Customized Cars

Volvos have long been associated with safety, reliability and comfort. Those are certainly worthwhile attributes, but it is also possible to upgrade Volvos to handle better, accelerate quicker and...

The highly visible police car has been around for more than a century. Its wailing siren and flashing lights can put even the most innocent driver into a guilty panic. Built for speed, endurance...

Restoring and customizing a car's interior is a great way to make it feel like an entirely new car again and is a very satisfying project to perform. And with a little ingenuity, you can not only...

There are many benefits to placing a car bra on your automobile. Although many people think of them as sporty and designer fashions, there are also utilitarian benefits to using a car bra on your...

Though some would dispute its popularity and legality in the modern age, underbody neon lighting can give practically any car an ambiance that's tough to match in any other way. To the...

Underglow lights are the aftermarket lights mounted on the undercarriage of a vehicle. They will emit a diffused glow whenever they are switched on. Underglow lights will give the vehicle the...

There are many different ways to make a car faster around a racetrack, some of which are free and some of which are quite expensive. But whatever your budget, there is almost always something that...

Building a custom car or truck means you can design your vehicle to look or perform any way you want. Part of that involves building a custom interior, designed to your specifications. At first,...

While painting a car with the conventional method of using a spray gun and a spray booth results in a terrific paint job, it is also expensive, time consuming and takes considerable skill and...

Though it is not commonly done, it is possible to apply a clear coat over chrome. By nature, chrome provides a protective surface to whatever it is applied to, so it doesn't need a clear coat....

Since its introduction in 1967, the Camaro has redefined "American Muscle." From the moment the first Camaro rolled off the assembly line, to its reintroduction in 2009 after a cease in...

Even if you don't live in New Orleans, it's fun to get in the Mardi Gras spirit. If your local community has a Mardi Gras parade, decorate your golf cart and join in the frolic. Even if there is...

Since your car is one of your biggest investments, why not spruce it up a bit. With money on everyone's mind, I may have found a very inexpensive way of up grading your cars appearance, without ...

When shopping for a new car, one of the most pressing decisions that you will have to make is regarding the car color. According to DuPont Automotive Systems about 27 percent of potential auto...

In the world of lowered trucks, there's low, and then there's really low. First, they modify the suspension to sit the frame on the ground. Then, they modify the body to set the body down over the...

Rust is never a good thing, but when it comes to custom cars, it can be. Cars with an original patina -- the nickname given to vehicles that have never been repainted and have a coat of rust and...

The great thing about modifying your vehicle is that there are no rules. Want to cut it in half and swap the steering wheel to the rear? Go for it, and have fun doing it. That's why it totally...

Shadow chrome, more commonly referred to as Shadowline, is chrome trim that has been blacked out with paint, and can have a satin or a gloss finish. The term was coined by BMW, whose cars often...

A blow off valve is used in the specific case of turbocharged engines. In order for a turbocharged engine to maintain its speed without becoming overcharged, it must "blow off" excess pressure....

Your fuel-injected motor gets less air from the stock air box assembly than you think. Learn how to build your own air intake system to replace the stock air assembly and the engine will produce...

There are ways to customize your car for free. It helps if you know the right people and have some of the right supplies lying around your house -- or your relatives' houses.

The question of whether or how larger tires on a car or truck affect fuel economy is as old as the rubber tire and combustion engine. Some assert that larger tires are heavier and have more...

Cowl induction has been used since the early days of Grand Prix racing in 1910. This method is a proven, if somewhat antiquated, way to make horsepower. Cowl induction hoods use a backward-facing...

Baffled mufflers are generally used in performance applications that require high flow with minimal disruption. They are calibrated to cancel out certain frequencies of sound waves, while allowing...

Born on the streets of Oakland, California, whistler exhaust tips are pieces of metal welded into the tip of a car's exhaust pipe that emit a high-pitched shriek under acceleration. The sound is...

Contrary to the popular conception that window tint comes in only one of two varieties (dark or shiny), there is a great deal of difference in manufacture, appearance and durability between the...

Whether exhaust tips alone can change the sound of a car depends largely on the components used. Going from a 1.5-inch diameter tip to a 4-inch tip can make the exhaust note deeper but far less...

The Chevrolet Astro van was successful for many years, but in that time, lots of things have changed in the auto industry. When the van was first introduced, for example, tape players were...

Thanks to modern technology, personalized shopping is easier than ever. No more must one possess products that are identical to those of other consumers. Now buyers can order products tailored...

Flowmaster makes a number of muffler designs, but the company is known primarily for its baffled designs. This type of muffler eschews the typical fiber-glass packing method of deadening sound...

Headlights have gone through many changes over the years. From the first gas acetylene lamps used on the 1898 Columbia Electric cars to today's most advance models that aren't technically...

There are over 50 different manufacturers who produce kits ranging from $6,000, to over $50,000. Buying the kit one thing, but you still have to put it together and make it run. So, the total cost...

The Chevrolet S-10 Blazer has been popular since it came out in the early 1980s. But when the new body style came out in 1994, there was one problem: It came with a different rear end than an...

The Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT500 are performance Mustangs produced by Carroll Shelby from 1965 to 1968 and 2006 to the present. All models feature tuned engines and suspensions with performance...

The 4R100 transmission is a sturdy and heavy-duty transmission preferred by off-road enthusiasts due to its ease of maintenance and seemingly infinite upgrade possibilities. If you have come into...

Building a custom center console for a Chevy S-10 can be a very creative process. you make it look however you want, use any kind of material you want, and customize it to any extreme. In this...

Backing up a vehicle isn't a difficult task, but if you're driving a Nissan Frontier and you have a bed full of stuff, the job just got a lot tougher. Fortunately, installing a backup camera isn't...

The easiest way to increase horsepower is to increase the amount of air coming into the engine. One way to do that is to make your own air intake. It's not that difficult to do, but it does take...

FOR DEMOLITION DERBY FANS ! LOVE TO WATCH ALL THE CLEVER IDEAS DRIVERS DECORATE THEIR CARS WITH AT A DEMOLITION DERBY RACE ? THIS ARTICLE WILL GIVE YOU SOME GOOD IDEAS FOR YOUR OWN CAR IF YOU ARE...

Performance cars date almost to the inception of the automobile at the turn of the 20th century, when automakers usually raced their production cars to test durability and speed. These early races...

The three basic appearance elements of a custom car design are stance, paint/graphics and wheel/tire combination. Each of these must be carefully considered when designing so that an overall theme...

The Accord has been a hugely successful car for Honda since its creation in the 1980s. But, recently, custom car builders have taken to tuning the Accord to become a race car, show vehicle and...

Personal touches on a car can be made to either the interior or the exterior. For restaurants, catering companies, or the dedicated beach goer, the scallop is symbolic. Widely known for being a...

Based on the evergreen Chevrolet S-10, the Blazer is the SUV variant of this wildly popular pickup. Enjoying aftermarket support concordant to its popularity, the Blazer can be customized by...

Used in practically every type of bodywork that can be done, body filler is an important part of the hot rod universe. Contrary to what a mechanic might say, body shops use the exact same types...

Using anti-seize on your wheel studs is an easy way to ensure that you will be able to get the wheels off should you need to change a flat tire. Anti-seize is a compound, usually silver in color,...

Traditionally, brakes have been the red-headed stepchild of the hot rod industry. In the mind of the average car enthusiast, going slow quickly does not equate to going fast. However, today's...

Sway bars, or anti-roll bars as they're properly called, act as a sort of supplemental suspension system. Though the main roll characteristics of a car are dictated by the large coil springs that...

Performance suspension technology plays a vital role in the handling and stability of a performance vehicle. What manufacturers learn from the race track, will eventually find its way to the...

Used to raise the body of an off-road vehicle, coil spring spacers are a great way to gain a couple inches of altitude without replacing the springs. Though most people who purchase coil springs...