heres a lil info i found on show cars. (building and showing) i don't completely agree with all of it but it does make sense.
have fun and enjoy
“The sky is the limit” when it comes to car modifications. You can do almost anything to your ride as long as you got the dough. The basic modifications are aftermarket bolt-ons, custom parts and custom work and in my experience I’d have to say above all this “flash”, it’s the overall quality that will determine your ride’s title.
The quality of your car modifications and work on your ride can make or break your experience in this game so it’s important you take this lesson seriously. With the right setup, a person can turn a stock car into a high performance, head-turning, crowd-hording machine. A magnet that can bring you recognition, respect… and yes even a better sex life! People are naturally attracted to unique or expensive things right?
If you take the time to look at all the modified cars on the streets, you’d find that only a select few would be worthy to place in an auto show. Only the occasional modified car would prove to be a true show car.
So the mind begs to ask; what would it take to call your car a true show car? What does your car have to be above all the other cars to rise to fame and respect? There are many things that every true show car needs. I’ve narrowed it down to the top 13 things your ride will have to demonstrate if you want to send your competition home crying.
As a show car, you need to appeal to the majority. That sometimes means you will have to have modifications on your car that you might not want. You might have to sacrifice a little bit of your own preferences and choose something that’s considered “hot” like body kits, stickers, custom interior fiberglassing etc…
There are countless modifications and parts you can hook-up your ride with. Will you do them all? For the most of us, we don’t have a money tree growing in our backyard so you probably won’t be able to afford everything you want to do. But from your budget, make sure your ride has these 13 critical things.
In this first lesson, we’ll go through the basic “must-have’s” so pay close attention.
Paint job
A good custom paint job can be one of the most expensive modifications you can do to your car. This stage is not something to be rushed and those that have, learned from experienced that it’s not to be hurried.
There are many types of paint jobs to chose from. Everything from metallic and pearl touches all the way to flat and to glossy finishes and that alone can keep you in limbo, never mind choosing a color!
In my experience, I’d have to say that the most common mistake made by people when it comes to paint jobs, is that they chose to paint their car their favorite color. This color might not suit the car based on the body shape, style of body kit, design & color of rims, and the image you are going for.
Really put your thinking cap on when it comes getting a custom car paint job. Unlike bolt-on mods, once you do it, you really can’t go back without spending another entire month’s paycheck!
The car color trend is evolving. Color is mixing with science (metallic and pearl finishes) with a dark base hue. So if you haven’t considered a dark metallic paintjob yet, maybe now is a good time to look into it despite the extra cost.
Remember that the amount of layers of paint you put on will also determine the quality and cost of your paint job. Judges look for paint jobs that feel literally like glass and score max points to for cars that can demonstrate it.
Custom Wheels
A modified car just looks incomplete without a set of slick aftermarket rims and low-pro rubbers. It will always add that extra touch of “bling” no matter what car you have.
If you really open your eyes, it’s not only the enthusiasts that are swapping out the factory wheels but you’ll see doctors and lawyers even grandpa and grandma rolling down the street in a slick set of rims and rubber. Even though aftermarket rims are necessary, they can make or break the attractiveness of your rides so be patient and careful when you’re shopping among the thousands of styles and brands.
Custom wheels are not only about “show.” There are other underlying factors to consider such as improved handling with wider performance tires and wheels. Remember, if your rims are too heavy (like chrome) or too big (like 20”s even 18”s), they can hinder your acceleration and overall performance.
Interior
Customizing your interior is just as important as “the outside.” If all you ever did pour money into modifying the outside of your car, you’d be breaking a cardinal rule car show judges rate you by…
They say that everything on your car has to match. Not only do your exterior basic modifications have to match, but they also have to match the image of your interior. So don’t expect a black, chromed, lower-rider-luxury Lexus with a racy custom fiberglass interior to score mad points.
Engine Bay
Having a true show car is more than just a squeaky-clean and blinding engine bay. Have you ever examined the colors of a factory engine bay? Black wires, black plastic, black plugs, black covers… nearly everything is black! It’s like a funeral under your hood! This is where you’re creativity comes in…
Get some color matching performance spark plug wires, a painted valve-cover, dip stick, oil cap and replace/cover your hoses with color steel-braided lines; radiator hoses, PCV hoses etc…
Don’t forget to replace that breather hose with a pretty aftermarket filter. If you like (and this makes your car look really clean) cover all your wiring with split loom. Cleanliness I shouldn’t even have to mention anything about keeping your car tidy and clean. Being “clean” goes past the simple car wash and the interior vacuuming.
Get down N’ dirty and start wiping off any oil or other fluid leaks or stains in the engine bay. Make sure you also put extra time in maintain any chrome you have because it can easily get damaged or discolored if you don’t baby it.
Spotless and fresh smelling is what every show car needs to be. Everything has to look absolutely pristine. You can pocket some cash if you detail your own car instead of paying a shop $100 bucks. A power washer shaves hours off detailing time but requires some precautions. Cover your alternator and batter and anything else electric that’s exposed with some plastic bags.
Make sure you check your spark plug holes if water leaked inside after your done washing! Personally, I enjoy taking the time to detail my car. But if you’re too busy to do it yourself, paying a shop might be the best alternative for you.
Car detailing like a pro is covered in Custom Car Secrets Revealed. There are many tricks to detailing that many people don’t think about or bother with that are extremely important to maintaining a show car in it’s “show car” state or prepping a car to sell.
Presentation
Sometimes it takes more than just having a nice and clean car to take home the gold. Understand that when you bring your ride to a show-off, that you are the presenter. Some of the cleanest, most eye-arresting show cars lose to their competition because their owners haven’t put any effort into presenting.
There are two kinds of people that come to compete, winners and hopers.
Winners put that extra effort and spend that extra cash to setting up props on their lot. Everything from light shows and under-car mirrors to tent-stands and smoking-hot model temps! Hopers clean their cars, park them on their lot and walk around. It still puzzles when I see people just park and leave their cars hoping to win, and then complain that the car show was rigged when they didn’t get anything!
Theme/Image
Isn’t it funny that some modifications can actually make your car look more similar to other modified cars? This brings a whole new level in theme and image designing.
It’s up to you to create a show-wining image and theme for your car that will set you apart from all the other rides. One main reason why people modify their cars is to differentiate them from the factory model’s, performance and or looks-wise.
From experience, I’d advise you to chose no more than 3 colors that compliment each other. 4 colors would be pushing it and you’d risk giving people an eyesore. Trends always change and when it comes to the modification scene, the same principals apply. So, you need to keep yourself updated with what’s “in” and considered “hot.”
Make a commitment to attend as many auto shows you can even if you’re not competing or they aren’t featuring your line of taste in cars. You can get some great ideas for your car just by looking at what others have done even if they are completely different styles of modification.
Operation
Everything on your car should work properly. You must be able to give a demonstration, say your sound system if the judges request it… and make sure that your trunk and hoods are wide open before the judges come to score you.
Things naturally will break down. It’s really unavoidable no matter how well you take care of your car. Your automatic doors (or anything automatic for that matter) can break down when you least expect it for example. So, before you go to show-off your ride, test everything you can and make sure all is running according to spec.
Keeping in mind “Murphy’s Law: If something can go wrong it will go wrong.” is you best friend when it comes to working with cars, especially modifications. But I believe there is an exception to this law and that that is “knowledge.” Knowing what to expect before you have to deal with it.
This is one of the underlying missions of Custom Car Secrets Revealed. To educate people what to do, what to expect and the person “they need to be” to have a better experience working with cars and modifications.
Audio/Video
Body kits, rims, and clean engines bays are not enough to win first place. Look who’s taking home the trophies. It’s the guys with the most DVD screens, TV’s and Pimp- My-Ride interiors.
These are the guys that are commanding all the attention. Body kits and cosmetics are just the beginning of being able to win awards in an auto show. Neon lights Now honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of neon lights but nor do I hate them. The proven fact still remains that in competition, neon lights score points because they appeal to the majority of the crowd.
Remember how I said sometimes you have to sacrifice your own preferences to score max points? Personally, I decided not to light up my car with neon’s despite knowing that I could score more points with them. Body Kits Having a body kit will appeal to the majority of the crowd. Regardless of your preferences, if you want a true award winning show car, you are going to have to face the fact that your car might need a body kit.
The truth is that when body kits are chosen and put on properly, they look great on almost any car. If you’re an anti-body-kit person kind of like myself, you’ll differentiate your ride with a slick combination of body kits and lip kits.
Lip kits attach like hair extensions over your factory bumpers and side skirts. Many other people have started to hunt down their body pieces one at a time versus buying a full kit at once. This is what I did and till this day I haven’t found another Eclipse with the same setup I got. There is a section in Custom Car Secrets Revealed that goes into extreme detail on the true art of using body kits; how to choose and install the perfect kit it on your ride so it looks sharp and matching (while) paying less than what you’d normally pay.
Lowered
It’s pretty straightforward that lowering a car makes it look more aggressive and has become a prerequisite for both modified import and domestic cars. This is important because I know there are still tons of enthusiasts that want to lower their cars but are afraid that the ride experience will be bumpy and unpleasant.
This is a common scare factor that comes from people who haven’t yet experienced driving in a car with a full, proper a professional performance suspension setup.
Here is a low-cost and great setup I recommend:
Eibach lowering springs, Tokico Alumina shocks and a full adjustable camber kit.
The best way to ensure that you will have a comfortable suspension and a good looking “drop” is to stick to top-of-the-line models from name brand aftermarket manufacturers like Tein, Eibach, Tokico etc…
Make sure you do a complete lowering job if you want maximum performance and comfortability. This means you’ll have to pay that extra cash to fix that negative camber and don’t skip getting performance shocks to go with your springs.
But it’s not all-just “performance” I’m talking about here. Improperly lowering your car is a serious problem and it can milk you financially with unnecessary expenses just like refilling oil on a leaky engine. Having negative camber will unevenly wear your tires at an exponential rate and believe me, name brand tires are not cheap!
Sound
Last but certainly not least is the sound of your car. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than a sound of engine’s roaring and bass pounding. Every true show car has to have a good sounding engine, exhaust system and sound system. What am I getting at here?
I say this because I’ve seen absolutely gorgeous rides but their exhaust sounded raspy, their trunks were rattling to bass from the subs or their engines were making all kinds of ugly noises. I made the mistake by getting a timing belt job done by my mechanic one time without asking which brand he was going to use.
I later learned that most aftermarket brand timing belts were a little noisier than the factory ones. On that note, while a complete street-smart insider guide to finding the perfect performance and mechanic shops to work on your ride at a hook-up price is fully explained in Custom Car Secrets Revealed, I’ll tell you right now that you probably are spending more money than you have to.
Now you are a little more familiar with the differences between a true show car and a modified car. One thing I teach in Custom Car Secrets Revealed is that when it comes to automotive modification, keep it clean and when you do something, do it right. Attention to detail and pride in your work is what will really determines the ending quality of your ride.
Remember, you can always get all this information and tons more by getting started with the internet’s ultimate automotive modification program, Custom Car Secrets Revealed, “How to get top-quality cars, parts and modifications all under dealer cost, Build a killer show car without breaking the bank, 100% Guaranteed!
