Just before the start of the real auto-mobile construction (around 1900) cars were actually horse carriages without a horse. In its place came a one-cylinder engine that was placed between the rear wheels and a chain drove the rear wheels. The building material for the car was mostly wood, one could then be forging steel but not welding. Buildi...
The tops of the more expensive convertibles have for a long time been trimmed with horsehair. In cold or wet weather, these luxurious hoods provided warmth and comfort. The restoration of these tops is one of the most difficult jobs for the automobile trimmer. The process starts with the revision of the hood frame. This needs to be flexible, but wi...
Veneer is thin sawn, sliced or peeled wood, which is attached to a surface and serves as embellishment. The pattern of the timber depends on the type of wood. Thus, because of its fine structure, walnut veneer is widely used in more expensive English automobiles. The veneer is supplied in sheets of less than 1 mm, which in terms of the pat...
Years ago the famous Dutch art collector Van Caldenborgh bought a special piece of art, called The Caldenhok from the gifted artist Joep Van Lieshout in Rotterdam. The Caldenhok is not an ordinary chicken coop. It is part of the Caldenborgh Collection on the beautiful estate of Mr. Van Caldenborg in Wassenaar, The Hague, in the Netherlands. ...
An essential part was missing during a full restoration of a 1956 Cadillac Convertible: the vent window frame on the left door. This element is rather complex and very important for the correct alignment of the soft-top frame. Luckily, the right door vent window frame was available to work on the opposite side. By using and carefully scanning th...
If you had to replace the leather material during a car restoration, it is quite essential to know what kind of leather was originally used: either coloured on both sides or only one side. The actual hide became light brown after tanning the leather from its original cow animal skin; it was then painted in the desired colour. From the last centu...
You might say that original means "as the factory would have done it". A proper restoration starts by establishing what is original which means studying. This happens at Bart Holland in his vast library with thousands of books and technical papers. Original factory documentation is vital. Bart Holland restores to the original; but when a clie...
