If there’s one takeaway from all these weeks of stay-at-home recommendations and/or orders, it’s this: Projects are a lot more important than they once were. We all need stuff to do to recharge, and if you’re the kind of car person that likes to work with your hands, an old car is a great focus. Now, with the rest of the world on hold, your projects can get a lot more of your attention — and your days at home won’t just blend together. Now, when I say “project,” I don’t necessarily mean a complete restoration. When I bought my first […]
If there’s one takeaway from all these weeks of stay-at-home recommendations and/or orders, it’s this: Projects are a lot more important than they once were.
We all need stuff to do to recharge, and if you’re the kind of car person that likes to work with your hands, an old car is a great focus. Now, with the rest of the world on hold, your projects can get a lot more of your attention — and your days at home won’t just blend together.
Now, when I say “project,” I don’t necessarily mean a complete restoration. When I bought my first house, people said “every house is a project. Even the new ones. You just don’t know it yet.” Well, old cars are the same way. From a simple polishing job all the way to an engine rebuild, every car can be a project — from 100-point restos to barn-find stinkers. You just have to sit back, assess what that car could use, and get to work.
Making that car better — even if only marginally — is pretty fulfilling.
Here in my shop, I’ve spent a bunch of time detailing the C10 I built for my book, and made a couple hoses to complete an R134a conversion. I also added in a high-speed cutoff relay to shut down the new a/c compressor above a certain RPM — the LS V8 likes to rev to speeds that kill a/c compressors. Next up for that one is a slight adjustment of the passenger’s side fender — I need to bring the rear up slightly to match the body line better.
Beyond that, I spent a couple of hours with ACC’s Mustang as well — I washed it, adjusted the carburetor I rebuilt a few issues back, and dove into the passenger’s door to adjust the glass alignment. People out walking in my neighborhood loved seeing it outside in the sun — at least judging by the number of at-a-distance conversations I had about the car while I was outside working on it.
What have you been up to in your garage? Share it with us below.
