paul_valaru
100% Pure Canadian Beef
why dual exaust? did it come with dual, the cheapest thing would to be keep it stock.
The muffler on my car
- Thread starter Altron
- Start date
Aunty Em
Well-Known Member
chcr said:
My opinion falls in the 25 year and older catagory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_car
Altron
Well-Known Member
A.B.Normal said:Why not replace the engine before it dies and leaves you stranded,being left by the side of the road is "only"inconvenient.
Safety first ,convenience and comfort is secondary,you need to budget yourself accordingly.With $550 you are not going to be able to do it all,thats a fact,so why if it means your not going to be able to afford brakes and tires.
My first car was a 1970 Maverick which I bought for $100 and drove and kept repaired for 4yrs,it was still running/operating fine when I gave it to my brother,so before you start getting BITCHY about our advice remember we've been where you are.
Because there's absolutely nothing wrong with the motor!
I'm saying that the brake pads are worn, the tires only have a little tread left, and the springs and shocks are not in good condition.
I'm not trying to waste money on shit, I'm trying to repair things that MUST be repaired before they break. I was told SIX MONTHs and 3,000 miles ago that the brake pads and shoes only had about 25% of the material on them, and 20% was the minimum neccessary for safety. I'm very careful on the brakes, and I can still stop when neccessary, but I would like to NOT slam into a wall at 70mph because the brakes decided to stop working.
At that same point in time, I was told that the tires were worn and I should replace them soon. I can see that for myself. My tires fail the "put a penny on the tread and if you can see lincoln's head, you should get new tires" test.
I dunno wtf is going on with the suspension, except that the same dude told me that I should replace the shocks or the springs.
I just want to know wtf to do, because I have no clue. That's why I'm posting a thread, and not going out and buying things.
So I'm sticking to the 235/75R15s, ok, that's fine, now what brand of tires should I get?
I'm going to get the discs and rotors turned, replace the brake fluid, and get new shoes and pads. How much does that cost? What kind of shoes and pads work best?
Now, how do I see what kind of condition the springs and shocks are in? I've been told that they should be replaced, I've been told that I shouldn't use anything except OE, I've been told that non-OE stuff is a lot better, I've been told that I don't need to be replaced at all, all from people who know what they're talking about. Naturally, I'm going to take the word of the guy who actually put the car on a lift and looked at it, and assume that I should replace the springs and shocks if I still have money left after the tires and brakes.
chcr said:
That's my thinking too. There's a hell of a lot of technology that's been invented since the 1977 redesign of the B-platform. I'm not talking about putting racing shocks on it and slapping a bunch of "type R!!11111" stickers on it, along with a big wing on the back. I'm asking if there exists a shock absorber and a spring that can do everything the OE one can, except better.
Forget about the exhaust, that was an afterthought that I just threw in because I was thinking about how I needed to get a coat hanger and some muffler repair tape. Ok, let's budget five bucks for the exhaust. A dollar store wire coat hanger and a little bit of muffler repair tape.
Professur
Well-Known Member
Unless the springs are shot, they don't need replaced. They're not usually a 'wear' point. They might break, but it's rather unusual for one to fail by weakening. Shocks are another story. They wear out. And unlike a lot of other work, they're not to sort of thing you want to try to do yourself anymore. Coil-overs and McPhersons require special tooling that's simply not worth buying for the home mechanic. The brakes and pads are doable for the home mechanic and you can save yourself a lot of money doing it yourself. Usually the only tools required are a good 1/2" socket set, and a big C clamp. It's understood that a good jack and stands are required anytime you work under a car, so I'm not gonna repeat that every time. If you don't have rated car stands, you don't do work under the car.
Bleeding the brakes takes nothing more than a friend, an empty bottle, a bit of hose, some brake fluid and maybe a turkey baster. The day before, go under the car and find the bleeder nipples on your calipers and slave cylinders. Wire brush them clean, and hit them with a good penetrating lubricant (no WD40 isn't a good penetrating lubricant). If you do that, you've good odds of not having to drill them out and replace them because you snapped them off.
Use the turkey baster to suck all the old fluid out of the master cylinder. Then fill it (overfill, but don't spill any) with fresh. You'll usually find it's a lighter colour. Go to one wheel, and slip the bit of hose over the bleeder nipple, and stick the other end into the bottle. Add some of the old brake fluid you just sucked out of the master cylinder to the bottle, and make sure you keep the end of the hose under the surface of that fluid.
(it's assumed that you've already completed the brake repairs at this point, and put everything back together) Have your friend press the brake pedal a couple of times to get the pedal hard, and then, as he's pressing, crack the bleeder nipple open just a hair. The pedal will sink to the floor as the old fluid is pushed out, down the hose, and into your bottle. CLOSE THE BLEEDER NIPPLE BEFORE LETTING HIM RELEASE THE PEDAL!!! When he lets the pedal back up, it'll suck new fluid from the master cylinder into the line, replacing the old. Do this two or three times and you should see the colour change as the new fluid arrives. If you see any air bubbles, continue until they're all gone.
Repeat three more times.
Congrats. You just changed your brake fluid, and bled the lines. Dispose of the old fluid properly. It's highly corrosive, and will strip the paint off just about anything. And be careful next time you hit the brakes, coz your windshield jsut got a whole lot closer.
There's a vacumn gizmo out there that lets you bleed the system without a friend, by applying a suction to the bottom end, but why buy equipment that you'll never use again? Spend that money on a pizza for your friend instead. You'll find he's move versatile around the garage.
Bleeding the brakes takes nothing more than a friend, an empty bottle, a bit of hose, some brake fluid and maybe a turkey baster. The day before, go under the car and find the bleeder nipples on your calipers and slave cylinders. Wire brush them clean, and hit them with a good penetrating lubricant (no WD40 isn't a good penetrating lubricant). If you do that, you've good odds of not having to drill them out and replace them because you snapped them off.
Use the turkey baster to suck all the old fluid out of the master cylinder. Then fill it (overfill, but don't spill any) with fresh. You'll usually find it's a lighter colour. Go to one wheel, and slip the bit of hose over the bleeder nipple, and stick the other end into the bottle. Add some of the old brake fluid you just sucked out of the master cylinder to the bottle, and make sure you keep the end of the hose under the surface of that fluid.
(it's assumed that you've already completed the brake repairs at this point, and put everything back together) Have your friend press the brake pedal a couple of times to get the pedal hard, and then, as he's pressing, crack the bleeder nipple open just a hair. The pedal will sink to the floor as the old fluid is pushed out, down the hose, and into your bottle. CLOSE THE BLEEDER NIPPLE BEFORE LETTING HIM RELEASE THE PEDAL!!! When he lets the pedal back up, it'll suck new fluid from the master cylinder into the line, replacing the old. Do this two or three times and you should see the colour change as the new fluid arrives. If you see any air bubbles, continue until they're all gone.
Repeat three more times.
Congrats. You just changed your brake fluid, and bled the lines. Dispose of the old fluid properly. It's highly corrosive, and will strip the paint off just about anything. And be careful next time you hit the brakes, coz your windshield jsut got a whole lot closer.
There's a vacumn gizmo out there that lets you bleed the system without a friend, by applying a suction to the bottom end, but why buy equipment that you'll never use again? Spend that money on a pizza for your friend instead. You'll find he's move versatile around the garage.
Altron
Well-Known Member
Ok, I got the right side up on ramps, and put a floor jack there too.
There's a helluva lot of rust in the welds. The joint between the exhaust pipe and the cat is horribly rusted (you touch it, and rust falls off), and there are several rust spots on the pipes. I'm going to see if I can hunt down the digicam and have some pics, it's a good viewing angle.
There's a helluva lot of rust in the welds. The joint between the exhaust pipe and the cat is horribly rusted (you touch it, and rust falls off), and there are several rust spots on the pipes. I'm going to see if I can hunt down the digicam and have some pics, it's a good viewing angle.
Professur
Well-Known Member
I didn't mean that they can't be used safely like that. I just said they're not intended. If you're gonna do it, I'd shove a jack stand under the axle as a precaution. But then, I do that regardless. I'm not one for trusting. I know of one case where a guy's ramps cut into the asphalt of his driveway enough to scare the piss outta both of us.
Professur
Well-Known Member
Those pipes look in good shape, Al. One clamp needs changed, but that's coppers. cut the old one off with a hacksaw and you're good.
A trick to test exhaust pipe is to take a pair of channel lock pliers, and give the pipe a squeeze. If it doesn't give, it's good. If it flexes or feels spongy (or collapses into a pile of rusty shards) it needs changed.
A trick to test exhaust pipe is to take a pair of channel lock pliers, and give the pipe a squeeze. If it doesn't give, it's good. If it flexes or feels spongy (or collapses into a pile of rusty shards) it needs changed.
Altron
Well-Known Member
I queued up 19 pics to upload, took it off the ramps and cleaned up, and they're still uploading. 19 is the max photobucket can habndle. With the first batch, I selected 19, but I ended up clicking on the album because I thought it timed out, and I ended up with 11.75 pictures.
I can't seem to find the damn headers.
I also tried to find the ID numbers on the rear axle, but they must have been on the other side.
The carbureter is a model EM4C, tho.
I think this batch has a picture of a tire, so how worn is it?
I can't seem to find the damn headers.
I also tried to find the ID numbers on the rear axle, but they must have been on the other side.
The carbureter is a model EM4C, tho.
I think this batch has a picture of a tire, so how worn is it?
Altron
Well-Known Member
I didn't put a coat hanger on the muffler. I couldn't get it around the crossmember, because it was really high up, and I didn't think it would be smart to hang the muffler from part of the suspension or drivetrain. Did get one right behind the cat, 'cuz the crossmember was really close.
Professur
Well-Known Member
OK, first things first. You can see where the hangers are broken. Tie it up at that point .... from the remenant of the hanger if you can manage it. Those pipes look in great shape, but a wire will abrade and ruin them in short order. It looks like the sway bar bushings in front could do with new rubber, or at least a bit of grease. Those tires are way done. Dry weather only until they're off.