JRoy91RS

Sorry this is so long, but I have a lot of questions. My 91RS convertible is in pretty sad shape. So bad, that I'm thinking of selling it to someone who will take better care of her, since I am moving to NY next year for grad school. Before I sacrifice her, I thought I'd ask some questions about restoration costs/parts, etc. These questions apply to a teal green 91 RS 'vert with gray leather interior:

1)How much would it cost a decent interior shop to install new carpet (OEM or slightly better)?
2)How much would it cost to recover front leather seats?
3) If #2 is expensive, what other seats will bolt right in to the front besides 4th gens?
4)a) How much for a decent OEM-style paint job? b)The paint is actually pretty good except for the hood and a spot on the front area around the windshield. Would it be feasible just to 'touch up' these areas, or will it look like crap if I don't pain the whole car?
5) The top is practically new, but I need a really good cleaner to get some grime off. Any recommendations?
Finally, my biggest question:
6) My convertible top isn't working properly, and hasn't been for some time. More specifically, the switch that pops up the tonneau cover doesn't work. There are two black cables on each side of the back seat that I have to pull in order for the cover to pop up. What is wrong here, and how do I fix this?

Thanks guys, and if you can recommend any interior/paint shops or junkyards (for seats,etc.) in the Houston, TX or Austin area, I would appreciate it! Whew!

James

Matthew91-Z28

Man...you are talking about really minor things here that don't rate giving up a rare third gen convertable. You do know that there were only 3000 convertables produced anually from 88-92? Comparatively (Don't qote me on this) there were only 18000 69 Z28's produced and those are a VERY highly sought after car.

Your carpet set (OEM quality) can be bought at several places for @ $150 I think. Check out YearOne.com and Thirdgenresource.com.

Your seats are originals I guess? Depends on how much you value them and how much you value the idea of having original leather seats. I bought front and back leather seats (dark grey) from ebay (from a 96 camaro) for $500. Reupholstering your seats may cost roughly the same. Or in the meantime, you can get some camaro car seat covers. I have seen them at wallmart with "camaro" written on them for like $30. I still have the light grey set I pulled out of mine but am not sure if I want to part with them.

You can prob do the hood yourself. Or at least most of the prep work and have someone paint it for you. The quality you want depends on how much you can spend. But if we are talking about lots of things you want to get done and need to spread your funds evenly, you may have to consider less than top-of-the line job. And that is ok.

For cleaning your top, go to Autozone/Pepboys and have them flip thru their 3M catalogue. 3M carries lots of convertable top care products.


This is not that much work on what is going to be a collector car someday, maybe.

Keep the faith and let me know if you have any more ?'s

Matt

Matthew91-Z28

Oh yeah.....and you tonneau cover. Mines is ok. But it is just the cable that needs to be tightend down. Its prob a similar mechanism used to tighten the brakes on your 10-speed.

I just flipped thru Chilton and don't see anything about that latch, but get as close to you can to the problem (prob where the cable attaches to the latch) and figure out what the prob is.

Ever read "Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintanence"? This could be a very Zen-like experience for you.:lala:

Just playing. No really. Take a little time and figure it out. Don't give up your car!

Matthew91-Z28

Also, a couple more things; it sounds like from your sig that you have put a lot of time into this car, or maybe it was like this when you got it. And I have driven through PLuferville by the way. I used to live in Houston as a matter of fact, as well as College Station, live in FW/Dallas now and go to Austin all the time.

But my point is: thats alot of work. Don't abandon ship yet.

JRoy91RS

Thanks for the reply, Matthew. Yeah, I guess you're right. When I think about it, it really isn't that much work/money to spend. It's just that it's hard for me to justify the cost when I have to get myself through grad school next year. I think there were something like 5000 'verts made in '91, but I'm not sure. I've checked, and summit has carpet for about 100 bucks, but I'm not sure about installing it. I'm afraid it will look crappy if I do it myself. It's funny, I am not nervous at all about doing engine work, stuff that's big, dumb, and messy, but little things scare me, because I'm afraid I'll screw up how something looks. Right now, I could probably settle for a less than stellar job on the paint. I actually could wait until I get out of school and save money for the paint. The carpet is really, really in bad shape and is probably the priority, as is making the top fully functional again and cleaning it up. As far as seats go, the driver's side is the worst (those with leather seats know what I'm talking about.) The pass. seat is fine except for a small cig. burn (I was young, stupid, and smoked in my car for a short time back in the 90's). This is why I'm thinking of recovering the driver's side rather than replacing all the seats. Right now, there are crappy seat covers on. The rear seats are pretty good. In fact, they're in really good shape.

JRoy91RS

Wow, thanks again, man. By the time I posted, you had two more posts! You know, I've always wanted to read that book. I was a philosophy and English major in college and ran across references to it all the time. I have put a lot of work into the car already. Unfortunately, while I was working on the engine swap, the appearance suffered. It also took me a long time just to get it to where it is now because I had electrical problems with an attempted TPI swap and the original TBI setup, so it was sitting out in the weather a while. Now, my priorities have changed, and I want a nice-looking reliable weekend car to jet down to Galveston on the weekend. After I get more cash, I can make it faster. I used to live in San Marcos (that's where I went to school), but now my wife and I live in Houston, but I still visit friends and family in the Austin area. In fact, another thing that makes this restoration problematic is that the car is at a friend's house in Austin until we get it running again.

GarageToys

iTrader: (6)

If you can tear down your engine, you can definitely install your own carpet- don't pay someone else to do it. ACC is supposed to have the best replacement carpet.

A good body shop should be able to color-match your existing paint and spot-in areas that need work. Think of it this way: Insurance companies usually wont pay body shops to paint the entire car after an accident, so they have to match new paint to the old every day.

Of course my car has bare metal floors and is 6 different colors, so what the hell do I know?

Matthew91-Z28

Believe me, being in grad school and having this car is going to be a bit of a blessing. I am in medical school now in Fort Worth (undergrad at TAMU); But I borrowed more money than I needed last year (lo-interest federal loans) and have it set aside when something comes up with the car. And as a student, getting money is pretty easy. Ans since you are married and I assume your wife is working, you won't be borrowing all that much anyway. Well, since its out-of-state for you maybe I should take that back.

Actually I just started reading that book. Its a really good story.

aND, AS Firebird said, the carpet installation is not difficult. Getting your seats out is VERY UN-complicated. So just make sure you have enough spray-adhesive and go to town. Or, just pull your seats and do one hell of a carpet shampoo job or rent a steam cleaner.

What are you going to study in grad school? Is it philosophy? Thats very cool. What do you plan to do after grad school?

JRoy91RS

I'm going to school up at NYU, which is in Manhattan. Having a car there is more of a liability than anything, from what I've been told. It would be nice to be able to keep my car, but it'll probably stay covered up at my parents' in TX while I'm in school. I don't know, if we live on Long Island or in NJ, we'll probably have at least one car to get away on the weekend (probably my wife's blazer, which is a cool car). We'll probably be pretty strained financially, but if I borrow enough money to go full time, I should be done in about a year and a half. I was accepted into NYU's M.A. program for Humanities and Social Thought, which is sort of a liberal arts M.A. with an emphasis on cultural studies/critical theory. From there, I'd like to work in film, publishing, TV, or journalism, maybe even advertising, and eventually get my doctorate in philosophy.

Good luck to you in med. school. How long do you have to go? What are you going to specialize in? After all is said and done, you should be making enough to build the ultimate thirdgen!

Well, I'll try the carpet myself since it isn't that expensive. Now I just have to save the money. Right now, everything is going to pay off already accumulated debt and into savings for the big move up to NY. Thanks again for your help, and if you're ever back in Houston, let me know and we can have a beer!

James

JRoy91RS

Another question: Is there a layer of insulation beneath the carpet that I would need to replace? If not, would it be a good idea to install some?

Jstcrzyengh

iTrader: (2)

I am in the same dilemma so to speak as you and hear is what I did/am doing.

1) local shop that put my new top on wants $250.00. Dynamat, and some custom embroidery on it. I do refer a lot of business, so that might be why, but $200-$250 would be a good estimate to have a custom job done instead of the template jobs you get from yearone.

2) I asked the same question of the same shop that gives me the discounts and they said $1,200.00! Man I ran to the 4th gen's real quick, plus there more comfortable. You could also get yours covered in vinyl and no one will ever know the difference. Ever see a set of 4th gens? only the part you sit on is actually leather. the rest is vinyl! I still say go 4th gen, they are much more comfortable and look so much better.

3) see #2

4) Wow, that is a broad question I have asked many times and here is the broad answer I always get. How much do you want to spend? My car was originally maui blue, the guy before me did a maaco red job and the engine bay is all blue, etc... looks really bad. The paint job I want is going to run around 5.5k... It's all in how you value your car. I REALLY value my car hehe

5) um... cleaner? What's that? hehe My top is never up to get dirty.

6) Your actuators are bad. Mine were too, but i just one the following ebay auctions and will have my top back to OEM in no time. However, these were a once in a lifetime find and you will actually need to find a way to get yours rebuilt.

Actuators and tonneau

Let's just say I have searched ebay for four years and called all the way to germany to find these pieces!

Feel free to email me or look for lonsal on the boards he is a guy in the know.

James

JRoy91RS

First of all, I want to thank you very much for your comprehensive reply.
Let me respond to your responses in kind:
1) Are the template carpets not as good quality as the job you will be getting? Are some much better than others? 250 doesn't sound too bad to me, but I'm looking to save money anywhere I can, and installing it myself is starting to sound better and better, as long as it won't look like total garbage. I'd almost prefer to make sure it was done right the first time...maybe I can shop around.
2 and 3) Geez! 1200 bucks! 4th gen seats, hear I come! (Or maybe vinyl!) Are there any other seats that bolt right up?
4) I am probably looking to spend under a grand, if possible, on paint...for now! I want to retain the factory color, so no color changes for me. Maybe later down the road, I'll try a totally fresh paint job. Right now, I have to consider economics.
5)Ha! Good point. 'Course you live on the west coast where it never rains and is always warm and sunny...what are you, a freaking lizard?!
6) So what's the deal with the actuators on my car? Why are those black cables exposed? Where they always there, or did I just notice them when the switch to pop open the tonneau quit working? If these things are just solenoids, they shouldn't be too difficult to rebuild, right?

Hey, thanks a lot again, man. And good luck to you on your restoration.

James

Jstcrzyengh

iTrader: (2)

Ok, I woke up and checked my mail at 6am, so my grammar is really going to suck After this I am going back to bed hehe

As far as carpeting here is the links to the exact page for your carpet Year One 1982-1992 Fbody Carpet kits Since you can go with the deluxe carpeting for your car I would and your also going to want to most likely go for a complete set. If you get just the passenger compartment alone it will look kind of funky when mixed with the old storage area. as you will see though you are looking at $250.00 anyway. I would call around and tell them that you just want some good carpetting and I would suggest dynamat, unless you are on a weight reduction plan for your car. Which at just over 700lbs more weight for the convertible than the T-top cars we should be; but we get so much more road noise I prefer to quite it down as much as possible.

As far as other seats the only thing that I can think of is racing seats. Which are BIG $$$. Here's some links to 4th gen seats, some poeple like the firebird seats more because most of them come with lumbar support, but if you got a camaro I say get camaro seats, firebird = firebird seats, but to each his own

These are the exact ones I have and here is some 98 trans am seats and here is some bulk links to the seats on ebay:

Camaro Seats and Firebird Seats

If you are looking for a paint job under a grand all I have to say is "Uh oh better get maaco" Hehe serisously though, if you do all the prep work yourself, have them do the best d*mn paint job they can (which is like $600.00), than you will have a nice looking paint job that will definetely be a refresher at least for 2-4 years, just wax it and keep it up and you should be good. I would also suggest doing a search for "maaco" or paint jobs, because a lot of people have given some great information as to what exactly to tell maaco to do, that way you get the best job possible. Trust me you do need to TELL them what to do.

Nope not a lizard, I rarely drive my car. The engine she is a dying and the tranny has seen a few too many miles. I am actually saving up for either a SC 334 OR the LS1 swap, about the same price and the same power, and both are original, so we will see where the dollar lies on that one.

The black cables attach to the release cables on your tonneau cover. when you press the release switch it releases the top and the tonneau is supposed to pop right up. Making putting the top up or down an easy deal for one person driving. I hate putting the top up or down by myself. You have to walk back and forth, but not after the new tonneau and the actuators are in As far as getting them rebuilt... I haven't found anyone yet that can get the right parts... Like I said look for "lonsal" or "willie" the moderator, they may know more about rebuilding them. I THINK, and I am sorry lon if I am spouting off wrong information here, that he actually rebuilds the hatch release. Maybe he can do the actuators too? But I heard that the internals would have to be custom made.

Well, sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps. Good Luck.

James

JRoy91RS

Very, very helpful. Thank you!! I sure am glad there are guys like you on this board!!

So...it looks like:
1)I'll be going to a decent upholstery shop for carpet (+/- $250)
2/3)Getting 4thgen seats (300-500 bucks)
4)As far as paint goes, there are a lot of really good small-town paint and body shops around here that do work fairly inexpensively. I may give that a try before I try maaco (up to $1000).
5) I'll be walking back and forth to open my top until I find some actuators for my car. No big deal, just a minor nuisance. (50-75 bucks).
6) I'll be finding a good 3M cleaner for my top, or just leave it down all the time (0-20 dollars)!!
Hmmmm.... so it looks like I'll have a practically new-looking car for about $1500 or so, if I shop around. Not bad. I've also recently replaced the engine, so that should last another 100K or so at least, if I don't rag on it too much. Now I've just got to cross my fingers for the tranny!

Thanks again!! I now have renewed hope in my car! And if any of you have any other info. about actuators/ convertible tops, I'd be happy to hear about it!!

James

Jstcrzyengh

iTrader: (2)

For the tranny you could even do a bit of a performance build up on it for around $500.00 in parts. Crisper shifting, better performance, etc...

If I find anymore actuators you'll be the first to know.

Glad I could help.

James

FLYNLOW92rs

iTrader: (53)

JRoy91RS, Sounds like a plan...

Also remember to shop around and wait for a deal...............

"The first fish to go after a good looking worm for diner, next thing you know that fish turns into diner"
-Tip #420 from FLYNLOW's book of proverbs

Jstcrzyengh

iTrader: (2)

Hey Jroy,

I jsut found this post. Tons of information and part numbers for you taht I totally forgot about.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=122729

hope it helps.

James

JRoy91RS

Awesome...very helpful. As soon as I can get back to my car, I will check to see if I can figure it out.... Any books/service manuals available?