Bringing Your Classic Car Or Truck Out Of Winter Storage
O.k., so you are one of the lucky guys who has already finished their project and you have just been waiting for some decent weather before you get your classic car out and show it off. Well, slow down fella, let’s look at a few things you should do before you just turn the key and take off down the road.
You do routine maitenance on your daily driver, right? Well, you need to do the same if not more to your pride and joy. I mean, I am just assuming you would want too since you have poured months and years of blood sweat and beers into it. So let’s see, what do we need to make sure we do?
- Check your tires….. While your ride was in that cold garage all winter, chances are that you have lost some air. You want to show off your ride, just don’t show it off on the side of the road stranded with a flat.
- Change your oil….. But I haven’t used the engine? That is true, but there is a chance that condensation has occured in the engine while it was left sitting for all those months, so let’s go ahead and spend the little money now and put in some fresh blood. Trust me, your engine will be thankful.
- Check your coolant…..Yes spring is here and summer is just around the corner, make sure you are topped off and ready for the heat.
- Wash and wax…..This should be a no brainer because you want to turn heads with a shiny car. However, my motivation for telling you this is you want a good protectent to keep that paint job in check. Nobody likes a faded paint job, so be nice to the paint and it will be nice to you, for years to come.
- Nut and Bolt…..This is a good time to check all the nuts and bolts that you put together when you were puting your ride together. It also gives you a chance to check all your wires and other sections of your car to make sure you don’t have any leaks ( seals ) and you will lessen the chanes of any problems while you are driving down the road.
- Fresh Gas…..Hopefully you left a minimum of gas in your car before you parked it and have cranked it periodically to run some through the carborator. Don’t forget to put some fresh premium and possibly even some gas treatment in so you won’t be sputtering down the road.
I hope I have joggled your mind a little here and you will take the time to do these things and more. I am serious folks. This is your baby, you need to put as much if not more time into caring for your classic car or truck ans you did restoring it. Hey, if it was so easy, then everybody would have one, right? Be sure to check back often to see tips like these and more. As always, thanks for visiting old-car-parts.com and be safe on the roads this season.
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
