Getting Your Classic Ready for Summer

It is that time of year! We are getting our classic and muscle cars out from their winter hibernation. We will soon be traveling to car shows and cruise-ins. Is your ride ready for all those miles? Now is a good time to do some pre-drive maintenance and examination. Farm Boy Garage would like to share some tips for getting you classic ready for summer. Since we are in the car restoration business these are some guidelines, we have come up with over the years.

Inspect Under the Hood

The first thing we would suggest is getting the battery charged up to its full cranking amps. While you are under the hood look over your plug wires and ground wires for nicks, frays or tears. If you have any concerns about the condition of any of the wires, replace them. Next move on to the fluids. Make sure engine oil, coolant and transmission fluid are at proper levels and if needed replace with fresh fluids. Also, don’t forget to check the power steering and brake fluids levels. Lastly, while you are looking over the engine compartment check your rubber hoses for any cracking, wear or dry rot.

Fire It Up

Now that you have the battery charged, fluids checked and remedied any issues let’s get this beast fired up! Just as a precaution let’s roll the car out of the garage or shop first. If there has been a fuel system failure over the winter, you don’t want fuel spraying all over or worst yet causing a fire inside your garage. Once you have the car started let it run and watch for any leaks, listen for odd sounds and watch it get up to temperature.

Inspection

Now that we know the engine is running well and we have the car out in the open, inspect the exterior your baby. Look over the car and make a list of things you see that you need to address. Typically, we don’t have to replace tires on our classics because of seasonal driving so check your tires for cracking and dry rot. Even though the tread depth is good doesn’t mean you are good to go. Tires also have date codes on them. Check the dates, those tires might be older than what you think! If your tires are safe let’s go ahead and inflate them to the correct psi. Brakes, like tires last on classics, because we don’t put a ton of miles on, are worth inspecting. Check the cylinders for leaks, rubber flex lines, and pad or shoe thickness.

Test Drive

Now that you have got the car running well and remedied any safety issues, let's go for a ride! Take it easy and make sure everything is functioning like it should. Once you are comfortable that the car is performing then open it up and put it through the paces!

Make it Shine

Hand washing your car is not only a great way to clean your car it is a great way to find issues you may not have seen. May it be a scratch or paint chip that would have otherwise may have gone left unnoticed. We are all proud of our classic and muscle cars! There is no better feeling than parking it in the garage ready to go for the next cruise in or car show.

If you get your classic car out and ready for the summer and are just not happy with it, let Farm Boy Garage help. Maybe the original condition is fading or maybe it has an older restoration that needs to be updated. We run a one-stop restoration shop, and all restoration services are done on site, meaning your car doesn't leave our garage until it's completed to your satisfaction! So, what are you waiting for? Let's get your muscle or classic car in pristine condition!

Muscle Car & Classic Truck Restoration
www.FarmBoyGarage.com

Farm Boy Garage
10660 E. County Line Rd.
Des Moines, Iowa 50320
Phone: 515-528-8904
Cell: 515-333-1238
farmboygarage@icloud.com

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