Modifications U (Don't) Like
Discussion
ARH said:
I couldn't agree more, followed by Black and White number plates on cars built after 1970. even her indoors insists on this. no car sold after 1969 had black and white number plates
I agree, also I can't stand the new style post 2001 number plates on Modern classics.Cup wheels on an impact bumper 911
Wood rim Mota lita steering wheels on an MGB
And I hate fake Minilites
I don't like it when people take an original classic and start changing everything, but most classics that get modified are not concours and it's done in the process of restoration to improve them as to the owner's desires. Classic cars aren't meant to be stuck in a showroom and oggled at, they're cars, they were made to be driven and enjoyed and, compared with todays cars, some of them aren't that enjoyable simply because of how hard they are to drive.
If people think their car looks better with gigantic wheels, chrome arches, body kits, it's their car to put those on and their money, I can't complain about that. If, however, they're taking a gorgeous pre-war rolls royce and chopping the top off to make a convertible because they think it will sell better that way, that is wrong and that is something that happens. I haven't seen that really complained about, instead the complaints have been aimed at mostly small cosmetic changes.
I'm 21, I drive a 2door morris 1100, so far the modifications are vanden plas dash, fog lights, electronic ignition, air horn, sound system/head unit (though all easily removable in a way that doesn't affect the car permanently aside from the shelf speakers), Jaguar XJS seats, those horrible rubber joint things replaced with later cv joints, steering wheel and a clock in the dash. It had the black on yellow / black on white plates when I got it, but that was amongst the first thing I changed because they look cheap and horrible on classic cars, regardless if they were supposed to be on the car or not.
On the point of modern seats in classics, I did mine purely for safety, the lack of any form of headrest has always bothered me and any classic I own that comes without headrests in the front will have the front seats removed and ones with headrests fitted. I know in the accident I did have (other party's fault) the reason I didn't suffer whiplash was the seats.
I intend to replace the dynamo with an alternator as my sound system can drain the battery pretty fast, if I see some I'll get some cosmic alloys for it and I'm hopefully replacing the exhaust system with something a little louder. I'm also considering a metro turbo engine if I can get hold of one. It's nowhere near original and was a 65000 mile car with one owner before me, but had almost anyone else other than me bought it, it would've been stripped for parts. I'm making it more enjoyable for me to drive and use and I couldn't care less about originality, I want comfort and usability as it's my day to day car.
All that said, some mods are outright horrific. Sticking a brand new headunit in the middle of a 50's/60's wooden dash is just wrong, and can be avoided either with better placement - under the dash, beside the gearshift column etc or by using one of the made-to-look-retro headunits. My only complaints on mods are ones that are done without considering the possibility that it's going to have an unnecessary detrimental effect - bodykits and such are excluded from this category as the owner may want the car to look like that. Nobody wants a lump of modern plastic with a glowing LCD amongst wood, chrome and analog dials (which is effectively what I have, but it's positioned in a bolt-on housing beneath the dash and can be removed with 3 bolts)
tl;dr I like a lot of controversial modifications on cars because I'm young and stupid. I'm sure my appreciation of alloy wheels and huge exhausts will change as I get older.
If people think their car looks better with gigantic wheels, chrome arches, body kits, it's their car to put those on and their money, I can't complain about that. If, however, they're taking a gorgeous pre-war rolls royce and chopping the top off to make a convertible because they think it will sell better that way, that is wrong and that is something that happens. I haven't seen that really complained about, instead the complaints have been aimed at mostly small cosmetic changes.
I'm 21, I drive a 2door morris 1100, so far the modifications are vanden plas dash, fog lights, electronic ignition, air horn, sound system/head unit (though all easily removable in a way that doesn't affect the car permanently aside from the shelf speakers), Jaguar XJS seats, those horrible rubber joint things replaced with later cv joints, steering wheel and a clock in the dash. It had the black on yellow / black on white plates when I got it, but that was amongst the first thing I changed because they look cheap and horrible on classic cars, regardless if they were supposed to be on the car or not.
On the point of modern seats in classics, I did mine purely for safety, the lack of any form of headrest has always bothered me and any classic I own that comes without headrests in the front will have the front seats removed and ones with headrests fitted. I know in the accident I did have (other party's fault) the reason I didn't suffer whiplash was the seats.
I intend to replace the dynamo with an alternator as my sound system can drain the battery pretty fast, if I see some I'll get some cosmic alloys for it and I'm hopefully replacing the exhaust system with something a little louder. I'm also considering a metro turbo engine if I can get hold of one. It's nowhere near original and was a 65000 mile car with one owner before me, but had almost anyone else other than me bought it, it would've been stripped for parts. I'm making it more enjoyable for me to drive and use and I couldn't care less about originality, I want comfort and usability as it's my day to day car.
All that said, some mods are outright horrific. Sticking a brand new headunit in the middle of a 50's/60's wooden dash is just wrong, and can be avoided either with better placement - under the dash, beside the gearshift column etc or by using one of the made-to-look-retro headunits. My only complaints on mods are ones that are done without considering the possibility that it's going to have an unnecessary detrimental effect - bodykits and such are excluded from this category as the owner may want the car to look like that. Nobody wants a lump of modern plastic with a glowing LCD amongst wood, chrome and analog dials (which is effectively what I have, but it's positioned in a bolt-on housing beneath the dash and can be removed with 3 bolts)
tl;dr I like a lot of controversial modifications on cars because I'm young and stupid. I'm sure my appreciation of alloy wheels and huge exhausts will change as I get older.
Actually your modifications are nothing more than those of us who were your age when your car was current would have carried out...so nothing wrong at all there. 
Some people seem to have the idea that cars of that era were never modified or 'modernised'in any way.
Not true.
I can remember buying some head-restraints for my company Avenger back in 1972 (when I was 20) which slotted over the back rest on the seats, and also fitting wider radial tyres, which replaced the standard crossplies.
Most young drivers modified/individualised there cars in one way or another, just as they do today, although the main pre-occupation was in keeping their old rust-bucket on the road. You were lucky if the car didn't have some filler and welding at even 5 years old, and most of our generations' first cars were likely to be more like 8-10 years. 80,000 miles probably meant a smokey engine too.
I'd still have those no-speedcam half the traffic on the road days back though.
Some people seem to have the idea that cars of that era were never modified or 'modernised'in any way.
Not true.
I can remember buying some head-restraints for my company Avenger back in 1972 (when I was 20) which slotted over the back rest on the seats, and also fitting wider radial tyres, which replaced the standard crossplies.
Most young drivers modified/individualised there cars in one way or another, just as they do today, although the main pre-occupation was in keeping their old rust-bucket on the road. You were lucky if the car didn't have some filler and welding at even 5 years old, and most of our generations' first cars were likely to be more like 8-10 years. 80,000 miles probably meant a smokey engine too.
I'd still have those no-speedcam half the traffic on the road days back though.
There are lots of modifications that would stop me buying a classic car, such as modern 5 speed gearboxes in place of original 3 or 4 speed gearboxes, synchromesh gearboxes instead of crash boxes, cable brakes replaced by hydraulic brakes, chrome wire wheels, and wheels that are smaller than they should be. But its all up to personal preference, I don't want an old car to drive like a new car, otherwise I'd just buy a new car. Other people have a different perspective.
After reading through this topic quickly...
Electric windows. Quite a few 50 plus year old cars had these, so they are not really out of place on ALL classics.
Clear Lenses: I can think of one manufacturer that used clears both front and rear in 1965. UK value of a perfect pair of these clear rears today is in the region of £1 to £2k, based on the fact that the last pair I saw for sale (in the US) was over the $1000 mark. The only reason to remove those is the value, in case the car gets hit from behind.
Electric windows. Quite a few 50 plus year old cars had these, so they are not really out of place on ALL classics.
Clear Lenses: I can think of one manufacturer that used clears both front and rear in 1965. UK value of a perfect pair of these clear rears today is in the region of £1 to £2k, based on the fact that the last pair I saw for sale (in the US) was over the $1000 mark. The only reason to remove those is the value, in case the car gets hit from behind.
shambollic said:
There are lots of modifications that would stop me buying a classic car, such as modern 5 speed gearboxes in place of original 3 or 4 speed gearboxes, synchromesh gearboxes instead of crash boxes, cable brakes replaced by hydraulic brakes, chrome wire wheels, and wheels that are smaller than they should be. But its all up to personal preference, I don't want an old car to drive like a new car, otherwise I'd just buy a new car. Other people have a different perspective.
As you say, different perspectives.The only point I would make is that modifications are often portrayed as a new phenomenon whereby "modern" drivers are ruining old cars by upgrading them.
Nothing could be further from the truth . Replacing cable brakes with hydrauilcs, fitting overdrives, improving lighting, improving cooling, fitting wider wheels, and a myriad other modifications were taking place in-period almost as soon as a car was marketed.
Road conditions have changed dramatically for the worse in the last few decades. I modify my own cars simply to make them safer and more usable on a regular basis.
mph said:
shambollic said:
There are lots of modifications that would stop me buying a classic car, such as modern 5 speed gearboxes in place of original 3 or 4 speed gearboxes, synchromesh gearboxes instead of crash boxes, cable brakes replaced by hydraulic brakes, chrome wire wheels, and wheels that are smaller than they should be. But its all up to personal preference, I don't want an old car to drive like a new car, otherwise I'd just buy a new car. Other people have a different perspective.
As you say, different perspectives.The only point I would make is that modifications are often portrayed as a new phenomenon whereby "modern" drivers are ruining old cars by upgrading them.
Nothing could be further from the truth . Replacing cable brakes with hydrauilcs, fitting overdrives, improving lighting, improving cooling, fitting wider wheels, and a myriad other modifications were taking place in-period almost as soon as a car was marketed.
Road conditions have changed dramatically for the worse in the last few decades. I modify my own cars simply to make them safer and more usable on a regular basis.
IROC-Z said:
braddo said:
Oh, and my pet hate is the trend in the US and Australia for putting huge modern wheels on old cars - stuff like 17 inch wheels on old Escorts and 20 inch ones on Camaros etc with 35 profile tyres. 
That's one of my biggest bugbears about American programmes like "rags to riches" where they painstakingly restore a basket case of a 60s Mustang or Camaro, finish of with a beautiful looking car, and then stick massive 22'' drug dealer 'rims' on it. G
ARH said:
mph said:
Minilite wheels fitted to almost everything - TR's, Stags etc.
I couldn't agree more, followed by Black and White number plates on cars built after 1970. even her indoors insists on this. no car sold after 1969 had black and white number platesThe only mods I have made have been for modern convenience. The E-type has a 2,000 watt sound system for the benefit of all around me, cucuracha horns to let her indoors know I am nearly home and to pour my scotch on the rocks, xenon headlights for the benefit of those coming the other way, 4" exhaust pipes for "that" sound, walnut dashboard with in-built satnav and head unit for stereo, electric heated memory seats, each setting just for me, and finally an electric hood.
Well, that was last night's nightmare, and in truth I have four pot calipers, an original-looking Radiomobile with modern interior, an electronic dizzy and finally a better modern cooling fan. That's about as far as I am prepared to go really.
Well, that was last night's nightmare, and in truth I have four pot calipers, an original-looking Radiomobile with modern interior, an electronic dizzy and finally a better modern cooling fan. That's about as far as I am prepared to go really.
Come on Lowdrag, cough up. What about your secret penchant for Lambo' doors...
As for my history, practically all my old cars (and bikes), certainly those in which I had any interest, were modified, usually by me. Having said that I have never owned anything irreplaceable or particularly valuable - yes, I've owned Porsche, Bristol, Panther etc. but none were the best example of their breed. I tend to view most items as raw material - our cottage is just such an example, in the last five years I have altered/updated/renovated just about every room in the house, the kitchen is scratch built and even the items of furniture that I purchased have been modified until I am happy with them... I don't know anybody that wouldn't landscape their garden or decorate their bedroom in a style that reflected their own taste, I treat cars and motorcycles in the same manner.
Who would turn up their nose at a Harrington Tiger, a Savage Cortina or a Samurai 240Z - all modified after leaving the factory...
All manufacturers have to compromise to some extent, some owners decide not to. Or at least not to accept the same compromises as the manufacturer; funnily enough most of the heavily modified cars I have had experience of have had just as many compromises as original examples, albeit different ones...
As for my history, practically all my old cars (and bikes), certainly those in which I had any interest, were modified, usually by me. Having said that I have never owned anything irreplaceable or particularly valuable - yes, I've owned Porsche, Bristol, Panther etc. but none were the best example of their breed. I tend to view most items as raw material - our cottage is just such an example, in the last five years I have altered/updated/renovated just about every room in the house, the kitchen is scratch built and even the items of furniture that I purchased have been modified until I am happy with them... I don't know anybody that wouldn't landscape their garden or decorate their bedroom in a style that reflected their own taste, I treat cars and motorcycles in the same manner.
Who would turn up their nose at a Harrington Tiger, a Savage Cortina or a Samurai 240Z - all modified after leaving the factory...
All manufacturers have to compromise to some extent, some owners decide not to. Or at least not to accept the same compromises as the manufacturer; funnily enough most of the heavily modified cars I have had experience of have had just as many compromises as original examples, albeit different ones...
RestoMod. Now cough up some pink gin.
If you don't like my personal taste. You can basically f*ck off. It's my car. I'll do with it as I see fit.
Fat wheels on the Mini. Check.
Minilites. No, sorry to disappoint. Custom splitrims instead.
Big Wheelarches. Yep.
None Period interior. Yup.
I'm going to throw on some illegal Black and Silver plates just to ensure all knickers are fully bunched up after reading this thread.
Classic Pistonheads: Narrowmindedness matters.
If you don't like my personal taste. You can basically f*ck off. It's my car. I'll do with it as I see fit.
Fat wheels on the Mini. Check.
Minilites. No, sorry to disappoint. Custom splitrims instead.
Big Wheelarches. Yep.
None Period interior. Yup.
I'm going to throw on some illegal Black and Silver plates just to ensure all knickers are fully bunched up after reading this thread.
Classic Pistonheads: Narrowmindedness matters.
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