The craze of adding more stuff to an old car just to make it much better than it was has been part of the landscape of the automotive industry for decades. The question isn’t as much of what can you add to your old car but what should you add to the car? When you have an old F-body car from GM such as the 1968 Pontiac Firebird you will find the list is extensive regarding what you can add to the car, which means you have to be selective in what you put in this old classic.
Unless you want a car that’s the top roadster at the car show you won’t need most of what’s on the aftermarket list. Instead, take a look at your old car and figure out what will make the most difference for you with the money you have to spend. If the car has been passed down to you by your parents or another family relative you might want to avoid making dramatic changes to the car. If it’s in fairly good condition, there are still a few things you can add that will help you have a car that’s better than it was before so you have a car that’s much better than when it came off the line at GM.
To start with you should add disc brakes to all four wheels, this will help you with the stopping power you want and give you a more modern feel to the control of the car. Upgrade the radiator with better wiring and a more efficient model along with suspension improvements to give the car better all-around feel and performance. Add new headers and a better exhaust to give you some more horsepower and then it’s time to look to the inside of the car.
If you have a car that still has a good interior you only need a couple extras to help with the ride. Adding Dynamat under the carpet will help keep the engine heat out of the cabin and give you sound insulation from the road noises you would otherwise hear. Another great addition is a stereo, but this can be tricky as you might want the classic and original look, which means you need to hide the stereo somewhere. Last on the list is the roof which will need to be replaced with one that doesn’t leak and gives you the protection you need when it rains.
With all these improvements to the car you might think you’ve spent a fortune, but this is the most logical and affordable list of upgrades you can put on an old F-body GM model. The fact is you don’t have to make all these improvements at once, start with the changes that make your experience better such as the brakes and interior modifications and then move to the rest of the car. Take a look at this video and gain some inspiration for the changes you might want to make on your Firebird.
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