ON ANOTHER LEVEL
Well, I sure chose a bloody brilliant time to not have an active project car! While most of us have had a fair few more spare hours up our sleeves thanks to the Level 4 lockdown, it’s good to see a whole heap of you utilizing it in the garage, getting deep into those neglected builds. Limited access to parts has been a challenge for many, forcing the need to reuse or recycle whatever pieces can be dug up from the dark corners of the property. Or, if you were smart enough to have foreseen the situation we are in now and stocked up, I hope you’ve been making good use of what you have in the interim.
Thankfully, there is some light at the end of the tunnel with the implementation of Level 3, even if that means we still can’t waltz down to the local autoparts slanger and throw cash down on the counter, we will be able to fire up the old internet machine and punch in credit-card details with the promise of receiving whatever your heart desires via courier in a few days’ time — if you have the funds, of course. Remember not to go overboard though — cash is king in times of uncertainty, and our retailers that have struggled through this situation will still be adjusting to this new way of trading, especially those that have always operated as an over-the-counter, brick-and-mortar-type outlet up until now.
With a massive, massive demand being put on the courier system, expect a few processing delays. We all want to see that order on the front doorstep the second we click Buy Now, but I imagine, for the first week or two, it’ll be like going from having the tap turned almost completely off, with a few drips every couple of seconds, to full mains pressure spewing onto the ground overnight.
If you’re not in a position to be chucking dollars into a non-essential vehicle, it’s still a sweet time to plan out what you want to do in future when the situation improves. There’s so much information out there online, and, for the first time in perhaps ever, no one is judging you for sitting on the couch staring at a screen — you’re even saving lives by doing it! Shit, themotorhood.com ( NZ Performance Car ’s collaborative online database) is a pretty good place to start.
Endless research isn’t everyone’s thing, though, so for those of you who want to get a little more hands on, now’s the time to load up a few YouTube videos, lock the garage door, and learn a new skill — whether that’s firing up the welder you bought a year back but never used, learning how to fold sheet metal, flare brake lines, change a tyre with pry bars, or even just pulling bits off your car to see how they work and putting them back again. There’s a crapload to learn and it won’t cost you a cent.
And we’ll still be here, cranking out these magazines each month. This issue, you’ll notice is crammed with a ton of our favourite tech articles, helping you get through it too. We’re all in this together, hopefully coming out the other side more knowledgeable, skilled up, and eager to make the car community even stronger. Stay calm, stay safe, and stay home.