Recently someone asked me what to do about a buggy on which the wood was very dry.
And here is my reply:
It needs to be sanded and painted and then a sealer put over the paint.
We use automotive paint-it is more expensive but lasts longer.
The metal has to be sanded and primered and painted just like when you paint a car.
Metal must be primered right after you sand it or else the rust will come back.
I recommend doing the metal first.
If you have metal around the wheels and it is coming away from the wheels you may need to buy new wheels at:
http://www.hansenwheel.com/ - it is hard to find someone that repairs existing wheels-ask hansen if they do it.
New tops can be bought at http://www.buggy.com/
Another alternative to painting it yourself after it is sanded completely is to take it to an automotive paint shop and let them paint it for you.
If you decide to take apart the metal in order to sand it and paint it-be sure to label every single screw and nut so you put them back in the same place because some are made by hand-sometimes that is the only way to get them back together. Also label the springs so they go back in the same place. Putting it back together is like doing a gigantic jigsaw puzzle so don't do it unless you label everything
We no longer offer restoration services but you can see what we used to charge for restoration on the restoration price list which can be found on this page: http://vintage-restorations.com/buggys.htm then click on "Click HERE for Cost of Restoration"
You may also want to shop around for an already restored carriage to avoid all that hard work.
