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If you prepared the car for winter storage by attending to the gasoline (more than a half tank of fresh gas right before storage is best, and if you add a gasoline stabilizer product to it, all the better) and the battery (either by disconnecting the battery, placing it on an electronic maintainer, or removing it from the car entirely) then you shouldn’t have any issues.

Some of the more hardcore performance enthusiasts take additional steps, like backing off the rocker arms on cars with big camshafts and heavy valve springs. Also, some like to prime the oil pump with an electric drill before the first startup of springtime.

But, if your summer car is in good condition and was stored in a dry place all winter, you should be fine simply hooking up the battery and turning the key! Modern engine oils stick to internal engine parts enough to protect them until oil pressure comes up, and typical valvesprings won’t see enough movement or pressure to lose any tension over a typical four-month winter storage period.

Once your car is started, allow it to come up to operating temperature before driving it, just to make sure all is well. I’d recommend checking for any ‘new’ leaks underneath the car, and also pressing on the brake pedal to ensure proper pedal feel and pressure in the braking system. It’s also a good idea to take a moment to check tire pressure at all four corners before hitting the road.

This depends on two main factors: the amount of vacuum your engine produces, and also how much clearance you’ve got to other components on your firewall.

Vacuum brakes typically require a steady 13-15 inches of engine vacuum to operate consistently. While this is not a problem for most cars, those owners who’ve chosen more radical camshafts will not make this minimal amount of vacuum, or they will not be able to make it on a steady basis. There are electric vacuum pumps available to assist those engines that are close to making the minimal amount, but for hot rodders with really racy camshafts, even these might not be enough.

That’s where hydro-boost type systems can really shine. Since they rely on fluid pressure from the vehicle’s power steering system to aid in providing brake pressure, no engine vacuum is required. Owners of radical camshafts can enjoy the benefits of power braking with a hydro-boost type system.

This isn’t to say hydro-boost is only for owners of huge camshafts, however. Remember- hydro-boost was designed as a factory setup, so it’s very reliable and offers outstanding and consistent performance. Naturally, some plumbing mods are required to feed power steering fluid pressure to the firewall-mounted unit, but these upgrades are not difficult for experienced wrench-turners.

The other factor I mentioned was clearance on the firewall. Owners of some factory big-block equipped musclecars have little clearance between the master cylinder and the driver’s side valve cover. They simply don’t have the space to mount a typical 8-inch diameter vacuum booster behind their brake reservoir. Again, hydro-boost systems can really shine here. They are comparatively compact, and have proven to be a viable solution for those who want the feel and performance of power brakes but don’t have much space to work with.

As a hot rodder, I subscribe to the “Bigger is Better” theory here. Due to the fact that electrical resistance increases the longer the battery cable is, making the choice to run a long cable means a heavier gauge is a wise move. I like ‘0’ gauge cable in this situation, especially when a large-displacement engine (more than 430 cubic inches), or a performance engine with a high compression ratio (more than 10:1) is involved.

If you have a 454 cubic inch engine with 11.5:1 compression, you’re asking the starter and the battery to do a significant amount of work every time you turn the key. Give that battery ample cable cross-section to do the job, and it’ll reward you with reliable starting performance every time.

This goes for both the positive and ground cables, as both require clean connections and generous cable thickness in a trunk-mounted battery scenario.

I generally recommend high-end audio/visual systems to get a dedicated harness of their own. It’s not difficult to wire up a dedicated power system consisting of a stand-alone fuse (or circuit breaker) and the appropriate relays to control the various components you’re adding. Using all-new wiring allows you to do a clean installation and ensures you have a quality wire product supplying power to your components. Also, it makes any future diagnostics or troubleshooting easier because you don’t have to dig through the factory harness.

Musclecars, especially vintage models from before 1980, have pretty basic wiring setups. While installing modern electronics in these vintage cars is gaining in popularity, using any of the factory wiring to power them is not a good idea. While the existing harness in a vintage muscle car might have been fine for its original AM radio and single speaker, you’ll want to step up the quality of the wire you choose for a modern audio/video system.

Once you’ve made the decision to step up into a modern audio or audio/visual system, it only makes sense to double-check your power system anyway. Ensure you’ve got a good quality battery, battery cables, and alternator before adding any additional circuits. Replace any worn electrical system components or cables, and give your new audio or audio/visual components the best-possible chance to work at their highest performance levels.