Simply put, a survivor is a classic that has withstood the test of time. What does this mean, and more importantly how is that possible? To break it down further, survivors have maintained their original features and many of their original parts. This includes its original finish, its original interior, its factory power train, and even some of its original equipment such as a spare tire or lug wrench.
Unsurprisingly, ideal survivors are the classics holed up in garages for decades that escaped wind, rain, sun, traffic, and ultimately left in almost perfect conditions. Realistically, survivors do require repairs. To maintain their identity as a survivor, any modifications cannot involve changing original features such as the finish.
We recently had a customer that wanted work on one of these cars. He wanted us to rebuild his compressor, but not alter the exterior. In this case, we didn't bead-blast and repaint it. We just rebuilt it functionally. At Original Air, we can do this on a number of parts, but not necessarily all parts. Most parts that we can rebuild or recondition without altering the appearance are listed below:
- Most valves such as VIR's, expansion valves (STV), hot-gas valves (HGV), accumulators and even some filler-driers (depending upon where they have to be cut open)
- Most evaporators or evaporator units
- Most condensers
- Most heater controls
- House repairs are typically much more difficult, but there are sometimes some options.
Are you an owner of a survivor that needs a repair? Fill out our rebuild request form today!