If you drive your classic car often, chances are you’ve had a few close calls in modern traffic. A lot of today’s commuters don’t realize that classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s don’t handle and stop as well as today’s cars.

The drum brakes that were industry standard for most of the 1960s work fine in ideal conditions — but in today’s world, where drivers are more disconnected from their own driving than ever before, that old setup is Read More

ACC’s 1966 Mustang has only 56,000 original miles. Under the hood it looks mostly original, save for a few aftermarket additions. Overall, it sounds and feels like a low-miles 289 should. But low-mile engines can be deceiving.

In the 1960s, the Big Three used plastic-tooth timing sets in a number of engines. The reasoning behind it? To eliminate noise caused by metal timing gear sets.

These plastic sets needed to be replaced within about 60,000 miles. Let one go too Read More

It may be tough to imagine, but your average 1960s American muscle car is now 50 years old. And during that time, while it probably had a few engine swaps or performance upgrades, a bunch of different wheels and tires and other routine maintenance, I’m willing to bet your car is still sporting the two-speed wipers it was born with during the Johnson administration.

Those original wipers still work, but they’ve never been ideal — especially in a passing quick Read More

When it comes to our classic cars — especially at a car show or when being sold at a collector-car auction — a first impression can have a huge impact on performance, from winning an award through bringing the right price across the auction block.

One of the simplest and most overlooked components in our cars is also one that suffers some of the most wear through use: interior carpet.

The carpet is trampled every time you get in or Read More

The carburetor is king in the world of American muscle cars for good reason: It’s simple and effective in delivering a fuel mixture to your V8.
But carburetors are quirky, and even when professionally tuned, a carb can’t always deliver the exact fuel curve your engine needs. The weather or even changes in altitude can knock that old 4-barrel on your Camaro’s 396 out of balance even if it was in perfect tune yesterday.

Car guys have learned to Read More

ACC practices what it preaches when it comes to driving our old cars. But the one thing that really leaves a lot to be desired, especially in cars from the 1960s, is steering effort — or in the sheer number of turns it takes from left lock to right lock.

A lot of factory steering boxes had four or more turns built into them. That might have been fine in the days of bias-ply rubber when more leverage was needed, Read More

Chad Tyson’s farm-fresh 1963 Ford F-100 unibody is almost completely stock from nose to tail, from the 292-ci Y-block V8 to its granny-geared 4-speed and drum brakes. Compared to modern trucks, it’s slow and doesn’t stop well. But a driver can compensate for that by just leaving more room and never being in a hurry. Trucks like this are about enjoying the ride, right?

But summer is here, and if you want to actually use your old car or truck, Read More

Shiny, deep paint has always been the go-to for car people looking to turn heads with their classic cars. But for car purists — especially those concerned with originality over everything else — there’s nothing better than having that OE paint on your classic.

For years, original paint wasn’t a priority for many car restorers, and that has made original-paint cars relatively rare today — with those cars that do have OE finishes sometimes valued higher than their resprayed counterparts, Read More

So you just bought a car at auction. You take it home, get it in your garage, and after owning it for a while, you decide it’s time to personalize it. The best way to change its look? A new set of wheels and tires.

There are thousands of wheel and tire combinations out there for buyers who want something different than OEM. But you really need to be careful, because the right rolling stock can take your car’s look Read More