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I just completed a little project on my '95 Cutlass Supreme convertible that I'd been preparing for a couple of months. I just installed a hard-wired FM modulator that allows me to plug my iPhone or an old iPod into the radio. It works much better than the ones that plug into the cigarette lighter socket and use a low-powered FM transmitter. This one plugs directly into the radio's antenna socket. The biggest challenge was mounting a power switch on the dash to turn it on and off. I've learned from previous experience that the switch's location is largely determined by what's behind the dash bezel. Sufficient clearance for the switch, reasonably close to the radio is ideal but sometimes aesthetics has to be somewhat of a secondary consideration. I also didn't want to mess up the original dash bezel, so I acquired a second one from a boneyard a couple of months ago and yesterday finally got around to mounting a pushbutton power switch slightly above and to the right of the cigarette lighter. Somehow, I got the switch working backward. When it's pushed in and the LED is on, the FM modulator is turned off and the radio plays as it normally would. When the button is in the 'out' position with the LED off, the modulator is active and whatever source is plugged into it plays on 87.7 FM. The Cutlass has a very convenient alcove behind the dash to the right of where the radio goes that is just the right size for the modulator and its wires. Still, getting everything sufficiently tucked in was also a challenge. Now that it's in place, it works great, better in fact than the auxiliary input jack on my Impala's Delco/Bose radio.
@Chuck Cole--I hear you about packed-solid garages. My parents had a four-bay freestanding garage in addition to the two-car garage underneath the house. Dad had five collector cars stored in them (one bay of the freestanding garage held lawnmowers, tools etc.) and so much stuff piled around and on top of the cars that actually taking one out for a drive was almost impossible. When they moved to a retirement community in 2016, it took about eight months to get the house cleared out.
Last edited by Human; December 17th, 2018 at 08:27 PM.
My garage has only cars in it because we just moved and everything we had fit in a 26' truck. Also my garage is about 1.5 times longer and a bit wider than a std garage. Come spring I will also have an outside storage shed for the yard stuff.
George Carlin had a very funny routine about "stuff". We collect stuff and when our garages are full of stuff, we rent a storage facility to collect more stuff. Sounds like you have a head start, but I am guessing not too long down the road your going to have too much "stuff" too
I sold my dad's 2002 Silhouette today. I'm headed to DMV shortly to finalize the transaction. Feels kind of sad to be letting it go but the person buying it needs it a whole lot worse than I do. Having gotten rid of the Aurora a couple of weeks ago, it'll also seem odd to have just two cars in the driveway after having three or four for there for the past few months. It no longer looks like I'm having a party.
It's a beautiful 55 degree day here in SE VA so I took my Cutlass out for a spin to fill the tank and enjoy the weather. Got back home and left the cover off so she could "get some air". We're having family over for Christmas dinner, so I'm looking forward to showing 'er off😀
Got my spare tire mounted on the rim...I plan on painting my bumper jack tomorrow and hopefully I'll everything buttoned up for that project...pics to follow.
I have received the last of my ordered items for my spring carpet project. Also included was a new repro console base which was on sale. Will be ready to go in march barring weather.
Wayne
I took the convertible out for a little run this afternoon--top down, windows up and heat on. It was just barely warm and sunny enough to be pleasant. It's going to rain every day for the next week so today was the only opportunity to take it out for a while.
After performing an R&R on the intake manifold gasket, transmission filter & gasket, oil pan gasket, oil pump, dash pot, new vacuum lines, new thermostat, new throttle linkage bushings, labeled all wiring, placed all wiring into wiring looms with new wiring brackets, and new trans modulator; I tore down & rebuilt the distributor today. The distributor was pretty 'caked', but no serious signs of any wear. I manufactured & assembled new +/- distributor wires, cleaned & repacked the weeping grease hole, new felt washer under the contact/points plate, & inserted the distributor. I hooked up my manual oil pressure gauge into the oil pressure switch orifice. I filled the oil filter with oil when I reassembled. I did not prime the oil pump. I have never found any reason to prime an oil pump after R&R on an engine which already has oil in the galleys. (It would be different on a brand new engine which never saw oil.) It's the first time it's been fired up in three weeks. I hit the switch and it fired immediately. Within 15 seconds I was reading 5 psi oil pressure. Life is good.
After performing an R&R on the intake manifold gasket, transmission filter & gasket, oil pan gasket, oil pump, dash pot, new vacuum lines, new thermostat, new throttle linkage bushings, labeled all wiring, placed all wiring into wiring looms with new wiring brackets, and new trans modulator; I tore down & rebuilt the distributor today. The distributor was pretty 'caked', but no serious signs of any wear. I manufactured & assembled new +/- distributor wires, cleaned & repacked the weeping grease hole, new felt washer under the contact/points plate, & inserted the distributor. I hooked up my manual oil pressure gauge into the oil pressure switch orifice. I filled the oil filter with oil when I reassembled. I did not prime the oil pump. I have never found any reason to prime an oil pump after R&R on an engine which already has oil in the galleys. (It would be different on a brand new engine which never saw oil.) It's the first time it's been fired up in three weeks. I hit the switch and it fired immediately. Within 15 seconds I was reading 5 psi oil pressure. Life is good.
LOL Well, I guess the ONLY thing I did TODAY was rebuild the distributor and fire it up. I felt compelled to list my previous three weeks work. I'll say this, at first I was becoming terrified by all the smoke emanating from the engine - it would not stop smoking. I turned off the car. Climbed under, looked everywhere and I was losing my mind. I fired it up again - more smoke, but not as bad. Checked oil pressure - 7 psi. WTF Then, I found the culprit. I installed all new 8-grade bolts - perhaps 30-40 of them total. I have this old-school issue. Whenever I remove bolts (generally the ones I intend to reinstall), I wire-brush the bolts and before reinserting I place lithium grease on the threads. Well, I did that with all the bolts I reused, and with the new ones. The majority of the smoke was coming from the grease on the bolts where the exhaust brackets attach to the exhaust manifold. Whew - that was a relief!
I am putting a cold air intake on my 92 OCC, so my mutt engine will be able to breathe. So, I spent the afternoon relocating my vapor canister under the left front bumper. I used the canister bracket from a 94-96, extended the wiring and the hoses. Now there is room for the airbox where the canister once was. I am reusing the airbox from my 91 when it had a modded 350 in it.
The mutt engine is a .030 over 350 with the crank from one Vortec, an LO5 block, L99 cam, Vortec heads from another engine, Weiand intake, 2 shaped adapter plates, and a 46mm TBI. I have the shorty headers and exhausts from the 91 on it as well. There are some quirks that I have to deal with, but that comes with the territory. The headers sit about an inch higher than the LO5 heads, so I can put the O2 sensor in the header bung, instead of the pipe bung.
I had to bore out the intake for the shorty distributor, and some lines and hoses are different. I got a new Vortec water pump cheap, but ended up putting 3/8 inch spacers behind it to get the pulley to line up with the LO5 FEAD parts. I should have just used an LO5 pump...no adjustment necessary.Attached Thumbnails
Completed the first phase of operation bumper jack restoration/replacement. Got the first coat of paint laid down, drilled the holes in the trunk for the lug wrench clips and painted the hold down nut for the spare tire. Here are a few pics of my progress.
Before:
After:
Completed the first phase of operation bumper jack restoration/replacement. Got the first coat of paint laid down, drilled the holes in the trunk for the lug wrench clips and painted the hold down nut for the spare tire. Here are a few pics of my progress.
I think I know what you're talking about. The rubber pad has x3 pieces of extruded rubber which protrude into each of x3 holes in the metal lift and there remains x1 additional hole. The rubber button you're referring to goes into this (larger-lower) remaining hole then, I assume. I can't find one sold separately, yet. I'm wondering if I might find a large rubber insert like that at a hardware/parts house.
I painted the oil pan and timing chain cover, the oil filter and other odds and ends, nuts and bolts etc. It will be quite a looker if I ever get it back together. The Machine shop asked me to hold off on my engine as he has 1 already for complete rebuilds. I will wait a few weeks and remove the crank and pistons, the only thing left in my block and then the fun will begin. He estimated $2000 with him doing all the labor. I am building it so hopefully it is substantially less for polishing, honing or boring. I am running out of funds much too soon. I have over $3000 in it and a nice stack of parts waiting Since I am not restoring an Olds, but an Olds Engine, I opted to change the color scheme. This will save my back during the project and give me a comfy place to nap under the car!
Last edited by Chuck Cole; December 30th, 2018 at 05:14 PM.
Reason: add photos
I think I know what you're talking about. The rubber pad has x3 pieces of extruded rubber which protrude into each of x3 holes in the metal lift and there remains x1 additional hole. The rubber button you're referring to goes into this (larger-lower) remaining hole then, I assume. I can't find one sold separately, yet. I'm wondering if I might find a large rubber insert like that at a hardware/parts house.
Well I pulled the Mistress out of the garage today, first time it has moved sense the Camp Fire. Started right up but smells like a hobo camped in it for a week (burnt pine smell).Tomorrow is wash and deodorizes the Old lady day. I have a Cars and Coffee show this Saturday and if the weather will corporate I plan on letting my neighbor drive my Miata to the show and I'll follow with the Old Lady. We will park them side by side just for giggles.
My Classic car guys just look at the Miata and shake their heads. The same for the sports car group with the Old's. You just gotta diversify to keep things interesting. When this gets boring I'm planning on fixing up my FJ40 and throwing it into the mix......Tedd
I have no pictures but A arm bushing suck! I don't remember them being this difficult. Nothing seamed to work, even making tools and using the slide hammer they just laughed. Tried the washer trick, no good. Finally had to beat out the rubber and make a relief cut with a sawzall. Tried the press and even tried smashing the inside part inward. Heat was a full on disaster. Once the rubber got soft it was everywhere and then some. Took me and extra hour to clean off the tools. One side sand blasted and ready for paint. Now I need to wait for the weather to break, it's 17 here in NYC.
What kind of car?
Take a 5/16" drill and drill the rubber around the inner bushing until the ubber falls out...beats all that rubber smoke inhalation.
After the rubber and inner bushing are gone take your sawsall and make two cuts about an inch apart and that small piece will fall out. Then take a big chiesel and bfh and knock the rest of the the bushing out.
If the A arm has shaft running through the bushings it has to be removed first
By the way, I don't trust sawsall, I take my hacksaw blade apart and slide the blade though the bushing and put the hacksaw back together to make the two cuts. You could easily cut into the A arm with a sawsall.
Dennis
sound like the exact issues i had zeeke.and it seems every car i ever get needs them .getting the springs back in the pockets and secure was nightmare as well !
I just take a torch to them to break the seal between the components. Once hot enough they slide right out.
Yep after I pulled the rubber out I tried that, no bueno. Method that finally worked was cutting them and beating them out in pieces.
Dennis I still have the right side to do so I'll be using the hacksaw on those instead of the sawzall, yep due to impatience I did hit the arm. Somehow patience diminishes with every failed attempt. Sand blasted the arms and now I'll need to paint them before they go back together. Can't feel my hands but I may do the right side today, or at least start the pain process.
This car was out of Michigan but I'm starting to wonder if it was stored in salt water. And I thought NYC used to much road salt.
Deadeye you know why every car you get needs them, because no one wants to tackle that job! "Frame off; I can handle that... A arm bushings; time to sell." I may be hitting a lot of those keys just above the numbers when I do the rear ones. At least the lower rears are done.
Denis 30281, the drill and hacksaw trick worked the best. Just did the one cut though. Thank you. No time for the right upper today. Tomorrow I try the washer trick on that.
Fired the Cutlass up tonight and took my daughter out to dinner to celebrate her 23rd birthday. Went to her house to pick her up, and her jaw dropped when she laid eyes on the hot rod😀 All she kept saying was "this is so nice!"😀
Fired the Cutlass up tonight and took my daughter out to dinner to celebrate her 23rd birthday. Went to her house to pick her up, and her jaw dropped when she laid eyes on the hot rod😀 All she kept saying was "this is so nice!"😀
A smll winter project I have been involved with the last couple of weekends - installing a Retrosound headunit and upgrading the speakers in my -65 delta 88.
The stock fm radio didnt work, so a generic cd player was just thrown into the glovebox by a previous owner. Along with that a 2 channel kicker amp under the passenger seat powering a pair of pioneer 6x9 almost as old as I am
Took all of that out, including the stock dash speaker.
The headunit is a Retrosound ”motor2/hermosa”, which according to the swedish retailer should fit a 1965 starfire. I figured it would still fit my delta, and it proved to be correct. The assembly and install of the hu is fiddely. A lot of trial and error to make the rods stick out of the dash just right. Quality is mostly ok. The chrome ***** leaves a bit more to be desired but overall i’m happy. I managed to get the stock radio out and the new one in from underneeth the dash without any disassembly (non ac car). I was on my back in the passenger footwell, with my head in a wierd angle on the trans tunnel, not that comfortable
I ordered retrosounds 4x10 dash speaker which accepts both front left and right signal inputs. It fit straight into the stock location. I was lucky enough to reach up there from underneeth the dash, with enough room once the stock radio was out of the way.
To replace the old speakers in the back, I got a set of Ampire 6x9.
To top it all of, I found a neat little ”mini” amp, also from ampire, that delivers 4x60 Watts and is small enough to fit below the dash.
Tested it all tonight, and it sounds good. Nice to have audio coming from the front as well and not only from the rear. Bluetooth was very easy to set up, so now I can enjoy Spotify and handsfree phonecalls in the old cruiser!
Also took the opportunity to clean up some of the wiring, which was scetchy!
Some pictures:
This Will not do. Out it comes! Stock fm unit and dash speaker. Retrosound replacements below. Works, and looks good! The mini-amp from ampire. Small enough to sit under the dash, only visible if you lean down and look for it.
It has been 3 years in the making. Rebuilt the 403 from the oil pan up to carb. Sounds good enough for the streets. Broke the engine in today on the stand. Going to do some tweaking but other than that I think it will make my 1972 Manta Montage scary to drive.I realize the car is not a Oldsmobile but the power plant is. With the engine and me the whole car weighs about 2000 lbs.
December 17th, 2018, 12:25 PM
I may be hitting a lot of those keys just above the numbers when I do the rear ones. At least the lower rears are done. 
