It does! Fantastic product.
What did you do with your 1st gen OB today?
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That looks nice, what did you use?
Rupes course polish on a wool pad and 3m headlight polish on a finishing pad.
Thank you
I did my own toe-in adjustment yesterday. My '98 has 210K miles on it. I drive it 2000 miles/yr, making forty-mile trips to a nearby mountain community to work on rental houses, so I carry loads of tools and supplies, sometimes up to 1000 pounds of shingles. The trip is mostly on I-70, 65 mph on 6% grades. I've had an annoying front-end shimmy if I let it get over 65 on the downgrade. I decided to look into that.
I rotated tires first, and found some uneven tread wear on the inside edge of the front right tire. Tie rod ends, ball joints, wheel bearings and bushing were tight. So I checked toe-in with a tape measure to a straight tread line. I measured -5/32". Spec is 0 +/- 1/8".
It took a while to loosen the jam nut at the right tie rod. Tried penetrating oil for hours, then heat (MAPP torch). Finally tried an old trick I'd heard, DOT 3 brake fluid. That worked, just a few drops and 30 minutes.
I toed the right wheel back to zero, took it for a test drive, reached 80 mph on a straight downhill stretch with no shimmy, no pull.
I rotated tires first, and found some uneven tread wear on the inside edge of the front right tire. Tie rod ends, ball joints, wheel bearings and bushing were tight. So I checked toe-in with a tape measure to a straight tread line. I measured -5/32". Spec is 0 +/- 1/8".
It took a while to loosen the jam nut at the right tie rod. Tried penetrating oil for hours, then heat (MAPP torch). Finally tried an old trick I'd heard, DOT 3 brake fluid. That worked, just a few drops and 30 minutes.
I toed the right wheel back to zero, took it for a test drive, reached 80 mph on a straight downhill stretch with no shimmy, no pull.
How bad was your shimmy? Mine has a nasty shimmy, enough that the string wheel would whip left/right in the worst oscillation you can imagine. With 250k miles, I figured it to be a worn rack and pinion unit. If it's just an alignment issue then that's a lot cheaper!
New member here...Today I have decided to repair rodent damage to the Ugly Duck and start making it into a rescue vehicle for my FD. I suppose that's all. Any suggestions for saving upholstery and getting rid of rat urine smell are appreciated. I gotta repair wiring, which means gutting the interior, replace the timing belt, and consider head gaskets. Other than that I'll need to consider adding a second alternator for emergency and scene lighting and siren, as well as a new paint scheme. I'm leaning towards a chartreuse color with a Group B theme to include the EMS star of life.
Ugh, the smell of it!
Ugh, the smell of it!
Wow. Glad to have you here. Please I beg of you start a separate new thread when you can, to document the entire transformation of the Ugly Duck into a rescue vehicle. Pictures please!
@aesthetic.rake does fantastic refurbishment of older vehicles - none with the kind of rodent damage you have but he has a series of videos that show his process - here's one of them:
He also uses scrubbing bubbles on all of the interior painted surfaces.
There's also a video of a pro detailer getting rid of mold and stuff using some kind of special chlorine dioxide tablets.
I think it's the same as this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Auto-Shocker-ClO2-interior-eliminator/
I'll look at this most definitely. I loved my car and look forward to getting it back. I hadn't considered posting my progress. I may do just that!
I think there will be great interest in what it takes to build a rescue vehicle and there are lots of very experienced people here (I'm not one of them) who may be able to help with advice on issues with your suspension or whatever you find. A build thread will attract the right kind of people to your project.
I got an email from pick n pull this morning that all seats are $15 this week.. might be easier/less expensive than attempting a repair.
Also, vinegar mixed 50-50 with water for urine smell. I bought an Outback seat out of a junk yard that smelled terrible of urine and the vinegar soak did the trick solid. Vinegar straight if you have to but you didn't hear that from me.
I do wish I had a Pull-a-Part in my area! Junkyards here just aren't "here", but rather, a good sixty mile drive with no promise as to what's left on the car in the lot. I'll ty the vinegar and perhaps a Borax solution later to address any mold that may be lurking in the foam and insulation.
My car's shimmy was annoying, in a narrow speed range, not dangerous. Uneven tire wear will give you a clue to alignment problems, as mine did. Lift or jack the front end and check for play in bushings and bearings. Better yet, get a good shop to give you an estimate.
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