What Did You Do to Your A-Body Today?

[p3tedd]

Finally, I'm done installing the new radiator and hoses.

[tlc1976]

I took it out a couple times but it?s been put away for good for the season. First snow was Friday and more snow coming tomorrow. I was able to do a couple half days at work last week. Hoping I can do more this week as I feel better.

[p3tedd]

Did the brakes and cleaned the engine bay. I also found a good deal on a Dynomax muffler from 4wheelonline so I ordered one.

[tlc1976]

While I was in the hospital, the mice got into my Celebrity. Shredded the underhood liner and packed it all over. At least they didn?t chew any wires. They also crapped in the interior, and packed the blower housing. So today I cleaned the whole interior with a 1:9 bleach solution to disinfect everything. Including under the back seat. I did the same under the hood once I cleaned up all the seeds and insulation. All I gotta do now is clean the blower housing.

It was nice seeing my work of rebuilding the axle mounts and floorpan is all still in good shape after 7 years.

[CorvairGeek]

While I was in the hospital, the mice got into my Celebrity. Shredded the underhood liner and packed it all over. At least they didn?t chew any wires. They also crapped in the interior, and packed the blower housing. So today I cleaned the whole interior with a 1:9 bleach solution to disinfect everything. Including under the back seat. I did the same under the hood once I cleaned up all the seeds and insulation. All I gotta do now is clean the blower housing.

It was nice seeing my work of rebuilding the axle mounts and floorpan is all still in good shape after 7 years.

Excellent way to sanitize, but sorry to hear about the mess. Hope you are doing better.

We are in a very active Hantavirus area here. We had to bleach all sorts of stuff we brought in from the military range (desert) for use on base in our office. Those filthy bastards are in everything just outside of town. They caused so much damage in our office out there.

[90BuickCentury]

Tearing into the head gasket on my 92 3300. Gonna need to flush it several times, as a previous owner used some kind of stop-leak stuff that has gunked up the entire system, which is what led to the head gasket failure.

[CorvairGeek]

Tearing into the head gasket on my 92 3300. Gonna need to flush it several times, as a previous owner used some kind of stop-leak stuff that has gunked up the entire system, which is what led to the head gasket failure.

That's normally a very unusual job for a 3300. They had a somewhat unusual head gasket design and very tight tolerances IIRC, at least from GM.

[Pontiac6ksteawd]

Ive actually never heard of a head gasket failure on the 3300..

[tlc1976]

Ive actually never heard of a head gasket failure on the 3300..

One of my friends had an 89 Ciera with a 3300 and it had a leaking head gasket. This was in the mid to late 90s. I didn?t know the cause of it.

[90BuickCentury]

Yeah, probably wouldn't have failed, except for all the stop-leak gunk. I think it blocked the thermostat closed. Corner of cyl #2 had radiator fluid pouring out of the block. Still runs but lots of white smoke and very hard starting. Also needs new trans cooler hoses and gonna add a trans cooler, since current setup has lines running directly into the radiator. Will probably replace heater core as well and possibly the radiator. It's got a ton of engine oil seepage that I will try to address as well. It also looks like the freeze plug near cyl #1 blew out too? Found a couple disintegrated vacuum lines as well.

[Zaloryan]

When I acquired my first car, a 1990 Cutlass Ciera (3300), it blew a head gasket the first day I owned it while I was driving home. That car is the entire reason I joined A-Body.net. My head gasket failed in such a way that coolant was allowed into the combustion chamber, causing large quantity of white smoke to pour out the exhaust.

My suspicion is that the seller poured some stop-leak into the engine bay to get it sold (to me, the fool) so it would no longer be his problem!

[tlc1976]

Today it got to 60f briefly. Still snow around the garage and yard but spring is closer. So I glued the door seals that had been starting to come loose.

Then I removed the 2 exposed bumper bolts because surface rust was getting on the chrome. Had to cut one out with a dremel. I have been wanting to replace them with stainless. I can source some proper ones at work.

I also started the Celebrity and aired up the tires. Ordered some parts from rock auto for refreshing the rear brakes which is really all it needs so I can drive it more. I would like to fix the rust like I did back in 2006 before Mitch?s show. Been thinking about trying the roll on rust oleum method that I?ve seen online. Can?t look any worse than it does now, and the car owes me nothing.

[90BuickCentury]

After letting my 92 sit in the cold garage, half torn apart, it's finally been warm enough and I've had enough time to spend a couple more hours on the head gaskets. Got the front head off. Hope to make a lot more progress tomorrow.

[73blazer]

Fixed my power antenna in the STE today. Mine started having issues working wouldn't go all the way down , making grinding noises.... Boy what a project. Someone at some point used one of those generic aftermarket power antennas. To install it they totally hacked up the mounting bracket, cut the wiring harness and used wire nuts, completely hacked the coax antenna lead (they twist tied the coax lead like a regular wire), no wonder I used to get so much whine and reception was so poor.

To put it back to stock, I ordered a NOS full antenna unit (the proper one for the STE with the black top), NOS top nut, NOS top bezel and seal, (the aftermarket kits comes with it's own giant ugly chrome universal bezels to fit any fender angle, so the original pieces were thrown away), a whole new NOS coax antenna cable I ran down the inside of the rockers all the way to the radio, in place of the hacked up one, a NOS relay connector body (fortunately these are the same as corvettes so easily found!), I had to de-modify the lower bracket they had bent an added some metal strap too it.
The funny part is most of the OEM antennas were just fine, they had two problems, the relay would go, or somebody would bend or munge up the mast, GM sells a mast replacement kit, and of course the relay is easily replaceable. And whoever installed that aftermarket one must not have been able to read, the instructions and coax terminator kit for that aftermarket kit were under the antenna behind the trunk lining, it clearly told you how to modify the bracket, which they didn't follow, clearly told them how to terminate the coax, they didn't do it, clearly told them how to plug into the vehicles connector body to attach the new hardwired relay on that kit, didn't do that they just cut that off. I kinda wonder why they kept the directions to begin with, they clearly didn't follow any of them!
Much better radio reception now, no more whine, and I'd rather have the stock one, it has the black bezel and top much smaller doesn't look goofy like that giant chrome aftermarket one did.

[Pontiac6ksteawd]

Not a A-Body.. But installed a new airbag impact sensor. Light is off, am happy..

This Escalade is a nice truck.. But I have to admit, I am considering selling it..