Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about vintage cars as well as a car care products at http://www.5starshine.com
How To Find Vintage Car Parts For Your Vintage Automobile
If you own a vintage car then you know how difficult it is to find the parts you need for your car and if you can find them the party that has them usually feels like they can name their price because they also know how hard they are to find.
The fact of the matter is that is you are an owner of a classic car or are even thinking about it then you better face the fact that the parts will be harder to find and more expensive than those for a conventional and more average automobile. Just like owning a boat the ownership of a vintage or classic car is not for everyone. People who own these types of cars are typically gear heads who enjoy tinkering with their cars.
One of the reasons that parts for classic cars are so much more expensive than the current models is because they may not be made anymore. As with anything, the law of supply and demand applies. If something is in short supply it will cost much more than if it is found easily. This is one of the main reasons that a vintage car that may be used for parts is much more expensive if it is in running condition.
If you are the owner of a vintage car you need to know the exact make and model of your car. Sometimes just a minor difference in the model number can require a totally different part and you don't want to pay big money for a part that you cannot even use. If you are not doing the work yourself and are relying on a repair shop to do it make sure that you check them out and check their references so you know who you are dealing with. This can greatly affect the value of your classic car.
As with many items that you are trying to find these days, one of the absolute best ways is to use the internet. I am on the internet for my business over 12 hours a day so I am probably more likely than anyone to use the internet to find things I need, but if you are not a big internet user it may be time for you to become one. Even if you just use the internet to find a part that you intend to buy locally it will still save you a lot of running around. Usually you need only put in the make and model number along with the name of the part you are seeking in your favorite browser and it will give you a list of locations to try.
Using Unleaded Gas in Vintage Cars
At one of the vintage cars websites sites I belong to there was a member who shared an interesting experience to the forum. Below is the Readers Digest version.
The new owner (who we will call John) had seen his dream vintage car advertised on the same website referenced above. John liked what he saw, and it helped that many forum members validated how nice the car was. John set an appointment to test drive the car. When John arrived the car was even better looking than the pictures indicated. The owner decided that John was a serious buyer and wasn't a "tire kicker". They decided to take the car out for a test drive. The car started on the first turn of the key, idled smoothly, and ran perfectly. The owner let John drive back on the return trip. And even though John was taking it easy, he was able to get the tires to chirp easily in 2nd and 3rd gear.
John purchased the car, loaded it up on his trailer, and was now the proud owner of a beautiful 1970 Nova Super Sport. Since the car was almost perfect and didn't need any work, John started driving to a couple of local car cruises and classic car shows to get a feel of the car.
The next car show was about an hour and a half away. After waxing the car, and checking the fluids, John filled the gas tank. A couple of miles down the road John stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, he pulled away, and heard a light knocking/pinging noise on acceleration. The noise grew louder the longer he drove the car. The only time John heard the noise was on acceleration. If he drove the car "easy" like there was an egg under the gas pedal, the pinging was almost non existent and tolerable. If he had to pass another car and was required to accelerate, the noise got worse, and the engine didn't have the same power as his first test drive. Other than the noise, the car performed flawlessly. John drove the car to and from the show, but he was really anxious and nervous because he thought he had bought a lemon. And he wasn't a happy camper.
Long story short, some of the people reading John's story started to ask him questions. A group of them even made a special trip to John's house to take a test drive with John to see if they could determine what was happening. During the discussion one of the bystanders asked John what changes he made to the car since buying it. John replied "I didn't touch a thing, except to wash it, wax it, and I filled the gas tank". The bystander said, "I am going to take a leap here" then he asked "what kind of gas did you put in it"?
Let me jump ahead here in the story, and explain why this is so important.
High performance cars from the 60's and early 70's require high performance gasoline. Unless the engine has already been modified, pre-1971 cars require leaded high octane gasoline to run correctly. Because leaded gasoline is no longer sold in the United States, owners of these types of vehicles need to buy lead substitute additives (around $2-$5 per bottle). A bottle is generally good for one tank of gas. Lead is critical because it acts as a lubricant for the internal engine parts and stops them from wearing out prematurely. Engines built in 1971 and later are built to run on unleaded gas so adding lead substitute is not needed. In fact, lead damages Catalytic Converters, which are required on cars built after 1977, and is more harmful to the environment. Adding a lead additive to a pre-1971 engine will literally prevent the engine from beating itself to death.
John's experience was something that happens to many vintage car owners. The reason the Nova ran great with the previous owner was because he used a 92 octane gasoline and added a bottle of lead substitute with every fill-up. When John filled the gas tank he used the same 87 octane gasoline he uses for his everyday driver. He never gave any thought to what type of gas he was running. Most people don't buy vintage cars for gas mileage and economy reasons. Therefore it only took a couple of weekends of local driving before John needed to fill up his gas tank again. Now the engine was off of its "design point", meaning it was never intended to run on low octane, unleaded fuel. The engine started to ping and knock under a load, as soon as the new gas was being burned.
When John shared his story on the forum, there was about a quarter of a tank of economy gas left. He added a bottle of octane booster, a bottle of lead substitute, and filled the rest of the tank with 92 octane premium gas. Since then, John's car has been running perfectly.
An original pre 70's engine which has not been modified for unleaded fuel will need a little help in the gas department. Always use the highest octane possible. A bottle of good octane booster and a lead substitute will help maximize performance and the engine's longevity. You should be purchasing the highest octane gas possible because a high octane rating prevents knocking and pinging. Supreme unleaded (92 octane) is fine and should be used for most engines and everyday driving.
Owners of truly high performance engines, meaning a compression ratio greater than 10.0:1, must use an octane booster to keep their engines running smoothly. Octane boosters will also help if you plan to race your car occasionally or whenever you want a little more power. Remember, racing fuel in the 104 octane category and higher is expensive and sometimes hard to find.
Racing fuel should only be used if you truly have an engine built for racing and is overkill for a street car.
Tim Leary is a serial car nut and likes nothing better to find you your long-time dream classic car! http://www.yourdreamcarfinder.com
Vintage Car Memorabilia
Do you have a passion for vintage cars?
Are you a collector of memorabilia?
If so, then I am sure that you will already know about the pleasure that can be had from searching out and finding classic and vintage car ads.
The rise in popularity of the motor car in the twenties had a good knock on effect for the advertising industry.
Cars were seen as luxury items, driven by those who could afford a glamorous lifestyle. The advertisements at this time portray a care free way of life which many aspired to. The ads were colourful and bold, eye catching and elegant.
Who could predict, all these years later, that vintage car memorabilia would be in such demand? Despite the fact that we now have the fastest, most technologically advanced cars ever, we are still fascinated by these images from the past.
Maybe this is to do with the historical context of these ads, we can imagine a time when life was somewhat more care free, and motoring was more relaxing.
Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about collecting? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?
There is also the immense pleasure to be had of having these images scattered around our homes. You may collect vintage car memorabilia to adorn your rooms, or to sell later on for a profit.
Hanging these car ads in suitable frames can give depth and character to a room. If you are a lover of art and antiques, you will soon realise that these old car advertisements can add great interest to your collection. People are drawn to them, and the older generation will always have a story to relate about their own car passions and experiences.
Hunting down and finding vintage car memorabilia and ads is all part of the fun of collecting. You may have a particular model or make in mind, or you may prefer an eclectic selection. Antique and collectors shops are a good place to browse, but maybe an expensive way to buy. Garage sales, car boot sales, flea markets are another good source, if you have the time.
Probably the best place to browse and buy, however, is the Internet. Auction sites such as EBay are stuffed full of information. There are also many websites on which you can find others who share your passion. Whatever your reasons for collecting vintage car memorabilia, whether it is for fun, profit, or both, you will never tire of the wealth of fascinating material that is easily available.
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about collecting.
If you are a vintage car enthusiast, you will know the value of colleting memeorabilia. Please visit my site:
http://www.illavit.com/collecting-vintage-car-memorabilia
for articles, blogs, videos, photos and news.
Where To Look For Vintage Car Insurance
Many people choose to restore and show antique cars as a hobby. Many of these cars price many thousands of dollars to obtain, not including the money, time, and energy spent to restore the car to its previous glory. This is why buying vintage car insurance is so important. Vintage car insurance will shield your investment in your car in the event of accidental damage or theft.
Vintage car insurance may as well be purchased from one of the independent insurance companies that specialize in insuring vintage and collector cars. Many of these companies will only insure particular types of cars, so if your car is a rare, hard to find model, you may have trouble finding someone to insure it. When researching these companies, be certain to ask about the experience and credentials of the company to be sure that the company that you are dealing with is a legitimate one. You do not fancy paying years of vintage car insurance premiums only to have the company disappear once you file a claim.
Many commercial car insurance companies are capable of also provide car insurance for an antique car. Also known as collector car insurance, these policies are tailored to the car you are attempting to insure. A representative will take all of your information and discuss different policy options with you to ensure that you are obtaining the coverage that you need. They will also help you to decide which types of coverage are within your target budget and which deductible and limit levels you will need.
Buying car insurance for an antique car through a commercial car insurance company will give the policy holder a peace of mind. The policy holder may as well have their everyday use cars insured with the same company. The protection of having an established company provide car insurance for an antique car is well worth the premium that they will charge you to provide insurance for your antique car.
When choosing an independent insurance company to provide car insurance for an antique car, be certain that the company is a reputable one. You do not want to discover that after months of paying the insurance premiums that the company will not or is not capable to pay your insurance claim.
Finding car insurance for an antique car although can be a lengthy and frustrating process, but the benefits of having insurance for the car far outweighs the initial hassle of finding the insurance. Many antique cars are worth many thousands of dollars and that is an immense loss if the car is ever stolen or totaled. Therefore having car insurance for an antique car may be the most valuable insurance that you ever purchase.
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Very Cheap Car Insurance to learn more about instant car insurance quotes.