25 Tips & Tricks

Keep It Cool

Intercoolers are an excellent way of keeping intake temperatures down for your turbocharged powerplant. Keeping them cool during a race is probably one of the most important necessities a racer must remember when at the track. This can be handled easily by using generous amounts of nitrous. Make sure you are spraying toward the intercooler and not on yourself or anyone else ’cuz it’s pretty damn cold.

Knock Knock

When buying a used car, the question of whether or not the car has had previous damage often pops into mind. Car owners sometimes lie or neglect what the prospective buyee is looking for, just to get them to purchase the vehicle. One way to see if the car has been damaged and then repaired is to knock on suspect body panels. With factory sheetmetal, you should hear "dings." If you knock on sections fixed with plastic body filler, you’ll know it by the "thud" sound they produces. It’s a day and night difference between the two, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that aftermarket panels are not being used.

Goin’ Down Under

Another way to tell whether or not your car (usually 󈨟 models or older) has been in a previous fender-bender, specifically a front-end collision, is to look underneath the front hood. A factory hood usually comes with a heat-resistant material attached to the undercarriage, while aftermarket hoods do not come with the protectant. Keep in mind that factory spec stickers can be purchased for a minimal price, so don’t believe that just because they’re there that the hood is an OG factory piece.

Not Only Fights Tartar Buildup, But Cleans

After spending a couple sweat-building hours in the sun waxing your pride and joy, it gets frustrating when it comes time to buff the wax out. Even more frustrating is the leftover residue in the cracks on the moldings or miscellaneous body parts. A good way to get all that crud out of there is to use a toothbrush because of its soft bristles. Another way a toothbrush can be helpful is when cleaning the rivets and spokes on three-piece wheels. And kids, don’t even think about using mom’s or dad’s. That would be bad.

Blade

Peeling vinyl graphics off your vehicle is easy, but it sometimes leaves behind a sticky residue that’s a bitch to take off. On windows, simply use a razor blade and scrape off the excess sticky stuff. If you’re removing it from the body of the car, use a bug/tar remover to clean it off (it’s a good idea to wash and wax after applying the bug/tar remover). A razor blade can also be used to remove the shoe polish from your windows at the end of race day. Remember, always be careful when using a razor blade and only use this method to remove graphics from the windows and not the body of your vehicle!

Heat It Up

In drag racing, heat is one of the many enemies to battle on race day. A good way of dissipating heat from your engine bay is to draw it into the passenger cabin by setting your air to full heat. Don’t turn on the heater, just set it to full heat and make sure the air is drawing air in and not recirculating since it will take more energy to run your heater, therefore causing a slowdown on your other engine components.

3/4 Empty? 1/4 Full?

How do you see things in life? If you see a glass filled 1/4 of the way, do you see it 3/4 empty or 1/4 full? Nah, let’s skip the philosophical bull. Two very important things to remember: On show day, keep the gas tank 1/4 full, otherwise show directors won’t let you in because of fire regulations. On race day, keep your gas at least 1/4 full (if it’s a local race), so by the time you reach the track your gas tank will be empty, and you can fill up with race gasoline.

Thin Out Those Tips

Exhaust gases leave a bu-fu-gly carbon buildup after a short period of time. This buildup is really hard to clean off with just plain soap and water and will more than likely stick to the tips for a long time. The easiest way to take off the residue is to use lacquer thinner. First, make sure you are in a well-ventilated area. Rinse off the exhaust tips to clear off dust and rock particles so that you don’t scratch the tips as you’re cleaning them off. Use a rag (try not to get the thinner on your hands, it will dry your skin out), and rub slightly until a shine breaks through.

Dual Function Pads

No, this isn’t some revolutionary women’s personal hygiene product (But what a good idea!--BM). It’s something that could actually benefit you at school. "School?" you say? Keep going! Whether you’re walking to and from school, wandering the halls between classes, or maybe you’re at Import Showoff carrying your lunch, that damn backpack you brought is starting to weigh your shoulders down. An easy remedy is to use the shoulder pads of your choice from your seatbelts and wrap them around your backpack straps. Voila! Not only do you get instant relief, but you also have this cool logo upon your shoulders.

Every Nook and Cranny

For car shows, it’s extremely important that you clean off every single part on your car. From the body to the rims right down to the fenderwells, judges will check these areas, and if they aren’t clean, you lose points! A simple way to clean off the fenderwell of your car is to use a degreaser or a heavy-duty cleaner and spray directly onto the surface. Let the excess drip off with the wonders of gravity, and you’ve just gained back your 10 points on the score sheet.

Easy Interior Upgrades

Not everyone can afford to take their car to the shop to have the interior made over. One affordable way to achieve a different look can be done by using spray paint from your local hardware store. With the aid of the vehicle manual, locate every single piece that can be removed or unscrewed (e.g., air vents, door handles, gauge cluster surround, center consoles, and other stuff) and remove those pieces according to how you’d like to stylize your interior. In a well-vented area, lay out some newspaper and spray a few coats of glossy paint until the pieces are covered (flat paint will look dull and can attract dirt alot easier.). Allow the pieces to dry completely before reinstalling them.

Air-Tight Graphics

Graphics are a sure-fire way of enhancing a vehicle’s looks. But if you’re not careful when applying the vinyl, the final appearance can look like something my little brother could have done. OK, so it’s not that hard to apply all those stickers, but what about those friggin’ air bubbles after you’ve laid it down? Without removing the sticker applicator, use a credit card or a laminated-type driver’s license to smooth over the surface and remove those unwanted air pockets. Peel back the applicator and use a pin to pop any leftovers.

Floss Your Emblems

We’re not talking about showing off your cool factory signs. We’re talking about an easier way to pop those suckers off when you upgrade to one of those cool Type R emblems. Use either dental floss or fishing line, wedge it in between and plunk. You now have another H emblem to add to your collection without damaging the paint on your car.

Red Light Special

Are you looking to do something to your car to give it a different flavor? This one is a little tricky, but it can trick out your rear ambers for added lighting. Stop by your local hobby store and pick up some "Candy Apple Red" transparent model paint. First, remove your rear taillight assembly and place it over some newspaper. In a well-ventilated area, tape off the red lens on the taillights and spray with ample coatings to match the rest of the red lens. Let it dry, reconnect the light assembly, and test out the lights to match the consistency. Overspray will match the taillight color better but will look uneven when the lights are off. To compensate for the inconsistency, replace the clear bulb with a red bulb from an aftermarket tuner shop or your local auto accessories dealer. Keep in mind that this modification is for show purposes only.

Homemade Honda Horsepower

Sometimes it gets expensive to fork out the flow to purchase an intake pipe. We want more air, dammit! An economical way to make one by yourself that also gives about the same horsepower (although not dyno-tested), is to pick up some flexible hosing from your local autoparts store. For about $12, you should be able to find a hose comprised of a spring wrapped in a black vinyl-type material with a diameter of 3 inches and about 3-5 feet in length (you will only need about 1-1/2 feet). We’ll use a Honda as our example. First, you will need to raise the passenger side of the vehicle and place it on a jackstand. Remove the tire and the plastic mudguard on the inner fender wall. Remove the lower air resonator located behind the front bumper. Using tie straps, you can mount the air tubing from the front air grille and run it up through the resonator opening to the engine bay. On the bottom of your stock airbox is a small air inlet. Run the piping into the airbox, and you will have your own homemade ram air intake system.

Let It Run

A good way to conserve time and water after you have finished soaping your car down is to let the water flow out naturally instead of through a nozzle spray or using your finger to cover the tip. This way, the water runs off faster and leaves less water to clear off, meaning less drying time for you and no more prune hands.

Cover It Up

It’s always a clean look to cover your wiring with a wire loom. Another way to keep it even cleaner is to cover the wire loom with black electrical tape. Start from the bottom of the wire loom and wrap your way to the top. Doing this will hide the crack along the wire loom, which may open at any time to expose the wiring.

Did Someone Say Lube Job?

Uh, get your minds out of the gutter ’cuz this isn’t any shameless promo plug for a new porn release. Actually, it’s a good way to describe a procedure to help your sunroof/moonroof track to slide back and forth with less restriction. Open up your sun/moonroof all the way and spray WD-40 along the track with at least two sprays. Then close and open again for one more spray. Your sun/moonroof should open a little bit faster.

No ’Mo’nia!

If you have tinted windows, don’t spray any ammonia products on the surface to clean them off. The ammonia fades the tint and kills the glue that binds the tint to the window. Use a product without ammonia in it, like Simple Green, to clean off the tint instead.

Loose Screws

We all know the Emap has a few of these, but sometimes if you try to screw something from the bottom up, the screws fall, or you stop and they drop, causing you to scurry like a squirrel trying to find a nut. One way to make sure the screws stay on your screwdriver is to use a putty-like substance and place it on the head of the screw. Once you insert the screwdriver back in (oooh, kinky), you shouldn’t lose those pesky screws again.

Dust On, Dust Off

It’s always a bitch to clean off the air vents in your ride. Rolled up tissues or Q-Tips might not work. Use a smallish paintbrush; it works the best!

No H2O

Most people forget to cover up the electrical systems in their engine bay when steam-cleaning or detailing. Over time, the moisture can cause the electrical systems to short out. One way to prevent the untimely demise of your various electrical devices is to cover them with either foil or plastic wrap. Afterwards, you shouldn’t have anymore problems.

It’s Clear To See, Part 1

OK, show car enthusiasts, listen up. On early model Honda Civics and Acura Integras (primarily 1990-1991 Civics and 1990-1993 Integras), there is an easy and free way to clear out your front bumper lights. Unscrew the light assembly from your bumper. If the lens is glued to the assembly, use a heat gun or exacto-knife to cut it off. If it isn’t, just pull it apart. On the inside is an orange lens that can slide out. Slide the orange lens out and put the light assembly back together. Booyah! Free clear bumper lights. (Note: On 1988-1989 Civics, this light assembly is a real bitch to make, so its better to purchase them. The 󈨞-󈨟 clear bumper lights are generally not mass-produced as an aftermarket item anyway.)

It’s Clear To See, Part 2

Here’s one more way to have a set of clears for all you 󈨢-and-up Integra owners. Unscrew the front bumper lights and detach them from the front bumper. Again, using the same concept as in Part 1, use a heat gun or an exacto knife to cut the lens off from the light assembly. Break off the amber piece on the inside and clean off any excess pieces. Reattach the lens to the assembly and screw it back into the front bumper. Remember, clear lighting accessories should be used for the purpose of shows only. Check with your local laws before modifying any factory lights.

Rebuild It

When the time comes to replace your brake calipers, stop! True you can go and purchase new ones, but that would mean empty pockets for you. You could also go the used route, but what if its a shoddy set? A cost-effective way would be to purchase a caliper rebuild kit. Instructions are included, and, best of all, you save a few bucks for yourself.