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More than just another General Motors (GM) brand, over the last 50 years the Cadillac nameplate has become synonymous with the highest possible levels of style, luxury and quality in the automotive marketplace. While other top tier automakers like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes (and others) have long shared domination of the European marketplace, here in the United States Cadillac stands alone at the top of the hill. Read more ›
Original door handles and exterior mirrors are components that are always exposed to the elements and as a result, they often look far more battered and worn than the rest of your classic GM car, especially if the final paint and body work has already been completed. Interior door handles, window cranks and mirrors can take a lot of abuse too, and they can also look pretty worn out inside an otherwise immaculately restored interior. Although preserving original General Motors (GM) parts can be important to the originality of a restoration, brand new old stock factory replacement parts like handles and mirrors are simply not available anymore. Please note – the examples here are for Chevelle. You can select your year, make and model easily at OPGI.com Read more ›
When Original Parts Group Inc. (OPGI) started working with the guys from HOT ROD Garage on the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 tribute car known as “The Executive Chevelle,” the project broke new ground. The Chevelle was built from the start as a modified car using aftermarket parts and as such was the first vehicle in the OPGI fleet that was not built out as a 100%, factory-spec restoration. At the time, the stated purpose of the project was “To create a car that has the clean look of a 1970’s muscle car on the outside with modern power and reliability hidden inside.” If you think about it, that statement could be true for most classic car projects, as the owners want to retain the looks and style of the old days in cars that feature enough “modern performance” to keep up with today’s traffic and road conditions. The only problem with that balance is that the standard of performance today is pretty high, and the bar keeps getting higher. While yesterday’s V-8 powered muscle car classics still have plenty of power to keep up with modern traffic, their ability to stop and turn is a different matter entirely. Read more ›
Restoration of a classic car is usually performed in steps. After you’ve overhauled the drivetrain and made the exterior look perfect, a good next step would be getting passionate about the level of creature comforts you have planned for the interior. How your car sounds is an important aspect of that comfort and we’re not talking about the roar of your engine through the exhaust – we’re talking about entertaining sounds, the kind that should be emanating from your car audio sound system. Read more ›
Everyone knows that new weatherstripping can tighten up the fit and sealing of a vehicle’s doors, windows and trunk (and more) to make the overall driving experience quieter, cleaner and more comfortable. What fewer people seem to recognize is just how much extra noise (and extra fumes!) we are bombarded with during every day driving. Drivers seem to ignore the fact that the seals on the body of the car can slowly age to the point of total deterioration as a car gets older, and when you’re dealing with classic cars, it is pretty much guaranteed that you’ll need new weatherstripping at some point in the restoration process. Read more ›
The latest addition to OPGI’s fleet of perfectly restored GM classics needed no restoration work at all. With just 9,797 miles on the odometer, this 1987 Buick Grand National was delivered to OPGI in better-than-excellent condition. The purchase included everything but that “New Car Smell” from 30 years ago. Read more ›
It’s a pretty good bet that when you restore a vehicle, no matter the make, sheet metal work will be in your future. It’s becoming pretty rare to find a classic car out there that is rust free or in no need of any panel repair. Obviously, this is a factor when shopping for your next restoration project. If you choose a brand that has a plentiful supply of restoration parts available and you have the equipment, you can pick something that is in rougher shape. You can rest easy knowing that sheet metal parts such as floor and trunk pans, quarter panels and fenders are available. That being said however, sheet metal work does take skill and practice, even if it seems as straightforward as cutting a rusty panel out and replacing it with an identical new panel. If this sounds like something you would like to tackle, the following five tech tips will give you some pointers on successful panel replacement. Read more ›
The cooling system is one of the most important parts of any vehicle. It requires regular inspection and maintenance of all the components to ensure optimum performance. At heart of the cooling system is the radiator. This wonderful invention is responsible for cooling the engine coolant and maintaining system temperatures. Bigger engines, higher horsepower and air conditioning will quickly find the limit of an inadequately sized radiator or poorly maintained components. Even a small failure will have you on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. Use the following five tech tips to help you keep your car on the road and your cooling system happy. Read more ›
The single biggest expense involved with owning a classic car is obviously the initial cost of acquiring the vehicle or building the vehicle in the first place. While there are available collectible vehicles to suit nearly every level of budget out there on the market at any given moment, parking any classic in your garage will present the hurdle of an initial buy-in cost to overcome before you can get started in the game. Read more ›
