A few tips on what you could do to your car by a nice fellow called Philip Young who organises the Peking to Paris vintage car rally amoungst other things,
1) Waterproof the electrics which also keeps out the dust, onto every electrical joint, battery terminals, coil terminals, with a large squirt of Bathroom Silicone, which comes in a tube from any hardware shop. Cost: A few quid.
2) Get some stronger tyres (van tyres, six ply ok, but five-ply Reinforced type have a touch more grip, better braking, almost as strong), and get the tallest possible profile, 80 profile is better than 70, as it gives you more ground clearance, going up from 145-13 to 165-13 gives an inch of extra ground clearance. While you are at the scrappy you might as well buy a second spare wheel too. Cost: A few pounds from a scrap yard . (done)
3) Cover the brake lines and petrol lines under the floor of your car– lino tiles, or, metal channelling used to put shelves up the office wall (Dexion style) lined with more silicone works well. Cost: under a fiver
4) Sand mats are pricy unless you pick up a dog kennel coconut mat, or, sea-grass door mat, one with holes in is good, as they go into your footwell and can be a huge help when you get stuck in the sand…rubber mats are useless, they just spin out when bogged down. Available at most Garden Centres, Cost: about £2.50 each.
5) There are more problems with exhausts than any other item on rallies – make it really flexible, use a wire coat hanger, drill two holes through the two sides of the pipe, right through the two ends you join together with a strip of stout wire, and then twist together, the wire holds the pipes together but allows plenty of flexibility. Cost: nothing
6) Holes in the bonnet – its going to be blinding hot. Holes up near the windscreen edge suck air into the back of the engine bay, holes nearer the front let it out. More flow will lower under bonnet temperatures. (No need there are blanked off grills we can open up)
7) Get a new battery from a scrap yard (two or three quid), as any battery over three years old is past its prime, you will be starting the car a lot if you have an engine problem, or get stuck… also wrap baco foil round the outside of the battery as a heat deflector…
8) DIY stores do little lights that stick on under kitchen cupboards and shelves…They are ideal to stick to the side of the doors, or rear of roof lining, as interior lights, map lights, and might work under the bonnet and boot.
9) Wire mesh is great stuck behind the radiator grille as it stops the radiator getting stones, crud, or just clogging up with butterlies. Cost: A fiver.
10) Get a sheet of ply to put the jack on – when you are stuck and want to jack up the car, you will need something to stop the jack sinking in. A few quid in spares: Fan belt, accelerator cable, fuses. Cost: little.(done taking galvanised perforated ramps)
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