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Get your classic car restoration sorted with our restoration guide

27 November, 2015

We all know that there’s always something that needs attending to, whether it’s simply tidying up interior carpets and upholstery, fixing that scratched windscreen, touching up the front guard after a shopping trolley hit it last summer, or something bigger, such as replacing a rusted-out exhaust system. You may even want to push the boat out and seriously contemplate a full restoration.

In any event, you can rest assured in the knowledge that there’s plenty of specialist help out there, with professionals who know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to classic cars — whether they be European, American, or Australian. To help you on your way, we’ve compiled a Restoration Guide that’s sure to send you in the right direction. 

This article was originally published in New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 298. You can pick up a print copy or a digital copy of the magazine below:




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A second dose of Dash

24 April, 2025

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

16 April, 2025

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.