Five Great Ideas for Your First Restomod

First-timers looking to create a restomod can often be at a loss as to what to change first. If that’s your situation, then you’re in good company. Restomods are a unique challenge for the uninitiated.

The purpose of having restomods is typically to enjoy the evergreen aesthetics of a vintage car with the performance of a modern engine. When a restomod is successfully done, it creates a striking balance of beauty and power.

The important thing to keep in mind for a restomod is that you’re “restoring” a car. Restomod is a combination of restoring and modifying. If you alter the car too much, then you’d end up creating a different car entirely. The conventional practice with restomods is to leave the car exterior relatively untouched, while you power up the performance of the car.

In this post, we’ll be bringing your attention to a couple of performance issues you should be looking to tune up to bring your restomod to life. These parts can easily be gotten at dealerships around you. If you’re interested in specific upgrades, though, you might have to reach out to specialist companies like Revology, which has years of experience in making restomod parts for vintage car models.

Get better suspension.

Vintage cars might look good, but their performance will typically suck compared to what’s obtainable these days. Part of that is due to their outdated suspension system, which affects their handling. To get your car up to date, you’ll want to do some work on the suspension system.

There are often limits for upgrades on suspension due to local laws. Familiarize yourself with those laws before going on to make those changes. If your suspension’s performance is above or below the local limits, you might end up with a monster car and nowhere to go.

You can start by making mild upgrades to your suspension. Mild upgrades would include stiffer springs, anti-sway bars, gas shocks, and accurate front-end alignments. You should also perform a thorough inspection of your car’s shock towers to gauge the damage from years of wear and tear.

Swap drum brakes for disc brakes.

If you’re using a really old car (pre-1990) for your restomod, chances are it’s going to have a drum brake. Drum brakes were phased out of cars in the late 1980s. Changing to a brake disc will help you achieve a more modern driving experience.

Disc brakes have better stopping power and reduce the amount of heat build-up, making them perfect for performance driving. Being able to handle heat well means disc brakes aren’t vulnerable to brake fade. They also repel water quite well, unlike drum brakes. With drum brakes, water can be allowed to pull in the brake, which affects the braking power.

Take the carburetors out.

If fuel efficiency is one of the goals of your upgrade, then you should want to replace the car’s carburetor with an electronic fuel injector (EFI). Both parts perform the same function of delivering a mix of air and oxygen to the car, but the EFI does it better. EFIs produce better emissions and can provide up to 10 extra horsepower when operating in peak condition.

EFIs are admittedly more complex to install and fix than carburetors. There are some that look like old school carburetors for people who want to maintain that look. The difference in performance, efficiency, and reliability, however, can’t be understated. An EFI will deliver more engine power to you instantly.

Change the entire engine.

If you’re going for big changes to performance, then an all-out engine change should be one of your options. Older engines that had a great performance for their time can barely compete with regular car engines today, talk less of modern performance cars. Depending on your needs, an all-out change may be necessary.

For instance, if the old engine was a six-cylinder, you can look to exchange it for a high-performing V-8 engine. Changing your engine is a very technical job, so you’ll need the help of an expert mechanic to guide you. It’s also quite expensive, but there’s literally no limit to your options when you start messing with engines.

Bigger wheels and tires

Bigger tires are both an aesthetic improvement and a performance booster. Regardless of the car you’re upgrading, having better wheels and tires can do a lot of good. Larger tires typically give you more grip on the road. More grip equals better handling, and that’s key if you’ll be racing.

The best option, however, is to just go for performance tires. They improve your grip, handling, and acceleration. You can also go for off-road tires if you’re looking for a more daring look.

When changing wheels, you need to ensure that the wheels are balanced. Otherwise, they will cause handling issues. Most importantly, make sure the tires you get fit the wheels perfectly. A mismatch between wheels and tires is a disaster waiting to happen.

Conclusion

Creating a restomod can be tricky, especially if you’re not a car mechanic. That’s why there’s a growing market for ready-made restomods. Ford lovers would love some of the cars here https://shop.revologycars.com/. Buying a ready-made restomod saves you from having to worry about getting the right parts. The people that make them often have years of experience in creating these cars.

If, however, you want to carry out your restomod DIY, it’s best to keep your mechanic in the loop. They’re better skilled to let you know what components work best and how to best restore your dream car.

Keep in mind that the only limits on how much changes you can make to your car are your local laws. If you can carefully get around them, there’s no limit to what you can do with your dream car. Your car is your oyster. Make it what you wish!

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