My Hoopty

[Dr_Snooz]

I haven't checked it lately. I probably should do that.

[redaztec]

Props on sticking with it - that's been a difficult project to be sure! Nice to see one of the people I remember from years past still taking care of the old 3G. I've still got my '89 as well.

[Dr_Snooz]

Cowl cover rehab.

[Dr_Snooz]

Red Car. Looking awesome.

[conozo]

Looks good.

Curious why you have never tinted your car especially since you live in California? Even a light tint would stop a lot of the UV rays on the interior and keep the car cooler.

[ShiRen]

Hey wheres all the snow? Why does it look warmer than 10F?

I can hardly stand my untinted car in Missouri, I don't want to think of California... all year... Everyone is too scared to touch the curved back glass.

[stat1K]

Hey wheres all the snow? Why does it look warmer than 10F?

I can hardly stand my untinted car in Missouri, I don't want to think of California... all year... Everyone is too scared to touch the curved back glass.

cries in arizonan... but hey it's gonna be 75F today so there's that...

[ShiRen]

It got to a whole 17F here today and didn't even snow, best its been all week, I can already feel spring coming on

[Dr_Snooz]

Curious why you have never tinted your car

Because it's expensive and I'm always broke LOL.

[ShiRen]

Big window tint price gouges in them warmer climates don't they?

[stat1K]

i paid more in north carolina than i ever did in AZ, ridiculous that i even had to do it in NC but can't imagine not having it here in AZ.

[Dr_Snooz]

5th gear FAIL!!!!

Need a 5th Gear (3geez.com)

[Dr_Snooz]

I found a trans!!! The San Jose Pick-N-Pull got a MT in, so I drove up there today (about 7 hrs. round trip). I intended only to scavenge 5th, but ended up getting the whole thing. The car looked a fright, but the interior was clean (for a junkyard car). The hoses were all in great shape. There was a new corner light and a new blinker. The one drive axle was a Napa part and the radiator was so new the stickers were still on it and hadn't discolored. The oil in the trans was clear and clean. The oil in the block was fairly clean too and the coolant was green.

All that to say that the car has clearly been well-kept. I took a flyer and grabbed the entire trans. Without even checking 5th, which I hope doesn't turn out to bite me. Even so, there's a warranty, so whatever. I hope this will prove to be a good core that I can rebuild.

Apologies that I suck so bad at taking pictures but here is one from when I got back.

[Dr_Snooz]

While I was at the yard today, I figured out why the last trans I built blew up so badly. It's all my fault. When I pulled it in the yard, I didn't have a lift or jack or any other way to support it while I loosened it. Instead, I let it hang free and pried and yanked and jerked until it fell on the ground. I bent the input shaft real bad and it blew itself to pieces almost immediately.

It hit me when I was contemplating how to drop today's trans without letting it hang free. Fortunately, I had some ratchet straps in the truck and was able to lower it with those.

[Oldblueaccord]

Thats what we call in my business "operator error". Live and learn and hope this trans is a good one for you!

[Dr_Snooz]

I've been doing a lot of little odds and ends too.

My trim has been bringing me down for years. It's all faded and white and shabby.




Skid marks from Maaco's sander on the mirror.




I've been disappointed with spray paint which always seems to find a way to fade, or flake off or just look terrible. This stuff from Tractor Supply gets great reviews. It managed to stay attached to the piece, but faded and looks shabby.




It also wipes off with rubbing alcohol.




I forgot who recommended SEM paint to me years ago, but I finally tried it out and like it so well, I painted everything. Thank you!











I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It flows out better and the finish is thick like a coating and not thin like spray paint.

[Dr_Snooz]

Thats what we call in my business "operator error". Live and learn and hope this trans is a good one for you!

It's what we call an ID10T error in mine.

[Dr_Snooz]

You have to be careful not to lay it on too thick or it will form this stipple pattern. Even so, you barely see it on the car.







And yeah, some idiot backed my truck into my car.

[Oldblueaccord]

Factory look!

[Dr_Snooz]

Updates to the cowl cover refresh page. Mostly fail.

Cowl Cover Rehab (3geez.com)

[Dr_Snooz]

Here's some not fail. Our moldings have this integrated rubber seal that has long since hardened by now and is chipping away thusly:





I've discovered that those chips can be patched with simple epoxy.

Goop it in, sand it down and paint it for an invisible repair.



Maybe do a better job sanding than I did.

[Dr_Snooz]

Last update and I'll shut up. You know how those grab handles in the car have those little covers that constantly break and leave the mounting screws exposed? I've gathered at least a million of those from the junkyard, okay maybe more like 15, and they all end up breaking within a short time. They always break in the same spot, so I went to O'Reilly and got some Plastic Bonder epoxy in tan, to match my interior. I built out those weak areas with the epoxy.



It doesn't show when installed and makes the piece much stronger.

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm an idiot. Here's why: I have a coupe, which is not quite rare, but far from common. One of the trims on my back window blew off months ago. This trim:




Looks nice, right?

It was loose, and I knew it was at risk of blowing off. I've watched the car shows where the guys handle trim pieces as if they are long strips of gold, because the trims are simply irreplaceable. Still, I did nothing and lost an irreplaceable piece of window trim on my hard-to-find coupe. *Sigh*

That's idiocy enough, but it gets worse. I drove 7 hrs up to San Jose last weekend to get a 5th gear. Part of the reason I drove up there was because the donor car was also a coupe. So naturally, I returned having forgotten one and only one part on my list. Can you guess which part? You got it. I looked at that piece when I was there. It was the very first thing I started on, but somehow I got distracted and forgot it.

Are you laughing yet? Because I'm not done. As I said, the trim is irreplaceable. The donor car was a good car and also a coupe, so with little choice, I hopped back in the truck this weekend and drove back 7 more hrs to San Jose. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand.................................. ...................... GONE!

The car was GONE!!! It probably wasn't out there even 2 weeks before they crushed it, the fiends. Should I have verified that it was still there before leaving? Probably, but hey, if I couldn't keep my original trim piece, I'm not about to check availability before driving 7 hrs.

You're laughing now, right?

Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. I did a quick search for junkyards nearby and found another coupe on the way home. That car donated not 1, but 3 windows trims to the project.




The little rubber flanges on the new pieces are intact, unlike the flanges on my existing trim.




It turned out well then!

Thank goodness.

[Dr_Snooz]

The birds have demonstrated their regard for my newly painted trim.

[Oldblueaccord]

Honda trim GURU...7 hours for trim!