Car Hacks On Classic Cars
For most avid motorists, their cars aren’t just simple modes of transport. Instead, these cars are their absolute pride and joy. Many of these people consider maintaining their cars as their most joyous hobby. And if we’re talking about classic car owners, this goes double. It’s only natural – if you’ve got a 1960’s vintage car, you want to do your best to make sure it’s poster-worthy every day of the week. Scratches and dents aren’t acceptable, and neither are stale smells and rusty pieces.
But taking care of your 1960’s classic car on this level may mean a lot of trips to the mechanic, and spending a lot of money. Don’t worry, though; there are plenty of things you can do yourself to make sure your car has the optimal performance and appearance. With that in mind, we’ve gathered a couple of useful car hacks to present to you; maintenance stuff you can do without much in the way of tools, but will still help your joyride shine its best!
Cleaning With Toothpaste
After a while, your headlights will definitely require a good wash. And sure, you can always just drive down to the carwash. But if the staff there aren’t attentive enough, your car will probably pass through without getting the attention it deserves. Particularly on classic cars, cleaning the headlights to perfection is something you want to do on your own. Plus, you can’t really call yourself a car guy if you haven’t cleaned your baby by hand a couple of times in your life.
People who don’t spend a lot of time cleaning their cars in detail may believe all you need is soap and water. And sure, that will be enough for most of the exterior. But there are still parts of the car that require you to use different methods and a more specialized sort of attention. If you don’t clean your car often enough, the covers for your headlights are bound to become more cloudy and dirty than simple hand washing could solve. That is why you should give them one pass using toothpaste! Yeah, surprisingly enough, this material will work wonders when it comes to getting rid of particles and stains from the headlights.
Olive Oil On The Dashboard
There’s nothing sweeter than getting a good deal on a vintage car, and then doing your best to spruce it up to perfection. That’s why you need to make sure that no part of your car gets less attention than it deserves while cleaning it. For instance – your interior will definitely need a thorough vacuuming. But apart from gathering all the dust from the upholstery, there are other things you can do. For instance, if you take a look at your dashboard, you will see that it has probably gotten quite dirty and dusty over time.
But even if you get rid of the dust, you’ll probably find that the dashboard is not as polished as it could be. That is one of the downsides of vintage cars that have not been properly maintained. Don’t worry though – you’ve got what it takes to resolve this in your own kitchen! All you need is a clean cloth and some olive oil. Once the cloth is soaked, use it to restore the dashboard to its former glory with a thorough polishing.
Nail Polish Fixes
Many vintage car owners are extremely careful with when and where they drive their cars. Unfortunately, even if you do your best to keep the vehicle in mint condition; some scratches are bound to happen from time to time. While someone who owns a less prestigious car might just put up with this, you probably don’t want your vintage car to be scratched up.
One solution for this is to go to a car repair shop and have them fix it up. But if they’re specialized for working with vintage cars, their services could wind up costing you quite a lot. However, if it’s only a small scratch we’re talking about – it’s something you may be able to solve on your own.
We’ve got two words for you – nail polish. Yes, using this material won’t be a long-term solution like proper exterior paintwork. However, for tiny scratches, it’s the best option out there; mostly because of the wide range of shades and colors available. Interestingly enough, you’re almost guaranteed to find a nail polish that has the precisely identical color to your car.
Coke And Rust
Now we’re getting into the zone of even weirder car hacks. So, did you know that Coke was more than just the most popular soft drink on the planet? It also boasts some truly incredible anti-rust properties. That’s also one of the reasons to consider just how unhealthy Coca-Cola could be, but that’s getting off-topic. All in all, you’ve probably seen a video of people leaving a rusty coin in some Coke and removing it a couple of hours after with zero rust.
That’s how Coke will work on your metallic car parts as well. While the most serious cases of rust will definitely require the work of a true mechanic, small rust patches on the surface could be dealt with at home as well; using nothing more than Coca-Cola!
Getting Rid Of Smells
Once you get a hold of a classic car, you may notice that its interior may have a particular smell that doesn’t seem to go away. Regardless of how long you leave the windows open, it just won’t seem to go away.
Sure, washing the car thoroughly will probably get rid of any mold or residue left in the upholstery and the carpets; but there’s something you can do in addition. Leaving some baking soda in the car will leave the interior fresher than ever, and devoid of any nasty smells! Just sprinkle a bit of this inside of the car. Come back an hour later and vacuum it all up – and the smell should be as good as gone!