Author Archives: Tabitha

Overhaulit Part 74
Do it your way

Overview

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Description

Everyone will have an opinion about what you’re doing, but whose car is it, anyway? It never fails that when we post pictures of the car’s progress on our facebook page (Auto Shift Weekly), even if the subject is completely unrelated, someone hijacks the post to comment on the wheels. Even though the engine, suspension, transmission and interior are completely custom and non-original, they don’t attract nearly the attention that the wheels do.

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Overhaulit Part 75
Finally, a clear day

Overview

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Description

It’s crazy tense in this paint booth. Why? I’m not supposed to be in here, which is agitating the painter . . . a lot. But, I really do need pictures of this.
“You’re gonna wreck the whole thing,” he yells over the rubble of the air exchanger.

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Overhaulit Part 76
Taking stock

Overview

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Description

We can pretty much all agree on one thing: that none of us will agree on style. This is where things get a little gray and fuzzy. Taste is a very personal thing and how you choose to accessorize your vehicle can make or break its image. Adding the right styling touches doesn’t necessarily mean adding more parts.

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Overhaulit Part 77
To stop a 43-year-old car with 1,000 horsepower,
we’re not messing around. We need a . . .

Overview

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Description

Big ‘Brake’
Compared to the horrible 40-year-old drum brakes that were on the 1970 Plymouth, even throwing a boat anchor out the window would have been a huge improvement in stopping power.
There are actually a number of disk-brake conversion packages available from top brands out there, so I selected Wilwood 12.2-inch rotors on all four corners and a matching master cylinder.

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Overhaulit Part 78
The finish

Overview

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Description

Imagine how much you would hate sanding if you had been doing it for six months.
But it’s a fact of life in the world of perfect finishes, right from stripping off the old paint, to wet sanding the final coat of clear finish in preparation for final polishing. Getting a glass-like shine means getting rid of any and all of it first.

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Overhaulit Part 79
RADical plan

Overview

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Description

I’m not going to give in to any overused cliches about “keeping your cool.” I’m just not built that way. But when “more” power is added to a vehicle, that’s just the beginning. You need to decide if you should make it stop and turn better, of course, and you also need to figure out if the old electrical system is up to the task of your modifications. Lots of things to consider, really.

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Overhaulit Part 80
“Fabrication” is just a fancy way of saying. . .

Overview

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Description

We make stuff.
Today, when nothing that’s on the car actually came with the car in the first place, then it stands to reason that everything is fabricated, at least to some degree. But I discovered a long time ago that making stuff for the car was not really my forte.

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Overhaulit Part 81
How to get x-ray vision

Overview

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Description

Before we get way too far down the road buffing our shiny new paint job, we want to go back in time and take care . . . of the rest of the car. We’ve rebuilt, replaced and/or refinished just about every system and sub-system of our 1963 Corvette coupe project. Don’t be fooled into believing that all restorations are the same.

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Overhaulit Part 82
Night light

Overview

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Description

Seeing is believing, quite literally. And it didn’t take very long to figure that out when it came to our 1965 Mustang.
Since the 1960s – or ’70s or ’80s for that matter – one of the most significant safety features that can easily be retrofitted into an old car is the lighting.

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Overhaulit Part 83
How is this ever going to work out
. . . seriously.

Overview

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Description

More power? Good. More brakes? Better. More stereo? Hmm.
There are a lot of things I’m fairly certain about when it comes to the theme of our 1970 Plymouth project, but by ADD kicks in once the question about sound systems is brought up. Why? Because I generally think that more is better and, in reality, it almost never is. And, I like shiny things.

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