I like to work on cars, especially when the goal of the work is improving the performance of the vehicle. Making improvements to a car can enhance it’s power, safety, and appearance. I’m often asked “Where is the best place to start? What should I spend my money on first?”
This is a tough question to answer, but it is also a very important one. I work on a lot of cars. Many times I work on them after a lot of money has already been spent, and the levels of performance are much less than expected. In order to avoid spending money and getting little in return, the vehicle owner should make some decisions before undergoing their wallet-ectomy.
The first thing the owner should do is decide what the intended use of the vehicle is. A car used for drag racing has completely different suspension requirements than one driven on the autocross course. A daily driver will need to be built differently than a car that rides on a trailer to the races or shows. Show cars and collector cars have different requirements; the collector vehicle should be factory correct, show cars can be wildly modified.
The type of vehicle has a lot to do with the work that it will need. In some cases it actually makes more sense to build a different car. A car in bad condition will take a lot more work and money to build than one that is in good shape to start with. A heavy car with a small engine needs more work and money to perform at the same levels as a light car with a larger engine. In both cases it is often cheaper to sell the car and buy one better suited to the intended use.
Probably the hardest cars to build are dual purpose cars. These are cars that not only are regularly street driven, but are also expected to perform well at some type of race. These cars have to idle well and not overheat in traffic, yet have high enough levels of performance to be competitive at the races. These cars run a fine line between two types of use, but building one is very rewarding.
Once the intended use has been determined, the entire vehicle needs to be evaluated. Make a list of everything the car needs to make it work the way it’s supposed too. Rank everything on it by order of importance to the end goal and get to work. Stick to the list and you will save yourself some money in the long run.
(In Part II of this blog, I will go into a little more detail on how to decide what to do first.)
Tags: Cars, collector cars, performance, racing, show cars
