Technical how-to

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

Blueprinting basics

3 October, 2025

You occasionally hear petrol heads tossing around the term ‘blueprinting’ when referring to an engine they have assembled, and have sometimes altered significantly. What they are probably trying to say is that their engine was carefully machined to optimum tolerances and balanced — probably for racing. But that isn’t what the term meant originally. You see, in the 1950s, when US stock car race cars really had to be stock, the racing teams would go to the factories and rummage through the parts bins until they found components that were closest in tolerance to the original blueprint developed by the engine’s designers.

Protect your investment

25 March, 2021

Total Lube Guide gives you the good oil Choosing the right fluids for your car, and refreshing them regularly, is the best form of preventive maintenance. It makes driving more

Clear Eyes: Rain-X Headlight Restoration Kit

6 February, 2020

View fullsize Mention the name Rain-X and you’ll instantly think water repellent, but the company actually offers a wide range of car care products, including its Headlight Restoration

Technical Feature — Exterior touch-ups

6 October, 2019

New Zealand Classic Car goes searching for the finishing touches to a classic restoration While they might seem like little jobs after a long restoration project, the final

Technical feature — Preparing your classic for painting

30 May, 2019

New Zealand Classic Car talks to the experts on how to repaint once and do it right A car’s paint and metal work tells its story, with the

Untangling the mystery: automotive electrics

25 February, 2019

Not as frightening as it sounds — in most classic cars, wiring looms or harnesses are quite simple View fullsize For many, automotive wiring is a black art.

Putting the power down: how the drivetrain works

12 November, 2018

We send the spotlight under the car to focus on the drivetrain, covering everything from the engine’s crankshaft to the driven wheels The drivetrain is one of those

Fuel and water: hitting the fluids’ sweet spots

8 October, 2018

The engine rightfully gets the most attention, as well as naming rights, in the engine bay, but if it is going to deliver its best, it needs the

Internal procedure: intricacies of engine rebuilding

3 September, 2018

This month, we delve deep into the innards of the internal-combustion engine and look at the intricacies of rebuilding and reconditioning it View fullsize Even in today’s world

Out of sight, out of mind: a safer underbody

5 August, 2018

Whether it’s your daily driver or prized classic, that old adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is more than likely to apply View fullsize Some of us

Art in motion: coach-building secrets

20 June, 2018

Despite the pervasiveness of mass production, the art of coach building refuses to die, only becoming more sought after by those seeking the quality touch of a true

Enthusiast essentials: the must haves from January

30 January, 2018

With the diverse range of vehicles covered by our motoring titles, New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car, it’s clear that the car enthusiast demographic is

Brake components on demand

23 November, 2017

View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Long known for their expertise in brake resleeving and the remanufacturing of brake parts, Apex Auto Centre can now produce cables and

Classic logistics: buying from overseas

13 August, 2017

It wasn’t all that long ago that purchasing a car from overseas required an enormous amount of trust in the vendor, or an expensive trip abroad to ensure