Derived from the 17th century French aristocrats, Concours d’Elegance stands for a Competition of Elegance.  This term was originally used for judging of carriages and horses that pulled them, but is now used in restored automobiles that have been taken beyond a factory standard. It is basically for a “cherried-out”, or mint condition vehicle.  You know- the kind that gets your attention from a long ways away.

There are several Concours d’Elegance held annually at several locations.  Many of these restored vehicles are not driven but short distances.  Most of them are trailered to the location and very seldom hit a street, to keep the tires clean and the paint from getting gravel pitted.

Concours d’Elegance is a standard of car restoration.  While an amateur restoration might restore a car to factory condition, very few amateurs compete in the Concours d’Elegance, as the standards are very high and the competition fierce between professional car restorers.

That is not to say that a hobbyist could not participate in Concours d’Elegance, they would need to get a particularly rare vintage car and possibly employ the help of professionals on anything they were unsure of during the restoration process. Most of the cars that fall into this Concours-class for competition are among the best restoration jobs done by the best professional restorers.

The body work and paint jobs on these cars are flawless, and the engine parts are so clean you could eat off of them. Concours d’Elegance grade cars are museum quality or held privately by collectors, typically.

Any replacement parts must all be the same production year, and most competitions require they are from the original auto manufacturer.  There are some competitions that may allow after-market replica equipment and replacement parts, though not many.

The judging is more demanding than normal classic car shows, and done by trained judges who are looking for perfection in the restoration and replacement parts, paint job, engine and every other way, in order to receive trophy consideration.

Concours d’Elegance is a class that most experienced car restoration buffs strive for.  Once they have tackled the disassembly and reassembly of a perfected car, a trophy in this type of competition acknowledges their expert knowledge in the car restoration field and these cars fetch much more money on the market than typical restored automobiles.

A trophy, vintage car is a prized possession, not suitable to be driven around, yet fully capable.  For this reason, it can be an expensive hobby or a very lucrative business asset, depending on your motivation. While normal car restoration is not a cheap venture, in some cases, Concours d’Elegance class restorations can be time consuming and must be perfect.

Many car enthusiasts and collectors participate in the Concours d’Elegance, in hopes of receiving trophy recognition on their restored car, to increase its market value.  Much like a purebred champion racehorse, these automobiles are the cream of the crop in the vintage, classic and restored automobile arena.

Competitions of Elegance are held on a national basis in Manhattan, Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Meadow Brook.  A trophy place in one of these competitions can be the answer to a car restorer’s dream, and an acknowledgement of perfection.

A true car restoration involves putting a car back into the same condition it was in when first sold. Depending on the age of the car, this can become a daunting task. If you have a rusty old vintage car sitting in your garage, what might have started out as a hobby has become a full time job that can last several years.

Sometimes, car restoration may look easier than it is. Not only does car restoration involve the body, but also the interior, engine and other parts that make up the car.  On older cars, it can be hard to get original parts; many of them can’t be bought except at the junk yard. The older the car is, the harder it can be to get parts and for cars that are more rare it can be even harder to find replacement parts for. Many times you will find that you have to settle for aftermarket or remanufactured parts.

If the car has rust on the body, you may have to decide how you will eliminate it, either  by fixing it, replacing it or cutting out the area and replacing a portion of the body panel.  This may involve having an experienced body person do the work because replacing damaged panels may still mean you need a panel beater and cutting out a portion could mean a welder that would be experienced in making the piece fit unnoticeably.

There is more to car restoration than just painting the body and many car enthusiasts don’t find this out until they get started.  Once the body is straight, it will need to be primed and painted, but you need to be sure that the frame is straight, engine parts are complete and the interior is clean to add value to the car before you can call it restored.

When it comes to paint selections, it is important that you research the factory colors of paint that were true to the year of the vehicle. Other important details, like the hubcaps and trim packages are important details to restore a car to its original condition.  Meticulous detail needs to be taken to clean, paint and replace parts.  Many cars are first disassembled and then reassembled piece by piece for repairs, priming and painting.

If you want to get into car restoration, you can find plenty of information in the library or on the Internet.  There are many sources available depending on the level of restoration and the age of the vehicle.  Certain kinds of vintage cars have clubs that hold swap meets, car shows and are a great source for parts, advice and the standards that would be expected for a restored vintage car of that model.

Restoring a car can be a rewarding hobby, or way to make some extra money.  A car that has been restored to original factory condition can bring a profit as many vintage car enthusiasts want to own one, but don’t know how to restore them.

It’s a great opportunity to pick a new hobby or make extra money. You just need to pay attention to detail, and make sure you stick with original parts, paint colors and hire an expert to take care of any car restoration matters that are over your area of expertise.

When you are in a place where you want to work on restoring a car, be aware that you are taking on a big project, but one that many people is worth every bit of time and money they put into it.  There is nothing quite like the feeling of putting together an old car until it looks like the day it was first put up for sale, and while there are some people who do this for money, you'll find that there are far more people who do it for love.

When you are looking around for a car that will be the basis of your restoration project, you will have to do some searching.  It can be difficult to find a car that is just the right mixed of good pricing and work that needs to be done on it.  Remember that when you are looking at a wrecked car that you are going to need to get into it and figure out what the parts are like.  How many of the original parts are going still be with the car, and which of those are going to be worth keeping?  Remember that if you do a complete restoration that even parts that work are going to have to come out if they are not original.

If you are considering restoring a classic car, take some time to think about where you are going to be looking for parts, tools, suppliers and manuals.  For all of these things, and much more besides, most classic car restorers will go to Hemmings Motor news.  Here, you will be able to make contact with people who are selling what you need in order to make your car look like it just rolled off the showroom floor.  You'll also find that this is a great way to make contact with marque clubs for your car, and it can be a good way to move forward when you are feeling a little unsure of yourself.

You may find yourself wondering if you need to think about handing your car over to a shop for the restoration.  The truth of the matter is that when you are dealing with classic cars, you are going to find that you are in a much better place to do the work yourself.  The recent computerization of vehicles has made it a lot harder for a hobbyist to handle, but with a classic car, you are going to find that you simply do not have that problem.  This is a great way to learn as you go.  Remember that before you try anything that you should read about it and figure out what you are looking at when you open up your car.

Restoring classic cars is a great hobby, and you may find that it is one you want to devote a lot of free time and energy to.  Consider what your resources are when you are looking at getting the right kind of results from your endeavors, and just be patient; it takes time, but at the end of the day, restoring classic cars is completely worth it.

Some one that does panel beating is a specialist for a type of automobile repair. In fact they can even be considered an artist, as they are able to repair damage to metal, plastic and fiberglass on wrecked automobiles.  They are referred to as Panel Beaters because often they have to make and form vehicle panels using hand tools and other machinery for parts, especially if the parts are for older, vintage automobiles. There are many times replacement parts are needed and in a number of cases salvaged components are used in order to get the automobile ready for painting.

Typically, damaged panels are removed from the automobile and the dents are removed by hammering the panels. Panel beaters work to straighten badly damaged vehicles, cut and join replacement sections, fill dents, realign chassis and body frames, replace electrical and accessory parts, and may assist in spray painting automobiles. Sometimes, it may be more affordable for a panel beater to use salvaged components from other wrecked vehicles at salvage yards, if they are available or can be ordered, to repair a damaged vehicle to a like-new condition.

Panel beating is practical and manual work with hand tools and machines. A panel beater has good hand-eye coordination, color vision, technical aptitude and can visualize the finished product. Panel Beaters have often taken courses for the skill and many express a desire to become a panel beater at a young age.

It seems as if panel beating is becoming somewhat of a lost art. There are areas where panel beaters are said to be a dying breed, as many do not have the time to teach the next generation of panel beaters and there are limited courses available in the skill. Becoming a panel beater usually involves a trade apprenticeship that can last several years, in addition to taking a course at a trade school or TAFE.

Panel beaters may have to utilize mig and tig welding, hammering with different tools, heating and molding metal panels to make a replacement or repair of a section of wrecked automobile fit and restore to original condition. They also become skilled in molding fiberglass or plastics to fit sections that need repair of those materials.

If you are a new motor restoration enthusiast, you may need to find someone that specializes in panel beating for vintage restoration cars, as some panel beaters specialize in different areas such as accident damage repair, vintage car restoration, motorcycle or even aircraft fuselage panel beating.

Since a vintage restoration may or may not be able to utilize salvage components, it is important to find a good panel beater or become trained in the skill yourself. Vintage motor restoration can be profitable if you are good at panel beating and painting automobiles and do not have to hire the work out.

Many new motor restoration enthusiasts may decide to attempt minor panel beating jobs on their own and you can buy panel beating sets that include the basic tools needed for paneling beating, as well as dent pullers, hoists and pulleys or spray painting accessories for automobiles. If you happen to know a friend in the business, they may let you hang around the shop to learn some of the basics or help you out with any technical questions you might have.

Panel Beating and Painting for automobiles are good talents to learn, and can be profitable, especially if you decide to become a new motor restoration enthusiast.

Squealing brakes and the sound of motor vehicles colliding can occur at any time of day. Luckily on many of these occasions the only injuries are to the automobiles. Not only are the owners of the cars having a bit of luck, this may be a golden moment for you as well.

When autos are totaled, this means that the insurance companies will write them off as a loss. They will pay the insured owners the money that is due them and then they get rid of the vehicles. Sometimes the cars are sold to salvage yards, and sometimes they head to auctions where they are sold with titles, or certification, that verifies them as being salvage vehicles. These cars can even end up belonging to the wrecker companies that hauled them off. For savvy individuals, these collision vehicles can be a cheap way of fixing their own automobiles.

You can purchase an entire vehicle to use as parts or you can get one or two parts that you need. Today you can find salvage yards advertised online and in the yellow pages. Many salvage operations will check other companies for you if you are looking for an unusual or rare part and they will even get your part ordered. You can then pick it up in person or have it delivered. The delivery fee can be fairly expensive, so always try to pick up your parts if possible.

If you have had reason to buy parts for a car lately you realize how expensive they can be. An alternator for a Chevy short bed truck that is 15 years old can easily be $100-$150 or more. You can choose to find a rebuilt one but may only save $20-$30 in the process. However you can find practically new alternators that will fit your small truck at salvage yards and automobile junkyards on a daily basis.

These salvage alternators may only cost $50 -$80 and if you are willing to go and pull the part you need off of the vehicle you might save even more. If you have some tools and a little mechanical ability and knowledge, this is the best deal of all. The biggest advantage to using these salvage parts is that sometimes the vehicle that you are stripping for parts only has a few hundred miles on the odometer. This means that any usable parts you find are practically new. You will be able to get a lot of use from them for a very low price.

Totaled vehicles that are sent to a salvage facility often have an array of perfectly usable and undamaged parts. Rear end collisions may total out the car for a loss, but the door panels, interior seats and front of the car could be relatively unscathed. You might even find low mileage engines and radiators in these vehicles at half the price of rebuilt or new parts.

Likewise, a side collision will still leave many auto parts undamaged. You can find radios, CD players, brake components, wheels headlights, and motors for electric windows, windshield wipers, alternators, tires and seats that can be used for your car, van or truck. There is always a good chance that you will be able to find parts that you can use to replace your own that match perfectly. Front end collisions may destroy the engine, but again you can find like new parts on the undamaged portion of the vehicle, and side panels, rear windshields and mufflers may still be untouched.

The key factor that you must remember is to make sure that you are looking for the correct part by year and model. If the part you are replacing has numbers, always be certain that the numbers match. Any time that there is any question about the type of auto part you need you can check auto catalogues or online lists to find the number and description for the correct item. Many of the junkyard owners have computer systems and resource books that they will use to help you find what you need.

If you order the wrong part from a salvage yard or if you pull a motor that does not fit your car, you will not be able to just return it. Many of these companies operate on a sold as is policy and once you have the part in your possession you have to pay the money for it because it is now yours. Be sure and find out if there are any types of returns or exchanges at the salvage yard you are going to use.