Baileys - my smooth, creamy beige '91 Vic

[85crownHPP]

Holy lack of updates...!!

The 91 has been behaving well for the last 4 years, and really both cars have been on the back burner as far as minor needs and happy-fun-time projects since the 2-wheeled machines came around.
Not too long ago I started feeling guilty for 'ignoring' them and did a few things.

I replaced the 'steal me please' loose ignition lock cylinder and the shift tube bushings, which cured all the following in one swoop:

- loose thumb tabs
- key pulls out in any position
- you could start it with any key (or anything you can cram in there)
- it wouldn't turn back to ACC
- steering wheel wouldn't lock
- and worst of all... it will come out of park with the ignition off!

Here's the thread with the details and my adventure with a crap Dorman replacement shift tube: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?50588

After this, I decided to go ahead and replace the water pump that had some slow seepage, along with all the hoses and t-stat. The cheap rubber valve cover gaskets I put on when I got it were leaking a bit, so I upgraded them to perma-dry, along with the lower intake gasket (since I was tearing stuff apart anyway). Also tune-up parts, fuel filter, new oxygen sensors... she got some love.
With Rock Auto's awesome prices, I did it all for about 200 bucks to boot.

I didn't take many pics since I was biting off a lot for one weekend, but I attached a pic of the nice purty aluminum pump to motivate a few folks!

Since then I also updated the interior LED bulbs, and I plan to install a color-matched dome lamp from a T-bird like I did the 85 (you can fit the killer dome bulbs in them) AND I installed a CVPI air-box, even though they are worth their weight in silver on eBay these days.

I think part of what helped me get back to the cars is the fact that the new Honda scooter isn't a POS that needs constant tinkering and doesn't need to be modified to go as fast enough to keep up with traffic. I just needed a year or so to pay it off, to get car goodie monies freed up

[85crownHPP]

I forgot to mention in the post above that I put HO upperstuff back on, of course. And btw, it ran all kinds of silly the first few dozen times I started it up, idling funny, stalling out when changing into D/R, but it must have been finding its happy place because it worked itself out.
I have the turbines back on it currently, since I scored a nice set of stock size tires.
I think it might be time for some front brake work, but I have all things needed for a big brake swap that are supposed to be for the 85... I need to investigate the pushrods/lifters in the '85 to help me deem if she is worthy of further more-than-small projects. I'm already thinking about robbing the amps and subs out of it for the '91...!

I took the '91 on a 2 hour road trip last weekend, she's still butter as ever. Best $300 I ever spent!

[85crownHPP]

Baileys - my smooth, creamy beige '91 Vic

I've finally made some progress, I forgot to consider how daylight savings puts a damper on my weekday fun time...!

My grand plan is to upgrade interior speakers and wire/arrange things so I can easily swap the amps and subs from one car to the other, and easily switch back to non-amplified in either one. This is largely inspired by my cheapness - it's one thing that's more powerful than my laziness. This laziness led me to do something... terrible.
Instead of running new wire through the door wire run, I opted to incorporate the factory wire It's plenty adequate size, and there was no need for additional connectors, aside from the connector pigtails for the speaker itself. I'd rather crimp than use the plug-in adapters!
My original plan was to snip the factory speaker wires behind the kick panel and feed them through it to the crossover attached to the other side. My disgust grew as I mocked up the crossover and prepared to drill, then I got some better ideas....
I found enough space to mount the crossover above the under-dash trim panel, and de-pinned the speaker wires from both halves of the convenient connector right there Just as I was thinking that it was working out a little TOO well, I remembered that the dash trim for the drivers side was missing. Lucky me, work was slow and I had just enough time left of my half-day for a solid hour of junkyard time. I still need to figure out where to attach the drivers side crossover, it's a bit tighter on that side.

The trim in the the last pic is only loosely in place for the pic, not done back there yet

[85crownHPP]

These are an eBay score from waaaay back when that had been hibernating patiently. I'm pretty sure they were hot shit back in their day, but were already outdated when I got them.

The zip tie in the pic is a pull-saver of sorts, always a good idea. I like using nylon crimp connectors, they don't split open like plastic ones do. I know lots of people don't like crimping, but I feel like a poor crimp or over-load is to blame for most crimp related misfortune. Good quality connectors and a good crimp has served me well. Most crimpers suck balls, I use the kind you can crimp steel brake line with

[85crownHPP]

I decided to buy myself an Xmas present and spent some money on a Jensen 4ch amp and RF 2way 6x9's, both on sale at Crutchfield online

Power and RCA's are run, I didn't pull the rear seat and still satisfied my wire-run standards! 90-91 interiors are very run-fat-wire-with-a-coathanger friendly back there

Laziness again produced something that made me feel greasy - I will be using the factory wires for the rear speakers to deliver sound from the amp to the front...
This means essentially all I have to do is swap a couple more pins out right at the crossovers, since the wiring for the rear is right there in the same connector I gutted for the front wiring :banana:
To top it off, the free speaker wire adapters *would* almost make it a snap, but that would cross the line for me, lol

Soon the new bits will show up, and jams will be pumped up

[85crownHPP]

Got the 6x9's and amp in, sounds pretty damn good! I even made a slide-out amp mount (that needs to be re-engineered) out of some wood and a drawer slide, lol.

And then this happened... curb score from a rich neighborhood. Yes, it was definitely a 'junk' pile. I bet the treadmill even worked...
It's currently turning my brains to mush in the '85 until another amp finds its way to me...!
They are definitely WAY overkill for me, and I'd gladly trade straight-up for a pair of comparable 10"s (these are 12"s) at Scottfest... lol

[85crownHPP]

Here are some lousy not-put-back-together-yet pics!!

The screws are because my wedge-lock idea didn't work... but it will need a redo anyway due to its new bun in the oven
I realize the wiring is a sacrilegious mess, but the cold beat out my religion on that for now.
A keen observer can see that I did something I said i wasn't going to...

Also, I did have to pull the back seat, because NO WAY those factory rubber straps were going to work, lol. Maybe it was because the rubber and my fingertips were frozen, but I remember the ones in the '85 not being too hard to do...
This wound up being a good thing though, because I could see that the stock speaker grilles had little plastic nubs that rest like feet on the metal bottom half of the rear deck...
So I wound up making rear deck sandwiches, and definitely needed longer screws to do it!

[85crownHPP]

I scored some half-tread LT tires with the snow squiggles in them... might be able to crush it in 3/8" of snow now instead of only 1/4"



And I decided that a certain tie rod had gotten too sloppy for me, then laziness and convenience led to some tasty preverkill and goodies

(preverkill - a culmination of excessive 'preventative maintenance' might-as-well type repairs that wind up 80% unnecessary)



Oh yeah... I did look at the brakes too, put new pads on and turned the rotors

OH YEAH!! The front to rear brake line blew on me, while I was sitting parked at my place...!
This happened the same way when that line went on the '85... I even had it in a bay at work at the time lol... (and was due to drive down a long mountainous road to a friend's place that evening...)
So that got fixed too

[DerekTheGreat]

New stuff good. Bad brake lines messy, hate getting that stuff on my skin. It makes my skin feel dry & wet at the same time, irritating.

[85crownHPP]

How bout when brake fluid finds every little scratch and scrape on your hands and stings like the dickens!!!!!!!!

[DerekTheGreat]

Don't forget about brake cleaner, that shit burns like hell too. I try to wear gloves all the time but they often tear and let the toxic shit through.

[Tiggie]

"preverkill" is a good habit!

[85crownHPP]

She was giving me a LOUD snap/pop sound from the rear around turns and over bumps... it was so bad I could FEEL it in the seat, the floor, the steering wheel...
I feared the worst, the universe gave me the best

PS, that part number is for a box of 10pcs... 7 dolla!

[87gtVIC]

That much racket from a missing/destroyed isolator!?

[85crownHPP]

Yeap! The slight twisting of the spring on compression/extension will make that little nub at the end rub the spring perch, it'll release the force with a POP kinda like the turn-stops do when you're at full lock and go over an uneven surface. Except MUCH LOUDER! I actually parked it until I could check it out, lol...