Making mistakes is all part of the learning process, but some project car mistakes can be more costly and time-consuming than others.
When it comes to tackling your first project car, you will make a lot of mistakes. There's simply no avoiding it. Don't beat yourself up over it, though -- nobody gets it right the first time around.
Still, you want to take the time to really be careful and avoid accidents wherever you can. After all, one misplaced wire or stray bolt in the manifold is all it takes to set you back hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Thankfully, a little bit of common sense and caution goes a long way in avoiding big headaches. It doesn't hurt to have someone looking out for you, either – and you've come to the right place for that.
Even if there are countless variables to determine the exact risks you're taking on your own project, there are some commonly-made mistakes that you can avoid. We're here to point them out so you can avoid them. We’ll also talk through some of the fixes in case you need to undo them because they already got you.
Upgrading Lights Without Proper Hardware
You're not the first person to spend the money and time upgrading to LED or HID headlights only to end up with a flickering mess. What gives?
The fluctuations of lighting have to do with the specifics of the headlight circuit in your car. The short answer as to why it happens is because your car's computer is designed to work with halogen lighting, which reads differently than LED or HID systems. Depending on the specifics of how your headlight circuit works, a few different things can occur. Flickering when the headlights are on, bulbs shutting off after a few moments of use, and dimming are the most common issues.
Thankfully, the fix is as simple as adding a module or relay between the new LED bulbs, and the harness. These issues are very common, and plug-and-play solutions are widely available. Exactly what you'll need depends on the symptoms you've run into and the vehicle you're working with, but a few minutes of researching forums is often all it takes to pin down the fix for your vehicle.
Stressing the Stock Alternator
Many of the best upgrades rely on the electrical system to work: additional outlets, power seats, power windows, auxiliary lights, better speakers, and so on. It's all great; at least until you run everything normally, only to suck the battery dry.
Nobody likes to be caught off guard, and, unfortunately, a jump start is only a temporary solution. Just like any other time you end up with a dead battery, a little bit of work is in order.
In these situations, the solution is upgrading the alternator so that it can keep up with the increased load. Aftermarket alternators with higher outputs are widely available, and all you need to do is figure out how much of a draw your additional gear is putting on the system and then upgrade to the alternator equipped to support it. It's also not a bad idea to upgrade to a deep-cycle battery that can offer a little extra juice for additional accessories.
Not Replacing the Harmonic Balancer
This one is specifically for older applications with two-piece harmonic balancers.
Older engines get a bad rap, but they aren't supposed to be underpowered and shaky. If you've tried every tune in the book and still can't get the engine to run smoothly, there's a good chance that the harmonic balancer has slipped.
Two-piece balancers have a rubber isolator that can dry up, crack, and fail over time. When this happens, the balancer must be replaced; there's no way around it. Luckily, a steering wheel puller makes quick work of knocking the old one off the nose of that engine. After that, pressing on a new balancer and shooting the timing should put you in business.
Changing Tire Size/Gears Without Calibrating Speedometer
Let's face it, the coolest thing you can do to any vehicle is add a custom wheel and tire combo to the mix. It hammers performance, appearance, and driving experience all in one single blow.
It also throws that speedometer into a world of trouble. So much so, that the biggest impact it has on your driving experience is confusing you with inaccurate speed readings. This happens because your car is calibrated to provide speed readings based on the factory tire height. The same thing can also happen when you move to a taller or shorter gear in the differential.
A GPS speedometer app is a good way to get by for a while but eventually, you will want to get that thing under control. It's just far more convenient to have a functional gauge. The fix is simple but dependent on the vehicle.
Older cars use gear-driven speedometers, and the tooth count of that gear can be changed to match different tire heights and gear ratios. More often than not, you can find a chart online that tells what speedometer gear is needed for common combinations.
Modern vehicles with an electronic speedometer are even easier to correct. Most performance programmers come with a speedometer calibration function that quickly corrects the issue.
Wasting Upgrades on a Stock Tune
That brings us to the perfect conclusion to the list, which is letting good upgrades go to waste on a stock tune.
Your car was sent out with a tune that matched the demands of typical everyday driving with stock components. It's not meant to deliver the best performance you can yield with an aftermarket intake, throttle body, and so on. Even if you see some desirable gains, the full potential of your combination is hidden behind the tune that is meant to work with the upgrades you've chosen.
Custom tunes are the only solution for serious builds, but aren't necessary for typical bolt-ons. A handheld programmer is really all you need, as they come with preloaded tunes that can be used to optimize your vehicle's performance for a number of settings, allowing you to squeeze those other upgrades for all they got.
Think it Through Before You Start
Fixing these issues is easy in almost every case. You won't always get so lucky, though. Bigger problems require bigger solutions, and you want to avoid them whenever possible. The best way to do that is through the power of organization.
Take the time to read ahead. Think through your build. What are you after? What will it take to get there? How does what you have to work with interfere with that? Hit the forums, figure out what others with similar visions and circumstances found themselves up against, and learn what their solutions were. Doing so goes a long way in improving your experience and success with working on cars.
While there's no way to foresee every possible issue, effective planning can still save a lot of time and frustration. Once you have that, all that's left to do is execute the vision and get back to enjoying that prized ride.