Customized Cars

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...

The Scion line by Toyota has been successful, and lots of people are customizing them. The tC, the popular coupe Scion, has lots of different after-market options available. But one thing that can...

This How To will walk you step by step through making a custom fiberglass speaker enclosure.

Valve covers are one of the first things you see when you open the hood. Whether you have a show car or a beloved daily workhorse, powder-coating the valve covers will make them pop when you open...

Once upon a time golf carts were nothing more than a rented convenience for lazy golfers who didn't want to carry or pull their bags around the course (or were too cheap to take a caddie). But...

Blow-off valves are typically used in turbocharged engines. Squeezing performance out of a standard engine can be a difficult and dangerous thing to do, so blow-off valves are made to protect the...

Adding horsepower is not the only effective method to make a Mustang faster. When it leaves the factory, a Mustang is like most new cars, which is to say pretty heavy. In addition to adding power...

Vinyl decals are an easy way to attach a sign to a race car. Using custom vinyl lettering on professional and amateur race cars gives people a way to keep track of their favorite race car. Vinyl...

Whether customizing a modern car or restoring a classic, remodeling a headliner is a popular project with auto enthusiasts upgrading a ride. The pros charge up to $500 or more for this project...

With its rear engine layout that provides a lot of grip over the rear tires, a VW Bug makes an excellent candidate for an off-road vehicle. More commonly referred to as a Baja Bug, a VW modified...

Customizing your car makes it truly your own. You can be assured that while the make and model will stay the same, the look of your car will be 100 percent unique and a reflection of who you are....

Okay so this isn't something you can do every time you need to wash your car, but it is a way once in awhile you could get a free car wash.

Drifting is a motor sport in which a driver intentionally oversteers a car around corners on a race track or curvy road. The skill level of a driver is based on three different factors: the amount...

When driving, most people do not realize how much their car endures on the road. Splash guards are an important accessory to have. Made from a thick, hard plastic, they prevent damage due to...

Chrome plating is the process by which chromium ions dissolved in water are electrochemically transformed into chromium metal atoms and deposited uniformly across a conductive metal surface. There...

Dynamat is available in bulk packs or project kits. Dynamat has products to fit every application. Research which product is best for each application by checking out their website at dynamat.com....

You don't have to spend $20,000 to have an amazing custom chopper! You can transform the bike you already own into a hard riding, hardcore meat grinding machine on a VERY small budget. I've...

The fourth generation Golf GTI, known as the MKIV, is one of the best GTIs that VW has made over the years. After losing the plot a little with the third generation GTI, the MKIV returned to the...

A wastegate is an integral part of a turbocharger that ensures the motor doesn't get too much boost pressure as the turbo spools and rpms build. The wastegate is exactly what the name implies--a...

A harmonic balancer is a standard component of automotive engines attached to the front of the crankshaft. The purpose of the harmonic balancer is to protect the crankshaft from damage resulting...

If you want to inexpensively keep your truck cooler during hot days or save your interior from deterioration then tint your truck windows. It doesn't have to cost a lot. Professionals charge at...