Rat Rods | Are they going to make a comeback?
There is no doubt that with the economy not as strong as in the past, and the high prices of gas, that many people who have a hobby that involves old classic and vintage cars just can’t soend the money that they used to on their beloved automobiles.
I have been toying around with the idea of restoring a classic car, but the above fears don’t allow me to do it. However, I have been to some car shows and doing a lot of reading on the internet, and it appears that the rat rod is making a comeback.
If done right, they can really look quite awesome, and without putting a big dent in your wallet. Most rat rods that I have seen don’t even have expensive chrome wheels or paint jobs. In fact, most of the rat rods I see have painted steel wheels and a black satin primer finish.
These rat rods stand out at a lot of the car shows because they are in fact different. You look around and see hundreds of cars and trucks with shiny paint and then you see the rat rod and it will jump out at you just because it is different.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have to keep it plain and simple. You can pretty much do what you want and add some chrome here and there, especially with the bumpers and the head and tail lights. Plus, this will also free up some extra cash to really soup up the engine.
So, if you are looking to start a new project, why not check out making a rat rod. I can assure you that once you do, you won’t be sorry.
By the way, don’t forget to shop at the old-car-parts-store. You can find plenty of parts for your rat rod as well as your old classic and vintage car or truck.
Buy Your Classic Car Parts Online
With the price of gas still around $4.00 a gallon, you can’t afford to be running all over searching for the parts you are looking for. Why not save yourself some time and gas by buying your classic car parts online?
The Old Car Parts Store has thousands of old and classic car parts that you are looking for and at great prices as well.
The parts will be shipped right to your door step and then you can finish your project without the hassle of still searching all over for parts.
So make sure to check out the Old Car Parts Store today and see what you have been missing.
Classic Car Restoration | Where To Go For Help
So you need some help restoring your classic car or truck and you need some help with finding parts, how to replace floor pans, or possibly even some body work tips. Well guess what, everything you need to know or get can be found right here on the internet.
I would love to tell you my site is the absolute best place to find all the information you need, and even though I am building it bigger every day, I still don’t have all the information you need……..YET!
But have no fear, I do have some information on here already that may help you out, but there are other places out there as well. Classic Car Forums are a great place to go for info. because they allow you to ask questions and get responses from people that have restored classic cars and may can help you out with your project.
Google can be your friend so you should use it as well. Just type in what you are looking for and you should be able to find some websites that have the information you need.
So there you have it. With gas prices soaring through the roof, most of us can’t afford to drive around for hours looking for parts or info. on classic car information. So instead of wasting money on gas, then just pull up a seat in front of the computer and good luck finding what you are looking for.
Car Shows | More Than Just Looking
When you think of car shows, you probably think of shiny cars and trucks displayed in a row and people walking around looking in awe. Well for the most part that is true but if you look deeper you can usually find parts and even entire cars for sale.
A good bit of people who want to sell their rides wash and wax them and take them to the car show. I mean, let’s face it, look how many people are going to see the cars in a given day, so it’s not a bad idea.
Now, if you are in the market for parts, you may can find some help in this area too even if it is just a car show and not a swap meet. If you see some people with a car or truck like yours on display, go up and introduce yourself and start talking. You never know, they may have exactly what you have been looking for in their garage or they may can tell you where to find the part since more than likely they had to find the same at one time.
Get out, the weather is nice. Look at some nice rides and get some ideas. But more imortantly, make aquaintences. They can be more valuable than you realize.
Classic Car Insurance | Should You Get It?
O.k. so you have been working tirelessly on your pride and joy and you want to hit the road. You’ve kicked the tires, filled the gas tank, you even went to the courthouse and got your specialized vintage plates. Well, there is one more important thing you need to have before you go ripping down the road……. insurance!
But what kind of insurance should you get, a regular policy or a classic car insurance policy? Well, that is going to depend mainly on what kind of car you have and how much it is worth. If you took a car and just fixed it up a little and it doesn’t hold any value other than your run of the mill car, then you could probably get by with a regular car insurance policy like you may have for your daily driver.
But what about the real classic car you restored, like your ‘57 Chevy, and you spent thousands of dollars restoring it to like new condition. Well, you are going to want a special classic car insurance policy on this. This isn’t some gimmick created by insurance companies in order to get money from a different class of people. It is simply a special policy for a special vehicle. You will pay more for this policy, but you will get more in return. The insurance company will have an agreed value of your vehicle, perhaps $50,000 for that ‘57 Chevy you restored. Where as if you had a regular insurance policy, then you would just get a fraction because they would go by the actual value of a car like that instead of the appraised value.
There are some stipulations that come with a classic car insurance policy. One of these is how many miles you are allowed to drive the automobile at one time. So if you are going to drive cross country to various car shows rather than towing your vehicle, you will want to make sure you have a policy or have chosen the right company that will allow you to do this.
So it all comes down to this… You have spent time and money on your classic car and hey, accidents happen. So make sure you have yourself protected my choosing the right classic car insurance policy to suit your needs and then you can ride down the road with some piece of mind.
Hot Rod Or Classic | Which One Is For You?
So maybe you are contemplating what to do with the car or truck you just bought or better yet, you are waiting to buy after you decide. There are some questions you should ask yourself that may help with the decision process.
- What is the difference in price? Well, this can really go either way. If you find a popular car like a ‘69 Camaro or a ‘57 Chevy Bel Air, then you can pour a lot of money into these cars fully restoring them to like new condition. You can spend a fortune on parts alone. On the other hand, if you buy a ‘56 Ford truck and want to lower it and soup up the engine and add a badass paint job, then you can break the bank that way too.
- How much is the vehicle worth restored? While you need to be happy with the finished product, you have to also look down the road for possible resale. While you may make an awesome looking hotrod out of a ‘56 Chevy, you may never get the money back out of it that you put in it, especially if nobody likes the same thing you like. A classic restoration job on the otherhand that is done right is always going to be able to sell to people that like that car or truck.
- What are you equipped and able to do? While it is best to have a nice workshop full of tools and equipment, a person can start a restoration project with general knowledge and equipment. However, when you start getting more involved with the niceties that make a hotrod what it is ( souped up engine, specialized paint jobs, lowering, modified body work ) then that requires not only special skills, but also special tools and equipment that end up being a pretty expensive investment.
When it is all said and done though, you have to be happy with whatever you decide. All I want to do is try and lay out some things to think about that may affect your decision. Money isn’t everything and I hope you really love working on your project and you get to enjoy the finished product. Just keep in mind that you may want to sell it one day and you want to make sure you get out of it what you put in it.
What color should you paint your classic car?
When you first start the restoration process on your classic car or truck, one of the first questions you ask yourself is ” What color am I going to paint it? “ Well, this is a question that can be narrowed down by asking yourself a few other questions first.
- Are you restoring the car back to its original state? If so, then you need to paint the car the color it came with, or at least a color it was offered in. If you do change the color to one it which it was offered, then make sure you change the tag on the car as well that tells you what color the car came in if applicable.
- Do you want to be like everyone else, or do you want to be unique? Yes, we have all seen the pretty teal hotrods and the ghost flames. It’s hard not to…..they’re everywhere. Buy some magazines with lots of pictures from car shows and see what everyone else is using, then find something you like and do it different. One thing that can decide if you place at a car show or not is if your ride stands out.
- How much money are you budgeting for paint? A nice metal flake paint job with some ghost flames does look sweet, but your wallett starts hiding when you think about it. A nice paint job can be very expensive by itself and this isn’t including any body work that may need to be done. You can get a nice 2 tone paint job on your ride and enhance it with some pin striping if your budget won’t allow you to go all out.
I hope this has helped a little in your journey to restore your classic car or truck. Make sure to visit old-car-parts.com often for more tips on restoring your classic car or truck.
Frame On or Frame Off Restoration
So you bought that heap and you are fixing to pour tons of time and money into it. Before you get started you have to ask yourself do you want to do a frame on or frame off restoration. Well, the answer can pretty much be found by asking a couple of questions.
Number one - What amount of restoration are you going to do? If you are primarily interested in fresh paint and the interior, then you can probably just get by with a frame on restoration. If you are wanting to place big in shows and want a top notch trophy winner, then you should probably go with a frame off restoration. This allows you to replace all wiring, brakelines, paint the frame and other stuff with ease.
Number two - What does the underneath of the car or truck look like? If there is a fair amount of rust, it would probably be better to do a frame off restoration. This will ensure that you are taking care of everything. Remember, it only takes a little bit of rust and then it can spread.
In my opinion, if you are able, the frame off restoration is the way to go. The only flaw with this is that you must have more room than if you leave the body on.
Well, I hope this may make your decision a little easier. Check back often for more tips and thanks for visiting old-car-parts.com
Top 3 reasons to buy classic auto parts online
These days, there are many different ways you can buy auto parts for your classic car or truck. Most of the time you don’t even care how you get it as long as it is the part you are looking for and it is inexpensive. Well that may have been the case in the past but now there is only one way you should buy your parts, and that is online. Whether it is a new part, a used but good part or even an entire vehicle, you can find what you need right here at your own computer. It’s like having the store come to you. The best thing is, it’s always open. So even in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep because you need to find that steering wheel for your ‘56 chevy so you can tool around town, you can shop, order and buy right from the comfort of your own home. So sit back and read the 3 reasons you should buy your classic auto parts online.
1) Convenience – What could be more convenient than shopping from home?
We have all gone out to the local salvage yards spending countless hours walking and searching for the parts we need only to come up empty handed most of the time. Let’s face it, the cars we want to restore are popular, so finding the parts we need is becoming more and more of a chore. You need to be in your shop putting your vehicle together so you can get it on the road but that is hard to do if you are always on the road getting parts. If you order your parts online however, you can spend more time doing just that. You can see all the parts that are available right in front of you and then have them shipped right to your door. ” Oh yeah , well what about the shipping costs? ” How does that save me money, you may ask. Well, with the rising costs of gas, I think you will find that the costs of shipping are very reasonable, and if you buy a certain amount of parts from some places, then they throw in shipping for free.
2) Availability - Virtually every old car part can be found online, if you know where to look first.
Everybody has their favorite store they like to do business with. But how many times have you gone to your store to get that certain part only to have them tell you it has to be ordered or it is out of stock. And in the case of classic car parts, most towns only have one or two stores that specialize in this department. When you shop for classic car parts online, you have hundreds of places you can go right at your fingertips. If one place you go to doesn’t have the part you need, you are just a couple of clicks away from finding it instead of having to drive across town and wasting valuable time and gas. And in the rare instance that you can’t find that part, you can be notified by e-mail as soon as the part is available even if it is late at night.
3) Cost – You want to keep your costs as inexpensive as possible.
You have made a big investment buying your vehicle, now you have to restore it. If you are on a budget like me, you have to pinch pennies where you can. Using online auctions can be a great way to do this when shopping for good but used parts and even new parts as well. Not only do individuals have parts that they are selling, but there are also stores on certain auction sites that have parts already on the shelf waiting for you to place your bid. I have used these auctions myself and continue to use them all the time because it does save a lot of money. who knows, you may even do like my father-in-law did and find an entire car he was looking for at a great price.
These are just 3 reasons that you should shop for your classic car and truck parts online.
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How to choose what kind of vehicle to restore
There are many different things to consider when trying to determine what kind of vehicle to restore. Ultimately, since this is going to take a lot of your hard work and time, you want it to be something that you are going to enjoy for years to come, so selecting a car or truck that you really like must be one of your first thoughts.
However, there are other things that you may want to consider and do a little research on before just jumping in and buying a vehicle. One thing that comes to mind is availability of the vehicle and parts compared to the amount of money you are planning to spend. ” Richard, can I restore a vehicle for $6000.00? ” Well, the answer is yes, you can. But it is very unlikely that you can do it with a car like my favorite, a 1969 Camaro SS . Finding a decent body alone for that much is a stretch. Usually trucks tend to be a little cheaper to restore due to the fact that they were made from tougher steel and you don’t have near as much rust (although this is not true in all cases) and you don’t have as much interior wise to have to worry about. But with a little searching, you can generally find a decent body to work with fairly inexpensive. Going back to the Camaro, this is becoming a hard to find vehicle mainly due to the popularity, the same is true for the ‘56 and ‘57 Chevy Bel Air’s. So if you are going to have a fairly tight budget, you will probably want to shy away from these vehicles.
You will also want to make sure that you have a good base vehicle to work with in the first place. I remember when my father-in-law and I drove about 45 miles away to pick up a body that he was planning to restore. We could have picked up the vehicle very easily by just sticking our hands through the holes in the rusted out fenders. he was getting a great price on the car, but after looking at it and realizing the total costs involved in getting it to total restoration, it just wasn’t going to be worth it.
So basically what you need to do is scout around and make sure you are going to be able to find a good starting base for your project. Next, call around and get some estimates for things you may not be going to do yourself ( Paint/body, engine, re- upholstering, etc… ) . After you do that, then you can decide what vehicle will be right for you.
I hope this helps a little in getting started with you project. Good luck!
