TECH

RESTORATION TIPS AND TRICKS LIFE HACKS FOR GEARHEADS

BY CHUCK HANSON • PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHUCK HANSON AND ALBERT GALDI

IF YOU’RE A HANDS-ON MUSCLE

car enthusiast, you’ve likely been involved with some aspect of vintage car renovations, and you may have even tackled full-scale restoration projects. We know all too well how these undertakings can get out of hand. Having a bevy of time- and labor-saving tips at your disposal can help to make the tasks easier, more tolerable, and more rewarding once your project is complete.

In an effort to make garage life a little easier for our fellow enthusiasts, we’ve rounded up a few tips, tricks, and wrenching hacks to assist with restoration projects. After all, any time saved means more time to get out and enjoy those classics. 1. BIG PROJECTS ARE BOUND to hit a point where it starts to feel as though completion is a bridge too far. To counter this, you’ll need an extra dose of inspiration and motiva-

tion— post a big picture of your dream machine on the wall to help keep things moving forward.

2. IT MAY SOUND OBVIOUS, but you ought to have a factory shop manual for your vehicle on hand as you jump into that next project. Manuals and other literature are invaluable for gaining information and knowledge crucial for your project, and they take out some of the guesswork for particular tasks. You’ll also find them helpful during the disassembly/reassembly process. 3. WHILE CERTAINLY NOT FOR the purist, a suspension rebuild that includes polyurethane bushings will significantly improve the handling capabilities of your machine, while remaining mostly unnoticed… if they’re black. Performance urethane bushings are often molded in colors like red or yellow, most sources also offer them in black, which helps the new pieces look stock once installed.

4. FACTORY SMALL-BLOCK Chevy long-slot rocker arms are another invisible performance improvement. Identified by the “O” stamped in the rocker tip, they will accommodate high-lift factory and aftermarket cams. 5. IF THE TOP OF YOUR INTAKE manifold looks like the tar pits of La Brea because of oil seepage around the intake retaining bolts, remove them and treat them with thread sealer. Better yet, apply the sealer while the engine is being built. 6. DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY tell yourself, you’ll never remember where all the parts go when it comes time to refurbish and/or reassemble your project vehicle. A longpracticed countermeasure for this is to bag and tag your parts using labeled baggies for small parts, and tape and markers for labeling the larger items. We’ve seen lots of people skip over this, telling themselves they’ll remember when the time comes, but when faced with a couple years of downtime, memories are not so clear. Best to bag and tag to avoid mystery parts down the road.

7. TO MAKE REINSTALLING the hood easier, drill 1⁄8-inch holes in an inconspicuous place on the hinge and hood, then use the drill bit to line things back up upon reinstallation. Wrap the bit with some tape to prevent drilling too far and damaging the topside of your hood. 8. DON’T GET OVERWHELMED by the magnitude of your project; you wouldn’t be the first to consider abandoning your efforts because you think they exceed your abilities. Try breaking the restoration into smaller projects and only work on one at a time until each is completed.

9. SOMETIMES THERE ARE no alternatives to using the original parts, but be certain to give them a diligent inspection, especially on critical components that could compromise your safety. As an example, this crack in the ball joint area of a lower control arm necessitated its replacement. 10. REINSTALLING HOODhinge springs is easy using a brake shoe spring “spoon.” After attaching one end of the spring to the hinge, slide the other end over the spoon to the other end of the hinge, and leverage it into place.

11. INSTALLING THE PLASTIC firewall pad retaining pins without the proper tool can try your patience. We made one from an old screwdriver, shortened to the appropriate length with a small washer welded to the shaft to support the head. Add a bit of light oil on the pin for an effortless procedure. 12. INSTEAD OF FILLING YOUR garage, shed, or basement with parts you will no longer be using, sell those old bits to recoup a portion of the costs of your project or to buy parts that you must have. It’s surprising what people will pay for your discards, and it will help to keep your project on budget. 13. REINSTATING FACTORY finishes for any component can be a daunting task, particularly when plating processes were used by the factory. Many of those finishes can be recreated with coatings such as these from National Parts Depot (NPD). Some of these products contain minute metal particles for an accurate appearance and a long-lasting finish.

14. ENHANCE THE ILLUMINAtion of your taillamps and parking lights by spraying the inside areas with aluminum paint; we like Dupli-color DH1606 because of its high reflectivity. Complete the process by renewing the old lenses with a plastic polish. Alternatively, invest in new lenses, as many classic applications are being reproduced.

15. A NEW TRUNK WEATHERstrip doesn’t guarantee a dry trunk. Always generously apply weatherstrip adhesive in the gutter to prevent water from seeping under the new strip and into your trunk. 16. WE’VE ALL HEARD THAT clothes can “make the man” (or woman), and they can have an impact on your restoration, too. We always wear soft, fleece sweatpants/ shirts during the reassembly process to help prevent unintended scratches or damage.

17. MANY MUSCLE-ERA grilles were retained with aluminum rivets that are easily drilled out for grille replacement. Installing the new grille requires a special buck tool for proper rivet installation. Lacking the buck, we’ve used these “rivet head” bolts from Ausley’s Chevelle Parts as replacements with great success, and few people would realize the ruse. 18. REPURPOSE OLD spindles by removing the brake assembly and use them as a spinning fixture to facilitate the restoration and repainting of your factory steel wheels. Weld a short length of exhaust pipe to a spindle, then slide into the end of an engine hoist for a solid, comfortable working height. 19. FOR EXTRA COOLING capacity, substitute a larger radiator from a similar model with A/C or the HD cooling option. We found an assortment of substitutes on the Summit Racing website, then chose one with the proper dimensions, substantially larger tanks, and a core that was twice as thick as our factory radiator.

20. VINTAGE WHEELS OFTEN suffer from enlarged lug holes due to improper torque or worn lug nuts. Rather than pitching them in the scrap pile, they can be pressed back into service with “bulge” nuts, that can be found in open and closed-end versions as well as a variety of platings and finishes.

SOURCES:

ARP

arp-bolts.com 800-826-3045

Ausley’s Chevelle Parts

chevelle.com 800-228-7539

Classic Performance Products (CPP)

classicperform.com 800-522-5004

Duplicolor

duplicolor.com 800-247-3270

National Parts Depot (NPD)

npdlink.com 800-874-7595

Summit Racing

summitracing.com 800-230-3030