All-original barn finds are getting rarer and rarer these days. Special cars are picked out of storage every day by hotrodders seeking that diamond in the rough. However, in the beginning of 2020, we came across a perfectly cut jewel of a car: a 1968 Camaro Z-28 RS in Le Mans Blue Metallic with every option checked. This example was bought new in 1968 and then parked after 58,000 miles at some point in the late 70’s. The next time it would see the light of day would be at our shop.
Renown Auto Restoration Blog
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If you’re a car enthusiast, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Trying to explain the reason why we love cars can be difficult because, well let’s face it, many people don’t seem to get it. They don’t understand why we get goosebumps when we hear our favorite automobile fire up, they don’t get why we spend an entire Sunday cleaning our pride and joy or why we obsess over details as small as a scratch on a lug-nut or the perfect door panel alignment. Not everyone understands and that’s okay.
We recently painted the black stripes on this 1967 Camaro. Our painter, our artist, was not content with plain black stripes. After talking with the owner, he added a touch of gold metallic to the black stripes. Click on continue reading more more and a close up of the gold.
We upgraded the exhaust system on this Ferrari F430. Just have a listen to this! Click on continue reading to see some photos of the exhaust in the car.
In this short 4 minute video you can see as our team reunited the body of this 1969 Oldsmobile 442 with its chassis. I was glad I was there to capture it.
Using heat and cold is an advanced technique for straightening metal. In the early days of automobile manufacturing panels were rarely complete straight even when a vehicle was new. It wasn't until more advanced processes for shaping metal came about in the 60s and 70s that panels were more reliably even and straight. Click on continue reading to see how we use heating and cooling metal to straighten the door panel on this pickup truck.
There is no reason not to have modern air conditioning in your classic car. Take this Corvette. It was factory equipped with A/C. Yet we are updating it to a modern A/C system by Vintage Air. Click on continue reading to see more pictures of this car apart.
Last we saw the Oldsmobile 442 it was getting its body removed form its frame. You can see more about that here. This time we want to show you how and why we bag and tags the parts when we disassemble the car. It is very important to keep track of everything when you take a car apart. Click on continue reading to see more on this process with this Olds 442.
It is a rare thing these days to receive an actual letter. People just don't spend the time anymore. So when you do get a real, actual letter it means a lot. We did a restoration on Mr. Barnes 1969 MGB Roadster, and he sent us a bonafide letter. PLEASE click on continue reading to read what Mr. Barnes had to say. It is as much about the work we do as it is about keeping peoples love of their cars alive.
Here we have a 1965 Ford Thunderbird. We just finished installing a FAST Fuel Injection system on this car. The car is already equipped with aftermarket Air Conditioning. The owner is trying to make the car as driveable as possible. By converting this car to fuel injection we are able to make the car more reliable with easier starting, more dependable with consistent fuel delivery and overall more pleasurable to drive. No worries about stumbling, or vapor lock (a condition where the fuel in the lines is so hot it essentially boils and won't flow). If you are not driving your classic on a regular basis, and the reason is that it does not drive well enough, come in and have our experts see if a fuel injection conversion can work for you. Click on continue reader to see more pics of this wonderful Thunderbird.
This Ford Torino was pretty badly rotted... in and around the roof. No replacement roof panel (or skin) is available for these. We had to remove the rotted metal and replace with custom fabricated metal just to get it solid. Have a look at the photos below and see how much work went into getting the roof and quarter panels straight as an arrow. Click the continue reading link to see the progress of the work on the Torino roof line.
In the automotive collector world the term "Barn Find" gets bandied about quite a bit. This term brings up wishful thinking about finding a classic, old car sitting in a barn. The term refers to find a car that was tucked away in storage for a long time. Forgotten about. Then someone comes along and discovers some hidden gem that could be restored into something special. Many times that is a distortion of the truth. People will call any car that has been sitting in a garage for years a barn find.
Recently a group of Ferrari enthusiasts embarked on a spirited drive through the Texas Hill Country. Several of the cars damaged their diffusers (the lower part at the rear of the car, below the bumper). Here at Renown this is something we can repair to show quality levels. Click continue reading for more on the options we offer to fix these diffusers, including a special process know as Hydrographics.
Generally speaking, when we talk about wet sanding an buffing in the automotive environment, we are looking to get the absolutely best shine out of the paint finish on a car or truck. We are looking to get a true show car finish. To help with this I have the diagram below which shows a surface that is not perfectly flat vs one that is. This is NOT to scale, but it is representative of the surface of a car after it has been painted. (Click on Continue reading to for more information and some impressive photos that show this process.)
In today's work of modified vehicle, you don't have to settle. This 1947 Ford F1 Pickup Truck as an adjustable coil over front suspension with rack and pinion steering and 4 piston disc brakes. This is modern sports car equipment. I has coil overs and disc brakes in the rear as well. The truck can handle as well as a modern car. It may not beat a Corvette, but it will wipe the floor with many sports sedans. Click on Continue Reading to see the the suspension under this Pickup.
Sometimes it's just not about how much power you have. Yes, 400+ Horsepower V-8s have their place. But, face it, how often can you use it... legally? And how often do you use it when just cruising in a cool car? Have a look at this 1963 Dodge Dart. This car is going to look much better than it ever did when new, with a great show quality finish. Yet is powered by Chrysler's venerable Slant 6 engine. This engine will literally run forever. This car is also getting a Vintage Air A/C system, so it will cruise in comfort... until the tires fall off. I can't wait to see this one finished myself. Click on Continue reading to see more photos of this magnificent Dodge Dart.
All too often we see lifted trucks that never go off road. Not this time. This Bronco lives on a ranch, and will spend more time off road than on. Click on continue reading to see more pictures of the suspension we are putting on this real world Bronco.
It's not just about cars. When a sweet couple comes in and wants to have their original scooter restored, how can you say no. That is exactly what happened. This sweet woman wanted to have the Radio Scooter she had as a child freshened up so she could give it to her grandchildren. To pass on a family heirloom. We even contacted Radio Flyer. Notice that this is a Radio Scooter, and is from the Radio line before they were Radio Flyer. We even sourced the wheels and decals from Radio Flyer. Click on Continue Reading to see the full post with before and after photos.