Bought Your Teen an Old Car and Want to Restore It? Two Tips to Help You Get Started
Buying an older car can save you a lot of money, but you will likely need to restore it to make it look great. If so, you may be able to restore it on your own. Below are two tips to help you get started. However, you can always take the vehicle to a car-restoration company such as Graveyard Run Restorations if you need help or need them to do the entire car.
Go in the Right Order
Before you get started, sit down and write up a plan on what you want to do. Inspect the car from top to bottom using a strong flashlight. Inspect the exterior and interior. This can show you damage that you may not see.
Along with this plan, write down what you will need to purchase. For example, you may need to purchase new seats or want to install a radio. This will help you avoid missing anything. Once you have everything written down, you should first start out with the core items, such as the battery, transmission, suspension, engine, wheels, body, and interior.
The most expensive things you may have to spend money on will be found under the hood, so take the car to a mechanic or have a mechanic come to your home to determine what needs to be repaired or replaced. Starting out with this may also help you determine if the car is worth restoring. For example, a new engine and a new transmission can be very expensive. It's also possible that the frame of the car is not usable.
Soundproof
Many older cars are loud when being driven as compared to newer cars sold today. While you are restoring the car, you will probably want to quiet it down. You can do this by installing an undercoating, reflective insulation wrap, or insulating foam. Installing an undercoating will help tone down the vibration. Expanding foam fills in any holes in the firewalls as well as fills in cavities in the body of the car.
Insulating wrap is made in rolls and is installed using a spray adhesive. The wrap is very thin and easy to install. It works great to put in doors as as a liner, over flooring, or on the hard top.
If you are not sure how to do any of these things, you can hire a mechanic to do the soundproofing for you.
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