Cadillac Forum - Enthusiast forums for Cadillac Owners
Took these immediately after I bought the car.
Took these immediately after I bought the car.
0 2012/11/04 23:43:23
Took these immediately after I bought the car. Still has the fake wire wheel hub carps. I love wire rims, but hate wire rim hubcaps, so these went away pretty quickly.
Took these immediately after I bought the car. Still has the fake wire wheel hub carps. I love wire rims, but hate wire rim hubcaps, so these went away pretty quickly.
0 2012/11/04 23:43:23
Took these immediately after I bought the car. Don't know if you can see it or not, but this car had one of the most peculiar options I've ever seen on this generation of Caddy's, a rear-defog delete option. There aren't any defog elements on the rear window and there's no button for it on the climate control center. I didn't even know you could get a Cadillac without rear defog (in fact I didn't even notice it until after I had gotten it home after buying it), and it absolutely drives me nuts in humid weather and during the winter. I have a couple parts cars available with the rear defog and someday when I have the time I'll swap the glass and climate control centers and connect whatever wiring is needed to add it to mine.
Took these immediately after I bought the car. Don't know if you can see it or not, but this car had one of the most peculiar options I've ever seen on this generation of Caddy's, a rear-defog delete option. There aren't any defog elements on the rear window and there's no button for it on the climate control center. I didn't even know you could get a Cadillac without rear defog (in fact I didn't even notice it until after I had gotten it home after buying it), and it absolutely drives me nuts in humid weather and during the winter. I have a couple parts cars available with the rear defog and someday when I have the time I'll swap the glass and climate control centers and connect whatever wiring is needed to add it to mine.
0 2012/11/04 23:43:23
Took these immediately after I bought the car. This car has a two-tone interior, an option I didn't realize was available on the base models. I'd seen it on a variety of special edition models, but never a plain-jane sedan.
Took these immediately after I bought the car. This car has a two-tone interior, an option I didn't realize was available on the base models. I'd seen it on a variety of special edition models, but never a plain-jane sedan.
0 2012/11/04 23:45:14
Took these immediately after I bought the car.
Took these immediately after I bought the car.
0 2012/11/04 23:45:14
Took these immediately after I bought the car. First Cadillac I've come across that had the factory alarm option. I always knew it was available (my grandpa's '76 Eldorado has it), but I'd never found one myself until now.
Took these immediately after I bought the car. First Cadillac I've come across that had the factory alarm option. I always knew it was available (my grandpa's '76 Eldorado has it), but I'd never found one myself until now.
0 2012/11/04 23:45:14
A cell phone pic I took one day while working on it. This was after I'd had the car for some time and had done a few mods to it. The car hoist is my dad's, he has a machine shop in town and the building came with it. Makes working on cars much easier. :-D
A cell phone pic I took one day while working on it. This was after I'd had the car for some time and had done a few mods to it. The car hoist is my dad's, he has a machine shop in town and the building came with it. Makes working on cars much easier. :-D
0 2012/11/04 23:52:31
Up at my parents house right after I changed the rims from steel rims w/ fake wire rim hubcaps to the chrome rims you see here. Alongside it is my dad's last Cadillac, a '90 Fleetwood.
Up at my parents house right after I changed the rims from steel rims w/ fake wire rim hubcaps to the chrome rims you see here. Alongside it is my dad's last Cadillac, a '90 Fleetwood.
0 2012/11/04 23:52:31
Another pic while at my parents place. The rims were used on FWD DeVilles and Fleetwoods from '93-'95, so although they aren't exactly correct to the year of mine ('89) they are correct to the body style as '93 was the last year for this body. And I think they look nice as hell. Still has thin white wall tires though, blech! Added some wider whitewalls later.
Another pic while at my parents place. The rims were used on FWD DeVilles and Fleetwoods from '93-'95, so although they aren't exactly correct to the year of mine ('89) they are correct to the body style as '93 was the last year for this body. And I think they look nice as hell. Still has thin white wall tires though, blech! Added some wider whitewalls later.
0 2012/11/04 23:52:31
These were from when I added the fog lights. I got the idea from the Touring pkg that was used on the previous body style, '85-'88 Devilles/Fleetwoods, in which fog lights were a part of the pkg. The ones I used are made by PIAA and are actually dual lamps, one half is a fog lamp, the other is a driving lamp (like a high beam, only narrower and further down the road). I also modified the front signal lights, by discovering that the base of an 886 bulb, is nearly identical to the base of the halogen bulb used in the side turning lamps. A couple minutes with a dremel and they pop right in, just need to modify the wiring with a plug that will connect to them All lights were rewired to run directly off the battery via relays (fused of course), to prevent voltage drop from long runs of wire, as well as rewired them to come on the way I want them to.
These were from when I added the fog lights. I got the idea from the Touring pkg that was used on the previous body style, '85-'88 Devilles/Fleetwoods, in which fog lights were a part of the pkg. The ones I used are made by PIAA and are actually dual lamps, one half is a fog lamp, the other is a driving lamp (like a high beam, only narrower and further down the road). I also modified the front signal lights, by discovering that the base of an 886 bulb, is nearly identical to the base of the halogen bulb used in the side turning lamps. A couple minutes with a dremel and they pop right in, just need to modify the wiring with a plug that will connect to them All lights were rewired to run directly off the battery via relays (fused of course), to prevent voltage drop from long runs of wire, as well as rewired them to come on the way I want them to.
0 2012/11/04 23:58:35
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic inside the shop with what comes one when I turn on low beams (after I rewired everything) - 55w halogen low beams, 50w halogen fog lamps, 50w halogen corner lamp in place of the low wattage 886 running light, low wattage side of the incadescent turn signal bulb, and the low wattage 886 bulb in the side marker.
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic inside the shop with what comes one when I turn on low beams (after I rewired everything) - 55w halogen low beams, 50w halogen fog lamps, 50w halogen corner lamp in place of the low wattage 886 running light, low wattage side of the incadescent turn signal bulb, and the low wattage 886 bulb in the side marker.
0 2012/11/04 23:58:35
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic inside the shop with what comes on when I turn on the high beams (after I rewired everything) - everything. ;-) Seriously, in addition to everything that comes on with the low beams, (see that pic for full list), the high beams add the 65w halogen high beams, 50w halogen driving lights, high wattage side of the turn signal bulbs, the 50w halogen corner lamps (stock is 35w with end painted silver, but they make up to a 50w without any paint on the end, it's like having a full-blown headlight on the side of the car). I think when I added it all up, I throw a grand total of a 1000 watts of light from the front of the car with the highs on. And don't worry, I fully planned on this, every single high wattage light minus the turn signal bulbs are using brand new connectors, heavier gauge wire, and all are running directly off the battery via relays with fuses in every circuit. I also upgraded the alternator to a 200amp unit so that I have no trouble powering it all, as well as the stereo system that's going into it, and I run a 1000amp battery so I don't run the risk of running low on juice any time soon, and I upgraded all the main positive and ground wiring in the car to heavier gauges.
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic inside the shop with what comes on when I turn on the high beams (after I rewired everything) - everything. ;-) Seriously, in addition to everything that comes on with the low beams, (see that pic for full list), the high beams add the 65w halogen high beams, 50w halogen driving lights, high wattage side of the turn signal bulbs, the 50w halogen corner lamps (stock is 35w with end painted silver, but they make up to a 50w without any paint on the end, it's like having a full-blown headlight on the side of the car). I think when I added it all up, I throw a grand total of a 1000 watts of light from the front of the car with the highs on. And don't worry, I fully planned on this, every single high wattage light minus the turn signal bulbs are using brand new connectors, heavier gauge wire, and all are running directly off the battery via relays with fuses in every circuit. I also upgraded the alternator to a 200amp unit so that I have no trouble powering it all, as well as the stereo system that's going into it, and I run a 1000amp battery so I don't run the risk of running low on juice any time soon, and I upgraded all the main positive and ground wiring in the car to heavier gauges.
0 2012/11/04 23:58:35
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic outside at night with the low beam switch on. (See the other low beam pic for a description of everything that's turned)
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic outside at night with the low beam switch on. (See the other low beam pic for a description of everything that's turned)
0 2012/11/05 00:21:36
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic outside at night with the high beam switch on. (See the other high beam pic for a description of everything that's turned)
These were from when I added the fog lights. A pic outside at night with the high beam switch on. (See the other high beam pic for a description of everything that's turned)
0 2012/11/05 00:21:36
Picture of the engine compartment. This would be after I made some upgrades to the ignition: Accel Super Coil, Accel Ignition Module, new cap and rotor, Magnecor 8.5mm plug wires (if you've never heard of Magnecor, please, please go to their website and become educated on spark plugs wires), new AC Delco spark plugs. Also done at this point was the upgraded main wiring, but you can't see any of it because I hid it. I routed all of it along the factory locations. In fact, other than the connector I used to connect the batt wire to the alternator, and the multiple high end connectors I have attached to the battery (I bought one with both top and side posts, all of which I'm utilizing, and I could almost use another set of posts I have so many wires attached to it anymore), you can't even tell the wiring isn't stock. I should probably just set up a distribution center for all of the addon wiring). Obviously added a K&N air filter, and I started messing with the intake by removing the piece small restrictive pieces that connect over to the fender. I've since removed even the piece that I put the sticker on, and that was apparently functioning as the main sound baffle because it really opened up the sound. I don't know that I've gotten any performance gains, but it sounds much better. And you can see in the right side the one place that the car has cancer, where the strut tower meets the wheel well. I can't tell you how many '85-'93 Cadillac's I've seen with rust in those locations. Must have been a design flaw. It's been there since I bought the car, and I still need to get it fixed. And midwest winters are not being kind to it.
Picture of the engine compartment. This would be after I made some upgrades to the ignition: Accel Super Coil, Accel Ignition Module, new cap and rotor, Magnecor 8.5mm plug wires (if you've never heard of Magnecor, please, please go to their website and become educated on spark plugs wires), new AC Delco spark plugs. Also done at this point was the upgraded main wiring, but you can't see any of it because I hid it. I routed all of it along the factory locations. In fact, other than the connector I used to connect the batt wire to the alternator, and the multiple high end connectors I have attached to the battery (I bought one with both top and side posts, all of which I'm utilizing, and I could almost use another set of posts I have so many wires attached to it anymore), you can't even tell the wiring isn't stock. I should probably just set up a distribution center for all of the addon wiring). Obviously added a K&N air filter, and I started messing with the intake by removing the piece small restrictive pieces that connect over to the fender. I've since removed even the piece that I put the sticker on, and that was apparently functioning as the main sound baffle because it really opened up the sound. I don't know that I've gotten any performance gains, but it sounds much better. And you can see in the right side the one place that the car has cancer, where the strut tower meets the wheel well. I can't tell you how many '85-'93 Cadillac's I've seen with rust in those locations. Must have been a design flaw. It's been there since I bought the car, and I still need to get it fixed. And midwest winters are not being kind to it.
0 2012/11/05 00:21:36
After I added opera lamps to the car. They aren't OEM, I think the company that made them is GEM? I got them off the internet, and promptly modified. They normally come with a tiny little light bulb to illuminate them, or you can upgrade to an LED strip, but I wanted as close to original as I could get (without paying mucho dinero for a set of working originals, when, and if, a set would ever show up). I had found a place that sells EL (electrolumiscent) paper in various sizes, which is what factory opera lamps from this era used. The only thing I couldn't remember was whether or not the OEM's were pure white light, or had a bluish tint to them (it had literally been over a decade since I'd seen any that actually still worked) so I order EL paper that would glow blue. Holy cow, does it glow blue. These pictures make it look way more white than it really is. Kind of makes me wish I had gone with the white, but for the time being I'm stuck with it, and I don't think it looks all bad. In fact just tonight I was standing behind the car while they were on and realized that I have a little bit of a patriotic theme going on: white car, red tail/brake lights, blue opera lamps. Works for me. :-)
After I added opera lamps to the car. They aren't OEM, I think the company that made them is GEM? I got them off the internet, and promptly modified. They normally come with a tiny little light bulb to illuminate them, or you can upgrade to an LED strip, but I wanted as close to original as I could get (without paying mucho dinero for a set of working originals, when, and if, a set would ever show up). I had found a place that sells EL (electrolumiscent) paper in various sizes, which is what factory opera lamps from this era used. The only thing I couldn't remember was whether or not the OEM's were pure white light, or had a bluish tint to them (it had literally been over a decade since I'd seen any that actually still worked) so I order EL paper that would glow blue. Holy cow, does it glow blue. These pictures make it look way more white than it really is. Kind of makes me wish I had gone with the white, but for the time being I'm stuck with it, and I don't think it looks all bad. In fact just tonight I was standing behind the car while they were on and realized that I have a little bit of a patriotic theme going on: white car, red tail/brake lights, blue opera lamps. Works for me. :-)
0 2012/11/05 00:37:48
A closeup of the opera lamps I added. I went to great pains to get them installed as close to the OEM location as possible while also lining them up with the sail panel emblems and having them look good, with... mixed results. Turned out the sail panel emblems had been removed at some point and put back on or replaced, and whoever did it didn't get them in the exact same location on both sides of the cars. So despite installing the opera lamps in exactly the same location on both sides, this side doesn't quite look right to me. If I ever pull the emblems off again (I replaced every single emblem on the car with NOS emblems right after I bought it, since most were faded, damaged, missing, etc.) I might change the location to line them up with the opera lamps a little better. One thing to be aware of if you ever use these opera lamps (they're not OEM, made by GEM I think), the covers absolutely hate the sun! They looks pretty good for 6-8 months, by the end of a year they had begun to yellow, and eventually were so bad that with the blue EL paper that I used to light them, the lights looks like a sickly green at night. I've since remedied this since I happened to have a set of OEM covers off of another Cadillac (I have no clue what year, I'd had them for awhile from when I was trying to piece together a full set of OEM lamps before giving up and using aftermarket ones), and those covers were a very close match to the aftermarket ones. They were slightly narrower (like an 1/8", barely noticeable), about a half inch longer and don't protrude out nearly as far. There was plenty of extra material at the top and bottom of the aftermarket housings, so a few minutes with a dremel had the OEM covers fitting into the housings snug as a bug, and since they would snap in like the old ones, I "glued" them in with some clear synthetic caulk. It should hold them in tight enough that they won't fall out, it's completely clear so you can't see it unless you stick your face right in the lamp and look for it, and unless you again stick you face right in the lamp, you can't tell that the covers weren't meant for these lamps and that I've done some work with a dremel. I haven'e take any pictures yet, but they look much better with the OEM covers, which considering they're 20-30 years old and still look brand new, shouldn't have any issues with sun damage.
A closeup of the opera lamps I added. I went to great pains to get them installed as close to the OEM location as possible while also lining them up with the sail panel emblems and having them look good, with... mixed results. Turned out the sail panel emblems had been removed at some point and put back on or replaced, and whoever did it didn't get them in the exact same location on both sides of the cars. So despite installing the opera lamps in exactly the same location on both sides, this side doesn't quite look right to me. If I ever pull the emblems off again (I replaced every single emblem on the car with NOS emblems right after I bought it, since most were faded, damaged, missing, etc.) I might change the location to line them up with the opera lamps a little better. One thing to be aware of if you ever use these opera lamps (they're not OEM, made by GEM I think), the covers absolutely hate the sun! They looks pretty good for 6-8 months, by the end of a year they had begun to yellow, and eventually were so bad that with the blue EL paper that I used to light them, the lights looks like a sickly green at night. I've since remedied this since I happened to have a set of OEM covers off of another Cadillac (I have no clue what year, I'd had them for awhile from when I was trying to piece together a full set of OEM lamps before giving up and using aftermarket ones), and those covers were a very close match to the aftermarket ones. They were slightly narrower (like an 1/8", barely noticeable), about a half inch longer and don't protrude out nearly as far. There was plenty of extra material at the top and bottom of the aftermarket housings, so a few minutes with a dremel had the OEM covers fitting into the housings snug as a bug, and since they would snap in like the old ones, I "glued" them in with some clear synthetic caulk. It should hold them in tight enough that they won't fall out, it's completely clear so you can't see it unless you stick your face right in the lamp and look for it, and unless you again stick you face right in the lamp, you can't tell that the covers weren't meant for these lamps and that I've done some work with a dremel. I haven'e take any pictures yet, but they look much better with the OEM covers, which considering they're 20-30 years old and still look brand new, shouldn't have any issues with sun damage.
0 2012/11/05 00:37:48
One of my many emblem mods. I hate dealership emblems/logos on a car, so as soon as I got it, I removed the dealership logo (a ford, kia, hyundai dealer no less) and went with nothing on this side for awhile. But I also hated not having anything on this side, it screws with my innate need for symmetry, I'm just slightly OCD ;-) I had long wanted to through a Sedan deVille script emblem on it like what's on the rear fenders, in line with the Cadillac script emblem on the other side, but it still wouldn't be right since the other side has the square 4.5 liter V8 emblem. Then I found this by accident on ebay, it's a square Electronic Fuel Injection emblem, nearly identical in basic design to the 4.5 emblem on the other side. I promptly added the two emblems you see here, and I think it looks perfect. The only thing that bugs me about it now, is that is may not be a Cadillac emblem. It was sold to me as being from Cadillacs, but recently I came across that exact same emblem for sale on ebay again, but this time listed as being for Buicks, and I don't want any damned dirty Buick parts on my Cadillac. Oh well, I guess it will just have to be my dirty little secret.
One of my many emblem mods. I hate dealership emblems/logos on a car, so as soon as I got it, I removed the dealership logo (a ford, kia, hyundai dealer no less) and went with nothing on this side for awhile. But I also hated not having anything on this side, it screws with my innate need for symmetry, I'm just slightly OCD ;-) I had long wanted to through a Sedan deVille script emblem on it like what's on the rear fenders, in line with the Cadillac script emblem on the other side, but it still wouldn't be right since the other side has the square 4.5 liter V8 emblem. Then I found this by accident on ebay, it's a square Electronic Fuel Injection emblem, nearly identical in basic design to the 4.5 emblem on the other side. I promptly added the two emblems you see here, and I think it looks perfect. The only thing that bugs me about it now, is that is may not be a Cadillac emblem. It was sold to me as being from Cadillacs, but recently I came across that exact same emblem for sale on ebay again, but this time listed as being for Buicks, and I don't want any damned dirty Buick parts on my Cadillac. Oh well, I guess it will just have to be my dirty little secret.
0 2012/11/05 00:37:48
A further back picture after I added a Sedan deVille script emblem and Electronic Fuel Injection emblem to the left side. I can't stand dealer logos/emblems on a car, (they aren't paying me to advertise for them, so I'm not going to advertise for them, especially a ford/kia/hyundai dealer, barf!) so that came off and these went on.
A further back picture after I added a Sedan deVille script emblem and Electronic Fuel Injection emblem to the left side. I can't stand dealer logos/emblems on a car, (they aren't paying me to advertise for them, so I'm not going to advertise for them, especially a ford/kia/hyundai dealer, barf!) so that came off and these went on.
0 2012/11/05 01:01:26
Yet another of my emblem mods, this is a NOS grill wreath and crest for a '91-'93 deVille with the touring package (which deleted the hood emblem and had this instead). I think they also used it on the '89-'90 models if you ordered the Touring Package, but I could never find that emblem set, so I went with these. The grills are slightly different, so to mount it I had to cut into the grill some. I wasn't about to hack up a NOS grill, so I grabbed the one off my '90 parts car that despite being insanely rare (factory gold grill, never seen another) was junk and used that as a practice piece. Once I perfected the location and method of modifying the grill, I pulled out the brand new I had purchased and modified it and attached the emblem. Couldn't do it better if I tried it a dozen more times.
Yet another of my emblem mods, this is a NOS grill wreath and crest for a '91-'93 deVille with the touring package (which deleted the hood emblem and had this instead). I think they also used it on the '89-'90 models if you ordered the Touring Package, but I could never find that emblem set, so I went with these. The grills are slightly different, so to mount it I had to cut into the grill some. I wasn't about to hack up a NOS grill, so I grabbed the one off my '90 parts car that despite being insanely rare (factory gold grill, never seen another) was junk and used that as a practice piece. Once I perfected the location and method of modifying the grill, I pulled out the brand new I had purchased and modified it and attached the emblem. Couldn't do it better if I tried it a dozen more times.
0 2012/11/05 01:01:26
A further back picture of the front fender emblem mod.
A further back picture of the front fender emblem mod.
0 2012/11/05 01:01:26
A slightly closer view of the front fender emblem mod as well as the wreath emblems I added around the door locks. I don't know if the door lock wreaths were ever factory, but I've seen plenty of Caddy's with them so I added them. If you want them too, just get a set of wreaths the same size as the ones on the sail panels, unless you have the illuminated crests, those wreaths are bigger, so I've discovered. This pic also shows off the chrome rims and wider white walls quite nicely.
A slightly closer view of the front fender emblem mod as well as the wreath emblems I added around the door locks. I don't know if the door lock wreaths were ever factory, but I've seen plenty of Caddy's with them so I added them. If you want them too, just get a set of wreaths the same size as the ones on the sail panels, unless you have the illuminated crests, those wreaths are bigger, so I've discovered. This pic also shows off the chrome rims and wider white walls quite nicely.
0 2012/11/05 01:09:03
A picture of the front, with the PIAA fog/driving lights I added, the touring package grill emblem added, and a license plate emblem added (which that had been on a few years at this point ad is showing signs of exposure to the elements, I may replace it in the near future). The only problem I have with the front end is the grill and license plate emblems happen to be the same size, but the hood ornament is smaller, so I'm contemplating seeing if I can mod a larger hood emblem to fit onto the deville. I suspect I can do it, just haven't looked into it yet.
A picture of the front, with the PIAA fog/driving lights I added, the touring package grill emblem added, and a license plate emblem added (which that had been on a few years at this point ad is showing signs of exposure to the elements, I may replace it in the near future). The only problem I have with the front end is the grill and license plate emblems happen to be the same size, but the hood ornament is smaller, so I'm contemplating seeing if I can mod a larger hood emblem to fit onto the deville. I suspect I can do it, just haven't looked into it yet.
0 2012/11/05 01:09:03
A closeup of the fender emblem mod. The minute I found out GM was adding emblems like this to all their cars, I had this image in my head. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why Cadillac hasn't done this themselves. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Actually, I almost hesitated to post this pic, because I've never seen anyone else with it and I don't want everyone copying me. The GM emblem is the larger chrome one. They make two sizes, I accidentally bought the small ones first and they were way too small to look good. I also accidentally got the wrong size wreaths, I meant to order another set the same as the sail panels, only to discover that there are other sizes, these being for the illuminated crests without a roof covering. I used them anyways, since I didn't want to shell out $ for another set of NOS emblems at the time, but eventually I will replace them with the slightly smaller ones so that all three sets of wreaths on the sides of the car will be the same size.
A closeup of the fender emblem mod. The minute I found out GM was adding emblems like this to all their cars, I had this image in my head. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why Cadillac hasn't done this themselves. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Actually, I almost hesitated to post this pic, because I've never seen anyone else with it and I don't want everyone copying me. The GM emblem is the larger chrome one. They make two sizes, I accidentally bought the small ones first and they were way too small to look good. I also accidentally got the wrong size wreaths, I meant to order another set the same as the sail panels, only to discover that there are other sizes, these being for the illuminated crests without a roof covering. I used them anyways, since I didn't want to shell out $ for another set of NOS emblems at the time, but eventually I will replace them with the slightly smaller ones so that all three sets of wreaths on the sides of the car will be the same size.
0 2012/11/05 01:09:03
A closeup of the chrome rims and wider white walls. The rims are from '93-'95 FWD deVilles/Fleetwoods. The tires are made by GTRadial, and these have a 1" white wall, and are H-rated, meaning they are rated for speeds up to 130mph, and yes, these cars will run 130mph no problem, don't ask me how I know. ;-) I'm currently running one size wider than stock, so a 215, and the next set I may go to a 225. I also may go back to a standard rated tire (rated to 85mph) so that I can get their tire with the 1.3" white wall. Looks vs. performance, why must I be tortured like this? :-p
A closeup of the chrome rims and wider white walls. The rims are from '93-'95 FWD deVilles/Fleetwoods. The tires are made by GTRadial, and these have a 1" white wall, and are H-rated, meaning they are rated for speeds up to 130mph, and yes, these cars will run 130mph no problem, don't ask me how I know. ;-) I'm currently running one size wider than stock, so a 215, and the next set I may go to a 225. I also may go back to a standard rated tire (rated to 85mph) so that I can get their tire with the 1.3" white wall. Looks vs. performance, why must I be tortured like this? :-p
0 2012/11/05 01:22:15
No, the camera is not tilted, this picture was taken with the camera completely straight and the car parked on a flat, level surface. The tilt you're seeing, is something broken... crap. Turned out that the strut on that side (that I knew had been failing and had been putting off repairing because I didn't have the money for parts yet) blew out while going around a corner. It got better, once I got it home, very, very slowly, I might add, I crawled under and discovered the full extent of the damage. When the strut blew, it threw everything off so quickly and violently, that it snapped the end link on the other side, sent the sway bar into the CV halfshaft destroying the outer boot and damaging the end of the sway bar, yeah it wasn't pretty under there. And it conveniently happened 1 month before I was supposed to leave for a road trip down to St. Louis, hence why I was short on funds, it was going towards the trip. So, I borrowed a car for a few weeks, saved up some money, pulled out the credit card, bit the bullet and bought absolutely every new part for the front end of the car. Replaced the struts, springs, bearing plates, outer tie rod ends, ball joints, control arm bushings, end links, CV halfshafts, wheel bearings, I'm forgetting some stuff but you get the idea. The plan was I was never, ever, going to have to fix anything under there again. That didn't pan out, since the damaged sway bar that I thought could still be used, broke the next year as a combined result of the damage inflicted and just overall age/use/rust/etc. I just replaced that with an upgraded unit recently. Now I just need to get around to doing the back end, the air shocks both went out within months of each other, and I plan to do the same, replace everything, so I never have to touch it ever again.
No, the camera is not tilted, this picture was taken with the camera completely straight and the car parked on a flat, level surface. The tilt you're seeing, is something broken... crap. Turned out that the strut on that side (that I knew had been failing and had been putting off repairing because I didn't have the money for parts yet) blew out while going around a corner. It got better, once I got it home, very, very slowly, I might add, I crawled under and discovered the full extent of the damage. When the strut blew, it threw everything off so quickly and violently, that it snapped the end link on the other side, sent the sway bar into the CV halfshaft destroying the outer boot and damaging the end of the sway bar, yeah it wasn't pretty under there. And it conveniently happened 1 month before I was supposed to leave for a road trip down to St. Louis, hence why I was short on funds, it was going towards the trip. So, I borrowed a car for a few weeks, saved up some money, pulled out the credit card, bit the bullet and bought absolutely every new part for the front end of the car. Replaced the struts, springs, bearing plates, outer tie rod ends, ball joints, control arm bushings, end links, CV halfshafts, wheel bearings, I'm forgetting some stuff but you get the idea. The plan was I was never, ever, going to have to fix anything under there again. That didn't pan out, since the damaged sway bar that I thought could still be used, broke the next year as a combined result of the damage inflicted and just overall age/use/rust/etc. I just replaced that with an upgraded unit recently. Now I just need to get around to doing the back end, the air shocks both went out within months of each other, and I plan to do the same, replace everything, so I never have to touch it ever again.
0 2012/11/05 01:22:15
A late night brake job in the middle of July this year. It was way to friggin' hot this summer to work on the car during the day, and my dad's machine shop isn't air conditioned so that wasn't any better, so I just waited until long after dark and did it. I think I started some time after 11pm, by then it had gotten down into the 80's, so it didn't completely suck. BTW, for brakes, I'm running EBC slotted/dimpled rotors, the latest ceramic pads (I wanted to run EBC red pads, but they don't fit. Don't ask me why they say they fit, because they don't. They are correct to the calipers, and can be put in the calipers, but the pad material is way too thick. Even with old used rotors and the pistons pressed all the way into the calipers, there was no way these were going to fit onto the disc without grinding off at least a 1/4" of material from each pad. And I wasn't too inclined to try and grind that much material off of something that's meant to stop a 4000lbs chunk of metal thousands and thousands of times without taking off more than a tiny fraction of that much pad material.) Also added Goodrich stainless steel brake lines all the way around, and flushed the system and refilled with synthetic DOT4 fluid. Stops pretty damn good most of the time, but one hard stop from high speed cooks the brakes something fierce. They just aren't big enough to take that kind of abuse, so they will fade real fast and need to cool down again before they'll stop the car properly again. I'd love to do a rear-disc brake conversion, but there's a couple things to overcome with that, and I don't know if anyone has ever done it. I've looked into it before, but never really found much useful information.
A late night brake job in the middle of July this year. It was way to friggin' hot this summer to work on the car during the day, and my dad's machine shop isn't air conditioned so that wasn't any better, so I just waited until long after dark and did it. I think I started some time after 11pm, by then it had gotten down into the 80's, so it didn't completely suck. BTW, for brakes, I'm running EBC slotted/dimpled rotors, the latest ceramic pads (I wanted to run EBC red pads, but they don't fit. Don't ask me why they say they fit, because they don't. They are correct to the calipers, and can be put in the calipers, but the pad material is way too thick. Even with old used rotors and the pistons pressed all the way into the calipers, there was no way these were going to fit onto the disc without grinding off at least a 1/4" of material from each pad. And I wasn't too inclined to try and grind that much material off of something that's meant to stop a 4000lbs chunk of metal thousands and thousands of times without taking off more than a tiny fraction of that much pad material.) Also added Goodrich stainless steel brake lines all the way around, and flushed the system and refilled with synthetic DOT4 fluid. Stops pretty damn good most of the time, but one hard stop from high speed cooks the brakes something fierce. They just aren't big enough to take that kind of abuse, so they will fade real fast and need to cool down again before they'll stop the car properly again. I'd love to do a rear-disc brake conversion, but there's a couple things to overcome with that, and I don't know if anyone has ever done it. I've looked into it before, but never really found much useful information.
0 2012/11/05 01:22:15
The car hit 100k on the odo a few weeks ago. When I bought it (4 or 5 years ago, I can't remember for sure now) it had 70k on it. Paid $2800 for it, from a dealer no less. Pulled over and snapped a pic of the odo with my cell phone. (Yes, when I use my cell phone for anything in the car, I pull over first. I don't text and drive. I don't talk and drive. I believe that it's your right to do so if you wish and that the police and government should stay the hell out of our lives, but I also believe that it's an incredibly stupid thing to do, and if you get yourself killed doing it, I will point and laugh at you.
The car hit 100k on the odo a few weeks ago. When I bought it (4 or 5 years ago, I can't remember for sure now) it had 70k on it. Paid $2800 for it, from a dealer no less. Pulled over and snapped a pic of the odo with my cell phone. (Yes, when I use my cell phone for anything in the car, I pull over first. I don't text and drive. I don't talk and drive. I believe that it's your right to do so if you wish and that the police and government should stay the hell out of our lives, but I also believe that it's an incredibly stupid thing to do, and if you get yourself killed doing it, I will point and laugh at you.
0 2012/11/05 01:49:40
A picture of my puppy G.I Jack going for a ride in the back of the car. He loves his car rides, almost as much as he loves his walks. He's kind of a long story, but to make it short, he's a 3-legged border collie mix from Iraq. Yes, you read that right. Anyways, he happened to have a chewy in his mouth that day and was trying to stick his head out the window and bark at other dogs as we drove by them, but didn't want to drop his treat either so all that kept coming from him were these weird muffled sounds. It was all just a little too comical so I grabbed a pic while stopped at a red light.
A picture of my puppy G.I Jack going for a ride in the back of the car. He loves his car rides, almost as much as he loves his walks. He's kind of a long story, but to make it short, he's a 3-legged border collie mix from Iraq. Yes, you read that right. Anyways, he happened to have a chewy in his mouth that day and was trying to stick his head out the window and bark at other dogs as we drove by them, but didn't want to drop his treat either so all that kept coming from him were these weird muffled sounds. It was all just a little too comical so I grabbed a pic while stopped at a red light.
0 2012/11/05 01:49:40