Mike,
I think by your strict definition, no gun with new wood could be called a restoration.
Chuck,
Close, but not quite. A restoration of anything is typically one that is returned to original
condition, not necessarily with original parts. Otherwise, there would be no restored automobiles, airplanes, or oil paintings.
Lots of people use the term loosely, that's why I interjected. Seems pretty germaine to the title of the thread. IMO, the term restoration should be clear enough without qualifiers. So, if we have restorations that are not "totally faithful", I suppose it's fair to call them totally unfaithful restorations. But restored to
what? If I replace the original, somewhat plain, 3" drop stock with one that is far fancier, with features unique to a different model, and with considerably different (perhaps unique) dimensions and call that a restoration, what should I call custom?
In the end, people are perfectly free to call a Chevy Bel Air with Cadillac trim restored, though probably not totally faithfully restored.
