Ok guys I am going to tell on myself. Back in the day I used to think I was a lot smarter than the engineers from the big 3. They put a lot of things on a car I didn't understand the need for. For example all this crappy looking rubber strips stapled around gaps in the radiator to the core support. Stuff looks like crap and gets in the way. Get rid of it. Car ran fine without it. Until I was sitting in traffic with the AC on on a 95 deg day. Any of the rest of you improve your car by uninstalling all those unnecessary parts.

 

LOL Steve. I'm way smarter than GM too! Seems like every time I take something apart and put it back together I can find a spare nut or 2 that didn't need to add extra weight to the car.

I'm going the other way with those air dams. Installing fan shroud, new side seals, and rubber side channels to help funnel the air better. A fixed 4 blade fan on a water pump extension behind a rad just doesn't cut the muster for what I'm after.

 

I always hated those EGR valves and charcoal canisters. They were ugly and didn't do anything useful.

 

Heat shields on the exhaust manifolds. Made Changing plugs a bear. If I ever pulled a engine apart the heat shields never went back on.

 

LOL Steve. I'm way smarter than GM too! Seems like every time I take something apart and put it back together I can find a spare nut or 2 that didn't need to add extra weight to the car.

Allan there has to be some kind of unwritten law about extra bolts after putting something back together. Invariably there is always 1. And I will drive myself nuts trying to figure it out.

 

starter brace! I cannot remember how many I threw out. though my pacecar did get one put back on. only took me 30 years to get smart!

 

This happens almost every time I work on anything, still havent decided if its a bad thing or not.

And a tip from my dad: if the carb linkage is messed up and not letting those back flaps open up, shove a screwdriver in it. If it clears the hood and runs consider it fixed.

Our 87 chevy k20 ran for 2 years with that old screwdriver in the carb, worked just fine.

 

[QUOTE=Allan R;613014]LOL Steve. I'm way smarter than GM too! Seems like every time I take something apart and put it back together I can find a spare nut or 2 that didn't need to add extra weight to the car.

When I worked in a fleet shop we would add nuts and bolts to the other mechanics' take off piles. Saw one fellow trying to figure out why he had extra gears for a truck trans. he was re-assembling.
I would think heat shields and risers are hard to find for a resto. Anything in the way that did not make it go faster, look cooler or make it noisier was fair game for the trash.

 

When I worked in a fleet shop we would add nuts and bolts to the other mechanics' take off piles. Saw one fellow trying to figure out why he had extra gears for a truck trans. he was re-assembling.

That is just way too funny! .

You are right if it didn't contribute to speed or looks it came off the car. The part that amuses me now is how I thought the manufacturers added all this STUFF that was not necessary!