You’ll be driving your car substantially less during winter, it’s a good time to make sure that everything is in tip-top shape for the spring. Many owners use the winter months to complete various projects on their rods, but even if you don’t have any major projects pending it’s a good time to take care of any nagging problems. Start by assessing how the car ran over the last year and determine if there are any areas that need special attention.

Regular Maintenance

Just like your daily driver, your Street Rodneeds regular maintenance in order to keep it in good running condition. Unlike your daily driver, it’s harder to know when it’s necessary to perform that maintenance because you may put far fewer miles on your rod than on your daily driver. Plus, you may drive it in spurts and it may sit for extended periods of time. So, just how do you figure out what to do and when?

Start by giving your rod a good once-over annually, by looking at all the hoses and belts for signs of wear. Next, check all the connections throughout the vehicle, making sure that everything is fully tightened down. Test the electrical system to make sure there are no intermittent connections or bulbs burned out.

As with any vehicle, modern or collector, fluids are the most important maintenance items to address. According to Valvoline engineer Scott Wieland, the maintenance for a rod is often different than for other vehicles you may have in your garage, because rods generally aren’t driven daily and frequently spend a lot of time just sitting. Other times, they’re taken on long road trips to major street rodding events. Keeping the use in mind, Wieland suggested running whatever oil is recommended by the engine manufacturer for your particular set up. His general rule of thumb is to change the oil every 3,000 miles or every three months. When a vehicle isn’t being driven much, “condensation builds up and you can get rust inside the engine,” says Wieland. Using an oil with a corrosion inhibitor can increase the length of time between oil changes, but you’d still want to change your oil several times a year.

On the other hand, the main enemy of your transmission is heat, so unless you’re planning a cross-country trip over the entire summer, you aren’t likely to be subjecting it to anything near what it is built to withstand. As a result, you can simply follow your manufacturer’s guidelines. Keep in mind that both engine and transmission gaskets dry out faster when the lubricants aren’t running through the vehicle often enough to keep them moist. Watch for leaks, and if you see them, change your gaskets or do like some rodders and go without them entirely, using a silicone-type sealer instead.

About the Company: As you will have gathered from our Business Philosophy, as a family business we're committed to the sport of Hot Rodding. We've been involved since 1973 and over that time have built a number of rods including a '37 Ford coupe, '55 F100, '32 Ford roadster, '32 Ford sedan and our '28 Sedan Delivery that attended six Street Rod Nationals. Proof of our belief that street rods should be DRIVEN.