Hot Rod How To & DIY Project Guides

You don’t have to buy a new car or truck to get a new look. Drivers can transform the appearance of their vehicles quickly, easily and affordably. Whether the goal is to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, or simply to give a vehicle a fresh, new look, a few simple steps is all it may take. […]

Learn how to build a hot rod with these resources that help facilitate your build from inspiration and planning to building and customization. These tools help locate donor vehicles, project cars, and can determine what other cars have the parts you need (a big help at the salvage yard). Start you build here! […]

When working with body filler, what ever tools you use, the trick is to not add the last “skim coat ” till you KNOW that it is all you need. Don’t try to block out that first coat, just use it as a base for the LAST skim coat. […]

Plus Sizing your wheel and tire combination was designed to enhance vehicle performance and appearance by allowing fitment of larger diameter rims and lower profile tires. The theory is that while making these changes, you keep the overall tire diameter within 3% of the original equipment tires. […]

Note that this test of the master cylinder requires a complete re-bleeding of the system since the brake lines are removed from the master to perform this test. This is why we include this test during the bench bleeding process. […]

The enclosed driveline, or torque tube, is really a quite effective design — It’s advantages are positive location of the rear end, with no Panhard bars, traction bars or four-link setup needed for rear-end stability. […]

The quick and dirty way to determine if you have a long or short water pump is to try and stick your fingers behind the timing cover, you can not with the short pump. A more accurate way is to measure the shaft. […]

Legendary Gene Winfield stops by to give a lesson in the lost art of leading, where heated lead is used much like body filler to smooth and fill body panels. […]

Wheels: Measure Twice, Buy Once Learn The Right Way To Measure for Wheel Sizes Before You Place An Order So, you want a new set of wheels for your hot rod or muscle car. That’s […]

The Welder Series Universal Rear Step Notch Kit is easy to assemble and install. The pieces fit together using alignment tabs to make clamping and welding a breeze. These kits are typically used in the custom car, truck and mini truck market to drop the frame past the rear axle. […]

If the brake pedal feels hard while the engine is running, the power brake booster is not operating correctly. Here’s how to properly test your power brake booster. […]

You’ve pulled the trigger on that project car and dragged it home. Project cars come in all shapes and sizes, so let’s assume you’ve found yourself one that runs, but just barely. Only your true die-hard hot-rod buddies get it. Everybody else thinks you’re crazy. You see what the non-believers can’t, not a rusty junkyard escapee but a soon-to-be cruiser that just needs a little tweaking to become a loyal daily driver… […]

How To Rust Metal. Materials: baking soda, blow torch, chlorine bleach, denatured alcohol / paint thinner, hydrogen peroxide, muriatic acid, salt, water, clear coat (optional), wax (optional) […]

How To Cut Threads: This 4 Minute Video will give you the essential info required to cut threads and keep yourself from gettin’ in to trouble. If you need a tap and die set on the cheap, get the Harbor Freight set. […]

In a previous post, a simple hot rod chassis from scratch for a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe was demonstrated… The chassis and project is now ready to start channeling the body down over the frame to […]

Wiring Hot Rod Turn Signals – Diagram Wire hot rod lights? The one automotive job we all dread is the wiring. Yet, with help from this how-to book even the neophyte mechanic can install a […]

About the Harbor Freight Flux 125 Welder Get the benefit of wire welding without the hassle of gas. The Flux 125 Welder is a versatile flux core arc welder (FCAW) specifically designed to use self-shielding […]

Ride Height is the height of your car or truck when it is sitting and the suspension is at the optimum height. Setting ride height on a chassis is important. You can learn more about it here. […]

All of us have seen countless ads telling us to change our engine oil every 3000 miles. But what are we to believe? Or more relevant, what is right for you? This article has the facts about synthetic oils, petroleum based oils, and additives so that you can make an informed decision about what is right for your cars. […]

In this video you’ll learn how to connect an original GM 4 speed manual transmission (Muncie M20/M21/M22, Borg Warner Super T10) to your swapped in LSx Series engine. See Parts List below… What Parts You Need […]

Over the years, many home-brewed concoctions have fought in the never-ending battle against rusted nuts and bolts, and lost. We’ve stumbled upon a simple rust penetrant solution that will make getting your stuck nuts and bolts off easier than ever before. […]

Tips and Techniques for Installing U-Joints. Welding u-joints is not recommended. Aside from the technical complications of metal stress or risk of boiling the grease, welding your u-joints can be inconvenient. Welding is permanent and the u-joints can not be re-used… […]

Setting the timing on your engine is one of the most misunderstood adjustments, but the information on this video will help you understand and answer all of your questions about ignition timing. […]

Assuming that you don’t have a week to dedicate to detailing and staging a car at a show and the judges aren’t using white gloves, I will attempt to share with you tips and techniques for prepping your ride on site at the show. […]

Classic and Custom Chassis / Body Swaps ~ An Overview of Swapping Your Classic Car, Truck or Custom Body to a Late Model Chassis and Drivetrain… […]

Engine turning, also known as damascening, jeweling, krayling, or swirling, is a quintessential example of high quality auto metalworking. Engine turning is a process of inscribing geometric patterns onto metal surfaces as a finish. In […]

Adding an aftermarket transmission cooler to your hot rod, car or truck is always a good idea. Here are some tips: Always mount the cooler in a place that has good air flow, When Installing coolers make sure lines are clear of anything that can rub them and always use line that… […]

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to check an engine for serious issues is to perform a vacuum gauge test. You can determine whether or not an engine is healthy in just several minutes. […]

The chassis, or car frame, is often overlooked in restoring a performance vehicle. That can be a problem as the chassis is the foundation of the car to which all other components attach and react. Learn the basics of chassis stiffening to increase rigidity so you can get the most out of your ride. […]

The bolt pattern, or bolt circle, is the diameter of an imaginary circle formed by the centers of the wheel lugs. Common bolt patterns have 4, 5, 6, or 8 lug holes. These diagrams show the proper measuring methods for each lug count. […]

Hot Rod Wiring – Diagram Please Note: This diagram was designed for 12 volt systems, but can also be used for 6 volt systems. If used for 6 volt, make all the wires heavier by 2 gauges. For example 14 gauge wire will become 12 gauge, 10 gauge will be 8 gauge, etc. […]