like workshop manuals describing all routine servicing requirements in great detail (Even on luxury cars like Jaguars)

Vehicles from the 50's and 60's and 70's are easily maintainable by anybody willing to get their hands dirty using only a basic tool-kit (Even engine rebuilds are well within the scope of an average DIYer.)

But the main enemy is rust! Ensure that you get a good body-shell and/or get the body-shell professionally restored. Welding/Painting is not really a DIY job unless you are really quite good and have a well equipped home workshop

(Hint. If you are going to try to learn to weld, Do NOT buy a cheap rig. The cheap sealley type hobby MIGs can produce good welds but it takes a lot more skill to do so than with a more expensive and better quality machine. I would recommend this I have one and I am very happy with it. the magic number for car bodywork s the ability to produce a stable arc at low current, something that the hobby MIG's tend not to be able to do! Don't worry too much about the higher current ratings/duty cycles, you will only need those if you are doing serious heavy duty fabrication)
 
I don't think classic ownership is about finding someone to service the car once a year, that sort of misses the point imo. For most it's a passion and the tinkering under the bonnet is a major part of the attraction; as is the social side. keeping the cars going and fettled is where the enjoyment comes from. Generally speaking the older you go, the more weekly, daily fettling is required, they're not like modern cars and need attention far more frequently. Bit's need to be greased, oiled and adjusted. Sourcing parts can be difficult if you move away from the more common classics.

If all you want is the experience, hire one for the day.
 
Fr0dders said:
I Find myself hankering after a classic car.

But thinking the prospect over has raised a few questions. Just who exactly do you take a 50 year old car to for servicing ?

Or is it the case that most classic car owners do their own servicing and everybody accepts this as normal ? Do 60 year old cars even have full service history ?

Thoughts ?
Click to expand...

You do it yourself.
 
You dont have to go far to find a good mechanic to work on an older car. There are lots of old school mechanics about that have a lot of knowledge and experience. For example on saturday i took my 87 porsche to a local garage just for some tyres and ended up chatting to one of the guys that worked there who knows a ton about them and use to own one.
 
Thanks guys

Not got anything in mind, just browsing car and classics in my lunchbreaks has got me thinking. I figured most would self service which would help keep costs down. Limited miles classic car insurance policies would also help keep costs down. And i'd probably have one as a second car and only drive it when its nice which would also help keep costs down.
 
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Fr0dders said:
Thanks guys

Not got anything in mind, just browsing car and classics in my lunchbreaks has got me thinking. I figured most would self service which would help keep costs down. Limited miles classic car insurance policies would also help keep costs down. And i'd probably have one as a second car and only drive it when its nice which would also help keep costs down.
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Your biggest worry is getting a car with a decent supply of parts for a reasonable cost. That means staying away from anything Ford. Triumphs and MGs are generally good in this regard and you could build a car from the parts you can get brand new.
 
Janesy B said:
Your biggest worry is getting a car with a decent supply of parts for a reasonable cost. That means staying away from anything Ford. Triumphs and MGs are generally good in this regard and you could build a car from the parts you can get brand new.
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Not necessarily. We bought a 65 Ford Mustang recently and the parts are amazingly cheap and in plentiful supply. Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts seem to have a good supply of parts too from what I've seen.

You're right in what you say though, best to chose a car where parts are readily available.
 
I certainly service my classics myself, as does my family I also know of a few classic friendly garages around this area who do a lot of work for people. There was a lovely Dart in there last time I went for an MOT and a MK1 Escort being painted the time before.
 
Service it yourself. Within the right communities, this isn't frowned upon.

I bad £12 to have some classic car brake shoes relined and riveted. It would have cost me near on £100 for the parts (with no guarantee that they were the exact fitment as the car manufacture date was on a build year crossover.
 
The car in my sig is 19 years old so not really a classic. But I do as much work and servicing on it as I can myself. I use a local specialist for the remaining work and if there were anything major needed such as engine work then there are a small number of highly respected specialists well known in the community.

Take a look on owners forums for that particular car for specific advice.

edit: I should also highlight that I knew nothing about car mechanics before owning this car but when something needs doing I've now learned to read up on it, grab a spanner, and give it a try.
 
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Fr0dders said:
Thanks guys

Not got anything in mind, just browsing car and classics in my lunchbreaks has got me thinking. I figured most would self service which would help keep costs down. Limited miles classic car insurance policies would also help keep costs down. And i'd probably have one as a second car and only drive it when its nice which would also help keep costs down.
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If you are worried about costs that I would advise against getting a classic car. If you are interested in figures then here are mine for my '67 GT6 (Which is quite cheap to run):

http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=127721

As has been mentioned, MGs and Triumphs are probably the best place to start as parts are readily available and relatively. Getting one good one is key though and fixing body work and/or the chassis can get very expensive.

Most will have been self serviced unless it is something special like a Ferrari or the like. I wouldn't let that put you off though as these cars are very easy to work on and ideal if you want to teach yourself some mechanics.

So if you are willing to get your hands dirty then it can be very rewarding (and frustrating) fixing issues and replacing parts. Plus they are ace to drive compared to modern cars.
 
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