Category Archives: Restro-Mods

Wrenchin’ Tips – Intro and Wiring 03/05/10

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This is a new thread that I’ll post from time to time, similar to the Auto Factoid.  Wrench’in Tips will some help hint, short cuts and even some alternative ways to help finish the job. 

The key here is that these are coming from a guy with average skills and knowledge so to you ‘hardend’ professional they may seem lame or you’ll have a ‘well….duh, OMG, like everyone knows that!!!’  In which case…KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!! <GRIN>  Kidding of course, always let me know what you think.

So here is the first one.

I hate electricity, not the benefits of being able to use it, it’s super when it stays where it’s suppose to and goes where it’s suppose too.  What I hate is when it stops being or doing what is should.  I absolutely hate working on electrical problem anywhere, homes, appliances and cars. 

I can say that I once had a bad experience and that would be true, but the other problem I have (besides the physics of it all) is that I’m color blind.  Anyone who has looked at a wiring harness in a car will know what I’m talking about.  The are all kinds of colors, but unless they are only black and white – like the extension cord and light I made back in  4-H, 1.5 billion years ago, I’m stuck.

Now older cars like my ’70 Mustang aren’t too bad, they pretty much conform to black, white and one or two other color, but the ’84 C4 it has wires everywhere….hey…I’m not kidding EVERY WHERE!!!   There are no less that 10 pairs of wires you have to remove just to take the door panel off.  In the 84 Vette, the adjustable windshield wipers are on the drives door and if I remember correctly it has at least 6 wires.  Then the are the wires for the door lock  4 there and there are the wires for the electric window that might be 4 more.  Add to that the wires for the door courtesy light and the speaker and amp wires (the awesome BOSE stereo system  had  5 speakers with individual amps). errrk….here’s a factoid the 1984 Corvette and Cadillac were the first cars to have a custom BOSE stereo system.  The story goes that GM asked if they would put BOSE radios (back then just AM/FM and Cassette) in the cars and  label them Delco.  BOSE wasn’t crazy about the idea so instead offered to design a system for the cars….end of errkk.

So one of the first problems I had with the Corvette was the electric window stopped working on the driver’s side.  So I assumed that I would have to replace the motor. So I get home early from work one day and I decided that I’d knock this out real quick.  I began by taking the panel off and found all the pairs of wires and I sure I used a four-letter word didn’t start with a D or S. I noticed that a couple of the wires were a bit worse for wear and need some attention, I also noticed that the wires were short and you had to balance the door panel on something to be able to disconnect a couple components. Being the genius that I am, I figure that if I made the wires a bit longer I would haven’t to disconnect  the components every time I need to remove the panel, I’d only remove the screws and the door panel would rest on a towel or something on the floor.

NOTE: Don’t worry, not every one of my tips will be attached to a  long story….umm…I don’t think.

Of course the wires I needed to repair and additionally make longer weren’t your basic black and white, I’m not sure but I think one was sea-foam green and one was  burnt sienna (I don’t really know…but I remember that burnt sienna was a crayon color when I was a kid- before Microsoft Paint.

 Oh…so here is what I did. 

I took about 1/2″ strips of  white duck tape and a marker and folded one each side of the wire that I was going to splice to repair and lengthen.  I labeled the first  wire A and A and the second B and B (pretty sure you could have figured out the pattern).  Then I cut and spliced them with wire connectors. 

It worked out great and I left them labeled when  put the door back together.

Oh..just so you can have some closure, I did all that work and the problem wasn’t with electric window motor, was really just the switch on the middle console…4 screws and pop in the new $15.00 switch.  It’s that the way it always goes?  Seems like it.

Have a great weekend..spending mine doing taxes.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Average Guy’s Drag Racing Part IV

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Being an average guy …say it with me…..”with an average budget and average tools”…I travel light to the drag strip.

I don’t have a trailer and I don’t have spare tires, or worry have about NOS (Nitrous Oxide System).  I don’t carry a timing light (but that might be handy) or dwell/tach.  What I do carry with me is a small toolbox with open-end and box-end wrenches, socket set and screw drivers.  I also bring along a lawn chair, a cooler (No Alcohol) and Fire Extinguishers.  Now it helps that the strip is less than 10 miles way and I have a very nice GM towing/travel package (AAA like coverage  – under 10 miles the tow bill is free) so I don’t really need a trailer and the works.

The tools I carry are just enough to make carb adjustments and plug adjustments. (I have replaced the points and condenser with the Pertronix electronic ignition parts in the Mustang…(very smart idea by the way) and there really aren’t any adjustments I can make to the Corvette as it is currently configured – the computer which is crude 1980’s technology – just returns the car to original operation specs (fuel to air ratio) or close to it anyway.

So I look really small compared to the guys with the covered trailers and the double axle pick-up trucks.  But there are a lot of average guys there, taking up no space in the parking lot.

At the drags Pic 1

 

At the Drags Pic 2

As you can see by these pics there isn’t a giant tool box there and no pit crew.  BTW these photos are from my first time at the track, right after the new engine:

New engine just before installation.

And before the new paint.

I have a ton of fun at these events.  I’ve attended to two charity events, Race for the Cure, in support of cancer research and a several weekly test-n-tunes.  Generally at the test-n-tunes you see a lot of kids (relative depending on your age) with their imports.  You can tell there isn’t much of a budget there and that I think is what makes it fun.

In most of these events you aren’t running against the other guy (not really), you are running against your own skill as a driver and a mechanic – your own tune-up work and your last run’s time.  The kids with the tuners (a slang term for modified imports) generally have a Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) and a lap top to adjust the computer that controls nearly everything to do with the way the engine runs.  I know some old school guys that really frown on that but I think it pretty cool.

Do you have a racing experience?  Drop it in comment.

Coming up next (if I can find it) is an article I wrote that covers the finer point of bracket racing and some tech tips.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

And the Winners are?

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Cleanest and Disaster Garage contest is over and the Winners are:

Disaster Garage:  Mr. Steve  Sears with his entry –

Cleanest Garage:  Pdawg  

Mr. Sears wins the $25.00 Checker Auto Gift card

and Ms. Pdawg wins the $25.00 Home Depot.

Pls contact me and I’ll get these delivered to you.

OH..and just wait for the next contest.  Details coming up!!!!!

Average Guy’s Drag Racing Part III

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So we’ve established that street tires are ok to run at the strip, but not as effective as the true – soft, no tread drag racing slicks.  So if I wanted to take it a step further I’d be looking for something in the middle.

The previous post I mentioned the fun I had with the my Mustang’s first couple of runs and I have wide tires on the back – P265/50/R15 (and off brand Mud and Snow) and that of course didn’t help much, pulls the fact that the back-end of the Mustang is pretty light.

To get something in the middle of the road, I can compare the performance of the tires I have on my 84 Vette.  This car has  255/50/ZR16 on the rear end and they performed fairly well at the drag strip, but still suffered the take off spin, (I didn’t get those wet or warmed  up.)  errrkkk…Here’s another mental hurdle…..I been in a car when a tire blows. At a mere 50 miles an hour,  I watched as the rubber destroyed the left front end of the mini-van I was driving….even as I slowed down, it still took out the fender, wheel well lining, headlight assembly and scuffed up the driver’s door (yes I drove a mini-van..it was the Miss’ van….yeah…that’s right it belonged to the wife…).  Anyway after that experience I have mental images of a tire blowing on my Vette during a warm up and the rear fender turned into dust (being fiber class and all).  So I didn’t warm them up.  They held a lot better than the mud and snow tires on the Mustang, but I still got a lot of spin out of them.

Quick story:  On my second run  ever with the Corvette I lined up with a 1960 Corvette with huge blower on his engine.  I looked over at him and mouthed..”y’er goin’ down!” and he laughed so hard I almost beat him off the line…ok fine…maybe I just heard my engine first, because you couldn’t hear anything after he hit the throttle!!!  So Mustang was awful with the Mud and Snow tires and the Vette was better on the  B.F.G.  

Since, I have an average budget, I’d be hard pressed to go buy some Mickey Thompson slicks and wheels.  And since I drive my cars all the time, swapping wheels out isn’t possible every time I go to the track, I only have average guy tools, which means there’s no tire changer in my garage, nor a balance machine.

So what’s a good option????  You can thank the street racer (Fast and Furious types) subculture for this really cool option..Street Drag Radials.  Yes, they are legal a street tires but are soft and have little tread.  See the pics:

These happen to be Mickey Thompson’s ET Radials.  (No I’m not endorsing them, I’ve never used them, I don’t have any monetary connection to Mickey Thompson’s tire company, in fact I’m pretty sure I’ve never known anyone named Mickey.)

Street/Drag Radials helps you avoid the average guy’s dilemma of extra rims and mounting issues and grip at the track.  Of course these Mickey Thompson’s are about $175.00 each and that might  be right on the edge of the average guy’s budget, and if you put a lot of miles on your cars, then it might be costly to replace.  It’s a good bet that since you’ll be smoking them a little they aren’t going to last near as long.

Got a tire idea?   Drop a comment here!!!

Next up..What do I take to the strip and some discussion on what to do while you are there.

Thanks for Reading.

Tim

Drag Racing for the Average Guy

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In a previous post I talked about  psychological hurdles that an average guy, with average skill, average tools and an average budget has to deal with when he owns a classic car (ok…doesn’t have to be a classic…just “loved”).  One of those was the fear of something breaking, either while you driving it or working on it.  Can I fix it? Do I have the right tool?  What if I can’t?  Do I know anyone that can?  For free?  Can I afford to get it fixed?  Even worse – long will I be deprived of driving it? 

These are my concerns–always. 

So with these worries..what in H….E. double L (does everyone get the H..E double L??) am I doing drag racing!?!?!?!   Where’s my head at?!??!?!?!! 

I hope you aren’t sitting there waiting for an answer!!!!   ‘Cause I don’t know.  I just do it. 

But dude….you are so average….especially  in the budget….heck..in all the areas listed above…oh and BTW….how about SWMBO (she who must be obeyed)…how’s that going to go…..”Hey honey guess what?  I was at the tree and the light turned green and I got a huge jump on the V.W. next to me and the darndest thing happend…little pieces of my u-joint flew everywhere.  Would you mind moving your car so the tow truck back into the driveway…thanks snookems!!!”….Um…sure…… good luck with that!!! 

So over the next few post, I’m going to give some average guy tips for handling a little test and tune drag racing. 

Next up…do I need different tires????? 

Thanks for reading.   

My Coupe taking of from the line. Before the new paint!!!

 

Tim

Auto Factoids for the Week of 2/21/10

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2/21/1948 – First NASCAR Race in Daytona, Fl

2/24/1968  AMC brings  the AMX into showrooms

1968 AMC AMX

Project Car? Get it Featured here.

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Just about every auto blog, has a place where the reader can upload their cars.  I think that’s great but I’d like to take it a bit further.  If you have a project car, no matter the condition or state of restoration it’s in….erk….even if it’s just sitting out in the backyard and you’re thinking about restoring…let me know.  I want to feature it on the front page this blog.  There is a following for the Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing blog, (over 60 view in one day) and it’s followed on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

So become part of the Average Car Guy’s Nation.   Drop me a comment and we’ll get your car featured.  If we can muster up a good flow of cars, we’ll have a car of the month contest with a gift card give away.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Car Art Questions?

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I received a couple emails referring to the images on the blog.  Generally, I can’t get copies of the Robert Hooper’s prints, but I can get copies of the Mustang interior.

If you are interested let me know…sorry..they aren’t free…but very reasonable.

Thanks for the interest.  Remember, a blog’s life’s blood are comments.  Drop me some.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Barrett Jackson Auction Photo

Car Art…Love it.

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I love car art…anything from poster, to quality prints  to cartoonish drawings.

On my wall in my office here at home I have 4 beautiful pieces done by Robert Hooper.  We ran into him in Prescott, Az and at a street fair and, I just have to have these pieces.

I can’t them off the wall and scan them.  So you’ll just have to stop by and see them….little joke there.  I tried to capture them with the digital.  Not great…but here ya go.

Next

Next

And the last of Mr. Hooper’s

I like these.

I really like this next one in particular…why?  It’s an image of the interior of my Mustang.  Let me know what you think.  This one hangs up in my office at work.  Little washed out as posted here but much better in person.

You have a piece of car art?  Let’s hear about.  Drop a note, post a pic or email an image to me and I’ll put up on the blog.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

A Restoration Tip: Keeping the Quarter Panels and Doors Dry.

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As I slowly start to bring this  blog back to the core of why I created this blog (Restoration, Modifying, Race..etc) I’ll begin to post some restoration tips.  This will be things I’ve actually done, or friends have done that I know worked.

So here is one:

Most of the old cars with manually roll down windows have felt window seals.  You know,  the two cushions on either side of the door that the window slide up between.  Those are normally rubber with felt covering and over time they get hard and shrink.  The next thing you now you have water in the bottom of your door.  That water will rust your car, even in Tucson, AZ where I live. 

I don’t know if you are like me but I drive my cars, no garage babies or trailer queens and I drive them while they are in the middle of being restored…..erk…as long as they are safe to do so (had to through that in there…just in case!!!).   This means they get wet, although here in AZ, it’s mainly from a weekly washing, it’s still water.  I bring this up because, besides the door felt leaking, other rubber areas can leak as well.  The very thing  that makes AZ so great, the abundance of sunshine, can be harmful to your car.  Sure it’s great for getting a tan and raising cactus… not so great for plastic and rubber parts of your car.  

I know this because I had a problem with my Mustang and a rear window leak.  Water would puddle up (slightly) in the trunk.  If you are familiar with the older cars you’ll know that many of the trunks have a drop off on each side of the trunk floor that leads to the side lamps.  This forms a nice little well in the bottom of the rear quarter panels and water collects there.  Where water collects, water rusts….ya don’t need a degree in chemistry to figure that out.

So now I have water in both my doors and both of my quarter panels.  NOT GOOD!!!!!   Some cars were built with in drains in the quarter panels…my Mustang has them.  However, if you remember back a few post (errkkk….Hey if you are new to my blog…go back and read the older posts..there’s some good stuff there…) I mentioned that my Mustang was rear ended.  During the major reconstruction the body shop left debris in the quarters and it plugged the drain.  Unprofessional, for sure (we’ll talk more about picking the right place to have the work done in another post), and dangerous.

So make sure you check this area out and keep the drains unplugged.

Now I went a step further…I took an 1/8 inch drill bit and added a couple extra holes in the doors and quarter to ensure that air gets in there and the water can get out.

Ok..anyone freaking out yet??  Good!!!  I placed these where they can’t be seen (unless you are laying on your back with the door open in the very bottom of the door between the weather-stripping and the outside of the door, where it meets the rocker panel. And in the quarter panels I just drilled in  the 1/4 space that  is the width of the bottom.

I took a very small round file and smoothed the holes up and then took a little touch up paint to them.

Works like a dream and but you still have to check them and ensure they don’t plug up.

Any other good idea? Drop in a comment.

Thanks for reading.

Tim