Tips and Tricks for a Successful Restoration Project

Last Updated: Tuesday 4 March 2025
Originally Published: Thursday 12 November 2020

The team here at Just Kampers have put together this helpful guide on how to tackle a restoration project on your classic Volkswagen, to help you get your VW back in great shape in no time. 

We’ve been part of the VW community since 1989, and Just Kampers actually started out as a restoration and repair workshop, so we’re here to share some of the most important tips and tricks we’ve picked up over years of working on our own Volkswagens.

Tackling a restoration project might seem daunting, but once you break it down into a series of smaller tasks, assess what you can realistically tackle yourself, and only start the jobs you know you can finish, it’s not all that bad. 

If you do get stuck, there are plenty of specialist garages around the UK with the knowledge, skills, and equipment to get your VW back on the road and ready for adventure. There are also plenty of helpful tools and resources like service manuals and how-to videos to show you what to do, and the JK Team are here to help if you’ve got a question! 

The famous quote “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, who probably wasn’t talking about fixing up a classic Volkswagen, but it still applies! 

We’d recommend sitting down and working out exactly what you’re trying to achieve with the restoration project you’re planning. 

If you list out the things you need to sort, like rust or damage, other things you’ll sort out if you can, and some things you’re going to leave alone for now, then suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a huge challenge.  

Going in with a clear plan, and making sure you stick to it, is a great way to prevent yourself from going off on tangents or feeling like you’ll never get your resto finished. 

Now you know what you’re going to be tackling and what you’ll be leaving for later, you can start to break those jobs down into smaller steps, to give yourself a ‘to-do’ list. 

We’ll often write lists of jobs out on a whiteboard, in our phones, or scrawled on a notepad so that we can easily see what we need to do and what we’ve already done. There’s nothing wrong with making the first few steps really easy to achieve, too, so that you’ve got some momentum.

We find ‘make tea’ is a great first step! 

Okay, so you know what needs to be done, and you’ve broken it down into steps to make it less intimidating, and you’ve got a cup of tea on the go – we’re off to a strong start! 

While you’re enjoying your tea, take a look through the list you’ve made, and think about which of these things you can do yourself. It’s worth considering the following while you do this: 

Skills and experience:

How much practical mechanical work have you done in the past?
Have you done any of the jobs on your list before? 
What work can you do yourself? (Consider your skills and experience, and confidence in taking on these tasks)
What work can you do at home? (Consider the space you've got to work with)

Which tools and equipment do you need for each step in your project?

Once you know exactly what you’ll need to do, you can list out the tools and equipment needed to get those jobs done. 

There are a lot of specialist tools for working on classic Volkswagens, and while they’re not all essential, many of them will make your life a lot easier.

The humble hub cap puller is a great example. It might look like an overgrown paperclip, but it makes removing VW hubcaps a lot quicker, and won’t damage them in the process. Similarly, you can adjust the V-belt on your air-cooled engine with a spanner and a couple of screwdrivers, but it’s a lot easier when you use a c-shaped spanner tool, which holds the pulley wheel in place while you loosen or tighten the nut. 

Take a look through your garage and see what tools you’ve got, and what you still need to get hold of. It’s better to take 10 minutes to identify the tools you need to order than to get halfway through a job and find out you’re stuck because you’re missing a key piece of kit. 

Setting yourself a budget gives you a target to work with, and provides a rough idea of the money (and time) you'll be spending on the project. Here are the essentials to note:

• Work out the cost of the parts
• Work out the cost of any additional tools and equipment
• Work out the cost of professional garage help
• Order parts in advance 
• Look out for money-saving bundle kits 
• Save 10% on parts with Just Kampers Insurance 

Now that you know what you’re going to be doing when you tackle your restoration, and you’re pretty confident you’ve got the right tools for the job, it’s time to think about time. 

Try to roughly calculate how long you think each job will take, and how much time you’ve got each day, week, or month to chip away at those jobs. 

Maybe you’ve got a lovely warm, dry workshop you can lock yourself away in for hours at a time, or perhaps you’re working on your gravel driveway after work come rain or shine. 

Whatever your situation, figuring out roughly how long each step in your restoration is likely to take can help give you a basic timeline with an estimated end date. This can be really helpful for keeping you on track and motivated, especially if you are working on a gravel driveway in the rain! 

Just remember to allow yourself time for unexpected issues to pop up during your restoration project, as they so often do. 

We usually try and get jobs on our own VWs done for a set date, like a Volkswagen show we want to take it to, which really helps keep us focussed. It’s also a great sense of achievement when you roll up at the show in your newly-restored VW to meet up with your friends! 

If you get stuck during your restoration project then don’t panic, there are a lot of resources out there which can help! 

There are service manuals like the Robert Bentley Manual for the T25, or John Muir’s Idiot’s Guide to Keeping Your Beetle Alive, which are packed full of useful information, images, guides, and tips. 

You can also take a look at the Just Kampers YouTube channel, and see if we’ve covered the job you’re looking to take on in one of our how-to videos.

Once the restoration is complete, don’t forget to protect your pride and joy with a tailored insurance policy. Lucky for you, Just Kampers Insurance specialises in all things VW, and they offer reliable cover at affordable prices! 

Find out more about Just Kampers Insurance or get a quote in minutes!