I know a couple people who can take just about any old car and make it look like something you want to own and drive. One of them is my friend Tommy, who has a knack for putting the perfect wheel and tire combo together for the right look and stance. And with rare exception, wheels and stance are some of the most effective ways to change the look and feel of a hot rod or cruiser. I have done a few makeovers like that and can tell you that a couple of hours worth of work can make a car or truck that looks like it has been forgotten, look like a hot rod. And isn’t that what we all want? I think sometimes we forget to do things in the order that will have the biggest impact and then our projects don’t excite us as much as they would have otherwise.
My 1966 Bel Air station wagon for example. When I bought it, it had the original 283 and Powerglide combo in it, with a 10 bolt that had a 3.23 gear in it. It had drum brakes, a 2 barrel carb, and it would NOT spin the right rear tire unless it was wet outside and you were going around a right hand corner. It looked cool when I got it, with steelies, but when we bolted on the 17 inch Edelbrock 5 spoke wheels that had previously lived on one of Freiburger’s projects, and then Todd Ryden’s Impala, it change the car completely. It looked like a hot rod. It made it fun to drive even if it was slow and it made daily driving it feel cooler than it should have. All because of a set of wheels and big and littles.
In this video here, Freiburger is going to give you some of his thoughts on what is the right way to go about making your beater better on a budget, and you should pay attention. And if you have a beater that is a project you have big plans for, but that runs and drives now, then you should make it look cool so you keep loving it, and then get all your performance parts ready to install afterwards. Don’t spend all your money on the power, and then not get to enjoy it when you run out of funds.
Video Description:
Yes, this is the 1968 Chevy Camaro that I’m giving away! The sweepstakes ends December 9, 2024, so see all the details here about how you can get a chance to win the Camaro: https://shop.davidfreiburger.com/page…
In this video, you’ll watch me take this car from beater that a guy had driven daily since 1990 and turn it into less of a beater and a great-with-sketchy-paint cruiser with a little money and not a lot of labor right in my own driveway. Let me know how I did! Should I have removed the bumper? Could I have worked harder to add a stripe? What do you think of the wheels? The good news is you can change anything you like if you win the car. Good luck!
