Car customization and builds
The pitch that sold people on Apocalypter before it had a release date was one line on the store page: "Any kind of car part can be installed to any car, no limitations." The released game keeps that open part system. Fit the components you need, then check cooling, storage and towing clearance before treating a build as road-ready.
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Pairs with: Parts, condition and maintenance · Character gear and upgrades · Factions, traders and warlords
The core rule: parts do not care about pedigree
Engines, radiators, suspension, wheels, seats, steering wheels, gear levers, exhaust pipes — none of them are locked to a specific car model. The car you find on day one can end up running a V6 you pulled out of a wreck half the map away, with a mismatched exhaust routed wherever it physically fits. The developer's own showcase video for this mechanic is a Mercedes OM617 diesel engine swap into a motorcycle chariot — which is exactly as cursed as it sounds, and completely legal.
Practically, this means:
- Loot parts aggressively. A rusty radiator in a shed is a future overheating fix.
- Watch sizes, not labels. The system enforces physics, not brands: a small radiator on a big engine will run hot and eat water (players measured roughly 12 L burned on one run before switching to a medium radiator).
- Cosmetics matter for you, not the car. Steering wheels, gear levers, seats — swap for comfort and because the interior is where you spend the most time.
The part adjuster tool
Two store-page features handle the physical absurdity of all-parts-on-all-cars:
- The part adjuster tool set — move and rotate the engine, exhaust or radiator to your liking. If the hood gap is two inches narrower than the radiator you found, you fix the gap, not the radiator.
- Physical fit as a soft constraint — exhausts route through gaps ("the exhaust fit perfectly through"), and some combinations take fiddling rather than failing outright.
You will find the adjuster tool as an item while scavenging. Use it to position the component and inspect its clearance. An awkward visual fit is not a measured aerodynamic penalty.
Storage: the car is your base
The demo's biggest quality-of-life upgrades are all about not leaving things behind:
| Storage option | Where it goes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Frunk / trunk space | Built-in, car-dependent | Early overflow for food and cans |
| Roof rack | Roof mount | Long items, spare tires |
| Plastic crate | Rack or interior | General loot; cheap and replaceable |
| Metal crate | Rack or interior | The good stuff — tools, ammo, repair box |
A repair box living permanently in the car changes how you play: damage stops being a trip-ending event and starts being a five-minute inconvenience.
Going further: the mobile base
The released store description includes portable dew collectors, maggot farms and plant containers for a moving base:
- Portable dew collector — trickles water while you travel (slowly; measured at roughly 1 L per long stop).
- Portable maggot farm — portable food supply; the one you find in the demo sits at a camp.
- Plants — weed and tobacco plants grow in planters on the car and need watering; players in the discussions treat them as a sellable crop.
Trailers, rear bumpers and lift kits
The September 26 hotfix makes rear bumpers detach automatically when attaching a trailer, because the bumper can obstruct it. Installing a suspension lift kit also detaches the trailer so it can reconnect in the right position. A detached part during those operations is not automatically lost progress.
After fitting either setup, inspect the rear of the car, the trailer connection and loose parts before driving. The September 30 patch fixes small-car shaking with a lift kit. October 9 fixes load-time physics locking of engines and radiators and addresses trailer detachment after loading; a car saved in an awkward position can still detach a trailer.
Keep space around the coupled build when parking. Update before rebuilding a vehicle solely because it jumps on load, then check the affected parts and coupler. See maintenance troubleshooting.
What to build first, in order
- Roadworthy over pretty — oil, coolant, tires in usable condition, a battery that holds charge.
- Repair box in the trunk — your first permanent resident.
- One storage crate — turns scavenging runs from "what can I carry" to "what can I leave".
- Better engine + matched radiator — the first combo worth hunting for.
- Cosmetics last — a comfy seat and a better steering wheel are quality of life, not survival.