Restoring a classic car is about attempting to turn the clock back to the vehicle's prime. Whether you're restoring a classic car for a hobby, a side hustle, or a full-time gig, you may want to display your act of time traveling workmanship at a classic car show.
Here are some tips for making sure that your restored vehicle's headlights shine at a classic car show:
Toothpaste Shine
In most car shows, restored vehicles receive the highest marks for using the most authentic hardware. Thus, your vehicle's headlights will likely be outfitted with used headlights from a vehicle of the same era. These classic car restoration headlights are often sold by companies like Octane Lighting. The biggest issue with using original era headlights is the oxidization that naturally occurs when clear plastic is exposed to water, which can make your headlights cloudy and dingy.
- Toothpaste Treatment: What you use to keep your pearly whites shining brightly can also eliminate the oxidation on even the most oxidized headlights. To use the toothpaste method, squeeze toothpaste onto a mechanic's rag and rub the toothpaste in a circular motion on the headlights. The more oxidized the headlights, the more treatments they will need.
LED Light Show
Many car shows award creativity and originality. Just because your restored vehicle may have all its original hardware doesn't mean that you can't trick it out with a some unique accents.
- LED: LED lights come in a variety of colors and shades. You can outfit your restored vehicle with unique LED lights that accentuate the aesthetic you aim to create with your vehicle restoration. For instance, if you're attempting to make a classic hot rod look more sinister and menacing, you can use green lights for the headlights and interior lights of the vehicle. You can customize your mobile light show further by using different high-beam lighting features as well. This will give you the chance to change your lights throughout the car show.
3D Printed Classic Molding
One of the biggest issues with headlights on restored vehicles is finding the original molding to go with the headlights. Because most of these moldings were originally manufactured from rubber, few are still likely to exist for older vehicles.
- 3D Printing: with the advent of 3D printing, it's possible to recreate even the most obscure or limited part for a restored vehicle. If you can't find the molding for the headlights of your restored vehicle, consider contacting a 3D printing auto contractor. To make sure that the molding is done correctly, it's often beneficial to include pictures of the headlights with your order.
