The SkillShack experts offer advice and tips to help you deal with common classic car maintenance and restoration problems.
If your starter motor is refusing to turn your engine over, first check the battery has sufficient charge and is in god condition. Next, scrutinise the ends of both battery leads, plus the engine-to-chassis-to-body earth straps. The wires can end up making very poor contact where they’re crimped into the terminals. This can due be
The principle of operation of a twin-circuit master cylinder is as follows: The pedal pushrod pushes the first piston, pressuring the first circuit. This pressure is equal throughout the system and not only operates the front brakes, but also pushes the second circuit’s piston forward in the master cylinder, operating the brakes of the second
One of the best ways to preserve classic car brakes is to use the car on a regular basis. Mechanisms move around, cylinders scrape themselves clean, friction surfaces de-rust themselves and the system warms up, which drives out moisture. Dormancy leads to a raft of problems: be sure to take the wheels off and inspect
If your classic is reluctant to start, here are some top tips on how to get it going. Get an assistant to pull the choke out. Look underneath the carburettors and check that the main jet holders are being pulled down by the choke mechanism. Investigate if they aren’t. Disconnect the fuel hose to the
A festering ventilation system is a real health risk, and if yours smells dank and musty when switched on, it’s something well worth combatting. It’s possible that at some point in the car’s history, dirty flood water, sewage or countryside effluent has found its way down the external vents and into the system. This means
If the cooling passages of your classic are clogged with silt, it can lead to hot spots in the block and potential catastrophic failure. If you don’t want to remove the engine from the car and strip it completely, it’s often effective to fill the engine with quite a strong solution of kettle or dishwasher
Question: Do you have any suggestions for loosening a distributor fitted to the cast iron engine of my Triumph GT6? I fitted an Aldon Ignitor electronic ignition to the car and all was well until I tried to retime the engine at the distributor. I don’t want to use brute force because the alloy body
If your classic is having difficulty drawing fuel, it can manifest in symptoms from not starting to regular cutting out particularly under load as fuel runs out in the carburettor float. If you suspect this to be the case, there are a few things you can check. Flakes of rust or even a disintegrated gauze
Sometimes, a braking system just requires a few miles’ use to regain its function after a winter lay-up. We strongly advise, though, that it’s visually inspected for fluid leaks and dodgy pipes and hoses before turning a wheel. If matters don’t rapidly improve or if a major fault becomes obvious, then the whole system should
A brake servo in certain circumstances, can be a great upgrade for a classic car. However, many people use an aftermarket brake servo as a sticking plaster solution to mask an underlying problem. Before you even think about fitting a servo, you should fully inspect your brakes. Remove the wheels, with disc brakes, pry the
Question: My 1973 1200 Beetle will start perfectly from cold but sometimes if the engine is warm it is as though the battery has gone flat and the engine simply refuses to turn over. If I leave the car for a few hours to go cold it will start again no problem. Is it just
Never underestimate the importance of good wheels and rubber, especially when buying and selling. The wheels and tyres may not be in the eye-line but they constitute a significant percentage of the car’s façade, can cost lots to put right, and are therefore a selling point. We recommend the wheels are the correct ones for
