Thank you Rian, I think it's little things that motivate me to do more to the cars.
Scott, my world is dull compared to yours but now that this job is almost done I see a light at end of the train tunne....
Dennis, I have not tried MicroMesh but I see it isn't cheap. How do those fine grits hold up? In 2013 I bought a box of fifteen 6" 3M Trizact 5000 discs for $90 and the foam disintegrated in minutes. Back in 1963 European cars like the Jaguar XKE and Ferrari 250 GTO had really cool covers over the headlight tunnels and wished US cars would come with them. I mean, the '63 Corvette was sleek until you turned on the headlights. It didn't occur to me that those plastic covers came with baggage and work. I've seen the light so my '72 Corvette and '87 Corvette will always have good old crystal clear glass headlights (still ugly when you turn them on).
@Squankum, except when you forget to mask them when spraying paint nearby.Well, that's on the shelf! If they were out the sun they'd be... clear and shiny like the day they were made.
There has to be a happy medium between trading it in when the headlights get foggy and keeping it until no one recognizes it. [What are these Packards, Plymouths and Pontiacs you speak of].
Cody, I'm not in a huge rush because it's back together for now and we can use the car. I often start projects by ordering the parts and invariably one of them is back ordered. The term 'back ordered' can mean they've ordered more or it can mean we don't have any and have no idea where or when we'll get more.
Dennis, I ordered the $24.50 kit Amazon offers. It comes with nine 2"x3" pieces of MicroMesh (1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000 grit) and a small 2x3 foam block. The description says the 1500 is similar in grit range to conventional 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I'm guessing it's part of the P-series versus ANSI grits thing:
Looking at the low driving lamps, they are better, by far.
Patrik, my normal process is to turn five minute jobs into five hour jobs. You'll notice I didn't vacuum or detail the exposed mechanisms under the steering column cover. I'd normally spray some kind of cleaner in there and cause an electrical problem as well.
Philip, the coating the factory headlights have seems to last longer than the aftermarket ones. The polishing process strips that coating off in either case so once you've brought them back the first time you'll have to repeat the process much more frequently. A couple of coats of high solids UV resistant clear coat is far better than the original factory coating and likely will never need more than hand buffing, like the paint on the car's body.
Kirk, yes and no. We rarely drive at night anymore but the last time we did Liane was driving. She complained that the headlights didn't work as well as they did a few decades ago. Showed her how bright the new LEDs are and she was pleased so the switch to LEDs was worth it. How bright they are and how far they throw light doesn't matter if you don't drive at night so no, it was a waste of money. In the end I at least get some revenge on the drivers who have similar lighting when I'm driving in the rain. I may be driving in the rain with the main beams, high beams and driving lights on just to piss them off.
Philip, I don't know if a photo will show it very well but the driving lights broadcast light to the sides better than the headlights. That's a good thing considering how many bicycle riders and pedestrians are on the road at night in South Florida. No coincidence that Florida is the deadliest state for cyclists and pedestrians.
Few small jobs completed.
As I was putting the wheels back on the PT Cruiser several caps came off the lug nuts. I decided to buy new lug nuts that are chrome plated but I'm keeping the originals just in case.
Marc, I plan to shoot a coat or two as soon as I get a couple of tacks on those weird bolt heads.Well all it needs now is a shot of black paint and its ready to go Bob! Might as well just cancel the part now, that will offset the cost of the paint job
@Squankum, I was also worried about one of those sheet metal covers getting stuck in the lug wrench. I was able to get it out but there's more than a 50% chance some good Samaritan would stop to help Liane and they'd be stuck. There's a flip phone in the PT Cruiser's glove compartment but I don't think Liane has mastered it. The power button is not obvious -- it's the End Call button but held down longer to power the phone on and off.
Stick it into a Glad sandwich bag w/a 1-page note containing that info. Then, back into the glovebox.
I'm going to look into a set of those bits -- that would be a first for me too. It seems like I'm using more metric fasteners every year, so maybe it's time to get the drills too. Plus, I'm sick of trying to find the closet fractional bit on the conversion chart whenever I need to use a metric tap.
Marc, I took your suggestion to heart. It was late Friday night and I forgot to cancel the order. The post office delivered the part Saturday.Well all it needs now is a shot of black paint and its ready to go Bob! Might as well just cancel the part now, that will offset the cost of the paint job
Good idea Philip. I put a note in the owner's manual wallet that tells where the locking lug nut key is located.
Hi John, I use sticks and stones if nothing else is handy. Always seems I don't have enough clamps but it's better than it used to be.
Kirk, I suspect a bean counter was involved. They always have the best ideas.
@Squankum, hiding their remote would be more devastating.
I think the question is asked with the best intentions. We single wingers look pathetic to other people so it triggers their sympathetic traits. I appreciate the help and as I age I'm in less of a rush to get things done so it's a win-win.My answer might be, "I've been working solo since I was a child."
Rick, I have SPI clear on things that are out in the sun all day every day and the clear still looks brand new.
Kirk, old dogs may not be teachable but we're good at digging up excuses to buy tools.
Can you stuff that in a flat rate box and send it North?How you been Bob, I haven’t been around for a bit.
Found you another car to play with.
Hope all is well.
Craig
Tom, much as I would love to have some form taps, they make my wallet hurt. A Titanium carbonitride (TiCN) set of 3 would cost almost $75 (M3 0.5 - $25.60, M6 1.0 - $22.33 M8 1.25 - $24.86) from McMaster-Carr. I see myself running one into a hole that isn't the perfect size and breaking the tap off. With no flutes in the tap I wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell getting the tap out.
Craig, tempting as that is, the garage is full. While it has been droughty dry lately and rumor has it we may someday get rain. It appears Mother Nature is really pissed, sending Florida weather to California and California weather to Florida. Based on the ability of a freshly washed car to attract huge birds full of acid poop and vast quantities of rain, what appears to be a shiny ******* Cadillac would be a nightmare come to life. Were I to buy it, monsoon rains that never end would be our future. Or, La Palma in the Canary Islands collapses and sends us a Tsunami.How you been Bob, I haven’t been around for a bit.
Found you another car to play with.
Hope all is well.
Craig
Kay, you want that with all-weather tires? I can see the boys riding on top of the rear seat backs wearing goggles.Can you stuff that in a flat rate box and send it North?
For awhile GM and a lot of maker's clear coat would turn into the white flakiness of a glazed donut in a few runs through a car wash since most people never ever wax their cars.
