Advice Needed: Best Upgrades for a Classic Station Wagon

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forum and recently bought a classic station wagon that I am excited to restore and upgrade. I love the vintage look but I want to make it more comfortable and reliable for long drives. What are some must have upgrades or modifications I should consider. I am thinking about improving the suspension brakes and maybe adding some modern features like a better sound system or air conditioning.

Any advice or recommendations from those who have already done this would be greatly appreciated. Also if there are any specific brands or parts you swear by I would love to hear about them. Looking forward to learning from your experiences and getting my wagon on the road in style.
I also read this topic on this site https://www.motortrend.com/features/six-hot-rod-station-wagons-ford-chevy-pontiac-dodge-sap-analytics but I could not found anything helpful for me.

Thanks in advance.

Best,
[David]

 

It might help if you tell us what the hell you bought. Kinda hard to give advice on an unknown vehicle.

 

I wanted the same thing after I bought my Chevelle, so I went all out. Rebuilt the engine adding Fuel Injection, computer controlled timing, serpentine belt system, modern accessories, 4 speed automatic trans, etc. For the chassis I replaced all the springs, shocks, added disc brakes up front, rebuilt the rear brakes, and freshened it all up underneath. On the Interior I swapped out the tired bench seats for 12 way power front leather buckets and rear leather buckets adding a modern center console with cupholders front and rear, as well as a floating 10 inch touchscreen head unit with wireless android auto and apple carplay. I also replaced all the seat belts with safer modern retracting belts. I replaced the HVAC with VintageAir. All the lighting was upgraded to LED lights, almost all the wiring was replaced, and I added an underhood fuse and relay box for all the added stuff.

Hopefully there are some ideas in all that!