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Thanks Cehbra. I appreciate it. It's a pretty solid old car. It just takes so much time to do things the way I want them, and I have so little of it. It really makes ME appreciate some of the beautiful cars that are on this forum, and the effort that went into them.
I spent a few hours out there this morning, and hope get a few more in this afternoon.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 07-12-2016 at 08:55 PM.
Thanks Behbra. I appreciate it. It's a pretty solid old car. It just takes so much time to do things the way I want them, and I have so little of it. It really makes ME appreciate some of the beautiful cars that are on this forum, and the effort that went into them.
I spent a few hours out there this morning, and hope get a few more in this afternoon.
I think almost all of us feel that way, Dave.
Sometimes I feel like ripping the car apart just to fix all the little things I keep finding and those I have yet to see.
Alas, my time is too limited for that.
-Jim
Last edited by CharcoalBird; 06-25-2016 at 07:14 PM.
I hear you Jim. In the sequence below, I routed a hidden MP3 jack. Had to remover the center console trim to do it. And there were a half dozen little sub projects I wanted to do to the console. But I made my self stop, and not do them right now. I need to wrap up this way overblown project, and get the car out this summer and enjoy it. Other projects can wait until this winter.
I was able to spend the better part of the day in the garage today. That won’t be an option tomorrow, so I’m glad today was a productive one.
The amplifier is wired up, along with the radio, UQ7 switch, and power antennae. Ready for a test run.
I will NOT divulge how much time I spent getting that pod back in the dash. What a pain. Would love to share a few thoughts with the DRE that signed off on that design.
Key on, and EVERYTHING worked!
We have power antennae launch!
AM/FM, CD, MP3, L/R, F/R, EQ, lighting, UQ7 (first time I’ve ever heard that work). This was with the Delco speakers in the dash still, so I’ll wait and reserve final judgement on the quality of the sound until after the front Infinity speaker, dash pad and trim install. I’m very happy though. I’m actually going to be able to hear my music with the T-tops out now!
With the test run complete, it’s time to move on to those front speakers. I want that done before I start buttoning things up.
As challenging as some of this project has been, I felt like I’d left the “best for last” trying to fit these speakers and their LARGE, un-centered magnets into the dash. I had heard the driver side was by far the worst, so I saved it until last. Driver side Delco pictured below for reference, factory installed with two screws, and one tab. I had expected to have to cut those tabs out of the way, but more on that in a moment.
Passenger speaker out, factory connector and Connector Position Assurance (CPA) pin.
Crutchfield adapter in place. Nice and easy!
While this photo (below) does not portray the depth as well as seeing it in person, with the tweeter oriented toward the center of the car, there is plenty of room all around the larger magnet. No where near the a/c duct, and keeping a respectful electro-magnetic interference (EMI) distance from the ECM.
One other thing to note in this photo. That tab I thought I’d have to cut away. Part of that rather complex corner shape moulded by Infinity is to accommodate this application. While the speaker frame does not go under the tab like the Delco did, it surrounds it nicely, using it like a locating key. Great job Infinity! Better photo of that in a minute. As you can see, a great deal of the perimeter of the speaker frame hangs off in space.
On the limited surface of the speaker frame that does touch the dash, I didn’t think a paper gasket was going to do enough to alleviate potential rattles. So I went back to the dum-dum I had used to stop rattles in the rear speaker box installation. A thin rolled bead of it along the edge of all the touching surfaces should do the trick.
Ready to go!
I sometimes think that I spend too much time on this forum. But for someone like me who is only a couple of years into owning a 3rd gen., there’s just so much to be learned here. Just this past week, I read a post by someone who is using these Crutchfield wiring adapters. And he noted that they were wired wrong, reversing the polarity when connected as supplied (they come with the large (+) and small (-) speaker terminals already attached). So I compared the connection to the schematic, and sure enough…dark green (bottom right wire) if RF (-), but the white wire on the adapter is the (+) wire and terminal. Rats! Take it back out, back to the house to rework the connector at the bench.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 06-25-2016 at 09:52 PM.
After that correction, I did one last thing. A strip of speaker box carpet wrapped over the connector and wires, then stapled shut. No rattles. At least not from that.
With the Infinity sitting with the speaker frame notch in the dash tab, the inboard hole lined up, but this outboard one required that I trim a tiny little finger of plastic off the speaker frame to expose this mounting hole. Factory screws had plenty of length. Note: Comparing installed height of these speakers to the Delco’s, they are the same. So dash pad clearance should not be an issue (he said optimistically).
Here that installed photo of the tab and notch, padded with some sticky dum-dum, just in case there was a rattle-to-be at this spot.
Passenger side done. Now on to the driver side. Yikes! Awful lack of clearance, as I had read several times. This is going to be tough. I think I’ll stop here for tonight and pick up with the driver side on another day. I feel a headache coming on.
I also read that thread about the adapters being wrong! Good to know it wasn't a one-off occurrence. Great progress thus far...but it isn't truly worth it till you take that car for a few drives.
But, always one step backwards, right? Another tiny spot of rust! See the square dirt outline above this rusty spot? That's the outline of the plastic inner fender liner...the top lip of the liner. Road spray and debris drip down behind the liner, and get trapped between the steel inner fender and plastic liner, around that screw hole (for a sheet metal screw that mounts the liner). There was a little loose dirt here, so I thought, I'll just take a plastic putty knife and knock that loose dirt off of there. Ha! A thin flake of the black undercoat flaked away, exposing the rust. So I scraped it back, and hit it with Eastwood Pre, then rust converter. Tomorrow it will get touched up with the top coat of that system, just like the battery tray. I just could not leave this behind...
Apparently, if allowed to progress, this condition can get MUCH worse.
No updates today. Took the day off work to help my son put new struts and shocks on his truck. A fun project for him though. Made him do most of the work while I showed him how.
No updates today. Took the day off work to help my son put new struts and shocks on his truck. A fun project for him though. Made him do most of the work while I showed him how.
That's the way to learn. My father did the same with me and I will at least teach my daughter to change a flat, oil, bulbs, and give a tune-up.
Yeah, he did pretty well. I think he enjoyed doing it. I don't know if he'll work on his own cars in the future, but at least he knows a little more than he did before.
Funny, that truck has a lower A-arm, strut on knuckle, but spring between the A-arm and a pocket in the frame. Where have a seen a set-up like that before?
Back at it…some from last night, some tonight.
You know, I may finally be getting just a little smarter as I get older. Bag and tag parts…a very old concept, and one I know well, but haven’t always practiced. Thank goodness I did in this case. I had no idea how long this would be apart when I took it apart. But without labels, there would be no chance of getting all of the right screws back in the right holes.
I’ve been dreading this, but it’s time to stuff that 10 lb. Infinity speaker into the 5 lb. hole in the dash. Can’t be done you say? Well, you’re right. I need to enlarge the hole to 10 lb. size.
WARNING! If you love your F-bodies 100% stock with no permanent mods, close this thread now, and look no further. While the work done could be reversed, it would not be easy. I had to think about it long and hard, but decided I was at a point of no return.
For the information of those who may follow, there may be other (or even better) ways to do this, but I could not have done it without a Dremel and a 90* adapter…the perfect tool for this job in my opinion.
As you can see by the last photo in post #255, the cluster is a little close for comfort, and removing it will give me good tool access from below. So out with the cluster. Wait, didn’t I swear I was done taking stuff OFF the car?
Found another parts tag.
Took the speaker in and out a couple of times to decide how things might fit best, and where I would need to start cutting. With a red grease pencil mark as a guide…
…I started cutting.
First through the dash frame on the right…
…then through the left hand HVAC duct.
Drum roll please…
…and success!
Full disclosure…I had that speaker in and out at least a ½ dozen times massaging the shape of that opening. And sharp eyed readers will notice that the speaker on the passenger side has the tweeter inboard, while it is outboard here. Such are the compromises of installing parts that weren’t designed to be there, while modifying the dash as little as possible.
Lastly, a test fit of the speaker with the instrument cluster in place showed clearance, but barely. Another grease pencil mark as a guide, and this time just a little kiss from my angle grinder. Not enough to punch through, but enough to thin that area out under the magnet, and create a little breathing room, in case of bumps, pot holes, and what-not.
Seems like plenty of room now. But just in case, a thin layer of cloth is spray glued over the area.
And we’ll stop there for tonight while the glue dries.
A three-day weekend ahead. I hope I can make some really good progress before I head back to work on Tuesday.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 07-01-2016 at 09:15 PM.
Reason: Because I can't type
Got a few hours in this afternoon. Stopped for dinner and may go back out after.
Still working small details. I hope to never be in here again, so I want to catch all that I can NOW, rather than later.
Gently hammering on the plastic dash with my hand revealed a bunch of rattles. Many small, and deep the structure. I can't do much about those. But one was in the very duct that I had been working on. It's two pieces, and where they come together, it's anything but a tight fit. I'm hoping that adding this double pad will provide a light tension to prevent rattles. It works now...time will tell how durable this band-aid repair is.
As with the passenger side, I wrapped the speaker connector and harness to keep rattles down. I actually ended up trimming back the portion over the harness, as it was just too bulky for this tight space.
Next I needed to close up that hole I created in the A/C duct. The best solution I could think of was Gorilla tape. If you've never used it, it's like duct tape on steroids. Very strong adhesive, and double thick backing material (webbing and plastic?). I started by setting a piece in place on the vertical...
...then trimmed it to fit the rounded shape.
Then a piece to form the bottom. It was a little more difficult to be neat with this one, but I did the best I could. This photo may appear to show gaps, but I can assure you it is air tight.
Rattle test: Passed!
Speaker installed. Sound check: Passed!
Instrument cluster re-installed, car started. Gauge check passed! On prior removal, one screw hole was tripped, and the screw was loose. Another potential rattle! Time for some of the "Plastic Dash Owners Best Friend".
A few dabs inside the hole, and the mounting screw will be nice and tight.
Looking cross-car, I saw this.
That little bundle of plastic connectors...that's my harness jumper from radio to UQ7 amp. And it's laying against the back side of the dash.
UQ7 amp removed, harness wrapped, and reinstalled.
I always enjoy working in the shop with the radio or music on. Lions, Tigers and NASCAR too. Daytona tonight. After the race, I cleaned the shop up some, and I'm done. Back at it tomorrow.
Another good day. Maybe we could use the rain, but I have no complaints about the weather thus far this Holiday weekend.
Today’s work was a little schizophrenic…a little here, a little there…but it all had to be done.
I bought a spare ashtray on eBay some months back. I slightly enlarged the existing hole next to the cigarette holding notch, and touched up the semi-gloss black paint. The original is put away in case I ever remove this one.
One last effort (for now) to cut down on rattles in the dash. The small side window defroster ducts have a small attachment screw to the dash frame (nice touch), but have a small stand-off or leg on their bottom side. Neither side actually touches the dash frame, but sits very close, and rattles when you tap it. The installed dash pad might compress these into a solid contact with the frame, but they still seemed like potential trouble makers to me.
I removed the screws so I could lift them up to clean under them, and added a small adhesive backed felt pad to each side. With the screw back in place, they are nice and quiet.
The location I will be mounting the Clarion amp inside the dash is not exactly blessed with excellent air flow. While it is a Class D amplifier, which have a reputation for running very cool (even at 300W, it has no external heat sinks) and runs cooler than anything I’ve owned before, I still felt like I should do something to provide some cooling. From my box of salvaged “stuff”, I dug out this. It came out of a computer I disassembled. 12V, very small current draw, huge heat sink with built in cooling fan. This ought to do the trick. I knew I’d need this someday.
I built a little harness for it with an inline fuse, and a relay triggered by the same radio signal that turns the amp and power antennae on and off. Bench tested, it all works great. Zip tied to a clean location on the “bottom” of the amp, it should help dissipate heat. Now I just have to get the dang thing into the dash.
Back when this mess all started, one of the first steps was to remove the passenger fender inner liner. A little chafing had occurred between the plastic and the fender. I touched those spots up with some POR-15. And while they would be 99-100% out of site with the liner back in place, I could not bring myself to NOT topcoat that lip with some matching red paint.
Outlined with pin striping tape…
…newspaper and painters tape, then a plastic drop cloth.
For a quick rattle can job, it came out pretty good. And again, the liner should hide almost all of this anyway.
Back inside the car while the paint dried, the polished cluster lens went back on. I have one small tin of fasteners that I did NOT bag and tag. All the gold anodized ones were for the lens. But I was left with this…two larger bolts, with a metal strap. One bolt is through a hole in the strap, the other bolt is loose, but I’m “assuming” the loose one goes with the strap too. And I have NO IDEA where these three things go. Look familiar to anyone?
Thank you. And I sure hope so! The original goal was to be back together and road-ready by 20 days from now (7/25) to head to a show on the 29th. That's clearly not going to happen, but I would like to be up and running fro the Dream Cruise at the very least.
If I could work on the car all day, I'm probably 3 or 4 days away from having it back together, oil changed, etc.
May get to tinker with it today, but I also need to work on my Suburban and Olds, and the daughters Saturn too. Probably some household chores to be done too. Etc., etc.
AMAZING PATIENCE doing all this tinny-tiny work. Your interior will now be soooo quiet, that you'll be able to hear all those wonderful OUTSIDE squeaks-rattles-grones and bangs with MUCH more better clarity!
By the way, did you use correct semi-gloss ashtray paint for the 1988 Trans Am? If not, you might lose valuable points at your next car show?
Hey Ed. Thanks for the well-wishes. Hope you had a great 4th also.
Rattles: No, it has maybe 200 rattles all totaled. I've made an attempt to address maybe 10 of them, while not creating new ones. That pod, as found, fractured and broken, had to be one of the top offenders. So if all of my glue and screws fixed it, I'll be very pleased. But there will still be plenty of squeaks and rattles to make any 3rd gen. enthusiast feel right at home.
Ashtray paint: Well, it came refinished. And I'll tell you that whatever paint the seller used to refinish it IS a good match for my original. Unfortunately the semi-gloss I used to touch up the hole I drilled out is a little too shiny for a perfect match. But it's getting covered anyway, so I'm not too worried about it.
Too much patience: I often wish I had more fire to slap it together and get it done. But I'm a perfectionist. Not at all to say that this car is perfect. It's FAR from it. It will never be a show car, but a nice cruiser at best. Still, once I see what I perceive as a problem, I can't leave it alone.
Like the Suburban today. Twin batteries. One tray (the std. one, if you only had one battery) is plastic. Nice! The secondary is steel. Since the last battery replacement 8 years and 11 years ago, that tray has gotten rusty. And the cable ends corroded. I could have quickly brushed off the cables, WD40'd the tray, and thrown the new batteries in. But I couldn't do it. Each cable end had to come apart and be soaked in baking soda and water, then brushed clean. The tray was wire brushed, vacuumed, dowsed in baking soda and water, rinsed, dried, then slathered in a coat of Eastwood rust converter. Now that has to dry 24 hours, be hit with a top coat, that has to dry 24 hours, then I can put the batteries in. Puts me back 48 hours being ****, and not able to leave a mess behind once I find it. I think it's like an OCD thing. But anyway....
Didn't have much time for the T/A today really. I did smear a coat of pure white silicone on the bottoms of the 3 mounting tabs of the coolant overflow bottle. Should help prevent the chafing paint and beginnings of surface rust I found when I removed it. I started to take it off to really clean it well, inside and out, but stopped myself. That's a good weekend project for another time.
I did sit down inside and start to re-install the pod, and discovered what those 10mm bolts are for (last photo in post #265 above). They bolt the pod to the dash. But which side gets the wire strap? And it goes to a bolt on the HVAC system controls?
Last edited by DynoDave43; 08-15-2016 at 11:19 PM.
It took until 11pm, but I got the radio back in. What a pain. Tested, and everything STILL works.
Coolant reservoir with white silicone under the mounting points.
I tried mounting the radio pod and HVAC controls with the 10mm bolt and that metal strap. If it fit there before, it won’t now. With the other reinforcements I’ve added, there’s no room. And (hopefully) it’s no longer needed.
That black 10mm nut on the horizontal stud…what a pain to get to. But she is snug, and the pod seems really solid now.
I originally had all those bundles of wires passing out the top of the pod. I thought they’d be easier to hide that way. But that was a no-go. Had to R&R the radio, HVAC controls, radio pod, and console trim plate again to route those wires out under the duct in the bottom of the pod on the passenger side. This created more room to nest all of this “stuff” into the right rear corner of the pod…the only open space I could push it into with the radio in place.
It took several more tries, but the radio is finally back home.
Great looking job. Just a weeeeeeee little tight in there. It reminds me of some work I had to do on the Formula when my son was about 9-10 years old. Seems like I could not get my fat fingers into a similar area. My son suggested he try. With his smaller hand, he was able to get a hand on the area. Seems like a really good professional tech with small hands could be in demand with the amount of wires and crap the factory stuffs under the dash nowadays.
SIMPLE, just work on it like they do on the assembly line, MINUS a few items:
1. Remove the windshield
2. Remove the dashboard
3. Remove the steering wheel and column
4. Remove the console
5. Remove the dash pad
6. Remove the seats
7. Hire 7 dwarfs (see if Snow White will let them do non-union work)
8. Install A/C in your garage, sit back and direct and relax!
I have no idea how they build these at line speed in the factory.
The entire dash is already assembled and wired, they just slap it in and put the 9 screws or so that holds it in. I actually bought those speakers because of your thread, but I have the luxury of having the entire dash out to cut and make them fit since it is out now for rust repair
Good point guys. I have seen many a dash built as an off-line process, then the whole thing loaded to the vehicle. No seats, interior trim, or windshield would help. A/C too. Dang it was hot out there last night.
Off-line, you could pre-attach the pod to the I/P with those two 10mm bolts. But then the whole assembly would have to be handled with that fragile pod hanging in space. And I don't think you could pre-load the pod with the HVAC controls and radio, because with those in the way, how would you drive the 10mm nut to the stud and bracket on the floor? I'd love to see how it was done...it's just how my mind works. A PAD (product assembly document) might tell you, but the only surviving PADs I've seen are for the Camaro.
However it was done, it must have been ugly. Of course, 30 years later, we've learned a lot about designing for service and assembly, and avoiding land mines like this.
Not much progress yesterday and today. Fender vent grille re-installed, vent popped back into the fender, overflow bottle back in place.
I pulled the radio pod trim plate out of the hatch area. Compared to the polished cluster lens, newly aluminum trimmed bezel, new radio, and refreshed pod, it looked a little tired. Nothing crazy, just 28 years of average wear and tear on a shiny, smooth piece of trim.
Left side before...
...and the bottom (where it curls under)...the top part of the photo is polishing in process, the bottom not yet touched.
The bottom, done polishing. That center portion was very rough, as in it was manufactured that way. I didn't want to spend too much time on it, as you can't see this surface when installed.
The left side all polished...
....waxed and buffed.
A quick coat of wax over the hole thing, and she's ready to go!
Last edited by DynoDave43; 07-07-2016 at 07:35 PM.
A busy day of non-Firebird related activities today.
But I did sneak out to the shop after everyone had gone to bed. None of this looks like much, but it takes time. Working on tucking that amp and cooling fan with relay up into it's new home. It took time to get into position upside down under the dash, try something, test it, try something else. But I'm close.
Making more good use of the Gorilla tape and zip-ties. I taped back the RCA jacks. The wiring here will never be pretty, but I'm trying to make things as neat as I can. I also added a zip-tie loop to one of the mounting tabs.
Added another zip-tie to loosely hold the line-level input wires up and out of the way.
I didn't want that relay rattling around, and I didn't want it hanging by the fine wires that come out of the fan. So I moved it up top, and secured it with more zip-ties.
The cowl side panel (kick panel) had several large openings in it, and a few small ones. One of the large ones was covered by a foam rubber patch, but it was not carefully applied, and left a gap. So more of my Gorilla tape to repair the factory patch, and replace the missing one. I also moved that round disc (hood pad looking) retainer up from where I found it (and where it apparently served no purpose..see the first photo in post #130 here)... https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ml#post5901182
...to a spot I think will prove more useful. It's where I'll hang the other end of that zip-tie I put through the mounting tab of the amp (above).
With everything stacked on top of the hush panel, I tried to hang the amp by that tie, but it's too small. And the next longer tie won't fit through the hole in the amp tab. So I'll have to drill that out tomorrow.
I thought I'd finish the night by popping my freshly painted ashtray into the console, and mounting the MP3 jack in it. Rather than wisely measuring twice and cutting once, I simply took a swag at how big the rectangular hole needed to be. And to prove the old adage right, it doesn't fit. So I had to enlarge that rectangular hole, and and respray it.
A short piece of heat shrink tube to protect the wiring…
…and the MP3 jack is installed.
Fender liner back in place…
…and wheel/tire back on. Sitting on all four for the first time in quite a while.
Everything seems to be working. Scared myself for a minute that the fog lamps were not working. Then I realized that at some point I had switched on the high beams. Problem solved. Time for a shakedown cruise.
A quick errand to the store, and a run down Woodward just for fun (and to burn up old gas). She’s running pretty good. I'm sure the wife is wondering why a 20 minute trip to the store took over 2 hours!
Thanks guys. I had today off, so I spent a good part of the day behind the wheel, burning up the last of the 1.75 year old gas. She'll get a fresh tank in the morning, along with some Stabil 360.
Ran a bunch of errands in the morning, took my daughter to lunch, then took the wife out for a couple hour drive to nowhere this evening. I'm loving the new stereo (disclaimer: It's still quite marginal by audiophile standards, but is much improved over what I had, so I'm pleased). The CD player is working very well, made it all the way through ZZ Tops "Fandango" CD without as much as a skip or hiccup. The crystal clear lens over the gauges, and the aluminum trim rings around the gauges are a nice visual change since your eyes spend a good amount of time there.
My daughter wants to go to a local cruise night tomorrow night. So we'll probably do that.
Now that I'm driving it again, I'm remembering all of the little things that I wanted to do "next", before the antennae failed. I'll never run out of projects, that's for sure.
I know what you mean about a 20 min ride to the store turning into a two hr joy ride. Im guilty of this on Sunday mornings a lot. Dave your car is so nice!
Back from one of the bigger cruise nights in our area. Wife and kiddies put us there an hour or more later than I wanted to be, but what are you going to do. A nice dinner, and some time spent checking out some other nice cars.
I did break out the 303 protectant I had purchased some time ago. Since it was not billed as a dressing like an ArmorAll, I wasn't expecting much shine. And while it's not as "wet" looking as an ArmorAll, it does darken the vinyl nicely, giving it a fresh look. That, and the best UV protection, so I'm pretty happy with it. I didn't have time to do all of the vinyl and plastic inside, but I did get the T-top bag, the cargo shade, and the dash pad.
Been spending a little time enjoying the car, now that it's back together. Made it to a cruise night in the next county. Very nicely done; lots of room with down town streets blocked off. And a nice diversity of cars that I don't usually see. Great weather, a cold drink, and the wife and I had a nice cruise. Good turnout...
A fellow Firebird owner...
...and another Pontiac owner...
...and some other nice rides.
A few of my neighbors at the cruise...an Impala SS, a very nice 1st gen Camaro, and a clean Buick GN. I was the only 3rd gen. that I saw. A very nice red Formula 350 went by on a cross street, but did not stop in. Too bad.
And a few more...talked to the owner of this super clean pickup...he ran the pre-Dream Cruise / Back to the Bricks "Friendship Promotional Tour" last year. Something like 8 overnight stays in towns through one corner of Michigan, with a show each night. Said they had about 200+ cars in the caravan. Sounds like fun! Link is to Day 1 of this years tour schedule.
Yes another 1st gen. red Firebird on the left in this photo. There was a third 1st gen. there too. Can't recall the last time I saw three at an event with only a couple of hundred cars.
It was a very nice cruise. Good setting, good turnout, and one of the best P.A. systems I've heard ever.
I moved to the metro Detroit area 27+ years ago Bill. At the time, there wasn't much going on in my home town, but there's a ton of activity up here.
Now, there are even a lot of shows and cruise nights back home. It's kind of crazy. I'm sorry to hear your in an area that lacks good participation.
I was going to enter my first "show" today, but the crazy high temps kept me out. The older I get, the less tolerant I am of it. I've only attended cruises up to now, as that's really what my car is. It's not "show" quality, and I really don't care to have it "judged". That's just me.
It was a very nice cruise. Good setting, good turnout, and one of the best P.A. systems I've heard ever.
I moved to the metro Detroit area 27+ years ago Bill. At the time, there wasn't much going on in my home town, but there's a ton of activity up here.
Now, there are even a lot of shows and cruise nights back home. It's kind of crazy. I'm sorry to hear your in an area that lacks good participation.
I was going to enter my first "show" today, but the crazy high temps kept me out. The older I get, the less tolerant I am of it. I've only attended cruises up to now, as that's really what my car is. It's not "show" quality, and I really don't care to have it "judged". That's just me.
Well, there actually is a group here that does do cruises from time to time but it's not my kind of crowd. Mostly imports. I guess that's what you get in a college town.
I'm with you on the show thing. I know my car will never be show quality, I just want to be able to take the tops off and enjoy the ride.
Well, there actually is a group here that does do cruises from time to time but it's not my kind of crowd. Mostly imports. I guess that's what you get in a college town.
My oldest brother, whom you could arguably blame for getting me into this hobby, has had several sports cars (imports). He runs with a group that has classic muscle cars, and modern ones. He also spends some time at shows and events with folks from a couple of sports car forums. But he older than me (not young), and I think that has a lot to do with his ability to get along with several different crowds.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 07-29-2016 at 01:47 PM.
I've taken a few weeks off from working on the car, just to enjoy it. It's been a while! Supposed to be out on Woodward tonight (weather permitting), and am trying to get 8 or so guys I've worked with, all of whom have collector cars, to meet up for a cruise event at the end of August.
But I need to get back to working on the car. I bought some ramps to get under the car easier, but I'm having a hard time getting the car up on them...they like to scoot out from under the tire. So I've bought some plywood to make an "approach" for the ramps. I hope to work on that this weekend, if I can find the time.
I have a set of ramps that have a block of rubber inserted on the front that prevents that from happening.their not metal ramps their some kind of plastic or fiberglass,not sure what their made of.
Rubber. Hmm. Mabe I can find some for my ramps.
I used to put stuff between my ramps and the next edge I could find, so the ramps wouldn't move off.
You could hammer a nail or two into the ground for now. That should also help.
Taking a few minutes break between working on the car and the yard…having lunch/dinner and switching back and forth between Smokey and the Bandit and the NASCAR race. I figured it was a good time to for a thread update.
The problem…passenger side fog lamp. Broken since I bought the car.
The answer, courtesy of Hawks.
Out with the old. Please ignore the bug guts on the bumper cover. I was out on Woodward last night (business is picking up in the run-up to the Woodward Dream Cruise in a few weeks), and have not gone over the bumper with spray detailer yet.
Oh man…am I going to have to buy another one for the driver side?
A little old Vs. new
The only marking on the (presumed to be) factory original.
Factory tabs in upright position.
Replacement tabs shipped flat.
Last edited by DynoDave43; 08-07-2016 at 04:00 PM.
A quick trip to Advance Auto Parts, and a new bulb is in hand. Between the new lens, and bulb, I hope this side does not end up looking “different” than the drive side when illuminated.
Fits like a glove.
But the end caps are looking a little worse for wear.
In the firm belief that there is “Better living through chemicals”, they were “polished’ up with Plastx, and coated with Back to Black.
While the Back to black made a huge difference on my passenger side plastic inner fender liner, the before and after difference here is 97% from the Plastx.
I also had the screws soaking in Evaporust, as there was just the tiniest little but of corrosion inside the Torx opening. Note the golden brown color.
Back home again.
I have to admit, getting these little caps and screws back on was sort of a pain. Dropped them inside the nose several times.
06-25-2016, 12:05 PM
