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For future reference, you can up those ducts cheap on eBay. I had to replace one on my 2000 - I think I paid $45 with free shipping.
Good to know. I figured there would be guys swapping out the front fascia for a more aggressive style. They'd be offing the ducts as well. Figured $50 each would be fair, if the need did present itself. Good to know my guess wasn't far off.
Fascia back on. Need to test out my waterless wash product soon. Only the suspension and under-car is more embarrassingly dirty than the body.
Cleaned and reassembled most of the frunk components. Need to get some plugs and light bulbs. Found most of what I need from Pelican. Will source a few items elsewhere. Will test the driver's side highbeam. Seems to be the only one not functioning.
Cleaned and painted the battery tray. Needs to dry. Sub-freezing temps will probably slow this process.
Last edited by Scott at Team Harco; 03-04-2019 at 02:20 PM.
I did my battery tray in December. For some odd reason it did not want to be painted. I guess because it was 59 degrees in the garage. Paint would not stick. So I found a local metal shop that does metal refinishing and had an oven to bake it in. So sand blasting it to remove all the crap paint I got on it and to remove some minor corrosion, then baked on coal black automotive paint. Perfect job and only $30. They even managed to preserve the foam piece on the bottom and did not get any paint on it.
I know...it's just a battery tray. I was amazed at how well it turned out. It really looked like total crap after 3 coats of spray can paint in a cold garage. I was ready to order a new one for $178 but balked at the cost (hard to convince the wife). I figured nothing to lose at giving the metal shop a go at it. It went from a disaster to really a work of art. Worthy of the car actually. Now contemplating removing my beat up wiper arms and having them do the same.
I know...it's just a battery tray. I was amazed at how well it turned out. It really looked like total crap after 3 coats of spray can paint in a cold garage. I was ready to order a new one for $178 but balked at the cost (hard to convince the wife). I figured nothing to lose at giving the metal shop a go at it. It went from a disaster to really a work of art. Worthy of the car actually. Now contemplating removing my beat up wiper arms and having them do the same.
Agree, but it really does look like new. Now that I have a proper shop, it's probably time to get a sand blasting cabinet. Maybe I'll start looking on Craigslist. I did clean my tray with wire wheels and Scotchbrite pads. Then I sprayed it with carb-clean and blasted dry with compressed air.
I checked it when I got home today. It was totally dry. I left it propped up, at a distance from the blast of one of the kerosene heaters yesterday. Must have turned the trick. Still need to plug the hole in the firewall. Could go with a temporary plug while I wait on the proper plug to arrive from Pelican (which hasn't even been ordered yet). Do have the battery clamp coming soon. Maybe Wednesday.
Wanted to get a look at the headlights today to see if any bulbs need replacement. Found, what I believe to be, the parking lights (Pelican calls them "position" lights), are no good. Might partially explain no front lighting when in the first setting when I drove it home. There is something I am not clear on yet; when the switch is pulled out and then turned, I do get lights. Maybe that's for the "flood" (fog?) lights? Might need to consult the owner's manual...
Used a lawn tractor battery to inject twelve volts into the connector per a nice diagram I found on the Renntech site. Everything but the park lights seemed to work. The bulb that I believe goes to that circuit is shown on the print-out. It has failed, and its partner was MIA. I do suspect a possible wiring or switch issue, since the driver's side highbeam did work on the bench. It seemed to be non-functional in the car. Maybe I'll get lucky by cleaning and greasing the connectors.
Found a large crack and gap at the lower front of the driver's side headlight assembly. The lowest bulb and socket (turn signal) had a good bit of corrosion. Scraped the contacts and then followed up with the same thing I've been doing to every electrical connector I've found so far. That being: spray with contact cleaner, blow dry and then lube it with dielectric grease. Used foil tape to reduce the risk of further water intrusion. We'll see...
Decided that I will not wait for the firewall plug to arrive. It's probably a week out. The weather is also looking favorable in the next week or so. This car needs to be ready for the first hint of spring. Temporarily covered the hole with the same foil tape I've been using for other patch jobs. Then installed the battery. Got a nice little package of parts delivered, too. The battery mounting bracket was one of the goodies.
Tested the various tail lights to see what's what. Would be interesting to see how my special lights compare against the original ones. Got two side marker bulbs.
Took care of the isolation mount for the throttle body. Was kind of sitting on this until the battery installation.
Inspired by something I saw Bruce do on his car - routed the battery maintainer harness to an easy access location near the passenger's side wiper. It will be hidden under the cap normally. When I want to put it on the charger, I just have to pop the cap, pull the connector out, and plug it in.
Need to buy a terminal lug so I can connect to the positive terminal on the battery. Did a little jumper for the ground (white wire in a photo in the previous post). The positive terminal will need protection - for obvious reasons.
Great pictures by the way. What camera are you using? My pictures usually turn out less than desired.
Thank you. My current camera is a Nikon D3100. It's a fairly basic digital SLR. I'm getting a little better at using it. Started in the mid-80s with a Pentax K-1000. Learned a little about how to shoot. Now I need to relearn on a camera that is a lot smarter than I am.
Lighting and focus are probably the two most important things to be sure of. One of the great things with digital is, you can take a million pictures and, you don't have to pay for film or processing.
So here's a pic from today. From what I understand, the Litronic lights use a motor to change the angle of projection when the highbeam is activated. I will need to test this again - but the driver's side didn't change in the same way as the navigator's side when I checked initially. Might need to mess with something in here...
Wasted two hours yesterday, waiting for my number to come up at the Secretary of State (most call it DMV) so I could transfer the title and get a plate. Looked as though it would have been an additional hour, but I had to leave for another appointment. What a fuster cluck. Fortunately I only have to visit this dysfunctional excuse for a government "service" but once every four to five years. Went online and made an appointment for next Friday at one not too far away. The near ones were booked clear into late March and early April.
Wanted to be ready to drive the car early this coming week. Looks as though it won't be (legal) until next Friday. I do believe the seller put a temporary tag on it about the day I took possession. 45 days should be enough to buy me a few days. Not sure how 'officer Friendly' would view this possible technicality. Might just put my pirate hat on, and set sail.
There's really nothing holding this up, other than waiting for the roads to be washed of all the salt. I could put the lights back in and put the hardtop on. That's pretty much all that needs to happen mechanically. I did install a new oil filter canister, today. Wanted to swap out the plug tube with the chip out of it, but the old one is not coming out. Pretty clear the old seals were well worn, as they came out quite easily. The effort and risk numbers are too high to get too involved with this right now.
With so little left to do until the next shipment of parts arrive, it was time to do a little more clean up. Did a little spit-shine...
Left side of this view shows the before. This car is no concours contender. There are lots of blemishes, a few scratches and rashes. Maybe one day it will get a proper buffing and polishing ..... but I doubt it.
Last edited by Scott at Team Harco; 03-26-2019 at 07:50 PM.
03-02-2019, 07:06 PM
