poorboy_616

Vehicle: 1984 Toronado 307CI V8/TH325-4L

1) I recently removed the underhood mat due to it's peeling and getting caught in the belts. Other than some heat protection for the hood, is it going to hurt it being gone?

2) Is there a way to get that d**n Power steering belt any tighter in my Toro? The bracket has a spot to brace a prybar, but the end of the bar rests on the reservior (when done from underneath. adjusting from above is very "interesting"). If I pry anymore I am going dent the reservoir further..... (going for underneath worked pretty well last time)

3) Do the stereo systems in these cars (mine is aftermarket) sound any better with the front speakers relocated to the doors, and would relocating the rears from the deck to the sail panels help too? Obviously I would be upgrading to bigger/better speakers....

4) I have a friend that swears up and down the 307 is indeed a "rocket" V8. I tend not to agree. Can someone correct my thinking here?

5) I will be pulling out the OE CB radio unit and mic sometime soon as they don't work with the aftermarket radio. If someone here wants them shoot me a PM....

joe_padavano

The mat is primarily for sound deadening, not heat protection.

STEP AWAY FROM THE PUMP!

OK, seriously, DO NOT pry on the sheet metal reservoir for obvious reasons. The correct method of tensioning the PS belt is to pry on the cast iron nose of the pump, behind the pulley. If you look between the pulley and the bracket, there is a tab on the bracket on the engine side of the pump nose. You are supposed to insert a pry bar or large screwdriver there and pry the pump over to tension the belt. Also, be aware that there are THREE fasteners that need to be loosened to adjust the belt - two bolts under the pulley and a nut on the rear bottom of the pump.

Cutting holes in the doors has it's own issues. The stock dash speakers are not the best and you should be able to get upgrades for those. The next step would be custom kick panels with speakers.

Oh, but it IS a "rocket v8", as is EVERY Olds V8 built since 1949. "Rocket" is a meaningless marketing "brand", and apparently that advertising campaign was very effective because people STILL think it means something special...

poorboy_616

Sweet, thank you for the answers. I got the pump to tighten a bit more this morning (I got the pry bar in the right place this time, though the pump is dying anyway). Less squeaky belt, but it still argues every once in a while. I think it may be time to take some emery paper to the pulleys as they are quite glazed....

As for the mat, I haven't notice any extra noise from under hood. The carb still roars at WOT, so I still get to smile as a pass people.....

I've got aftermarket speakers in the dash and deck, but they still don't sound that great. Better than OE, but not what I would have expected.... I also have no issues with fabbing up some kick panels or hunting down some door panels that have the Bose stereo speaker pods built in..... I think it may be time to hunt down some better quality speakers as well. I bought some cheapies last time.....

SO it is a "Rocket" V8. Hmmm....Needs a little power boost before I would consider it a rocket.....(307 is adequate, but not exactly speedy)

joe_padavano

It's the little known "bottle Rocket V8".

poorboy_616

True, it does make more noise than it moves......