Valvoline.com

Restoration

• Getting the Lead On

  Customizing with lead body filler was so popular in the 1950s that it gave us a new term, Lead Sled, to describe a radically customized sedan slathered and smoothed with the soft, pliable metal.... Read More

• Budget Interior Resto

  So you were driving your old classic the other day, when your cell phone slips right through the giant gash in the seat and off into some netherworld. The next 30 minutes are spent digging through... Read More

• Adding Legroom

  Let's say you're a good 6-feet tall and you love the First Generation F-Body. You know, then, that driving one for any length of time will give you serious leg cramps. When the General first designed... Read More

• Early GM Dash Bezel Restoration

  The early GTO dash bezels were painted-over chrome-plated plastic. The entire bezel was plated and then painted to match the interior color scheme. Certain areas were left chrome as decorative... Read More

• Auto Vinyl Interior Dyeing

  If your vinyl interior is in good or excellent condition, but stained or faded from the sun, there is an inexpensive fix you can do at home. Most large automotive paint suppliers carry a full line of... Read More

• Armrest Resto

  Someone came up with the process around the late '50s of applying chrome-like plating to plastic parts. (Most likely it was a vendor manufacturing parts for the Big Three car manufacturers.) The use... Read More

• Filler Finder

  It's been said that rust never sleeps so—unless it's completely removed—it will continue to eat up good sheetmetal until it's no longer salvageable. Not surprisingly, some repair facilities... Read More

• A Softer Touch

  Have you ever checked out your car's reflection in a storefront window as you're driving by? You're probably like most people and like to see how your ride looks on you, like a new suit or a pair of... Read More

• Dent Repair

  If you drive, your car will eventually get a dent. Body damage is one of the most frustrating parts of motoring, because our eyes always seem to lock onto dents. ... Read More

• Dash-Knob Detailing

  Many restorers concentrate on the large picture, but the smaller items are just as important. Intricately detailed dash knobs were used during the Sixties and Seventies, and they deserve restoration... Read More

• Dash Pad Restoration

  Most people are familiar with the cracked-dash crisis caused by an older-generation formulation of a popular car-care product. People who prided themselves in their vehicles' appearances were... Read More

• Upholstery Fixes

  It's inevitable: you keep a car long enough to amortize the purchase price and that nice, rich, good-smelling upholstery will begin to deteriorate, often despite our best efforts to keep it supple.... Read More

• Dodge Neon Style Conversion

  Even though sport compacts are the hottest trend in the automotive aftermarket, the Dodge Neon wasn't one of the star performers in "The Fast and the Furious." That doesn't mean the car lacks... Read More

• SUV Upgrades

  Ever check out those surprising "Before and After" pictures in muscle magazines? The Charles Atlas transformation is invariably startling, almost unbelievable. Now imagine that degree of change for... Read More

• Replacing Automotive Carpet

  For certain things, like cantaloupes or plum tomatoes, the word ripe has positive connotations. For other things, like an old pair of sneakers, or the carpet underfoot in your automobile, the word... Read More

• Side View Mirror Replacement

  All riddles aside, driving is one of those activities that allow you to look forward AND see what's going on behind you at the same time. We take this motoring phenomenon for granted thanks to... Read More

• Professional Windshield Install

  While doing things yourself can provide the satisfying experience of a job well done, sometimes the financial outlay in tools, materials, and time do not add up to any savings over having a... Read More

• Window Chip Repair

  With the amount of bugs, rain, sleet, hail and all manner of other airborne debris out on the roadways, the windshield of any vehicle has a tough task. The glass in automotive windshields is actually... Read More

• When to Replace or Repair Your Windshield

  Incoming! Incoming! Ping—your windshield's been hit. Where a nanosecond ago you had a clear expanse of perfect glass, now you've got a nasty pockmark.... Read More

• Goodbye Mr. Chips

  Chips happen. No matter how carefully we choose our parking spots or how far behind rock-spewing trucks we drive, no vehicle is immune from the occasional paint chip. Although repairs don't require... Read More

• Sunroof Rebuild

  How do you rebuild a sunroof? It's much like any other mechanical part of your car with moving and non-moving parts—maintain or... Read More

• Chrome Charisma

  Upgrading your car's cockpit doesn't have to be a major hassle. One quick method for glamorizing the dash, console and door panels involves the simple application of chromed plastic panels. They are... Read More

• Replacing Window Door Glass

  Life is full of ups and downs, but—when it comes to your vehicle's windows—that's a very good thing. Unless the glass is altogether gone ...... Read More

• Basic Auto-Body Repair

  Whether your daily driver is a used vehicle that came with its own set of dings and scratches, or you've just suffered the first assault of an errant shopping cart on a new auto, don't worry.... Read More

• Interior Billet

  In another story, we tackled the easy stuff first: dress-up items for the engine bay. Now we're ready to move on to something a bit more challenging—the interior.... Read More

• Windshield Polishing

  Windshield damage is a year-round phenomenon, but it seems to happen more often in winter. Aside from the projectiles ejected from tire treads onto cold glass, many people scratch their own... Read More

• Windshield Chip Repair

  According to professional repairers, approximately 75% of damaged windshields can be repaired instead of replaced. This is encouraging news, especially when considering that any windshield damage... Read More

• Removing Window Tint

  When old window tint starts to bubble, the glass looks like it has a horrible skin disease. Light splotches disbursed over dark tint give the car that urban-beater attitude—whether that's your... Read More

• Color It New

  Remember that old refrain about being "Young enough to repaint, but old enough to sell"? If your vehicle falls into the former category—or even the latter—applying a fresh coat of paint can... Read More

• Simple Bumper Scuff Repair

  You've been out running errands and, upon returning to your car in the parking lot, you discover that somebody has "kissed" the bumper of your car, leaving an ugly scrape. The perpetrator is nowhere... Read More

• Scratch Repair

  Unless your driving habits keep you away from the public at large, sooner or later your pride and joy will sport scratches. Face it—we're obsessed with appearance. Still, many people choose to... Read More

• Windshield Squirters Repair

  As bad weather approaches in many parts of the country, having operational windshield squirters becomes a vital safety concern. People in snow country are well aware of how blinding dirty-snow... Read More

• Rearview Mirror Attachment

  The adhesive that holds rearview mirrors to windshield glass can lose its gripping power over time—especially if the mirror gets bumped. Aside from the obvious safety compromises, driving... Read More