1924 Ford Model T Maintenance and Repairs

1924 Ford Model T

Updating the "wedding car"

    This 1924 Model T has a lot of sentimental value for the owner and his family. It was restored a few decades ago in a home garage completing paint and mechanical work to get it ready for the owners wedding. The body was re-painted and interior updated around 1990 and for a 30 year old paint job on an almost 100 year old car it's still in good shape. The only major defect is on the cowl, which needs some TLC after years of the hood scratching it to shut the fuel off for storage.

1931 Ford Model T on arrival to Driven Restorations LLC for a variety of mechanical and body work

There was a long list of things to take care of mechanically. A full tune up with plugs and wires and a carburetor rebuild was first on the list. Oil change, coolant flush and fuel system clean out were also high on the list of priorities. The fan bearing was very wobbly, steering was loose and had a shimmy when turning, brakes were in good shape but wheel bearings needed replacement and rear axle needed new seals as it was a leaky mess everywhere it went.  If you're ever in South Central Wisconsin you just might see it in a parade.

Fresh from a storage shed, the Ford has a significant amount of dirt built up. Underneath it all is an older lacquer paint job completed 15-20 years ago. The cowl and mirrors will be repainted and the rest of the body will be touched up 

Continue reading for more details and completion photos...

SOLD!1949 Chevrolet 3100 Classic Pickup Truck

Truck was sold on Bring A Trailer 2023: 1949 Chevy 3100

Photo taken summer 2021, this classic Chevy is in immaculate condition!

This is your opportunity to purchase a rare beauty

Offered for sale is this 1949 Chevrolet 3100 1/2 ton pickup truck. It was fully restored in 2012 by us at Driven Restorations LLC. Work included complete frame off body and paint, restored original bed wood, new original style interior and complete mechanical overhaul. The original 216 c.i. in-line 6 engine was fully re-built. This truck has the 3 speed on the column manual transmission.

1936 Buick Special 41 Series: A Closer look

1936 Buick Special 41

What arrived at our shop in pieces is whole once again! When we took on this project for our customer the car was disassembled and none of the parts had any labels on them. There were buckets of bolts, most of which were broken off, and random parts from other cars to add to the puzzle. Adding to the challenge was poor print quality of original handbooks and complete lack of photos or comparable vehicles as this is a one year only, exceedingly rare model and year. The entire vehicle was restored to original with a couple minor modifications including a rumble seat and custom color burl wood on the dash and interior window surrounds. 

Completed restoration of 1936 Buick Special 40

Completed restoration photo shoot underway in fall of 2020

With the interior fully wrapped in upholstery, you can hardly tell that the frame of the body and doors are wood

 

The interior trim parts, cables for throttle and choke, as well as the gauge cluster and clock were all restored to original condition...

1970 Monte Carlo SS Chassis: A closer look

1970 Monte Carlo SS

The details matter. Every last detail will be judged on the AACA circuit when this build is complete so we take every nut and bolt to a level rarely seen in automotive restoration. Perfection. 

Extensive research and hours upon hours of rebuilding and refinishing have gone into the parts on this chassis, from the frame clip colors, bolt head markings, and date codes to the color finishes and exhaust bends. Here's a closer look at the rolling chassis with up close photos featuring detail most people rarely notice. 

1970 Monte Carlo SS 454 fully restored rolling chassis

1969 International Scout 800A: Restoration In progress!

1969 Scout 800 Aristocrat

We recently began work on a vehicle rarely seen in "running & driving" condition before restoration work begins. Let us introduce you to the 1969 International Scout 800 Aristocrat, the classier package of a classic utility vehicle. 

Most of the Scouts from this era have been parked behind a barn or in a ditch never to be rescued or driven again, and that's partially because they were designed to be used and abused from interior finishes being weatherproof, to have no body seals or splash shields to prevent road grime from getting into every seam in the body panels. Once no longer reliable for daily driving Scouts were frequently fitted with a plow and used to clear snow until the body rusted off it's chassis. This particular Scout was spared that fate. There are signs that it had a plow on it at one time and there is a significant amount of rust and structure that needs repair, but overall, it's an impressive example of a 90% complete original 4x4 model 800A. 

The 1969 Scout 800A in the shop and ready for a frame off restoration

Might be missing a few parts for the window...

Fuel cell location not recommended, but it worked well for test drives to be sure it ran and drove before the owner purchased this project out on the East coast and hauled it home to WI

Scout 800A

Scout 800A: As expected, there is a large amount of rust and damage on this Scout. The Aristrocrat package does feature chrome bumpers and a few other unique "classier" aspects that are uncommon for a utilitarian designed vehicle

233 AMC Inline 6 was running when it arrived to the shop, although it definitely showed signs of a lifter issue 

1969 Scout 800A engine bay with 233AMC

Headliner material

 

1969 Scout "weatherproof" interior has seen better days. 

Originally a Maine vehicle and daily driven by the previous owner until the mid 70's there were a few items in the headliner helping us located the original owner of this Scout