The muffler on my car

The thing with dual exhaust is that it would get rather costly. Either you would need to have two catalytic converters, which means lots of money, or run through one convertor and split the pipe after it... which won't boost power enough to make it really worth it.
 
chcr said:
It's not a classic car, Aunty, just an old one.

Classic Car is a term frequently used to describe an older car, but the exact meaning is subject to serious differences in opinion. One school, the broader "antique car club" faction, are very inclusive. Almost any older car in fine condition becomes a classic. The other extreme are the "Concourse de Elegance" supporters, such as the CCCA, who think that only a few thousand "Classic Era Motor Cars" even exist in good condition. They consider nothing newer than 1948 to qualify...period.

My opinion falls in the 25 year and older catagory. :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_car
 
I'd replace the tires first altron, even if your brakes work properly if you got a blown tire there's no use for them. And while you're making the proper reparations, don't drive over 40mph.
 
A.B.Normal said:
Why not replace the engine before it dies and leaves you stranded:hmm: ,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:
Hate to disagree, Prof, but shocks are one of the most ignored parts of a suspension (that's not the disagreement part) including by the OEM. A good set of progressively valved, gas charged shocks are 1000% better at keeping tire contact and damping spring oscillation than anything GM put on there at the factory. Frankly, I'd be shocked (pun not intended) if you could get anything OEM for something that old anyway.

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.
 
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.
 
Professur said:
It's highly corrosive, and will strip the paint off just about anything.

Yeah, something one of my sister's ex's found out the hard way... but that's another story... :D
 
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.
 
39d595f1.jpg

401936b9.jpg

ab9596a2.jpg

0f984625.jpg

36d1b19d.jpg

dd1b7316.jpg

8c2e9479.jpg

feeae0cd.jpg

a2ab3460.jpg

db91da6a.jpg

14eba8f9.jpg


First batch.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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?
 
IMG_0235.jpg

IMG_0236.jpg

IMG_0237.jpg

IMG_0238.jpg

IMG_0239.jpg

IMG_0240.jpg

IMG_0241.jpg

IMG_0242.jpg

IMG_0243.jpg

IMG_0244.jpg

IMG_0245.jpg

IMG_0246.jpg

IMG_0247.jpg

IMG_0248.jpg

IMG_0249.jpg

IMG_0250.jpg

IMG_0251.jpg

IMG_0252.jpg

IMG_0253.jpg


On the plus side, the battery in the new Canon is AMAZING. I took ~275 pictures before the low battery warning came up.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Back
Top