Tune it right, maintain it right,.......And drive it once in a while!!

Hot August Nights is coming around soon, and again my city will be full of musclecars and their owners cursing them and complaining about how their not running properly, hard starting, pinging even on premium fuel with octane booster, or overheating in our usual 90+ degree summer weather. I'm always amazed at the conversations I have with these people when they come into the shop. They'll spend $5,000 on a paint job and $2,000 on tires and wheels, but they haven't checked or replaced the belts,hoses,fan clutch or t-stat in years, and are utterly aghast and have a fit when it overheats on a 98 degree day. Here's a conversation I had with a Shelby Mustang owner that was spewing coolant last year during HAN.  "This is a brand-new engine!" "When did you rebuild it?" "When I first bought the car." "When was that?" "12 years ago."  Hello? Your surprised that a 12 year old hose sprung a leak?  Does your 1999 Chevy work truck have the original belts and hoses on it?  Of course not! Regardless of how many miles you do or don't put on the car, the belts and hoses need to be replaced every three or four years, more often if you DON'T drive the car a lot. Here's some tips to avoid major frustration of your musclecar breaking down during Hot August Nights, the Hot Rod Power tour, or whatever other summer road trip you may try. # 1 Cars were meant to be driven, not sit for months or years at a time. I understand people not wanting to put a lot of miles on their pride and joy. However, most of the musclecars out there have 150,000 or 200,000 miles on them to begin with. That's why it needed a full restoration!  Even if you have some rare, ultra low-mileage "Survivor", just driving it 10 or 20 miles a week will go a long way to keeping the gaskets and seals soft, and not leaking, the battery charged, and everything in good working order. And do the math-even if you did this for 10 years, you wouldn't even put 10,000 miles on the car. Honestly-is a pristine Hemi Cuda with 79,600 original miles really worth a penny less than one with 70,000?  # 2. Prepare it for storage. If the car is not going to be driven for an extended period of time, it's wise to drain the gas tank, or at least put a fuel stabilizer in it, so when you do try to drive it again, the tank isn't full of varnish and rotten gas. If it gets cold, where you live, drain the radiator or make sure it has the proper ratio of anti-freeze so you don't crack the block or a head. It's also a good idea to disconnect the battery. # 3 Basic Tuning. I'm amazed at cars with show quality, magazine-cover paint jobs and bodywork, that come into my shop not running right, and when I try to pull a plug wire, it's so brittle it breaks in my hand. Or the vacuum advance is unplugged, or not working, the timing is way too slow or way advanced, or the carburator is way rich or way lean. When I ask the owner when is the last time they changed the plugs and wires, or the fuel filter, or set the timing, or changed the points, they give me a blank, vacant stare, like I asked them to explain Einstien's theory of relativity.  "Huh?" "I don't put 500 miles a year on this car." "When's the last time you tuned it up?" "When I did the frame-off restoration." "When was that?" "1997." And you wonder why the car has a miss with 14 year old plugs and wires?  Like Comedian Bill Engvall says "Here's your sign." ( That says-"Im an idiot" if your not familiar with his comedy).  # 4 Replace the old carburator!!  Keep the original in a box for concours shows or if you want to sell the car to someone really anal. However, if you want to drive the car at all, a 40 or 50 year old carb just isn't going to work. The body will leak, the throttle shafts will be loose and warped, and having it refurbished will be major-league expensive. If your a GM guy Jet and other companies make excellent stock replacement and high-performance Quadrajets. If your a Mopar guy the Edelbrock Thunder AVS will work way better than your 45 year old Carter AVS of which it's an exact replica. If you have a single or dual Carter AFBs the Edelbrock Performers series is identical and bulletproof. If your car had a Holley- get a modern vacuum-secondary model, or double-pumper if you wish with better floats and blow-proof power valves than your 40 year old one. I guarantee the car will run faster, start easier, and get better mileage.  And you'll enjoy the summer event and your car, instead of cursing it.  Mastermind