6. Wide Tires
Swap meets and Craigslist are the best places to find takeoff tires at a fraction of the cost of retail tires. Use care when buying tires that look good—but may be old. All tires made since 2000 actually have a date of manufacture stamped into the sidewall.
For street and strip cars looking for more traction, consider a chemical tire soak. This is a well-kept secret in the racing community and illegal in many classes. There are several companies that make products that soak into the tires.
After applying heat through burnouts and hard driving, the soak will soften the rubber on the outside allowing it to stick better, without wearing out faster and coming a part. It’s a proven way to get more traction from worn-out tires.
7. Distinct Look
Stealing exterior cues from racecars is a great way to make your hot rod look good, but it’s too often done in a tacky way. Decals and lettering often looks cheesy on street cars, but can be done right.
Spoilers are a great add-on that you can make yourself. A front matte-black spoiler can be done aluminum, plastic, or even wood. Use scrap pine board or plywood from the local hardware store, cut it to the right shape, and use metal corner brackets to screw it to the splash apron. Paint it black,and you won’t be able to eye the difference.
Use Plexiglas from the local hardware store for taillights, running lights, and headlights. Use colored bulbs to build and design your own custom lights.
8. Loud Exhaust
A custom exhaust can be very expensive to have professionally done, so do it yourself. It’s time intensive, but the material can be cheap.
Visit the local muffler shop for scraps and tubing with failed bends. You can normally snag those for next to nothing. The local muffler shop may also be willing to bend pipe for a few dollars a bend. Don’t forget to check Craigslist for takeoff exhaust kits.
9. Cockpit / Interior
Stripping your interior to bare metal can save weight but, if left unfinished, you car will just look ratty. Use exterior paint from the hardware store to coat the floorboards. While at the hardware store, look for thin stick-on padded insulation to cover the high-wear surfaces of the floorboards.
Spend your money on the parts you touch, feel, and see the most, such as gauges, driver seat, shift knob, and door handles. No need for a complex stereo system—that’s what your exhaust is for.
10. Race Connection
Second-hand race-car parts are a great way to upgrade your ride. What might be year-old tech on the track is new on the street. Become friends with local racers and watch for changes in local track rules. If a local track outlaws a particular part (like engines or rear axles) look for those items to be cheap and plentiful in your area.
In Mooresville, North Carolina, there’s 2nd Chance Race Parts (2ndChanceRaceParts.com), which sells hand-me-down race car parts from some of NASCAR’s best teams. Many local race shops, if they don’t sell used parts themselves, at least have postings. Also check out websites like RacingJunk.com too.
