Scoobywagon

just checking up on this. Did you get your windshield?

PPG has one in Cedar Rapids. Wholesale is about $65, but shipping would be about $115. Just find a PPG dealer near you and they can have it shipped in. Almost forgot. Part Number is FW288BTN. The back window gasket is a dealer only part. Apparently there are still a few floating around.

ordered one from Performance Radiator a couple days ago. I'll let you know how that works out when it gets here and I get it put in.

Not exactly helpful. Its broken off flush with the head. Also, I'm really unlikely to just run right out and buy another car. THanks

So I'm changing my intake manifold gaskets because the drivers side one was leaking. Badly. Unfortunately, it appears that this leak has been going on for some time because all three bolts were very badly corroded. So badly, in fact, that the back one simply snapped off. Based on the length of the bold that came out of the front hole, there's about 3/8" of bolt left in the hole. I do not own an appropriate set of easy outs and I have to have the car running not later than 8am tomorrow. Anyone think I can get away with just 2 bolts on the one side?

If you were to bring that car into my shop today, you'd probably be in it about $300 installed. New PPG glass and all. Yes, I believe that's what I said.

All autoglass produced since the 60's(?) has a bit of a tint to it. Most of it is either blue or green, though there are several other colors available. It isn't a tint film like you'd get at a tint shop, rather the glass itself is colored. According to PPG, both blue and bronze are available for the XT cars, though they do not differentiate between XT and XT6 since both cars got the same glass. If you want to order new glass, I could get it for about $65 + shipping. Probably less.

The old-school digi-dashes are pretty cranky when it comes to system voltage fluctuations. Specifically, they do NOT like seeing high voltage. The alternator has little or nothing to do with that. Voltage regulation remains firmly in the realm of the voltage regulator which, in most of the cars, is internal to the alternator. A 210amp GM 3-wire conversion will not kill your digi-dash, assuming the dash is healthy to begin with.

I have the Harbor Freight 9,000 lb winch. Its DEFINITELY overkill, but as a matter of "testing", a friend and I rigged it up to a gantry. We used a short tow strap to get to connections at the rear and ran the winch cable from the front, over a pulley and back down to the tow strap in the rear. And yes...it'll pick the car up vertical, albeit slowly.

Adding a hatch pop isn't difficult to do at all. As someone pointed out, all you really need is a pair of power door lock actuators. You add one to the lock, one to the catch. Run power and voila....well, sorta. You have to add a button or other control somewhere. You may also want to add some type of door kicker as the hatch will not lift on its own. Therefore, when you release the door pop button, the catch will simply close back on the bar without actually opening the hatch. Any car stereo shop will have the actuators you need as they are commonly used in alarm installs.

I'd love to be put in line...you know...whenever you get around to it.

Sorry to hear about your car, but I'm glad you're ok. As far as the insurance co. goes, stay on em. Call them every day. They are not required to provide a rental immediately. They are allowed up to 30 days to perform their own "investigation" of the incident. This is to try to avoid some fraud but in many cases it is just used as a cop-out. Once fault is determined, THEN they must provide a replacement vehicle. They will tell you that they will only get you a rental for something like 3-5 days. This is a bluff. They are required to provide transportation until the claim is settled. When it comes time to deal with the value of the car, they will low-ball you. Badly. Don't be insulted. THis is just negotiation. THey are hoping that you will see them as the all-powerful insurance co and won't argue. Instead, come at them with every receipt you've ever had for that car. Take it to an appraiser and have them work their magic. Odds are, they will come back at you with a list of "comparable" cars. Demand a copy of that list and be prepared to go through the list one at a time to see just how comparable they are. As an example, when my wife's Saturn SC2 was totalled a couple years ago, they came back with a list of cars that included SOHC station wagons and sedans with automatic transmissions. I complained that the cars were not comparable since this car was a sports coupe with the DOHC engine and the "sports" package which included upgraded brakes and suspension. Due to other financial constraints, I wasn't able to hold out as long as I would have liked, but at least I didn't go in the hole on the car. Complain to them that since you no longer have transportation, you are unable to make Dr. appointments. This will have the tendency to speed things up in getting you a rental. Tip: When they agree to getting you a rental, insist that they use Enterprise. The reason is that the Insurance company will rent a comparable vehicle for you. Your wagon was a compact, so that's what the insurance company will try to rent for you. That's fine, but Enterprise is almost ALWAYS out of compacts. This means a free upgrade to a midsize for you. Finally, when you get to the doctor, listen to him, not your lawyer about what hurts and what doesn't. That will work itself out later. Good luck to you.

I'm a bit out of your way, as I live north of Tacoma on the Peninsula. However, if you should need some space or roadside recovery, I'll be glad to have you. PM for contact info if you'd like to have it.

In an engine with 300K + miles on it, I would not use seafoam in the crankcase. Intake, sure, but not the crankcase. Use ATF instead. It is much more gentle on old seals than a straight up solvent. If you MUST use it in the crankcase, use the following procedure to ensure that you get ALL of the solvent out. 1) Go to your favorite parts store and purchase two oil filters (a cheap one and a good one) and a case of motor oil. 2) Perform an oil change as you normally would using the cheap filter. 3) After filling the crankcase, run the car long enough to warm up the oil. Add a can of Seafoam. 4) Follow the instructions on the can for proper run time. Should be approximately 5-10 minutes at idle. 5) Turn the engine off and let it sit long enough for the oil to drain back into the pan. Don't let it cool all the way down. Just a minute or two should be fine. 6) Drain the oil and remove the oil filter. Replace the drain plug, but leave the filter off. 7) Pour a quart of oil into the filler tube. This will have a tendency to help pick up any bits of stuff that may be left in the engine. 8) Drain the pan again. 9) Complete your oil change as normal.

Theoretically, you should have all four tires be EXACTLY the same diameter. IN the snow and Ice, that won't matter so much because the ice and snow will probably introduce enough slippage to overcome any binding that may occur. That is NOT the case on pavement, though. If you have a Full time 4wd XT6, though, you have an open differential in the middle. It will tolerate some of that sort of abuse, but personally, I wouldn't push it. I'd get two new tires and sell the used ones to someone to help offset the cost.

Seafoam is a good solvent, pure and simple. It is basically a light-grade kerosene base with some really good detergent additives in it. It can be used in the crankcase, fuel tank, PCV (through a vaccuum line) or right into the intake. Personally, I don't use it in my oil because I REALLY don't like having my oil thinned down that much. However, I do use it in the fuel tank, the PCV system and I have poured it right down the carb's throat before. Does a Screamin' job of cleaning out the gungy buildup that collects in your intake manifold and PCV hoses.

I have 8. *sigh* None of them run just at the moment.

There are all kinds of options in hte aftermarket. Advance Adapters offers a complete line of gear boxes. Some of their t-cases are adjustable in that they can be installed flat, vertical or at an angle. Heck, they offer single-speed, 2-speed and 3-speed transfer cases and are even working on a 4-speed. How cool is that??? Anyway, you can order them with whatever slip yokes and flanges you want. Downside is that they will be expensive. But its an option.

I fabbed my own panel out of a car stereo installation kit and a piece of ABS plastic. I'll draw up a diagram for you if you wnat to know how its done.

I personally do not use FRAM products. Mine are Wix filters or No filters. I run Valvoline 20-50 oil. Also been known to use Castrol GTX. Having said that, there is some legitimacy to the argument that these are old cars and, for the most part, filters are filters. So long as you change RELIGOUSLY at <3000 miles, you're probably ok. More expensive oils and filters merely buy you more flexibility in your oil change schedule. As far as the use of FRAM products goes, the most common argument you'll get is that they use a paper filter element that can disintegrate under pressure. While this is technically true, you'll generally find that it occurs under conditions that most of our Soobie's can't create. This means oil temperatures exceeding 170 at pressures exceeding 100psi. In other words, this a problem that race engiens can have. What tends to happen is the glue breaks and the filter cartridge delaminates. When that happens, you can end up with bits of filter paper all through your engine. The argument then continues that WIX filters are inherently better than FRAM because they use a welded metal cartidge and a fiber filter media. Again this is true, but it doesn't mean that they can't or won't fail. I've seen K&N and Wix filter cases explode. BOy is THAT messy. It comes down to quality control, and WIX generally does a better job than FRAM.

I got to looking at the glove box in my RX. Looks like you might be able to cut part of the top out of it, then fab in a small enclosure to hold your new stereo. You can just use ABS plastic. Relatively cheap, really easy to work with. Use some CA glue on the joints (unless you have a plastic welder) and it should be good to go. Just make sure you give the stereo some room to breathe or it will cook itself. Also, make sure that you bundle your wires properly, becuase they will bind and chaffe. Also, most stereos have a small bolt on the back so that they can be secured by the normal factory means (i.e. the Ford rail). However, theres no reason why you couldn't use that little bolt to attach some strapping so that the radio is secured to the car from the back side as well as the front side. You could also use some ABS to enclose the space where the stereo is supposed to be. Maybe mount some guages or a CB there. Good luck

THere are a couple of housings made for roof and under dash mounting in cars that don't have in-dash provisions for a stereo. If you don't want to do that, you could very easily just fab up a plate in the glove box to carry your stereo. ONly gotcha to that is heat. Lots of modern decks make LOTS of heat, so you'll want to keep an eye on that. If you have a problem, you can punch some holes and/or add a fan to keep things cool. NOt terribly hard to do, nor is it uncommon.

I've used a tow dolly as well as a hauler like Qman's. Both work well, but I'm in the process of converting a 1973 Dodge motorhome into a turtleback car carrier. When done, THAT will be my primary mode of Sube haulage.

Brian, I'm disappointed! No Opeth? No Therion??? D00d!!

Ok....here we go... Your EA71 is carbed, so if its running rich, its time to R&R the carb. Switching to a weber will not likely help you pass emissions, though it IS likely to do better than what you have. Since the car sat for so long, I'd be willing to bet that all the little rubber bits in the carb have long since rotted away, probably losing the float, also. Either take it in and have it rebuilt, or go get another one. I'm currently having htis problem with my 83 EA81 and I've found that its just going to be less expensive for me to switch over to SPFI. As for the ignition switch, well, you've got a generic 2-pole, right? If all it has is 2 poles, then either it doesn't have a start position or it doesn't have an Acc position. Based on the described behaviour, I'll bet it doesn't have a start position. Instead, it is intended for use with a starter button. How to wire this up? Well, run power from the ignition pole on your switch to pin 85 on a Bosch relay ($2-5). Run from pin 86 to a pushbutton switch and from there to ground. This creates the control circuit for your relay which will actually operate the starter. Now, you need power to crank the starter, Jumper from pin 85 to pin 30. You will want to make sure that you dead-end pin 87a, as the relays constant power will run to 87a when the relay is in its "rest" position. Now, run from pin 87 to your starter. What will happen at this point is that you will turn you ignition switch to "On". The relay will see power, but no ground until you press the button. The button provides ground to the relay which closes, routing power to the starter. When you let off the starter button, the relay loses ground, returns to its rest position, and the starter stops turning. IF you plan on having any sensitive electronics, such as a computer, wired to the car, you may want to run a diode to jumper between pins 85 and 86. The diode will function as a drain for the electrical spike that occurs when you collapse a magnetic field.