One of the important events of the 2024 Shanghai Automobile Culture Festival, the "Classic Classic Car Parade" has attracted many citizens, and the maintenance of these antique cars can not be separated from Hu Huigang and his professional team to get them back on the road. Hu Hui has been engaged in car maintenance for 28 years since 1996. In 2006, Hu Hui first came to the Shanghai Automobile Museum to be responsible for vehicle maintenance and management. There are more than 100 antique cars in the Shanghai Automobile Museum, and in the case of many antique cars that are dilapidated and missing parts, Hu Huigang and his colleagues have gone abroad countless times to learn the experience of antique car restoration, and restore them strictly according to the original process, so that the antique cars can be repaired as before.
"Tourists visit the Shanghai Automobile Museum, this car must be seen, in order to restore it, our team spent 16 months!" In the exhibition hall of the Shanghai Automobile Museum, Hu Hui just opened the conversation.
The "it" in Hu Huigang's mouth is the first generation of domestic high-end sedan, the "Hongqi" CA-72 sedan. As a National Day parade car in 1959, the interior of the car adopts Fujian lacquer green treasure sand, Hangzhou brocade, etc., and the overall luxury is exquisite. At that time, in order to restore the car, Hu Huigang and his team traveled to Zhejiang and Fujian to learn how to repair Fujian lacquer green treasure sand from the master of the Forbidden City, and to the Hangzhou Weaving Research Institute to learn how to repair brocade.
"We took the original fragments and went to the Hangzhou Weaving Research Institute to do analysis and research, and re-woven such a brocade seat cover according to its original process, pattern and material. The silver foil in the green treasure sand process on the window side of the car took us 3 months to paste. Compared to the original appearance, the difference is basically invisible. Hu Huigang said that repairing antique cars again and again is not only a repairman's job, but also a "miscellaneous family". "Every repair process is a learning process, and this car is the result of the joint efforts of technicians and workers across the country. In that era when science and technology were not developed, every detail was handmade, and it could be made so exquisitely, which was the spirit of craftsmanship. Hu Huigang said.
"The main problem with this 1933 Claes was the different size of the pistons of the front brake cylinder, which was 34.68 mm for the large diameter and 31.62 mm for the small diameter. In the studio, Hu Huigang and his team members measured the size of auto parts and recorded them. Hu Huigang introduced, compared with modern auto parts can be bought everywhere, antique car spare parts not only can not be bought, sometimes even have to take precautions to buy maintenance equipment, "with the passage of time, in the future, these accessories can not be found in the market, we generally measure these wear parts in advance, consumable parts, in case of damage, there are corresponding reference values, know how to repair." ”
In Hu Huigang's eyes, antique cars are like cultural relics, and the most difficult thing in the restoration process is the lack of information, accessories and standards. Even for some cars, there is very little information in existence, and the original appearance can only be inferred from the structure and subtle design of the vehicle itself. After years of exploration, Hu Huigang and his team have rejuvenated dozens of "old guys" in the museum, and he has also accumulated rich experience in the maintenance of antique cars. "We have now formulated antique car restoration standards, antique car collection standards, antique car identification standards, vehicle daily maintenance standards, daily maintenance standards, vehicle operation standards, etc. These are very important, but more importantly, I love this work, I once watched a documentary "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City", although the things are different, but the harvest and perseverance are common. Hu Huigang said with emotion.
Jiading is a fertile ground for cultivating the automobile market and culture, and for many years, Hu Hui has been able to do this with peace of mind, without the support of the local government. In 2021 and 2022, Hu Huigang won the titles of "Jiading Craftsman" and "Shanghai Craftsman" respectively, and also established his own innovation studio. "In order to let more people know about the wonders of antique cars, the Automobile Museum has also set up hands-on classes. In the process of repair, we can see the earth-shaking changes in the automobile industry over the years. I hope that more and more people will join in, which is also the ideal of our car people. Hu Huigang said.
Written by: Yin Qinqin
Camera: Wang Jian
Editors: Tang Min, Zhuo Mingxia
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