What Is Restomodding?

The “restomod” has become popular recently in the world of collector cars. The process involves mixing old and new technology to develop a vehicle that offers the best of each end of the spectrum. A restomodded vehicle will have a more classic style but provide modern performance, reliability and comfort. This allows classic car enthusiasts to get even more practical enjoyment out of their vehicles.

While the trend has certainly enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent years, it isn’t anything particularly new—people have been putting newer parts in older cars as long as cars have existed. But restomodding involves more than just combining different production parts together—it involves using parts that are designed to fit into stock locations in such a way that the builder can provide modern performance standards while keeping the car in its stock state (or returning it to its stock state). The trend started with things like air conditioning and digital gauges, but now there is an entire aftermarket industry booming thanks to restomodding enthusiasts and skilled mechanics in Minneapolis, MN.

The biggest reason this trend has become so popular is that old, classic cars, for all their aesthetic value and good-looking style, really are not always that enjoyable to drive. They tend to have strange suspension feels and steering control, especially in vehicles made before the 1960s. Many old classic vehicles do not have simple features we take for granted today, like power steering and responsive brakes. The process of restomodding addresses some of these issues and makes the vehicles a bit more practical for today’s modern world.

Common issues addressed by restomodding

Here are just a few of the other most common examples of issues addressed by the restomodding process:

• Suspension: While most classic cars probably will not be able to be restomodded with a full coilover independent suspension, there are some minor improvements that can make a tremendous amount of difference, including polyurethane bushings, Panhard bars and stronger A-arms, all of which make the vehicle easier to control and keep it smooth around turns.
• Entertainment: Yes, you can add a modern stereo or media player into your classic car, as well as jacks to charge your smartphones and other devices. This is an extremely practical and useful update that will help you bring your classic vehicle up to modern standards for entertainment and convenience.
• Transmissions: A new transmission will shift much more smoothly and provide you with more gears, including overdrive gears, which allow you to run the vehicle at lower engine speeds on the highway. This makes your classic car much more fuel efficient, and also significantly cuts down on motor wear and engine noise.
• Bigger wheels: By upgrading to bigger wheels, you can select modern performance tires for better vehicle operation.

Want to know more about today’s restomodding trend? Give a call to Quality Coaches, Inc. to speak with a mechanic in Minneapolis, MN and we’ll be happy to provide you with more information and practical tips you can use when restomodding your own classic car.

Categorised in: Mechanic

This post was written by Sharon Morgan