Three Tips To Help Choose Improvements For Auto Body Parts With Classic Restorations
Restoring an old classic means that some auto body repairs are going to be needed. Sometimes, a little sanding and new paint will solve the problem, but often auto body parts need to be replaced. When you replace body parts on your classic, you may want to do improvements like lower weight or add spoilers. Here are some tips to help you choose the auto body improvements that are right for your classic car restoration project:
1. Lower Weight for Fuel Savings and More
Cars with stock body parts are often heavy, which affects fuel consumption because more energy is needed to carry the extra weight. Consider replacing the old, steel body parts with modern plastics and carbon fiber materials. Another advantage to using lightweight body parts is that these materials will never rust, which is one less problem that you will have to worry about.
2. Add Body Parts That Help Improve Handling
Sometimes, replacing body parts is something that must be done to complete repairs. There are also the parts that you may want to add to your car to improve handling and performance, such as adding a spoiler or fins to the rear. In addition, there are also options like ventilation ports for brakes at the wheels or a functional hood scoop to improve cooling of the engine and air intake. Hood scoops are also a good solution for making room for larger parts under the hood, such as blowers and superchargers. If you do have a blower on your engine, it is important to not have it connected if you drive your car on public roads.
3. Clones and Custom Looks with Additional Body Parts
If you are doing repairs to the body of your restoration project and the parts are modern instead of original, customizing is a good option. You may want to consider cloning a classic car that uses the same body style as the car you are restoring. There are also custom improvements that you may want to consider doing just for the looks, such as adding a billet grill. Be careful with improvements that can easily be messed up and cause problems, such as adding sunroofs and T-tops that easily develop leaks.
These are some tips to help you choose the best auto body parts improvements for your restoration project. Contact an auto body repair service like Lakeside Collision Kirkland to help with some of these improvements for your car.