Three easy tips to make your car look period-correct

By David S. Wallens
May 8, 2026 | Restoration, Period Correct, We Show You How | Posted in Shop Work , Restoration & Renovation | From the July 2026 issue | Never miss an article

Today’s project: It’s all about the vibe. The spirit. The look. Want to add a little more vintage to your vintage car? We have three easy tips.

Step 1: What do people do at a car show? Yup, open the hood. And what can then stand out like a sore thumb? A modern battery covered with modern logos and modern stickers.

Back in the day, batteries were austere: black with just a brand name. No multicolor printing, no web addresses. Vintage-looking batteries are available on today’s market. For a few dollars less, you can also find vintage battery toppers and sticker kits to disguise a modern unit. Another possible solution: Maybe just remove the stickers from your current battery and, if it’s not already black, hit it with some appropriate spray paint to help it blend into the engine bay.


Photography by Chris Tropea

Step 2: Do your wheels look too new? Period-correct wheels are out there–in fact, there’s an entire industry dedicated to them. Not sure what’s appropriate for your car? Hit the stacks and check out magazines from back in the day. So many options exist, too, so have some fun with it: stock wheels and factory alloys to vintage mags. And Minilites go with anything.

Step 3: Why not wrap those wheels with some tires that go with the mood, too? Old tires are dangerous, but you can buy new ones that resemble the models of yesteryear: classic tread patterns and sidewall designs, all paired with modern materials and construction methods. Vintage doesn’t necessarily mean a hundred years old, either, as today’s classic tire market offers solutions for cars built well through the ’90s.

As with the wheels, personalize to taste: whitewall, blackwall or a thin red stripe. Like Minilites, raised white letters work on nearly everything, from Beetles to Camaros.