Car restoration is one activity that will leave you with the utmost sense of accomplishment. It is an activity that requires persistence, dedication and money…to say nothing about time. Fords and Chevy’s are the two models that are the easiest to begin with as there are always parts available as the need arises.

Before any car restoration you will need to organize your shop for the task at hand. Gather the supplies needed such as a camera, a few cardboard boxes, a sharpie and some tags for labels. It is important to keep track of the parts that are taken off sooner rather than later. When it is time to start taking the car apart you need to estimate what needs to be replaced and what needs to be repaired. In this way will ensure you are not wasting parts during the car restoration process.

Take inventory of the parts as you remove them by separating them into two separate boxes labeled replace and repair. Take pictures of them as you do this so you know what the car looks like with them on and off. This process will also help you in determining how much money you will need and how long it will take you to complete the project.

After you have the parts removed you can begin the cleaning process. The cleaning process of the car restoration entails the car be stripped down to bare metal. This can be done through several methods although you will need to find one that you feel the most comfortable with. The easiest and fastest method is to have the car dipped in acid. This removes dust, rust, and other foreign materials.

You will be able to view the damage the car has been through once it is stripped. You could find rust holes, damaged floorboards, and dents. Do not despair! Even if the car didn’t look too bad when you bought it you must realize that this car has had a full eventful life. You want to extend it's life right? So get busy and take that Sharpie to mark all the things that either require replacing or repairing.

Now it's time to repair all those dents, holes, and problem areas to get set for sanding. You will use several grades of sandpaper throughout the sanding process starting with 36 to 80. Once you have completed this step you are ready to apply the glazing. Begin with 220 wet grit sandpaper and proceed to 800 wet grit sandpaper. This will leave your car with a hazy mirror image and also give a preventative measure against scratches.

Your car restoration is finished! You are now ready to display your beautiful car to the neighborhood with pride.

For All The Essential Information On Classic Car Restoration, go to: brass car restorations au

“Austin Dent Repair “ he said. It turns out with some damage, paintless dent repair can be used to improve the panel so that replacement of the door panel is not required. PDR is a wonderful alternative to the pricey and time consuming traditional body shop methods. PDR is a relatively new process, but it is one which has undergone considerable refinement since its introduction in the 1990's.The PDR process is considered by most to be an art form which requires high levels of training, talent and patience.

How It Works. The metal around the outer perimeter of the ding is gently massaged back into the original position and most of the time removing dings can leave the vehicle's factory finish undisturbed.

You may have seen the PDR repair kits on t.v. and think its worth trying to repair yourself. Big mistake. PDR is an extremely important tool in preserving the appearance of your vehicle and the value as well.Skilled PDR technician can remove up to 100% of the damage using specially designed PDR tools. Even if a ding cannot be removed completely a PDR repair Tech will often be able to make the damage almost unnoticeable. If you are in Austin I've had a great experience with Austin Dent Repair.

A lot of times PDR shops can even send someone to you! And in most cases repairs can be made in less than one hour which means less hassle for you while your vehicle is being repaired.

I don't really understand how a place as hot as Austin and Central Texas can get the number of hail storms that is does. I made the mistake once of claiming the damage on my insurance. Hail storms can often cause significant body damage to your automobile with a number of dents and dings which need paintless ding repair. A good way to remove dents is to take your car to a repair shop that specializes in paintless ding repair. Compared to replacing body paneling this can save you significant cash and can often be done without making a claim on your insurance. If you are looking to remove dents the real key is to make sure that there is no damage to the paint, as this usually requires more body work.

Another good use of paintless ding repair is just random day to day driving. I used to be terrified of shopping carts, but now with more flexible body paneling and paintless ding repair I can go to the big box stores and park close.

Of course your could try to remove dents yourself. I've seen some kits on TV and even tried it myself once. Big mistake…since then I just go ahead and take my car to a number of paintless ding repair shops in Austin. It's easier, often cheaper and a lot faster. They've all done a great job but you might want to check out Austin dent repair Trey did a great job getting the dents out of my new Altima.

Fixing an automobile has always been a job that has typically been left for auto repair shops. But as more automobiles have become more user-friendly, and as more people have not been afraid to get underneath the hood of a car, fixing automobiles has been an issue that many people directly deal with on a regular basis. Even though many times individuals have trouble finding just what auto parts are needed to fix a car, the answer is usually right under their noses. It's true, however, that there are probably more auto parts underneath the hood of your car than you'll ever want to know about. Still, the fact remains that auto repairs are inevitable and finding just which auto parts that you need is more difficult than finding a needle in the haystack.

Process of Elimination

One way in which individuals usually go about finding which auto parts they need to repair within their car is by process of elimination. By figuring out which auto parts work by doing simple tests, one is able to figure out whether they need a fuel filter, new fuel pump, or whether the whole starter of the car is just going out. The basic process, though, is to start small, fixing the antique auto parts that are the smallest and least expensive, to tell whether or not the problem was there. This process of elimination is very useful for figuring out the types of auto parts that one generally needs to fix their cars and works wonders for a whole lot of problems.

Ask Around

Another method that people generally use to figure out which auto parts they need to replace is to ask others who have had the same problem. People who routinely work on cars may know the problem right off the bat, which would save some trouble replacing the auto parts that don't need replacing. However, one downside to trusting someone else about your car is that they just may be wrong when telling you what auto parts they think needs replacing. On the other hand, there isn't usually much of a choice when it comes to fixing your vehicle, and chances are that the parts you replace now will eventually have needed to be replaced anyway.

Getting Opinions and Estimates

There are plenty of people who decide to take their cars to automobile repair shops to have their cars fixed. But other decide to step into a repair shop just so that they're able to get a professional opinion on the junk yard auto parts that they need to fix. Chances are that the service fee for giving an opinion about what needs to be changed won't be very expensive, but this is a very good way to be sure of which auto parts need to be changed in order for the car to start working again!

Whatever method of finding out which auto parts need to be changed, though, chances are that you'll gain greater experience by using the process of elimination method. Even though this is a method that does require some patience, chances are that not only will you be glad that you fixed the problem, but you'll be proud that you found out which auto parts you needed all by yourself!

OK - You've been putting off replacing those thin tread tires. All you need right now is to add the hassle of purchasing new tires to your already frenzied pace of life. Buying new tires rests somewhere between having a root canal and a four hour airline delay. Cooling your heels in a doctor's waiting room, anticipating being poked or probed, probably will not increase your stress level. On the other hand the substandard atmosphere of most waiting rooms at tire dealers all too often propels us into an ambiance bordering on the repulsive.

Throughout our lives, the majority of us drivers will no doubt devote a good bit more than a 24 hour day marking time in too many of these dismal dens. And then, we're left to pore over long outdated dog eared magazines offering little worthy of our attention.

The way we think about tires is much the same as we think about electricity. Electric power is taken for granted. Until it goes off, we rarely think about it. We are rudely reminded of our dependence on it when we lose it.

Our lack of consciousness about our tires is identical. We would just as soon ignore them. Only when we see visible wear, get a flat, or worse, do we take notice of them. All of a sudden we have to interrupt whatever we're doing. We can't get to a movie, miss picking up the kids or won't make yoga class. Or much more seriously, one of our tires gives out and causes an accident. And the list goes on.

Fortunately, tire makers today are consistently improving tire performance and safety. Our cooperation is required, however, if we are to receive the full benefit. While we cannot avoid wear and tear, our cooperation is necessary. Although excellent quality standards are built into tires today, they do have their useful life. Our responsibility is to maintain specified tire pressure, the right alignment and balancing and perform tire rotation when recommended. Even though we may be scrupulous about tire maintenance, there will come a time when we simply have to replace them. We dread the root canal and we dread the tire dealer.

Want to hear a little known secret? A good bit of the hassle in purchasing tires can be avoided.

Into the fray march the folks at TiresNotes.Com. Just as an example, you can buy Bridgestone tires online, decidedly one of the major brands, and they're available at real discounts. While you're sipping your coffee, tea or more robust beverage in front of your computer screen, you can effortlessly shop for major tire brands and wheels. Yes sir. Just give your computer a workout. With a few clicks, you can get the tire shopping part of the hassle out of the way.

When looking for affordable auto insurance rates many people automatically go for names of car insurance companies that they may have heard of in the media before. Companies with a high public profile can be a good choice but that alone isn’t enough. Other things to look for include how long a company has been around for because it means that they must be doing something right if they are still in business after several years of operating.

A company like AA Insurance Company score well in terms of longevity because they have been in operation for over 100 years and have many million members. Their size means that they can provide dedicated support services in the event of a breakdown and also have their own car financing arm.

However, for some people being insured by a large company like AA Insurance means impersonal service and slow to make policy changes to reflect industry trends and pricing. Whether they are the right choice for you can really only be made with a thorough comparison of AA Insurance Company against other companies that qualify to be on your short list. AA Insurance Company do offer a generous no-claim bonus, a discount on breakdown cover and a replacement car to use while your own if being fixed. For more comparisons of car insurance companies click here: car insurance comparison.

Body repair parts, bumpers and grills are really hot items in the realm of car parts and accessories that many love to use to give their vehicle a unique look. In order to get a little more detail as well as protection some like to opt for items like deflectors, visors and hood protectors.

Car parts and accessories can also be considered as a type of jewelry for your automobile. For example, graphics can be air brushed on to your vehicle or you can choose from any number of different decals and accents that will give your car’s exterior extra character and style.

While you’re at it, you might as well consider your vehicle’s interior as well. Seat covers and upholstery can dress the inside of your car and there are carpets along with floor protectors that will keep you riding in style. These car parts and accessories are wonderful for making those all-important comfort accents to your vehicle.

Do Oil Additives Really Work?

With all of the negative articles about oil additives, which have been written and supported extensively by special interest groups, its time to tell the real truth about oil additives. In most cases they perform a positive function and with regular use can provide a number of benefits to vehicles and equipment.

First, lets get one thing clear, it’s important to distinguish from oil additives developed by companies that have been extensively tested, and others, usually made by individuals, without such testing and documentation. Anyone can put an additive package together and have a label made. There are many on the market, which have no real testing, even though, they claim they do. This is where additives have gotten a bad name. On the other hand there are a number of companies that sell additives that have extensive research and development teams that have tested their additive packages. For example, Lubrizol www.lubrizol.com whose revenues were over 4 billion dollars for 2005 specializes in additive packages including aftermarket engine and fuel treatments. Anyone doing this kind of volume is not selling snake oil to millions of dumb consumers—just doesn’t happen. And they are only one of several that are very large. Others include Oronite, Ethyl, Infineum, Bardahl, Wynn’s, SFR, Power Up, STP, Slick 50. This is just a partial list of companies that have well documented additive products.

In actuality additives are used in most all lubricants, because even the best synthetic base oils cannot protect vital parts alone, as it’s the additives that do all of the work. Let’s concentrate on the internal combustion engine in looking at the need for additives. According to the American Petroleum Institute the powerful watchdog for the oil companies, “The temperatures and types of service under which an engine is operated vary markedly. Moderate-speed driving on short trips or stop-and-go driving in traffic uses only a fraction of the available engine power. Because the cooling systems must be capable of meeting the cooling requirements of the engine at high speeds, they may overcool the engine in short-trip driving. In such light-duty service engines and motor oils warm up slowly and often do not reach proper operating temperatures.

Under these conditions automatic chokes will provide the engine with the rich air-fuel mixture it needs to operate smoothly at cold temperatures, but this richness will result in incomplete combustion. Soot and partially oxidized hydrocarbons undergo further oxidation in the crankcase, forming sludge and varnish deposits. These may clog oil screens or plug oil rings, interfering with oil circulation and control, or they may cause hydraulic valve lifters and valves to stick. Corrosive acids are formed that cause wear on piston rings, cylinders, and occasionally on piston skirts. Steam from combustion condenses on cylinder walls and drains into the crankcase. Water, often in combination with acidic gases, may cause valve lifters to rust and stick. It may also create rust deposits on piston pins, rocker arm shafts, and valve stems. Liquid fuel leaking past the piston rings dilutes the oil and reduces its lubricating value. These are some of the effects of engine operation at cold temperatures.

In contrast legal speed limit driving and long trips allow the engine and oil to warm p properly. The choke is open, and the carburetor is feeding the cylinders with a lean, clean burning air-fuel mixture. As a result there little or no incomplete combustion to produce soot other residue. Under these conditions water compensation is not a problem, nor is dilution of the motor oil by raw fuel.” Additives have been developed to address these problems as most of us qualify much of time for driving in severe service conditions. Furthermore, the API goes on to say “Under some conditions it is impossible to maintain a continuous oil film between moving parts, and there is intermittent metal-to-metal contact between the high spots on sliding surfaces. Lubrication engineers call this boundary lubrication. Under these circumstances the load is only partially supported by the oil film. The oil film is ruptured, resulting in significant metal-to-metal contact. When this occurs, the friction generated between the surfaces can produce enough heat to cause on or both of the metals in contact to melt and weld together. Unless counteracted by proper additive treatment, the result is either immediate seizure or the tearing apart and roughening of surfaces.

Boundary lubrication conditions always exist during engine starting and often during the operation of a new or rebuilt engine. Boundary lubrication is also found around the top piston ring where oil supply is limited, temperatures are high, and a reversal of piston motion occurs.

Extreme pressure conditions can develop between heavily loaded parts from lack of lubrication, inadequate clearance, extreme heat, and sometimes as a result of using the wrong type or grade of lubricant for the operating conditions of the engine. Since motor oils do not contain extreme pressure agents this is an area that aftermarket additive manufacturers focus a lot of attention. In modern engines the valve train with its cams, valve lifters, push rods, valve stem tips, and parts of the rocker arms operate under conditions of extreme pressure because they carry heavy loads on very small contact areas. Unit loading, which may be as high as 200,000 pounds per square inch, is many times greater than the loads on the connecting rod bearings or on the piston pins.” Motor oils rarely contain extreme pressure additives, thus premature wear could take place. The preceding has laid the groundwork for the need for additives. Additives to take care of the deposits and sludge, called detergent/dispersant additives, anti-oxidants to delay the effects of oxidation. Anti-foaming additives are important as if foaming occurs in a motor oil the film strength is reduced allowing wear. And since base oils alone cannot withstand the metal-to-metal contact inside an engine, anti-wear agents are needed. With acids there is also a need for corrosion inhibitors; and in reducing friction in hydrodynamic lubrication such as on the cylinder liners, where metal-to-metal contact does not occur, friction modifiers or lubricity additives are desired to improve engine efficiency and improve mileage.

If additives are a necessity to reducing wear in an engine and are contained in motor oils, then that must be the end of the story right? Not quite. Few people know that the oil companies do not make the specifications for motor oil. They are required to make their motor oils to meet the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) specifications. Motor oil specifications are established by the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee, which consists of the Big Three domestic car manufacturers as well as the Japanese car manufacturers. ILSAC defines the performance characteristics and the chemistry of the oil it will accept for use in its engines; and then the American Petroleum Institute (API) makes sure the oil sold by marketers displaying that label meets the definition. This isn’t an easy process as the OEM’s are not best of friends as competitors, thus they have driven the cost of this highly political process into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Yes, just to come up with a new specification. ILSAC comes up with a series of Sequence Tests that a motor oil must pass to receive certification. The public is not aware of the fact that, a motor oil formulation going through the process, can fail a Sequence test two times and not have to re-formulate. If the formulation fails three times on a single Sequence test then it must be re-formulated and start over. To control how many additive companies that can supply the complete packages to meet the new warranty specification, ILSAC has proposed the testing process to cost a whopping 1.5 million dollars for diesel motor oil warranty, and over $500,000 for gasoline engine motor oil. That is assuming you pass on the first try other wise the costs can escalate. With specifications changing so fast, only a few large companies can recover their cost of development in such a short time. When oil companies advertise they exceed the highest standard available it’s the only one so it’s also the lowest standard. Regardless of how good your motor oil is there is only one standard, currently GF-4 for gasoline engines and CJ-4 for diesel engines. There is no incentive to improve beyond the lowest passing standard because it costs money to add additives that do the work. Motor oil companies often cut additives to the core to exceed the standard by the narrowest of margins to cut costs and maximize revenues. In summary, the oil companies make their motor oils to the OEM’s standards not theirs!

Two questions are always asked when discussing oil additives and whether they work or not and they are: Why doesn’t the OEM’s recommend oil additives and why doesn’t the oil companies get into the additive business if they are so good.

First, it seems fairly obviously why the OEM’s do not want to recommend oil additives as they have spent millions of dollars protecting their engineering. When I say protecting their engineering I mean using a fluid to insure that the engine, on average, lasts as long as they engineered it to last. They are in the business of selling cars and they know to be competitive it has to last a certain amount of time, but then they want you to purchase a new car. They do not want to have to test other additive products as they have spent money to develop their specification. This does not mean that oil additives can’t be beneficial as a Sequence Wear Test was run by SFR Corporation with the leading selling motor oil in the United States—once without the additive and once with the leading motor oil and 5% SFR’s additive package SFR 100. The test was run by a large testing facility certified to conduct tests for motor oil warranty approval. The results of these expensive tests showed that the additive package reduced the overall wear of the leading motor oil by 17% and on the exhaust lobe part of the test the results were an outstanding 80-90% reduction in wear using the additive. When OEM’s are developing their own specifications they are not going to say their specification needs help in performance by using an additive as it’s against their best interest. However, no OEM will state that the use of an additive in itself will void a warranty. The reason is that they must run the battery of tests which costs from $500,000 to 1, 500,000 per test. This doesn’t mean that an additive could not hurt or destroy an engine and that is why the leading additive suppliers have performed extensive testing to validate their product.

Why aren’t the oil companies involved in the additive market? Truth is they are the leaders in the development of aftermarket oil additives. Many of the additives used in the aftermarket industry are actually purchased from the oil companies. The oil companies, with their big budgets, can provide hundreds of thousands of dollars of testing to validate additive performance. The public is unaware of this though as most all oil companies run their additive divisions as separate companies under their corporate umbrella. They include Infineum for Exxon/Mobil, Oronite for Chevron/Texaco and then there is Ethyl who is well known for its tetraethyl lead previously found in all gasoline. Shell has their own as does Castrol. Quaker State owned Slick 50 additive company, and I cannot see them buying this company if the product would not have any benefit as the liability would be too great if the products would not perform. Chevron sells Techron today an aftermarket gasoline treatment, Valvoline has marketed aftermarket additives as well as others including the additive leader Lubrizol. One must realize the following: The oil companies make products to meet the OEM’s requirements not theirs. You could call an oil company up right now and ask if oil could be made better and your response would be similar to this: We have over 150 chemists in this building alone and if motor oil could be made better, we would be the ones to do it. On the other hand we could call their additive division and say we want a heavy duty performing oil that would out perform the current specification and they could fax you a product with hundreds of thousands of dollars of testing documentation.

It all boils down to special interest groups protecting their special interests. The OEM’s and the major oil companies all protect their interests. It’s hard for an oil company not to defend their oil as the best there is, but in reality we know the specification was created by the OEM. This is the main reason why so many articles have been posted about why additives do not work. A magazine writer doing an article on additives will go to a source that he or she thinks is an expert, and thus they call someone up at the oil company. That person reinforces that their oil is the best and doesn’t need additional additives. Even the specialty motor oil marketers such as Amsoil support the notion that oil additives are not needed. They do not want competition from additive companies because in their mind all you need is their oil. Unfortunately, being a (MLM) multi-level marketing company, most all are part-time, thus more laymen in the business than any other oil marketing company. Their dealers go to great lengths supporting articles that additives do not work. What a paradox, because if additives do not work, than why is their motor oil better than anyone else’s. Doesn’t take much thought to figure that one out.

To support the issue of additives all one has to do is look at Mobil’s new marketing campaign. They still claim their oil meets GF-4 or the new specification that API certifies, but they are now calling for extended drain intervals. And, if you read anything about Mobil’s new products is that it has to do with additional additives being used, mainly detergents. From their literature it states: Mobil Clean 7500 is a synthetic blend formulation with a boosted level of cleaning performance, 18 percent beyond the level of even our premium Mobil Clean 5000 conventional motor oil, to keep your engine cleaner longer.

Additives are what make motor oil what it is and additives are what make aftermarket additive manufacturers their gains in performance. It’s all based on testing both engine and fleet tests. Additives have been around for years and auto parts stores devote entire rows of products related to additives. Additive manufacturers are seen as nuisances because the OEM’s engineer their products to last on average a certain amount of time and the oil companies make their products to meet the OEM’s needs. So if you want to find out about additives you wouldn’t ask the OEM’s or oil companies but the testing laboratories like Southwest Research Institute and Auto Research Laboratories Inc. that performs thousands of tests each year. I am including some links to additive suppliers and testing companies so that you can see the tremendous amount of data that is available from large substantial companies. They include www.lubrizol, www.infineum.com, www.rheinchemie.com, www.sfrcorp.com, www.stp.com, www.rtvanderbilt.com, www.ethyl.com, www.powerup.com, www.slick50.com, www.wynns.com, www.bardahl.com, www.oronite.com and many more that I have not mentioned.

Written by Robert H. Sanborn, who was a member of the STLE Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers for 15 years.

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Basic Automotive Tools Every Car Owner Should Have On Hand

Even if you don't consider yourself very handy with tools, if you are going to drive an automobile it is good to keep a set of basic tools for small, easy repairs. After all, it doesn't make sense to have to call your service garage just to change a flat tire, and doing the change yourself beats being stranded for two hours while you wait for help.

In order to change your tires, you will need a jack for lifting your car (forget the one that came with your car – hydraulic jacks are best) and a lug wrench for getting the tires off and securing them again. Other special wrenches you will need are a spark-plug wrench and an oil-filter wrench. You will also need a set of adjustable wrenches and a socket set for loosening and tightening various nuts and bolts. As you may have to unscrew things from your car's frame, you will want a set of screwdrivers.

For checking and adjusting your fluid levels, you will need funnels, hand degreaser, rags or paper towels and rubber gloves (depending on how much dirt you want on you from your engine). Many people actually choose not to cover their hands when they work because it is easier to feel what you're and also because it looks silly. There is pride in having dirty hands.

You will need jumper cables for boosting your car, a continuity tester for testing electrical circuits, pliers for loosening and tightening things you can't loosen and tighten with your wrenches, a stiff, non-wire brush for cleaning battery contacts, a utility knife for cutting rubber belts and tubes and a tire pressure gauge for checking the air pressure in your tires. For knocking at stuck parts, use a rubber mallet and not your best wrench. It is best not to abuse your tools, although many people do.

You should be able to assemble a good basic tool set for under $300. That may sound like a lot of money, but if you get into the habit of calling someone every time you have a flat tire or need to change a hose, then you will wind up spending a lot more money in the end.

Many of these tools have quite a price range. You can pick up a set of adjustable wrenches, for instance, for anywhere from $10 to $40. The continuity tester has an even wider range, running from $3 all the way up to $40. You can pick up a tire pressure gauge for $5 up to $35, and a utility knife runs from $3 to however much you want to pay for this tool.

Many small repairs and maintenance tasks you can do for yourself will help you keep your car in tip-top shape for less money, so having a basic tool set is a great investment. In addition, you will also be a more confident driver if you learn about how to repair your car.

Find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips, free online auto insurance quotes and helpful car insurance advice.

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