Your classic European muscle car is more than likely your pride and joy, so it’s important to take proper care of it. This will help preserve its integrity and make sure that it retains its value for a long time. While you may have to work hard to keep it in good shape, your hard work will be reflected in the fact that you’ll enjoy using it and showing it off to fellow enthusiasts. Here are eight of how you can preserve your muscle car and make sure that it stays in great shape for as long as you have it.

1. Fix Any Cracks

To begin, check for cracks on your European muscle car and get them fixed as soon as you can. Delaying this repair is only going to make it worsen exponentially, leaving you with a larger and more expensive problem. Cracks on the surface and windshield of your car also take away from its appeal, and that’s why you need to make sure that they’re handled the moment that they appear. Since they create points of weakness, they also present a risk because they can cause sudden and unexpected failure. The dirt and moisture that make their way through cracks are part of what speeds up the damage and makes it spread faster.

If the crack is small, you can improvise a temporary solution by using a thin layer of superglue, clear nail polish, or even a windshield repair kit. That said, these are all temporary solutions, and you need to head to an auto shop that does auto windshield repairs for vehicles similar to yours as soon as possible. Windshield repair shouldn’t be extremely expensive, so don’t take the risk of allowing cracks to put you at risk while you drive. Take care of cracks fast so that you don’t end up with something like water damage inside the vehicle as a result of moisture making its way into the car. This can leave you with a much more expensive repair to do, and it could impact your car’s appearance as well as its operation.

2. Service Maintenance Parts

You should also seek service for the various parts of your European muscle car as soon as it becomes necessary, or as often as you’re recommended to do it. If you can’t get this done at your local auto repair, look around to find if there are any professionals who are conversant with it. Do a background check before you commit to working with anyone so that you don’t take your beloved vehicle to a shop that’s known for poor service and incompetence. When you get the job that you need done completed by a professional, the improvement should be evident. Make sure that the professionals you entrust with your car have experience in working on similar projects since this is the only way that you can be sure it’s safe to trust them.

Don’t put off necessary tasks because doing so may lead to damage to other parts of the car that work together with the part in question. Something like brake repair service, whose importance speaks for itself, should be done the moment that it’s found to be necessary. When getting replacements, it’s a good idea to shop for original parts or alternatives that the manufacturer of your vehicle recommends. This way, you can be assured of the fact that you won’t do more harm than good by using alternatives that may not be the best fit for your car. It’s important to take your time and look for the right parts in this case, enlisting the help of a trusted auto car mechanic for the same.

3. Tune Your Engine

The engine of a car is basically the most important element since your European muscle car is not going anywhere without one. This is the main reason why you should take time to tune your engine and keep it in the best shape for years or even decades to come. Remember that both petrol and diesel engines need regular tune-ups and get this done for your car as often as the experts recommend that you ought to. If you have to take your car to a professional with whom you’ve never worked before, ask for proof that they know how to handle your vehicle. This is a crucial thing to do because the expense that you may undergo as a result of a botched engine tune-up amount to losing your car.

The right person to entrust with this project is an expert who is willing to take time and do everything right without cutting corners. While it’s generally ill-advised to get your auto repairs done at the first auto shop you find, the stakes are even higher with a European muscle car. This is mainly because it may not be possible to find a replacement engine if the one that you currently have is damaged beyond repair. In such a case, you may either have to abandon the car or change the engine to a different one. This would be a tragedy for you, especially if the engine is one of the reasons why you got the car in the first place.

4. Perfect Your Paint

Your auto vehicle’s paint protects the car’s exterior and helps it reflect the personality that you love it for. Keep in mind that there are a number of ways in which you can take care of your car’s paint job, and the main one is by washing the car on a regular basis. This is because dirt and grime will accumulate on the car, and they can degrade the finish, leaving spots and tiny dents that take away from the appeal of the car. You should also apply the right wax for your paint to protect it from regular wear and tear. Another product that you can use to safeguard the paint job of your European muscle car is a paint conditioner.

Look for a reliable auto shop that can handle rock chip repairs if you have some on your car. With their help, your car will stay appealing even after you drive somewhere whose environment has rock chips or sand. Make sure to fix scratches as soon as you possibly can so that they don’t worsen and leave your car looking worse for the wear. This is something that you can do with good quality car polish, especially for surface cracks and fading paint. If you get your car repainted, it’s best to apply rust-proofing and a good undercoat, then apply a clear coat of paint on top of the last layer of paint once it’s dry. Taking these steps can do a lot to make your car’s paint more resistant to damage from the environment.

5. Repair Driveline Components

Don’t forget to repair the driveline components of your European muscle car. Doing this will ensure that the car stays in optimum condition through years and years of use. A good auto car mechanic should be able to point out if and when you need to repair the driving components to stop the damage from spreading to the other components of your vehicle. The expert should know, as should you, that the driveling is also called the powertrain. It’s made up of a set of components that are interconnected and that are responsible for transmitting rotational power to the wheels from the engine.

Some of the specific components of the driveline are the transmission, the driveshaft, and the axles. These should all be in great shape in order to make the driving experience more enjoyable, or actually make it possible in the first place. Differential repair is also an important detail to work on since when it’s in optimum condition, you can operate the vehicle more safely, get better performance from the car, and enjoy good fuel efficiency. Some of the signs that your vehicle needs driveline repair are if you notice unusual vibrations and clunking sounds while you drive, such as when you change gears. Leaking fluids and hardship while changing gears also point to something in the driveline being in poor shape and being in need of urgent attention.

6. Refinish Your Wheels

You can also preserve your European muscle car by refinishing the wheels so that they look and feel as good as new. This is something that you can get done quite easily by heading to a wheel repair service center. Here they should be well-versed with the steps that you need to take to ensure that the wheels are refinished properly. The first step is to remove the wheels, which, while optional, can make the job a lot easier to do. The wheels are then scrubbed, rinsed, and blown dry with a leaf blower or compressed air.

The tire is then marked with something like tape which will make it easier to see the center of the weight. Sanding is done on the entire wheel, including inside the lug-nut holes and between the spokes. Dents are filled in with putty which is then sanded down to a smooth finish. The final steps are priming the wheels and then painting them with aluminum polish, after which a clear coat is applied to the wheels to safeguard the polish and leave the wheels dark and shiny. With refinished wheels, the rest of the aesthetical work that you do on your European muscle car will be a lot more noticeable and worth it.

7. Invest in Proper Storage

To keep your European muscle car safe from damage from the environment, you need to invest in proper storage. The best storage, in this case, is a climate-controlled garage where the temperature is mild and there’s little to no humidity. That’s because heat can weaken components that are held together with glue over time, causing rapid wear and tear. Humidity, on the other hand, can cause parts of the vehicle to rust and lead to mildew growing on the upholstery. That said, make sure that your garage door is in good shape so that it doesn’t allow air leaks and make climate control practically useless.

If a climate-controlled garage is not an option for you, you can keep the car in a regular garage and place a breathable and weatherproof car cover, especially if the garage has a roof that may leak. Once you park the car in your garage, make sure to chock the wheels so that your vehicle won’t roll, which will additionally protect the car from leaks and keep both the floor and wheels safe. Remember to always store your car with a full tank since space in the tank can cause internal rust when moisture builds up inside the tank. Don’t forget to check tires for pressure loss and let the car run every now and then if the car stays parked for a long period of time.

8. Ensure Proper Coverage

Finally, take out proper coverage for your muscle car to safeguard it from things that are beyond your control. These things include auto accidents, vandalism, and even weather events such as hail. With proper coverage, you can get any damage to your car fixed as soon as it happens and therefore protect your car from further damage. Keep in mind that a full-coverage policy should include collision and comprehensive coverage, so check to make sure that these are included in the coverage you want to get for your car.

You can work with a good business auto insurance agent who has experience guiding people on coverage for cars similar to yours. This can prove to be worthwhile because they’ll know the details that you need to make sure are included. Keep in mind that the higher the cost of your European muscle car, the higher the insurance costs are likely to be. This is a worthwhile investment since the stakes are high, so be prepared to pay for the best protection.

These are eight of the main ways in which you can preserve your European muscle car. By making sure that you’ve done each one of these tasks, you can be assured of keeping your car in great shape for a long time to come. This labor of love will translate into a beautiful car that’s the envy of other drivers on the road.