How to Customize Cars & Wheels

Old American cars are perfect for customization.

Customizing cars and wheels is a common endeavor among car enthusiasts. Customizing involves changing the appearance and, sometimes, the performance of a vehicle. There are countless ways to customize a car and its wheels. It all comes down to personal taste.

Things You'll Need

• Floor jack
• Jack stands
• Masking tape
• Spray primer
• Spray paint
• 220-, 320-, 400-, 600-, 1000-grit sandpaper
• Custom interior components
• Custom exterior lenses
• Socket set and ratchet
• Power drill
• Drill bits
• Miscellaneous automotive tools

Instructions

1. Paint the wheels. Though there are many ways to customize the wheels on your vehicle, including chroming and powder coating them, painting them is the easiest way to do it yourself. Decide on a color and if you want to paint the entire wheel or just the center.

2. Raise the vehicle with a floor jack and support it with jack stands. Remove the wheels. Tape off the tires and areas of the wheels you do not want painted. Scuff the wheels with 220-grit sandpaper to provide a surface for the paint to adhere to.

3. Apply three of four coats of primer, allowing them to dry for 30 minutes between coats. Wet sand the primer with 320-grit and then 400-grit sandpaper. Spray on three to four coats of the color you have chosen. Let the paint dry for 30 minutes between coats. Let the final coat dry overnight and then sand the paint with 400-grit, 600-grit and 1000-grit wet sandpaper.

4. Lower your vehicle’s suspension. While the wheels are removed and the car is supported on jack stands, remove the suspension and install lowering springs and performance shocks. The procedure will vary depending on the type of car. Lower the car to the ground.

5. Install blacked out or clear exterior turn signal lenses. Unscrew the stock lenses. Screw the custom lenses on in their place. Make sure you check local laws before performing this modification to make sure it is street legal.

6. Install a racing style steering wheel from Momo or Sparco. Remove the pad in the middle of the wheel. Remove the center nut and pull the wheel off. You may need to use a steering wheel puller to remove the wheel. Slide the wheel adapter onto the steering column. Install the center nut. Bolt the steering wheel to the hub adapter.

7. Remove the stock shift knob. These usually screw on, though they are sometimes held on with a set screw. Install an aftermarket shift knob for a custom look. These are usually held on with set screws that go around the perimeter of the bottom of the knob and tighten against the shift shaft.

8. Install drilled pedals. Remove the stock rubber pedal pads. Place the new pedals over the metal pedal arms and mark where the holes need to be drilled. Use a power drill to make holes. Bolt the drilled pedals in place.

References

• Modified Magazine: 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT, Turbo Shark
• Modified Magazine: Custom Nissan 350Z