Hot Car Mods How-Tos


How To: Assemble a trailer hitch cargo carrier light kit
See how to install a light kit for cargo carriers 63153 and 63155. We'll show you how this light kit gets installed on a cargo carrier which is part # 63153. Tow your stuff legally and safely with these brake lights.

How To: Install a fifth wheel trailer hitch on a Ford F-250
This video shows you how to install a fifth wheel trailer hitch on a 2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty.

How To: Install a trailer wiring harness on a Volvo S40
An installer shows the steps needed to remove panels, make wiring connections, and complete installation of the wiring harness for a trailer hitch on a Volvo S40.

How To: Install a trailer hitch on a Jeep Liberty
This video covers some great tips on how to make your trailer hitch installation go smoothly. It will explain how to clean out the bolt holes, make sure the hitch is aligned properly, and how to get a stubborn hole to line up.

How To: Install a trailer wiring harness on a Jeep Liberty
If you are going to tow a trailer, or if you want to wire up some accessories that need power, such as a winch or utility lights, you are going to need to install a wiring harness. This video shows you, step by step, how to complete the installation. There are some tips that will explain how to remove the tail lights, remove the plugs, install the ground, route the wires, and avoid damage to your Jeep Liberty.

How To: Tint a side window on a truck or car
Want a great tint job, but don't want to pay for it? Learn how to tint your side windows in this excellent video- for cars or trucks!

How To: Clean or Replace Windscreen Wipers Blades in Peugeot 308
How to put windscreen wiper blades in special position which permits release of the blades. It is used for cleaning or replacement of the blades. It can also be useful, in winter, to detach the blades from the windscreen.

How To: Adjust Steering Wheel for I-Cockpit
Peugeot 308 (2015 Europe model) in depth instructional video how to adjust seat and steering wheel reach and height so you can see the "head-up"instrument panel clearly, over the reduced diameter steering wheel.

How To: Delete All Your Personal Settings in I-Cockpit
My Next Car how to video series - how to restore factory settings in Peugeot 308 iCockpit (2015, 2016 and 2017 Europe model). You use this if you want to return to the default values present when the vehicle was new.

How To: Select the Right Hammer and Dolly for the Job
In this video I am going to go over the basics of hammers and dollies when repairing dent on cars. I also discuss how to select the right tool for the job.

How To: Apply and Block Sand Body Filler
In this video I am going to demonstrate how to mix, apply, spread, and block sand body filler.

How To: Restore Your Headlights Using Toothpaste
Yellowed or hazed headlights don't only make your car look tacky, it also reduces the amount of light that can shine through at night. This results in poor visibility and may result in an unnecessary accident.

How To: Turn Your '57 Chevy Classic (Or Any Old Car) into the Best Couch Ever
Antique car collecting and restoration is a very popular hobby practiced by many around the world. A quick drive through my town turns up with a handful of classic cars parked in their respective driveways, some in pristine condition, and others not-so-much. While some people end up eventually fixing up their classics, many also do not. Some cars end up rotting away, left to be either salvaged or sold off in pieces—mostly due to time consumption and excessive costs.

How To: Hand Clean a Spray Gun Using Only 2oz. Thinner
In this video tutorial, I am going to demonstrate how to clean a spray gun by hand with a few simple steps.

How To: Keep Cars Off Your Bumper with This Arduino-Controlled Rear Window LED Marquee
There are plenty of times when it would be nice to be able to give other drivers a piece of your mind, or let them know you're having car trouble so they go around instead of riding your bumper.

How To: Use Plasti Dip Coat to Black Out Car Emblems
Plasti Dip coating is a rubber like coating that can be dipped or sprayed on. I first remember the coating available as a dip years ago. It was first introduced as a coating used to dip tool handles in to provide a grip. However, since then, the coating has became available in a spray can. It has also became popular on car parts, such as wheels, emblems, and even entire cars.

How To: Hack Your Car's Cassette Deck into a Wireless Bluetooth Music Player
Still have an old tape deck installed in your car? This nifty hack lets you upgrade to the digital age without sacrificing your love for cassettes. There's nothing wrong with some low-fidelity tunes in your car every now and then, but if you want to listen to the tunes on your iPod or smartphone too, it's a lot easier (and cheaper) than buying a new in-dash player that supports line-in connections. Just add some wireless capabilities to you tape deck! All you need is a cheap cassette adapter,...

How To: Turn a Samsung Galaxy Tablet into an In-Dash GPS and Music Player for Your Car
There's nothing wrong with driving an older car, but one problem that a lot of people run into is that as mobile devices get more advanced, it gets harder and harder to use them in vehicles made more than a few years ago. There are several ways around this, like installing a dash-mounted iPod Nano or putting a smartphone dock in your ashtray.

How To: Don't Smoke? Turn Your Car's Ashtray into a DIY Smartphone Dock
If you don't smoke, your car's ashtray is probably either unused or, if you're like me, full of loose change. And if your car is older, unless you've installed one, it probably doesn't have a place for you to plug in your phone. This quick hack by Jalopnik's Jason Torchinsky will solve both of those problems by turning your ashtray into a simple DIY smartphone dock that will charge your phone and let you play music through your car's speakers. After removing and cleaning the ashtray, Jason to...

How To: DIY Subframe Connectors
The guys at PMM show you how to make your own subframe connectors to help stiffen up the chassis, and potentially reduce vibrations in the car. All you need is a length of pipe, a drill, a vice, and some extra hardware! This can be one of the least expensive suspension modifications you can do to your car.

How To: Create a Ghost Flame on Your Car Without Airbrushing or Painting
Would you like to create ghost flames or other custom paint effects, but don’t know how? Here is a quick, easy, and inexpensive method. This method does not require a paint gun, airbrush, or even paint. Follow this step-by-step procedure and watch the video tutorial and you’ll be able to do this to your own car. Best of all, if you don’t like it, I’ll even show you a method for removing it. All it takes to do this is 1/8 inch fine line tape, 3/4 masking tape, a piece of 3000 grit sandpaper, a...

How To: Wrap Your Exhaust
Reduce your engine bay temperatures and improve the look of both your whole engine bay and your headers with something so simple as an exhaust wrap. It is really easy to do if you have the patience to do it. Just wrap it tight, clamp the end, and enjoy your work!

How To: Get Free Manual Electric Fans on Your Vehicle by Removing the AC Relay
Turn your stock fans into 100% manual fans by tacking out the AC relay. Doing so will stop the signal to your compressor telling it to turn on when you hit the AC button. However, the fans will still kick on when pressed, and when released the fans will turn off. This will give you 100% free manual electric fans whenever you want. If it's a hot day and you want the air conditioner on, all you have to do it put the relay back in.

How To: Paint an Engine Block
Tired of your old engine looking... not so good? Clean it up and enhance the overall look with a simple paint job! In this episode, we show you how to paint your engine block, costing you only a few bucks and about an hour or two of your time!

HowTo: Build a Poor Man's Chevy Volt
Wish you could make the shift to electric or hybrid, but you can't afford it? If you've got more than a few free weekends on your hands, you may want to consider undertaking Benjamin Nelson's ambitious (to say the very least) car conversion project.

How To: Fabricate and install passenger side bracing in a stock race car
Follow along in this instructional video as Jeri Ellsworth demonstrates how to fabricate and install the passenger side bracing on dirt track racecar being built from a 1981 Camaro. The materials and tools needed for this project include a 1 3/4 x .120 tubing, an "Affordable Bender" bender, a Millermatic welder and a Hypertherm 43 plasma cutter.

How To: Fabricate and install the halo and window post in a stock car
Learn to fabricate the halo and window posts with some tubing and a Millermatic welder into a dirt track racecar being built from a 1981 Camaro. The materials and tools needed for this project include a 1 3/4 x .120 tubing, an "Affordable Bender" bender, a Millermatic welder and a Hypertherm 43 plasma cutter.

How To: Fabricate and install door bars in a stock car
Fabricate and build door bars (aka sissy bars) for a full tube chassis 1981 Camaro racecar by following along in this instructional video with Jeri Ellsworth. The door bars are being built for a very rugged car, designed to withstand a large amount of side impact. Tools and materials needed for this project include 1 3/4 x .120 tubing, an "Affordable Bender" tubing bender, a Millermatic welder and a Hypertherm 43 plasma cutter.

How To: Fabricate and install a roll bar in a stock car
Learn how to fabricate and install a rollbar into a 1981 Camaro being converted into a racecar. In this video, Jeri Ellsworth bends and cuts tubing into a rollbar and welds it into place. Tools and materials needed for this project include 1 3/4 x .120 tubing, an "Affordable Bender" tubing bender, a Millermatic welder and a Hypertherm 43 plasma cutter.

How To: Tie subframe rails together in a stock car
Learn how to tie subframe rails together with a Millermatic welder as this 1981 Camaro gets rebuilt into a racecar. In this video, Jeri Ellsworth welds the rails and shows proper preparation and technique. Tools and materials needed for this project include 1 3/4 x .120 tubing, an "Affordable Bender" tubing bender, a Millermatic welder and a Hypertherm 43 plasma cutter.

How To: Build the Neurotikart, a really fast electric go-kart
Does an electric racing go-kart sound like something you could have in your life? We thought so too. This video will walk you through how one man built what he calls the Neurotikart, an insanely fast DIY electric go-kart that will thrill you without making you cough up two-stroke fumes for a week afterwards.

How To: Install Recon LED Strobes and HIDs on a truck
In this tutorial, we learn how to install Recon LED Strobes and HIDs on a truck. You must first learn where each of the tires need to install and make sure they are placed in the right direction for what you want the lights to look like. After this, you will connect one side to the white wire on the positive. Then, you will leave the white disconnected on the other side for the flash to alternate between each of the lights. These will look great on a big truck! Just make sure to follow the di...

How To: Clean an automotive paint gun using a gun washer
If you've just finished your paint job on your vehicle, then you're not done yet— you still have to clean up, and making sure the paint gun you used is properly cleaned is the key to successful future spray painting. This video shows you how use clean the spray gun with a paint gun washer.

How To: Spray primer sealer and base coat paint on an automobile fender
If you're painting your auto yourself, you might need a little help if you've never done it before, especially when it comes to the primer sealer and apply your first base coat of paint. This video will show you how to do just that. An OEM fender was already prepped by sanding with 500 grit sandpaper on a DA with a soft pad and surfing the edges with a maroon scuff pad.

How To: Install a cold air intake (CAI) for a 96-04 Mustang
In this tutorial, we learn how to install a cold air intake for a 96-04 Mustang. First, you will need to lift up the hood and locate/disconnect all wiring harnesses. Then remove the bolt around the air filter housing and set aside. Separate the intake and the housing, then pull out the air filter housing. Reinstall rubber grommets that may have come out, then disconnect all hoses from the engine. Put the intake and the pieces together, then you will start to place it back into the car the way...

How To: Use hydrogen for better mileage
Hydrogen can be used to improve mileage. The hope with this method is that hydrogen will increase the amount of gasoline combusted and increase fuel efficiency, as you trickle hydrogen into the tank. Often propane is used to increase gas mileage. The studies are still being done. There's no official data at present, but there is significant experimentation.

How To: Install sequential (chase) tail lights on a Mustang
In this video, we learn how to install chase tail lights on a Mustang. First, you need to remove the rear trunk panel and trim piece. Next, prepare your tail light kit by following the directions that are given to you with the package. Next, cut the tail light wire. Now, put on your turn signal and take note of which light it still blinking, then mark it with electrical tape. Now, swap that light into the in board position and run the new wires by rewiring the new lights into the tail light. ...

How To: Adjust the mirrors on a motorcycle
Just like a car, having your mirrors adjusted to the right position can be a big help. They are important to use when trying to change lanes and can help prevent serious accidents.

How To: Tint Your 2003 Malibu Car Windows Perfectly
Objects Locate all the objects you need to remove before removing panel.

How To: Install a TRD supercharger on a Toyota Tundra
If you own a Toyota Tundra and are looking to change things up a bit inside your car, this tutorial may be what you need. In this video you'll find out how to install a TRD supercharger to your truck. More specifically, a 2008 Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8.