THe furnace in the garage will be the first thing I use the inspection camera for. When the furnace is on, it has a loud popping noise that sounds like air is blowing back onto the flame. Carbon Monoxide detector doesn't go off when the furnace is on so I'm not too concern with CO poisoning, just the noise is obnoxious sometime.
Thank you Mike! Our extended familes in New York and Wisconsin kept it to a manageable size with each generation stopping with two (one has four). It's really wonderful to see our four generations together.
@Great white, I ordered the build sheet for mine today but I'm certain it isn't a Z52. I preferred a stock C4 convertible but my wife really liked the "different" color combination and all the added on stuff. Not sure what happened to the interior but the leather seats appeared to have been attacked by an angry badger. I had already done a set of vinyl seats in the Fiat X1/9 so I re-upholstered them with a pair from Al Knoch leather reproduction covers in 1995.Mine is a z52 triple black. Z52 is as close as you can get to the Z51 package on a vert. Pretty close actually, Biggest difference is the spring rates are lower.
It goes pretty good, for what it is. Corners like a rat in sneakers. But we bought it as a retirement car for the wife and I to take day trips on bright summer days.
I'm slowly working out al the "squeaks and creaks" in the plastic-y interior. Some of it is just a small felt pad here and there, some of it is replacement pieces of different material. I got rid of the "bread box" on the passenger dash and built my own "glove box":
That's aluminum and while it looks good in pictures, it didn't come out quite the way I wanted it. When I get around to it, I plan to pull it back off and rework it the way I want it. The bezels are all painted and so is the console. The "T" shape only and it's in a subtle "smoke metallic". The original is that shiny black plastic and the smoke metallic is just enough of a change for you to know something has been changed but subtle enough to look like something the factory might have done.
The glove box hides a Moates GPU1 real time tuner. I run a heated wideband O2 sensor, which the Moates unit can take as an input. doesn't so much make a difference in day to day driving, but is a godsend when tweaking the fueling tables. Nice thing about the GPU1 is it plugs into the stock ECM slot and the stock calibration and MEMCAL plugs into the back of the adapter. It's there to maintain the "limp mode" function, but should I ever have a problem with the GPU1, it's just pull the ecm out, disconnect the Moates, plug the OEM board back in and off you go.
The real time tuning makes it essentially like tuning an OBDII unit. You can make changes on the fly on the laptop. No doing a data run, burning a chip, data run, burn another chip, etc. Just pull over, tweak a table and off you go again. You don't even have to shut the car down. It's really a slick unit.
My 88 is running custom 89 calibration. 89 program does away with the start injector and the "custom part" allowed me to drop the Bosch MAF for a modern style "blade" MAF. The blade is a Ford piece, like in the Mustangs and such. Like so:
Those are pics from "blowerworks.net". I worked with the original programmer for my calibration and built my own hardware (I'm a hobby machinist as well), but you might still be able to buy them from blowerworks. Something funky was going on at blowerworks last time I tried to contact them. Couldn't get a reply for months, so I just gave up trying.
The blade MAF has better resolution and faster response times. It also removes the "restriction" the Bosch "heated wire" MAF presents to the airstream. A side bonus is the IAT is built into the MAF instead of being in the aluminum intake, so it sees a "truer" air temp that the engine is ingesting instead of "heat soaking" in the OEM location. Besides the better response from the blade MAF, they're cheap as heck. You can grab them off ebay for 10-15 bucks. No way the the original Bosch MAF will ever go for that.
You can also go up to more than a 1 bar sensor if you want to go to forced induction on the OBDI system and retain the MAF. Just takes a little programming change in the sensor resolution tables. I'll likely never go that way, but it's nice to have the option.
Engine work is pretty limited on this car though, it's meant to be a driver, not a project. Threw in a set of crane full roller rockers and then pretty much just started polishing things. The magnesium rocker covers were a PITA to keep shiny, so I ended up just painting them silver.
It's even still on stock exhaust, although the PO gutted all the cats. Not what I woudl have done, but like the ground effects, you get what you get when you buy a used car.
Yes, the "triple black" can sure get hot in the summers! Getting in after top down in the sun wearing shorts is a dangerous affair! You can get at least 1st degree burns on the back of your thighs! I usually keep a towel in the back and toss it on the seat in those situs. The seat cools a few seconds later and I can remove the towel.
Mine wears a "genuine" Greenwood kit. But to be honest, I'm not a big fan of body kits on C4's. I like the clean OEM 80's "wedge" look. The Greenwood kit was already on the car when I bought it and taking it off would mean body work and a complete respray. That's fairly big money that I just don't want to spend on this car.
The lowers I don't really mind, but I find most rear spoilers just don't look right on a C4. The body style just doesn't lend itself very well to spoilers, at least not to my eyes.
I will say, however, that of all the aftermarket body kits you could get for the C4 the Greenwood ones look the best to my eyes.
About the only "rear spoiler" treatment I like on C4's is the Shinoda/Mears kit. Only issues I have with that one is the rear lowers don't look quite right from the rear and that it changes the look to the later 90's "rounded look". I like my c4's angular and with the Atari dash in place.
Shinoda/Mears kit:
But, if someone likes body kits on a c4, that's also fine by me.
Different strokes for different folks.
Philip, I do the same with my HFT camera. I seem to have lost the little screw that holds the battery pack in place but it doesn't fall out in normal use. I take the 4-battery pack out and then remove the batteries. They stay in the blow mold case so I don't have to dig out four new ones every time.
Cody, I am a little surprised how often I've used that new pair. I don't regret buying the Cen-Tech inspection camera but the $10 phone attached one is another one of those no-brainers.
Logan, I was not feeling great (sinus cold) at the wedding so I asked Liane who she was sitting with at our table. Turns out it was me. Our namsake (Liane Roberta) and her parents are over 30 so the contrast is dramatic.
Scott, good to know.
Rian, I am proud of myself for not emptying the serving dish straight into my mouth.
Steve, I have thought about that but I worry I won't recognize the bad bits and end up cutting out the good ones. I sure hope a 10 meter one will get the job done.Bob, I like this, DIY colonoscopies.
Gotta be cheaper than a visit to the doc, and you can have as many goes as you like.
Just have a long enough cable for the phone to see what’s going on.
Steve
Danny, that was my thought as well. The day you need one isn't the day to go shopping for one.
Cody, I feel like these cheap endoscopes are perfect for that kind of job. You would be upset if an expensive one gets ruined because the furnace is still hot but at ~$10 I'd shed fewer tears. I also like that it can be connected to a screen that gets used for other stuff. Especially good that I have a smartish phone that won't work on today's networks.
Thanks Shorty! My buying advice could easily backfire. The ratio of 'Best' to 'Bad' Bits isn't that impressive. I am living with a bunch of under-cabinet LEDs that take 3 seconds to light up.
@Squankum, maybe it should be Bob's Unhandy Discounts. I posted about a PVC sprinkler repair item on Danny (@DeeDubz) thread that is three times as expensive on Amazon compared to the sprinkler supply houses.Bob's Five-Finger-Because-Five-Is-All-I-Got Discounts!
Bob, how's your sinus infection? We've already talked boogers this fall, so I'll just remind you, a gallon of distilled water, and this, from the Mart of Wal/CVS/RiteAid/Walgreen's, etc etc:
NeilMed Sinus Rinse
My experience with Bluetooth gizmos is terrible. The one I'm using plugs directly into the charge/data port on the Samsung S3, A12 and anything with a USB port and it works fine with the phone app and Windows software. I can't speak to its affinity to the Red Ball -- sorry -- Apple stuff.
@Squankum, that was my first thought as well. In the oral surgeon world, maybe one rotting socket out of eight is considered success.
I watched both episodes and I've subscribed. I feel like it takes a long time for them to get to the action. An hour and 20 minutes with no commercials is like four Motortrend channel shows. My cheap *** did have to sit through a few 5-second flaming disasters before I could click on 'Skip Ad' because I refuse to pay for ad-free YouTube.
Dan, as I finished the seventh day of the new antibiotics it seemed like it was under control. I'm continuing to force hydrogen peroxide through the fistula and the de-comp festival has subsided.Bob, I sure hope you get that infection under control. Just hearing about the rounds of antibiotics you have been prescribed makes my stomach queezy and restless. YUCK!
On the Camaro there is a brace/bracket on the back of the inner fender that is welded to the firewall that has a hole that's big enough for an oil cap to fall into. I remember picking bolts out of that particular area before I cleaned and painted it. Maybe there's something similar for your void area and the cap is resting against the firewall?Bob, I feel your pain! I believe this is a built in feature on GM vehicles. If you drop anything near the firewall or inner fender, it is gone to the infinite void of the cosmos. Hell my best friend dropped the oil cap from his 2005 GMC Sierra pickup when we serviced it at my house...that was 3+ years ago, it has never been found(in my shop, or anywhere on his pickup) and we heard it hit....somewhere
@Squankum, what a great idea! I was a little worried I would have nothing to do....
Cody, you heard it right but it was me. Funny thing was I just laughed but I realized I might throw something if I kept going.All I heard was Homer's voice,
Marc, I agree completely that it's a GM feature. I dropped a really expensive bolt at the front of the engine and it made a sound but never hit the floor. It was the A/C compressor pivot bolt -- a Torx 30 bolt with a flat on one side of the head so you can get the bolt past the pulley. It's the one on the right.Bob, I feel your pain! I believe this is a built in feature on GM vehicles. If you drop anything near the firewall or inner fender, it is gone to the infinite void of the cosmos. Hell my best friend dropped the oil cap from his 2005 GMC Sierra pickup when we serviced it at my house...that was 3+ years ago, it has never been found(in my shop, or anywhere on his pickup) and we heard it hit....somewhere
Bob, how-many Dremels or similar do you have? I would've chucked-up a fiber-reinforced disc on the screw-end mandrel and spent 40 seconds letting the tool do my hacksaw work. Another way to cut the bolt, I would have a new-found use for this recent acquisition:
Bob, I feel your pain! I believe this is a built in feature on GM vehicles. If you drop anything near the firewall or inner fender, it is gone to the infinite void of the cosmos. Hell my best friend dropped the oil cap from his 2005 GMC Sierra pickup when we serviced it at my house...that was 3+ years ago, it has never been found(in my shop, or anywhere on his pickup) and we heard it hit....somewhere
Philip, it may not look it in the photo but that's a really tight spot where the hoses go and the wrench was in the way of getting anything but a hacksaw blade in there. I used one of these:Bob, how-many Dremels or similar do you have? I would've chucked-up a fiber-reinforced disc on the screw-end mandrel and spent 40 seconds letting the tool do my hacksaw work. Another way to cut the bolt, I would have a new-found use for this recent acquisition:
Which is pretty-slick in use, the little use I've put it to. I did find another use for it, and with the results I got, I'm pleased with its performance. See below, the pillar drill.
I've been having a hard time, finding the Dremel fiber-reinforced cut-off discs that are not designed-as the E-Z Twist Lock, or whatever they're called. I resisted buying that 'new system' for a long time, until I had trouble finding the old discs. I should probably locate an online source of the old discs, and buy a lifetime supply of 'em.
Better to do the ordering while you're thinking of it. I did. Amazon prime, 50 fiberglass-reinforced 1-1/4" discs, and 4 screw-end mandrels, $10. They arrive Sunday. Ain't it great, internet ordering? I'm gonna load 'em into the 'PEZ dispenser' spring-loaded abrasive disc holder. It takes 20 abrasive discs at a time, and Obama may have been POTUS when I bought that package of 20.
Here's what I used the HFT Hercules deep-throat portable bandsaw (PBS) and the benchtop stand to create, something useful from a ruined LED magnetic trouble lamp.
Something from nothing, a re-purposed three A batteries LED magnetic trouble lamp which had seldom-used batteries poop the bed, ruining the light. No amount of scraping and Dremel wire-brush, dielectric grease, or WD-40/CRC 5-56 would cure it. The magnet is good and strong, and I presumed that I could come-up with something to use the defunct shell for. And I did. See the side of the pillar drill.
@Squankum, I have some of those magnetic inserts and of course all the telescoping magnetic wands. Lately I've been stuffing rags under the workspace so the fasteners can't get to those inter
Thanks @Xti04, I'm going to continue the hydrogen peroxide flushes for a few more weeks. Based on the increased difficulty pushing it through the fistula, it must be healing up. Hopefully I'll quit before it ruptures something else.
Philip, it may not look it in the photo but that's a really tight spot where the hoses go and the wrench was in the way of getting anything but a hacksaw blade in there. I used one of these:
@Squankum, now you remind me. I took this photo in 2013 so I may have forgotten I have it.Bob, do you have an air saw? I got my first about two years ago and once again, do not regret having gotten Aircat.
Or the old mechanic trick of saying " Brother, brother, go find brother" as you drop a second bolt into the same location...
Alan, I like your idea. For some reason I don't have a roll of aluminum foil at hand in the garage. Having purchased a two-pack from Costco, there's one just waiting for me to relocate. You reminded me how handy that stuff is, including using it to mask things like wire bundles when spray painting.
Just like my collection of Milwaukee cordless tools, I didn't buy them all at once so it seemed like I only had a few. I do like having the cheap Harbor Freight whips on the air tools so that big heavy donut on the end of the hose reel hose is on the floor instead of the tool.
Scott, I've done that many times. It wasn't intentional this time but now there are two rubber isolators and special metric bolts living together in their secret lair.
@Squankum, it's another of my songs.
www.hotcars.com
Gil, thanks for taking time to post. To me, that's a cool looking concept. I doubt it would change a PT Cruiser hater's opinion of the car but it is a more modern interpretation. I've never owned a pickup, van or full size SUV so the PT Cruiser "crossover" suits me fine. I can't haul full sheets of plywood or drywall but the cargo capacity isn't bad. Home Depot rents trucks for $20 and several family members own pickups so it's not a big deal to me. I've also been known to pay for delivery of sheet goods.Hi Bob, I haven't commented in a while, but read your thread every time you post as the entertainment is far better than what I get on cable TV! Glad to hear you are on the mend. In any case, you might enjoy seeing this article on a PT Cruiser concept:
This New Chrysler PT Cruiser Concept Commands New Respect As A Modern Hot Hatch
Back in the day, people either loved or hated the PT Cruiser. This powerful render, however, shouldn't be mistaken for the polarizing original.
i had one in 2005 that had the high output Turbo and 5 speed, it was a blast to drive, but a bit "squirrelly"! This one if the HP number is correct would be insane. I also just test drove a Mercedes SL 63 and that is truly insane with nearly 600 HP under my right foot! Still looking for one, but perhaps not with that engine, the speeding tickets would break me!
Gil
There was an equal length half shaft kit for them, that really helped with torque steer.
Gil, I am always amazed at how much power a little turbo 4-cylinder engine can produce. Back in 1986 I was at Daytona for an IMSA race and heard the Ford Mustang Probe GTP go by. It wasn't like any Mustang I had ever seen.
@Xti04, you got that right. I replaced the evaporator once and paid someone else to do it the second time. Replaced the engine mounts twice and am getting ready to do the timing belt. Being retired with 3 registered vehicles I can live with hard to work on vehicles.
Kay, I thought about getting that kit but for the same money I can get a 10mm bigger throttle body.
Shorty, if you didn't grow up when late 40 Fords were a common sight on the roads, they have almost zero appeal.
Tom, I know you're on the right track. At my age it's hard to keep track of how many things I've droppeed into the abyss. During the most recent fight with the windshield wiper motor I pulled the cover off, exposing the electrical connections inside. At some point during the fight a tiny tiny connector came off and fell to the floor. I didn't see it happen but just as I was about to put the cover back on, something shiny on the floor caught my eye. Had I not seen it, everything it took to get the motor out and back in would have had to be repeated. Some days it's nice to be the windshield.
