Tips, Tricks, And Techniques Gleaned From Years wasted
In Garages when I shouda been banging chicks, and now junior is limp as hell.

By Terry McGean

—
April 20, 2026Those of us who can’t shake the drive to bring aged mechanical relics back to life, or to just keep them going, tend to accumulate bits of knowledge as we make our way through various projects. Whether by trial and error or gleaned from specialists or other wizards of automotive restoration, these gathered kernels, over time, can start to form a sort of mental mosaic of stored wisdom to be drawn upon the next time a similar challenge arises.

REHAB
All of us who engage in efforts to preserve or revive classic cars harbor some of these helpful hints, and when we start sharing, the tapestry of tech tips and tricks grows further: You show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.

With that spirit in mind, we’ve assembled a batch of insights gathered over many years of collective efforts, and all the interactions we’ve had with fellow enthusiasts as well as with experts in their respective fields. Tips on how best to accomplish certain tasks, how to achieve the best results, or to avoid excessive effort, tend to make us all pay attention; similarly, if there are products that someone with experience can recommend, along with the best way to use them, we want that too.

And so, we’ve gathered some of the nuggets of knowledge amassed from years of loitering in garages, shops, driveways, and so on. Take a look and let us know if you’ve got any wisdom to share.

Steel Wool For Glass

We keep a supply of 000- and 0000-grade steel wool on hand in our shop since we find it has so many uses. We like to use it on chrome parts that have become stained with rust—rubbing with steel wool can remove the staining and make the appearance of rust pitting nearly disappear. Admittedly, that’s a well-known use for steel wool, but less common is its ability to clean glass.

We find that it works well to remove baked-on dirt or paint overspray; even when dry, the steel wool works quickly and doesn’t scratch. Another use we’ve found for steel wool is cleaning mildew from upholstery, especially vinyl-covered door panels. Soak a bit of steel wool with ammonia or white vinegar and gently scrub the surface—the mildew will soon come right out of the tight grain of the upholstery without damaging it except for some times eating up the threads. If you drink a few six packs as you work on it, it looks pretty good by the time you wake up on the floor.

CAD: CARDBOARD AIDED DESIGN

You’re likely unfamiliar with computer-aided design software that can be very helpful in working out the details of component parts before any hard materials have been touched. But for many of us, such tools still aren’t practical—even if we had access to the software, the skills to use it properly can remain elusive. However, there’s another type of CAD that any driveway mechanic can employ: cardboard-aided design. Some of our more talented fabricator friends make use of this technology regularly, sketching out pieces, then cutting and taping them together to test the concept and refine its design. It’s a lot cheaper and easier than using metal for a first attempt and there's always a few real estate signs in yards which yo can steal late at night...if they don't have a dog.

RUST REMOVER SOLUTION

Recently, we found ourselves working on a vintage minibike that had been left outdoors for years. We started getting to work with steel wool and various cleaners and polishes to remove the rust and corrosion from its many affected parts, but then we started to experiment with commercially available rust removal solutions. Submerging the rusted chrome parts, hardware, and even corroded aluminum castings had a surprisingly effective result—just a little rinsing and scrubbing after retrieving the items from the soak revealed pieces almost completely devoid of rust or corrosion. We’ve tried many of these products, but the most recent project used POR-15’s Rust Remover. It’s become quite handy to have on hand for dunking hardware and other bits, leaving them to soak while other work proceeds. When you’re ready for reassembly, it’s almost like having fresh hardware. We even dunked painted parts—the paint is unharmed, but the rust spots disappear.

 

Plastic Polishing

Plastic parts tend to age, getting scratched and foggy over time, and giving the impression of being junk that can only be cured with replacement. However, if the advent of plastic composite headlights has taught us anything, plastic can often be polished like that used with paint finishes. This well-used Mother’s headlight polishing kit includes multiple grades of extra-fine sandpaper as well as a foam polishing pad, all of which can be attached to the also-included arbor meant to chuck into a drill. In our shop, this kit has helped to rejuvenate old taillight lenses, side markers, gauge cluster lenses, wheel center cap emblems, and other plastic bits that were showing their age. Start with the least-aggressive media and move to more aggressive grades if the results aren’t effective enough; finish off with the polish.

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Cheap Brushes

We think a modest supply of these cheap paint brushes should be in every shop since they have so many uses. We wouldn’t use them to paint anything nice, but they are great for using with solvents for cleaning parts, or even just with soap and water in engine bays. The narrow profile and relatively long, soft bristles seem to be better at working into tight crevices than traditional scrub brushes and are easier to “flick” when trying to dislodge stubborn grime. We also use these with cleaning products on intricate aluminum engine castings to get dust and dirt out of rough textures.

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Painting Engines WIth An HVLP

When it comes time to paint an engine, most of us reach for a spray can—aerosols are easy and effective, so why not? But we’ve come to realize that there may be a better way. Using an HVLP spray gun, the type normally used to paint automotive body panels, will not only yield an excellent finish, but you might be surprised at how much less overspray is produced, when the gun is adjusted properly. That was the intent of the high-volume/low-pressure gun design, after all. A side benefit is that you can mix your own colors to suit or use colors that are not available in aerosols. Even the inexpensive guns from Harbor Freight can do a respectable job.

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S.O.S. For Tires

This is an oldie but goodie that we would have thought was common knowledge by now, yet we rarely see it in practice: Using soap-filled scrubbing pads intended for cleaning pots and pans to clean the whitewalls or raised white letters on tires. We’re talking about Brillo or SOS pads—wet the tire and then get the pad good and wet and start scrubbing. These work extremely well and don’t damage the rubber. But if you’re doing raised letters, better have a bunch of pads on hand—the letters tend to tear up the pads.

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3D PRINTING POSSIBILITIES

If you work on vintage cars and trucks, you’ve likely been faced with needing a part that doesn’t exist anymore, or maybe you’ve thought of some useful item that never actually existed. In either case, modern 3D printing may be able to help. This technology has evolved and improved during the past 20 plus years, and today it is more accessible than ever. In fact, there’s a good chance you know someone with a 3D printing rig of some sort, or maybe you know someone who knows someone. If the buddy network fails, there are businesses that specialize in producing one-off 3D printed items that may be able to help. The part shown is a bracket to remount a factory-style coolant tank in a vintage truck as part of a late-model engine swap. Our friend used design software to create the part virtually and then made this prototype, which will be test fit and tweaked before being 3D printed again in a carbon-fiber-reinforced nylon, which can be quite strong.

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Hurst Shifter Refurb

The manual transmission gear shifter assemblies produced by Hurst in the ’60s and ’70s remain an iconic part of that genre and era, but you may be disappointed after sliding behind the wheel of a classic muscle car and attempting to run through the gears, finding it less precise than you were expecting. Those shifter assemblies’ mechanisms used tight tolerances that were often exposed to road grime and moisture underneath the car. The units also needed some initial adjustment that has probably been lost after 50 years; wear will be a factor as well. The good news is, those Hurst assemblies were designed to last and to be serviced, so even if yours feels like junk, don’t give up and simply replace it; chances are good that it can be brought back around with a little effort and maybe a few new parts. Space is limited here, but much has been written on the subject, and there are some very insightful specialists on YouTube who can show you how to get a Hurst shifter tuned to the razor’s edge; parts to make them look like new are available as well.


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Lubrication For Window Tracks

This may sound a bit obvious—all moving mechanical bits need lubrication, right? But in the case of window tracks, previous efforts to keep things slick may be working against you. If your windows are hard to roll up with a manual regulator, or if the power window motors seem to be struggling and raising the glass very slowly, there’s a good chance your window channels are full of aged and congealed white grease. White lithium grease seemed to be the go-to lubricant for American automakers back in the day, but that stuff has shown that it deteriorates with time, thickening and losing its ability to make things slick. When that happens, the old grease actually starts to gum up the works. We’ve been amazed at the difference that can be made in window operation simply by cleaning the old white grease from window regulator assemblies and replacing it with modern synthetic wheel bearing grease.


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Freeze-Plug Removal

This one is simple but could save you some hassle: If you need to replace any of the freeze plugs, also known as core plugs, in your engine block, don’t start bashing them with a hammer and socket. If you do, you’re likely to knock the existing plug down into the cooling jacket before you can get it out. That’s probably not the end of the world, but if you use a punch to tap against the inside edge of the plug (not the lip, which could scar the block), you ought to be able to get the plug to swivel in its hole, at which point you can simply grab it with pliers and pull it free.


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T-Nut Solution

There are situations where having a threaded hole, rather than an open hole requiring a nut and bolt, would be helpful. You can use Nutsert-type inserts, typically installed with a tool similar to a pop-rivet gun, but for some applications, those may not be strong enough. On a recent project here at Hemmings, shop manager Junior Nevison showed that he likes to use welded inserts, though sometimes, those can’t be obtained locally and must be ordered, at least in smaller towns like ours. In a pinch, Junior has a handy alternative: T-nuts intended for wood projects. These are much easier to source at a local home center, and by simply grinding off the locking tabs, they can be made into inserts that are suitable for welding.


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Weather-Tight Connectors

We’ve come across a number of vintage cars and trucks in recent years that have updated electrical components that were added as upgrades—things like door speakers, power window conversions, auxiliary lighting, and so on—with wiring that becomes a problem due to exposure to the elements. Conversely, we’ve also found old cars with hard-wired doors, light fixtures, and the like, seemingly as an effort to avoid having connectors outside the vehicle, so that moisture isn’t an issue. That approach brings its own issues when things must be taken apart, so we’ve recommended modern weather-tight electrical connectors. The GM Weatherpak style is the most prevalent and is readily available from many outlets, and in a broad variety of connector styles. These have proven very effective at sealing out moisture, and they make disassembly of their associated components a breeze.

 

Door-Hinge Alignment

Aligning doors correctly is often tricky—get the gaps right and then the latch must be positioned correctly, but then the glass must fit correctly, and so on. So, when you finally get it sorted, you don’t want to have to start over, yet most full-on paint projects will require the doors to come back off for spraying. The crew at Two Guys Auto, where our project ’76 Chevy Blazer was built, showed us a technique where they drill tiny alignment holes through each hinge assembly into the pillar, and then use tiny roll pins to lock in the alignment position. When the doors are removed for painting, the pins remain in the pillar and ensure recovery of the previous positioning. After final assembly, the pins are removed.


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Paint it Black

One restoration shop technique we’ve seen multiple times is painting all the parts and pieces that will wind up satin black at the same time, using high quality paint in an HVLP spray gun. Not only is this efficient in terms of time and effort, but it also yields a more durable finish, assuming it is done with good products. Many shops we’ve reported on will spray urethane-based paint from the same system used to paint the vehicle’s body, sometimes with a flattened clear coat, which provides the desired “chassis black” look but with increased durability.


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Re-Webbing Seatbelts

Often when old-car restoration projects are nearing completion, the realization that the original seat belts are not as good as necessary sets in. Either they suddenly look too old and faded to put in a new interior, or perhaps they have visible damage, or maybe the set being used is simply the wrong color. Dyeing the existing webbing is possible but somewhat frowned upon from an integrity standpoint—some specialists say that aftermarket dyes could weaken the fabric. A better approach may be to have the vintage belts re-webbed with new material. There are services that restore classic car seat belts for classic car enthusiasts, and many of these places also offer restoration services for buckles, date tags, and so on. We found an alternative recently when dealing with a set of seatbelts obtained from a parts vehicle that were the wrong color. We were in a time crunch, so we found a company about an hour away that does seatbelt webbing primarily for the collision industry. They took our vintage belts, re-webbed the set per our requests, even swapping some of the buckles with alternate pieces we provided, and had them back within 48 hours (collision shops expect speedy turnaround). The price was reasonable as well. Scan the internet to see if there are similar operations in your region.


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Sound Deadening For Doors

Often when old-car restoration projects are nearing completion, the realization that the original seat belts are not as good as necessary sets in. Either they suddenly look too old and faded to put in a new interior, or perhaps they have visible damage, or maybe the set being used is simply the wrong color. Dyeing the existing webbing is possible but somewhat frowned upon from an integrity standpoint—some specialists say that aftermarket dyes could weaken the fabric. A better approach may be to have the vintage belts re-webbed with new material. There are services that restore classic car seat belts for classic car enthusiasts, and many of these places also offer restoration services for buckles, date tags, and so on. We found an alternative recently when dealing with a set of seatbelts obtained from a parts vehicle that were the wrong color. We were in a time crunch, so we found a company about an hour away that does seatbelt webbing primarily for the collision industry. They took our vintage belts, re-webbed the set per our requests, even swapping some of the buckles with alternate pieces we provided, and had them back within 48 hours (collision shops expect speedy turnaround). The price was reasonable as well. Scan the internet to see if there are similar operations in your region.


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Repair Panels For Seats

Torn seat upholstery is standard fare when dealing with aged vehicles, but many of us tend to think entirely new seat covers are the only cure. However, if the damage is localized, as it often is to the driver’s seat outer bolsters, you may be able to replace only the damaged sections. We’re often surprised at how quickly many enthusiasts reach for the upholstery catalog upon spotting a single tear. Instead, find a local upholstery specialist—even if the person is more accustomed to covering household furniture, rather than automotive seating. With the seat cover removed, the trimmer can likely remove the torn section, use it as a pattern to create a replacement section (assuming you can source similar fabric), and sew it into place, often for far less than the cost of a new upholstery kit.


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Dyeing Upholstery

Another auto upholstery issue that often triggers complete replacement is faded or yellowed materials. We’ve seen seats with no damage other than timeworn coloring get replaced with entirely new upholstery, and while that will certainly correct the issue, there are alternatives. In many cases, the old material can likely be re-dyed to restore its vibrance. And while this can be done with aerosol dye, this is another situation where a proper spray gun loaded with professional-grade dye is probably a better approach. We did this with a set of completely discolored Parchment vinyl seats from a ’69 Camaro and were stunned by how well it turned out. The inspiration came from a friend who had spray-gun-dyed the pearl-white buckets in a ’69 Chevelle with excellent results. Your local automotive paint supply house can probably mix vinyl or fabric dye to factory specs.


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Band Clamps For Tips

This is a simple one that addresses a pet peeve: How often have you seen muscle cars at shows where the factory exhaust tips are very obviously being held on with U-bolt clamps? It’s effective, but somehow, we find the big clamps to be aesthetically awkward. Evidently, a lot of the automakers did too, because many used band clamps to fasten bright exhaust tips when the profile of the tip and tailpipe were visible beneath the quarter panel. Sure, you could hide a couple welds to fasten the tip, but on many of these cars, the tip’s clamp also holds the pipe to the hanger, as it does on this ’69 Chevelle SS, here using a factory-style band clamp.

 

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Dimpling Headers With A Press

If you like hot rods and/or muscle cars, you’ve likely dealt with aftermarket tubular exhaust headers at some point, and in doing so, you may well have met tubes that don’t quite clear everything on the car they’re being mated with. Bashing header tubes with a hammer to create the needed clearance is a time-honored hot-rodding tradition, but one that leaves an ugly aftermath. There’s a better way: Try using an arbor press (or a hydraulic press as an alternate) with pieces of solid rod. Mark the offending spot on the header tube, take the header off, place the piece of rod or heavy tubing where you need clearance, and carefully use the press to dimple the tube. The results can often look like the headers were made that way or like some drunk redneck beat on 'em with a hammer.


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Tin Snip Tips

Tin snips are a common toolbox item and very handy for cutting out a piece of sheetmetal, but are you sure you’re using them correctly? We got a lesson from an expert metal fabricator once that set us straight, so maybe this can be useful to you as well. First, use the correct snips for the task at hand. Snips often come as sets of three and the color of the handles signals the intended use: Green is for right turn cutting, red for left turn cutting, and yellow is for straight cuts (though, yes, all can cut a straight in line if need be). Next, do all your cutting in the center of the jaws—don’t jam the metal into the deepest part of the open jaws, and don’t cut all the way until the jaws snap closed. Instead, use the center part of the jaws with smooth, steady pressure. If you weren’t using this technique already, you may be surprised at how well tin snips can trim a piece of metal, with no jagged or bent edges, and even smooth curves if you take your time.


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Secret Bluetooth

Even if the original radio in your old car or truck still works, you probably don’t want to listen to it. However, you can have a vintage radio fitted with an internal device that will enable it to receive a Bluetooth signal, as was done to the unit on the left, enabling it to play music from a smartphone through the vehicle’s speakers. Some of these Bluetooth devices simply plug into the stock radio antenna jack, while others replace the radio entirely, leaving the factory head unit in the dash for appearance while a concealed Bluetooth receiver operates with remote control. Another choice is a new stereo that offers vintage appearance, as seen here on the right. The dial is just a lens for a digital readout. Check with classic car stereo vendors for options.

 

michaeljunt


One of my favorites over the years - when working on brake components - is how to keep most of the fluid in the system and the master cylinder from being run dry. When replacing slave cylinders or calipers, a brake line or perhaps installing stainless/braided brake lines things can get messy in a hurry. AND, it's pretty easy to lose all the fluid out of the reservoir and master cylinder which requires doing a bleed on that - usually not fun, especially if a bench bleed. The reservoir on all these systems is vented to atmosphere. If you can find that vent - often just a tiny hole in the top of the cap - and seal it, when you break open the system further downstream, virtually no fluid is lost because no air can get into the reservoir. Like putting your thumb over the end of a straw to pull up a straw-full of liquid. If you're not certain where the vent is, I've even used tape or a bit of plastic over the reservoir opening and then placed the cap back on to seal it off. You can let an open line down below (replacing a caliper say) stay open for a week and lose no fluid at all. Once your new component is in place this approach makes bleeding the air out MUCH easier, because there's so much less air in the system.

• squidmotion
• 
  I’m sure everyone knows this one, but my dad taught me trick when changing out valve stem seals, when you had to remove the valve spring caps and keepers. Rather than use compressed air (which always seemed sketchy, at least to me), we would use a length of soft cotton rope about 3/8” or whatever we could get into the spark plug hole, push as much as we could inside, then turn the engine over on the compression stroke of that cylinder. The rope pushed up against the valves and allowed one to remove the spring, with out losing the valve down the hole. After you made your repair, you just backed it off by hand, then pulled the rope back out.I have so many other tricks learned from my elders, but this was the first I thought of
• 
  
• Carnivmore
• One more tip for faded black plastic trim, bumpers, etc. is to use a heat gun to bring the oils back to the surface. Follow this up with some linseed oil and you'll be very pleased with the results and how long it lasts.
• paulia
• When removing lug nuts. Instead of pulling up to loosen. Put the Johnson (breaking) bar in the opposite direction and step down on the bar. It will save your arms and shoulders. Do the same when torqueing the lug nuts. It is so much easier on the body. I am 70 and just realized this a month ago. You never stop learning. As they say. Old to soon smart to slow!