We all know that eventually your classic car’s original chrome bumpers and trim will slowly become pitted. For some buying new or re-chroming is not an option, but there is a free and easy tip to mute those light scratches and pitting so they are much less apparent.
Tech Articles
Get Spraying with your New Paint Gun, Quick and Easy!
New Paint Gun? Not Sure What To Do Next? This Quick and Easy guide is all you will need to start painting your project in no time, you might be surprised just how easy it is. To start things off there are a few pieces of equipment you will need […]
Step up your Hammer Game! Using Intermediate Body hammers and Dollies
Back when cars were made of heavy metal and had lots of beautiful curves guys took the time to repair a fender rather than just replace it. Any good metal worker will tell you that you need to match the hammer and dolly as close as possible with the shape of your panel you’re working on. When you’re working on a curvy car like something from the late 1930’s through the 1950’s you will be hard pressed to find a flat panel on the vehicle. This means that you will need to use tools to match. Back in those days the selection of specialty hammers were vast, some being specifically used for one type of car or type of repair!
Project Pile House- Shaving the Door handles
Since guys have been customizing cars, shaving the door handles has been one of the most common modifications to make the car look as smooth as possible. This process can be a pretty simple process, but there are a few things that can make it go smoothly. I decided to show the process on Project Pile House.
Metal Buffing Tips and Tricks
Buffing is just the process of smoothing the minor high and low spots on a surface until it is perfectly smooth. Typically it is done with fabric wheels and abrasive compounds of various types. You progressively move from a very aggressive, to a less aggressive compound, and matching wheel, until you polish your piece to a near mirror finish.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding FAQ
What temperature do Oxy-Acetylene welding torches burn at? – Oxy-acetylene torches can burn at up to 6,330 °F, depending on the tip and mixture of gasses used. Compared to the 3,630 °F that a common propane torch burns at, you can see how much better the welding torch is at applying heat. Steel typically melts at about 2500 °F,
How to Fit Seat Sliders to Your Hot Rod Seat
The older the car you’re working on, the harder it can be to find usable parts you need. This becomes increasingly difficult when you get into cars that were short production or year runs. The iconic 1932 Ford is the most covenanted cars to build a hot rod out of. Being that they are a one year only body style, parts get expensive quick (especially original parts!). The seat slider mechanisms for an original ’32 Ford seat are as rare as hens teeth and command a pretty penny when you do come across one complete! Recently my friend Ace asked me to help with the task of getting his reupholstered original seat to bolt into the car AND slide easily. I decided to take some photos along the way and show our low-budget (and fairly low tech) fix.
Ditch Those Leaky Header Joints
After you’ve been building and modifying cars for a while there’s some things that you become pretty particular about. It could be just how you like something to look or function, or just an extra step you take to save yourself headaches in the future. One of mine is an exhaust system that’s leak-free and sounds good. I’ve had bad luck over the years of header unions leaking over time. It seems either they crack at the welds or they just fit poorly and leave much to be desired when fitting the rest of the exhaust.
How to Tune in Your HVLP Spray Gun- With Kevin Tetz
If you have never painted with a spray gun before, or if you have only recently converted over to spraying with modern high volume low pressure equipment, there are new things to learn. Here is a little primer Kevin Tetz did recently for us explaining which knob controls what function, and how to set your gun up before painting.