5 Things to Immediately Inspect on Your New Project Car

The excitement of buying a new project is not to be underestimated. A new-to-you lump of a car that only you can, or will, save. But where to start? If you’ve bought a new-to-you car that doesn’t run, what’s the first thing you do? Try to make it run. But that’s mighty optimistic, and may cause even more problems.

Of course, the first step depends on each individual car and your goals, but in my experience buying projects, there are five critical items to inspect right away. These will not only get you familiar with the car but also ensure that you don’t accidentally cause damage in the excitement of diving into a new project. Follow these five checkpoints to make sure that when you actually grab tools and get ready to start working, you know what you are getting into and what to expect as you work.

Tires

While there are so many more exciting things to be investigating and poking at, tires are something to examine right away. All of us can get very excited when we get a project car running for the first time and will inevitably wind ourselves up until “just one trip around the block to see if it drives okay.” Blowing out a tire on a test drive is foolish and can cost a surprising amount of money should the belts of a tire decide to whip around and take out a fender.

check the date code and visually inspect the tread. Old tires are not inherently dangerous for a gentle test drive, but if cords are showing or the tire is deformed, it’s likely best to find some better rollers for moving the car about and that first test drive.

Brakes

Sliding into the driver’s seat, turning the key, and hearing a car’s engine roar to life is thrilling. Before we even know what we are doing we are shifting to first gear and seeing how the steering feels while easing out of the garage. What’s directly in front of you? Probably something you don’t want to hit.

The first time you press the brakes should not be the first time you drive it. Take the time to inspect and make sure the brake lines and hoses are in somewhat acceptable shape before trusting your life to them. Also, what does the brake fluid look like? On the 1985 Corvette I purchased recently the brake fluid was a deep brown and sludgy in texture. Merely lubing the slide pins and adding fresh fluid transformed the brakes into actual functional items—though I still need to put on new rubber lines.

Oil (in every location)

Oil is the lifeblood of so many mechanical objects. The engine, transmission, and differential in a project are no different. Project cars are rarely parked in perfect condition, and even if they are, storage environments often conspire to dry out seals and create leaks and seeps from all kinds of weird and wonderful places. That car might have gotten parked with a pan full of engine oil, but over the years it lost a quart or three. Fail to top it up (or change it completely), and that engine that showed the promise of being a runner can quickly turn into scrap metal. The same attention ought to be afforded to the transmission differential, or transfer case oil. If you see leaks at the seller’s property, you should assume your project does not have the proper amount of oil in it.

Coolant

Just like oil, coolant is critical to most engines living past a few minutes of runtime. “But my Porsche is air-cooled!” I hear from afar. Yes, I know, and you should still be worried about coolant flowing properly. I’ve pulled the sheetmetal that directs air over air-cooled engines just to find massive mouse homes–not just a nest but a home—that would have made an engine overheat in short order. The condition of the coolant on water-cooled cars can also be important or signal what else to expect on the project. Look under the radiator cap, and if there is no coolant or just water, it’s time to dig deeper and ensure there is no damage.

Weatherstripping

Compared to the rest of this list, weather stripping seems like the last thing to worry about, but the reality is that weather stripping keeps the outside out. A fresh barn-find car sitting outside for one short autumn rain shower can be enough to ruin a serviceable interior. Take a minute to wipe down the weather stripping and check if it seals. It’s not a big deal if there are leaks, but be sure to prepare for the consequences that come with lack of sealing. A lot of long-parked cars can be easily brought back to running condition, but ignoring weatherstripping can give you headaches for a long time if not careful. From moldy smells to shorted electronics, none of the things that come from leaks are fun to deal with.