Tips on Starting a Project Car for a Novice Collector , Hotrod, Restored Classic

A project car is a fun, and worthwhile hobby. Car collecting is an active and rewarding activity for the person with a little time on his hands. Choosing a car is the first step to collecting. The type of car you choose will be the first step.

When choosing a car you must keep in mind your budget. If you have a modest budget you do not want to get a Ferrari or Riviera. Volkswagens are a great choice for the modest budget.

But Volkswagens are not exactly welcome by other collectors, although there small and slow reputation is slowly disappearing thanks to Volks-rodders. 1950's cars make great hot rods, because they are the classics.

You should also choose a car that is nearby. I suggest local classifieds and other ads. But be careful when you are looking, because cars are rarely described correctly. Watch out for "Running" in the paper because it may run, but not well. Or it may not have breaks. Were as "runs and drives" usually Means it is in fair condition. Be wary of ads that say some rust. They can mean that the car is hardly roadworthy due to the amount of rust. If you are looking at a "has some rust" car, look for sagging in the middle between the wheel wells. It is never a good sign if there is.

It is a great idea to buy a Chilton's repair manual for the car you are fixing. Also other books can be of even more help. For instance the How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive book is much easier to understand and has a lot of information on what to do when the bolt is rusty and other things. Remember this is a project car it is okay when something is not working right because then you have something to tinker with. The whole thing is for fun. Remember that when things are not going right.

In addition try your best not to "bite off more then you can chew." That is a hard one to do. The main part to projects is try not to have to many at one time. Also, if you want to restore something try to keep as much of the original parts to the car. If that is not possible it is best to hotrod it. Hotrods can be anything from the classic 50's hotrods or the pimp-mobiles of the 70's, or even the ten second car looks of today. The point is due what you want it's your car. Good luck.