Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

How to Get Your Classic Car into Great Shape for a Parade

Every city has its own parade. And in a parade, cars are mandatory. When you have a parade to participate with your own classic or antique car, these are the things you will need to know.

First, pay attention to the theme. Parades usually have themes. As a member of the parade, your car will also have to embrace the theme. Do not deviate from the theme or just participate without decorating your car. This will make your participation become pointless. Why would you participate in a parade if you do not make your car agree with the theme?

There are three ways to make you blend into the theme. You can decorate your car with a look that just suit the theme, play a music that describe or give reference to the theme, and post a sign or banner that shows words or picture that refers to the theme. These will make the crowd love your car and even have your car as their favorite in the parade.

To make the crowd even merrier, have candy or trinkets tossed around from your car. Adults love parade, but children definitely love it more. It can be guaranteed that there will be lots of children around watching the parade. Make their day by throwing away candy and see the smiling faces as the result.

The second thing to consider is the weather. Do not force your car to participate if it will not be able to stand the cold. You will have much trouble later on if it turns out that your car cannot make it. If your car is convertible, make sure you have all things necessary to deal with the weather such as blankets or jackets.

If the weather forecast predicts that it is going to rain, make sure you have made adjustments for your decoration. Rain water will most likely wipe away the glue used to attach some of your decorations, and some paints will be swept away by the rain. So make sure you use the particular paint and glue for your decoration.

The third thing to do is to always have emergency phone numbers programmed in your cell phone. Call the parade organizers to check if there are any changes in the plan. The numbers will also be useful if you face some troubles during the parade.

Before you join a parade, there are things to check too. First, check the route first. Do not participate in a parade with the field your car cannot handle. Classic and antique cars are sensitive, so pay attention to the route of the parade before you decide to join in. Second, check all the parts of your car and make sure that they are working in the best condition. Do not go into a condition where you have to pull up your car in the middle of the parade. That will not be a great thing to watch. Last thing, check that you have brought all the things you need. The poster, signs, giveaways, blankets for cold weather, etc.

If you have done all the things above, it means that you are ready to participate in your parade. Be the great participant and enjoy the parade fully!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Restore Your Classic Car : Bring Back the Good Old Days

People always love to remember how they were in the good old days. One of the ways to remember the memories are by restoring the old cars. The memory of how people hang out with their friends when they are young can be brought back by the cars.

Yet it is quite tricky to have an old car in your garage. Time changes and there will be many things to fix. Simple tools such as wrenches and sockets will not be enough. However, the struggle and sacrifice made by people in doing car restoration usually pays off.

Classic cars will give their owners the pride and a sense of accomplishment because it is so unique and stand out among all the cars in the road. The car will get the attention of most people when it is pulled up into the parking lot. Classic cars are always special, and therefore many people love to restore and drive them.

Why people always restore classic cars can be understood if we are looking back to the 1960's and 1970's era when people had their first cars. A person will always remember his/her first car. With me, it was a 1969 Z/28 Camaro, a muscle car that I truly love.

I remember hanging out in the boulevard one Saturday night. It was a place where I was behind the wheel, racing my car with other racing cars. The fun and joy that the car generated would not be able to be created by today cars like Honda or Toyota.

Now I am desperately looking for a 1969 Z/28 to buy just for the old time sakes. I want to feel it, taste it, and drive it to bring back old good memories when I was still driving it. I believe there are many people who also feel the way I do, longing for the very car that will bring them to the memories of the past.

This is the reason why people do car restoration. There are lots and lots memories with classic cars. It will bring back the old days when car made someone feel important. The moment when he took his first date with the car. All the memories that scattered along the way to present time. And for that reason, car restoration will never die.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Tips For Buying a Classic Car - Part 2

When you have made your mind to buy a certain classic car and settle with the price, take a good look at the car before you hand over the money. Check all the details, especially the weak areas you already noted in your list. Check the engine, does it make noises? Is it overheating? Are there parts over worn? You can also bring a friend who knows a lot about cars with you.

When you are done with the car physically, move on to the paperwork of the car. If one or some parts of the cars have been professionally built in the past, the paperwork must have shown it since most owner keep all the receipts. Make sure that the car registration document is up to date and the numbers of the engine and chassis all match.

If the car passes all the checking, now you can hand out the money and bring the car home. Now that it is in your possession, treat it with utmost care and pay lots of attention to it. Have fun and drive safe!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Tips For Buying a Classic Car - Part 1

Classic cars are special. They require special treatment and sometimes lots of repair. The standard is so high, that even the brand new ones will require much energy, effort, and money to maintain. Since many of us cannot afford to meet these standards, we just settle with something a bit under the line.

Before you make yourself a classic car owner, consider a few things. You have to have the ability in working on cars and a space to restore it, unless you already allocate a great sum of money in your account to be spent in the local garage nearby. You will be the mechanic of your classic car. When you do, please remember that it is always safer to store your car under cover.

Do research also about your target car before you buy it. Do not buy anything that you will regret in the future. Find as many information as you can. Compare the current price to the car's condition. Contact your local classic car club to get information from those who are already expert on it. The information from a practical collector is always more useful than any information you can get in the internet.

Note that there are models of cars which can be easily rusty from inside out. One example is Morris Minor, which looks very fair and respectable from the outside but can be rusty in the inside. Consider also whether the replacement parts are easy to get. Even though there are markets which specialize in selling classic car parts, some models are just very rare so that no replacement parts can be found anywhere. In this case, then the only way to get the parts is by asking a professional to have the parts specially made for you.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Secrets for Maximizing Value When Investing in Classic Cars Part 2

After getting all the numbers right, next, you also need to know what options are available in the car you choose. It can be the available engines, the matching colors, the paint codes, the transmission, etc. Of course you need to know about all these things before you decide to buy a car for investment. It is true that you can ask someone else to do the car authentication for you, but it will not be a smart way to learn about your own investment.

Find as many information as you can about the car you want to buy. Do not hesitate to buy books on cars to learn about classic cars. Do not feel sorry on the dollars you spend for a classic car book. You may lose much more than that if you do not buy one.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Secrets for Maximizing Value When Investing in Classic Cars Part 1

How do you want to do your investment? Are you interested in investing in classic cars? Do you often see people who have classic cars and wonder how they can keep their investment without loosing it in the process? The following tips will greatly help you maximize value when investing in classic cars.

If you want to invest in classic cars and be successful in it, then you must learn a lot about the cars. Start by picking one favorite car and learn everything you can learn with that one car. You can get a book which is called By The Numbers written by Colvin. You can get it at your local Barnes and Noble book store.

The main crucial thing when you invest your money in classic cars is that you need to know the numbers. What I mean by numbers are the VIN number, transmission & rear end tags, the RPO codes, date codes, and casting number. If the car is a GM car, then you also need to know the protect-o-plate number.

These numbers are the only way to know whether the classic car you are after is authentic. If you buy the car for an investment, then you definitely need to make sure that the numbers are valid and that the car is authentic. However, if your intention in buying the car is only for fun, then you can buy any car you want to satisfy yourself in your hobbies.

These authenticity numbers are applied to all classic cars. It is important to be remembered once again that the way you determine whether a car is authentic or not is by looking at its numbers. Pay attention to the numbers if you want to make your investment in classic cars.