Common Parts and Repairs Needed on A Classic Car
The classic vehicle hobby is booming and more and more people are looking to own and drive a classic vehicle. Not everyone has the space, time, or skills to full restore a classic car but it doesn’t mean you can own and enjoy one. If you decide to buy a restored or roadworthy classic car you may still need to do some maintenance to the vehicle. We decided to list the most common repair items you may want to look at after buying a classic car.
- Dry Rotted Tires- A lot of classic cars are “fair weather” vehicles and they sit more than they’re driven. This means that even though the car has nice paint, fresh interior, and good tread on the tires that they might still need to be replaced. Over time tires can tend to dry out and you will see dry rot cracks in the tires. If the sidewalls show signs of cracking you should consider having the tires replaced. We often see cars going across the auction block at classic car auctions that shine up nicely but still have old tires that need replacing. You can change your own tires at home with an Eastwood Rim Clamp Tire Machine.
- Rubber Hoses- Similar to tires, rubber hoses on the engine and the brakes can dry out and crack. This means you may experience coolant or fuel leaks that can be dangerous to you and the vehicle. We suggest going over all soft hoses and check them for dry rotting or leaking. When in doubt replace the hoses. Remove stubborn spring clamps on hoses with a set of Eastwood Spring Clamp Pliers.
- Brake Lines- Brakes are extremely important to check on a classic car as many older vehicles had no safety features built in and if a leak occurs or a line blows out you’ll have a tough time stopping! We suggest using a flashlight to check all brake lines and fittings for any signs of brake fluid. If you see a wet area around a line or a fitting you may have a line about to fail. Also if you have a low brake fluid level you may have a leak. Brake line repair is fairly straight forward if caught early enough and you can even flare the brake lines on the vehicle with an Eastwood On-Car Flaring Tool.
- Wiring Repair- Classic cars tend to have a lot of hidden gremlins when it comes to wiring. If the car has never been fully restored it may have the original wiring harness that will have extra wires and repairs/splices in it. You should always go over your new classic car for questionable wiring repairs and replace the wiring. You can get a complete Painless Wiring Harness to replaced the entire system here at Eastwood as well.
- Paint Correction- If you bought an older restoration or an original paint classic car the paint could have lost its luster over the years. Original paint needs to be handled carefully while a modern base coat clear coat paint job can leave you more margin for error. A safe way to buff and repolish your classic car paint is to use your favorite polish with an Eastwood Dual Action Sander Polisher as it won’t burn through paint as easily as a rotary buffer that gets a bad rap.