What Did You Do To Your Car Today?

[optionizerSS]

 

[white95]

Parked my truck next to it.

 

[optionizerSS]

More pics. We toured the Packard museum

 

[optionizerSS]

 

[Finn]

Nothing actual on the car itself but I managed to find a winter storage for it at my GM specialized buddy. My own garage is 160 square metres but it is full with five bikes and two Vettes (eternal projects) + normal stuff like garden tractor, snow blower, gun cabinet etc. etc.

GT will hibernate in a warm garage next to his -70 LS3 Chevelle.

 

[weendoggy]

Buddy has a Cobra and was grinding in/out of 4th gear (T5). I got the job, dumb a$$ me, so started the removal. PITA!...


and took this picture...OMG! Here's a problem...


...so proceeded to remove and tear apart...


...ordered parts and now waiting. New clutch fork, ball, t/o brg, 3-4 keys...TBC...

 

[weendoggy]

Guess it was my turn today. Went to Sillycone Valley to get transmission parts and when I tried to leave, my truck battery took a dump. Good thing I had my Halo jumper pack. Started up, checked charging system, drove to parts house, put in new 27F battery and tada! Battery was 10 years old so I can't complain.

 

[cobrajeff96]

10 years is pretty damn good.

 

[ju015dd]

Guess it was my turn today. Went to Sillycone Valley to get transmission parts and when I tried to leave, my truck battery took a dump. Good thing I had my Halo jumper pack. Started up, checked charging system, drove to parts house, put in new 27F battery and tada! Battery was 10 years old so I can't complain.

Damn good run for a battery

 

[ctandc]

After dealing with local alignment shops who have no clue apparently, I got frustrated and broke out the jack stands, some string and a laser level. Set toe and straightened the steering wheel. Drive great, tracks straight.

Got the rear BMR springs installed with new shocks and removed all the Mach 1000 stereo stuff.

 

[weendoggy]

After dealing with local alignment shops who have no clue apparently, I got frustrated and broke out the jack stands, some string and a laser level. Set toe and straightened the steering wheel. Drive great, tracks straight.

Got the rear BMR springs installed with new shocks and removed all the Mach 1000 stereo stuff.

I have to admit, reading this and seeing your frustration and thought you were going to break out a beer (maybe you did that after). Glad it all worked out.

 

[ctandc]

I have to admit, reading this and seeing your frustration and thought you were going to break out a beer (maybe you did that after). Glad it all worked out.

Not a beer. Bourbon or even better a glass of good tequila on the rocks, that's more like it. But I've been wrenching for a long time - I know how hard it is, depending on where you are located, to find good shops that have actually 'car people' working in them. There are two shops local to me that I trust. One has been doing all my exhaust work for 20+ years. The other is a local, family-owned shop that has been in business for 40+ years. They do all my state inspections. The guy who runs the place, I've known for 20 years, so we normally get a vehicle on the lift and both of us crawl all over it in the shop.

His shop does alignments and has a few gear heads working there. I'll make an appointment and get in there before long.

 

[tmwsccsh]

Nothing as it is having a holiday at the shop pending the pulley removal tool arriving

TMW

Pulley removal tool arrived!

Delivered to the shop!

Saw the car!

Now to wait...

TMW

 

[weendoggy]

@ctandc...Same with me. My entire career was in the auto/heavy equipment repair industry. I still do all my own work and alignments at home. Why...because I can. Indeed hard to find/know a reputable shop for repairs, and I, like you have my sources. Oh yeah, most important part, I don't do beer (a six pack a year is an OD ) but do like my margaritas on the rocks, no salt when I do partake.

 

[Musturd]

The finding good shops is for sure hard. I had a friend do the Holley and a few things on my car he did good work but took way too long . Now if I don’t wanna do the job myself I just take it to my dyno tuner . They do insane work at great prices . Every time I’ve got my bill it was cheaper than expected by a good amount . I also do my own alignments .

 

[ttocs]

oh boy the morning is fun. It is long but worth it IMO....

so my dad has a subaru legacy that he loves except now after 80k miles of him plopping in/out of the car after both hips replaced, the drivers side seat bolster is worn out. He was talking about selling it because of this and I said it isn't that hard to fix it and then replace the cover. The car is a DD for him so he didn't need to be without it for an extended time while an upholstery shop made new covers so I suggested katzkin leather for a quick/easy solution. I went to their website and everything just directed me to a "Fill this out and we will contact you" form so I finally filled it out. 2 days later a sales rep called, I told him about the bolster and he said no problem, $1800 for the front/rear including install. Dad said it sounded good, we made the order and the told us where to go for the install. This morning the install place calls us and says the side bolster needs to be refoamed before they could do anything and they are just an install place, not an actual upholstery shop. I knew of one just 2 mins down the road that I had used so I called them and asked if they could refoam the bolster and he said probably, bring it in so he could see it. So we pick up the car, go down to the 2nd shop and go in the office and he starts to follow us out to look at it. On the way out dad compliments the guys old cutlass and everything seems cool right up till I told him that we went through katzkin and suddenly his attitude changed. He said that he was a katzkin dealer as if he was pissed we didn't know it and go straight to him. I explained I was sorry I didn't know, he was actually closer and I have worked with you before, they sent me to the other place. He was all pissed off and didn't want to hear it as it was their problem they can fix it and just walked off in a huff. Dad and I were just amazed and stood there as he walked back into the shop and started to bitch about it to the other guy. I said I guess we would have to figure something else out and as I went back to my car he turned and just gave me a shitty "WTF" type of arm movement which I returned, and then it was on... He started bitching about how if we had come to him first he would have taken care of us since he was a dealer to which I replied that you can't tell that he is an authorized dealer of anything by the 20 year old piece of shit faded banner tied on the side of the polebarn that just says "THE TRIM SHOP", and I can tell why katzkin is sending HIS customers 2 mins down the road by the look of this POS shop and his horrible f-ing attitude. He got mad and said I can't talk to him like that on his property to which I replied its a free country asshole and I can call you whatever names I feel like he deserves. At that point he invited me to leave and I was happy to do so. I called katzkin on the way home and they said he isn't authorized and was amazed to hear about it all, I told them they need to figure something out or arrange for a return. Now we are waiting for a call. Go figure I thought it would be easy damn what was I thinkin?

 

[Bronco2Fan]

ttocs, I know the feeling. I've been trying to find a decent upholstery shop around me for over a year for my ZJ door panels. No one returns calls or the website is BS. Or they only want to do custom work. I just want them done to stock. Guess I'll keep looking.

 

[ttocs]

ttocs, I know the feeling. I've been trying to find a decent upholstery shop around me for over a year for my ZJ door panels. No one returns calls or the website is BS. Or they only want to do custom work. I just want them done to stock. Guess I'll keep looking.

this guy just got triggered as soon as I said "Katzkin", not sure what his issue is. Rather than take an easy job, make a few bucks and keep a return customer he burned that bridge and any friends I might have brought along. But that is ok, I am just going to put it in my pocket and wait. I know one day I will be at a carshow and see a really nice lookin green cutlass with a big bearded asshole next to it to which I will stick my head inside and look around as if I am admiring it before I ask him if that is a katzkin interior? I thought I saw they made one for this but it looked better honestly or maybe it was installed better?

I am happy to say that one of my friends was considering getting some work done there and I talked him out of that.

 

[b1pig]

ttocs, I know the feeling. I've been trying to find a decent upholstery shop around me for over a year for my ZJ door panels. No one returns calls or the website is BS. Or they only want to do custom work. I just want them done to stock. Guess I'll keep looking.

any upholstery shop that isn't willing to repair or replace OEM work isn't worth the effort in opinion. OEM upholstery is typically some of the easier work to duplicate. Hell, you already have a pattern to copy. Might be they want custom work only, so they don't have to match their stitch lines.

We used to have 4 upholstery shops in our community. There was only one for a while. Someone seems to have bought out one of the closed shops and reopened it. Business is a little slacking for them, I'd say... but they're making money.

I feel like it's a dying profession.

 

[maillemaker]

Can they re-make the foam? The ass-wings on my stock GT are flattened by the driver door. Leather is in fine shape but the foam has gotten tired.