Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Gave the Octavia another good inside clean yesterday, something about nice clean mats and a fresh smell that makes it a even more pleasurable car to be drove around in
 
Regarding the Porsche-junkyard-talk on the previous pages.. You guys (and lady) seem to think it's a graveyard worth of tear-floods. Am I the only who sees not a bunch of dead cars, but a hidden land of treasures and spare parts just waiting to be put together as a new Porsche? Spectre, Nabster, you know what I'm talking about.

Gave the Octavia another good inside clean yesterday, something about nice clean mats and a fresh smell that makes it a even more pleasurable car to be drove around in

This reminds me of the car cleaning / waxing / polishing conversation we had just a couple of days ago. It's one thing to wash your car, that's just normal maintenance. Then there's the waxing business. You can do wash + wax, or wash + polish + wax. I always thought that's where a sensible man would be satisfied.

.. But now that I've looked into it, my next car will get a wash + polish + wash + microclean polish + wash + polish + wash + wax times 50 + polish + wax etc etc.. And after I drive it for 10 km, I'll have to do it all over again. I shall be known as Mr. Neurotic.
 
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Am I the only who sees not a bunch of dead cars, but a hidden land of treasures and spare parts just waiting to be put together as a new Porsche?

http://img139.imageshack.**/img139/2073/grenzach6.jpg

This might or might not be what you were talking about.
 
This might or might not be what you were talking about.

Given that it's properly put together with a 50$ paintjob then yes, it's what I'm talking about.
 
Am I the only who sees not a bunch of dead cars, but a hidden land of treasures and spare parts just waiting to be put together as a new Porsche?

It's gonna be a bad motherfucker!
 
Regarding the Porsche-junkyard-talk on the previous pages.. You guys (and lady) seem to think it's a graveyard worth of tear-floods. Am I the only who sees not a bunch of dead cars, but a hidden land of treasures and spare parts just waiting to be put together as a new Porsche? Spectre, Nabster, you know what I'm talking about.



This reminds me of the car cleaning / waxing / polishing conversation we had just a couple of days ago. It's one thing to wash your car, that's just normal maintenance. Then there's the waxing business. You can do wash + wax, or wash + polish + wax. I always thought that's where a sensible man would be satisfied.

.. But now that I've looked into it, my next car will get a wash + polish + wash + microclean polish + wash + polish + wash + wax times 50 + polish + wax etc etc.. And after I drive it for 10 km, I'll have to do it all over again. I shall be known as Mr. Neurotic.

Of course. Those "graveyards" are essential to the survival of the rest of the species. As popular as the old Mustangs are, they simply don't make replacements of everything that needs replacing, so I've had to turn to salvage yards a number of times to find the pieces I need.

And don't waste your time with all those steps you came to the conclusion of. Unless you've invested $15,000 in a paint job alone, it's completely unnecessary. Wash, clay, polish (light or heavy depends on what needs polished out at this point), wax (a proper wax, no bottle or liquid crap- spring for good quality) a few coats allowing proper curing time between each coat, then a sealant to finish off. Do that two to three times a year and Oh, a California car duster for the daily dust and a bottle of quick detailer for any splats as well. That's the regime I do on the Mustang anyway; the Grand Prix only gets washed and waxed.

And finally about the hitches again- they are not a problem. If you get your car close enough behind mine to where the hitch does become a problem, you're driving unsafely- plain and simple, you shouldn't be that close to the car in front of you ever. If an accident should happen beyond your control, well that won't matter either as it was beyond your control and there will be so much more damage anyway.
 
Really, 5 posts in a row???

I approve of hitches - if you hit my car, you must suffer. It's not my fault that you weren't looking where you drive.

It's a shame a lot of trucks are too tall to have that happen with. I need to put spikes all over the back of my car like a shiny metal mohawk.

Regarding the Porsche-junkyard-talk on the previous pages.. You guys (and lady) seem to think it's a graveyard worth of tear-floods. Am I the only who sees not a bunch of dead cars, but a hidden land of treasures and spare parts just waiting to be put together as a new Porsche? Spectre, Nabster, you know what I'm talking about.

Where is that I need to save them. i bet if I put a few of them together I can make a working one >:

:p
I already said that
 
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Took the Sierra back to "the garage" 20 km's away. Couldn't help straying on some gravel roads on the way. :D It needs a new steering wheel, it's hard to make fast movements with the current one, but can I just say that RWD ROCKS. :p

EDIT: Also took the front grille& right headlight off, and it seems that there is no way to get a hammer to the ding on the side :\ Wouldn't want to buy a new front wing though, anyone have an Idea on how to pop back a dent with no access to the underside of it?
 
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^Dry ice or suction cups.

Don't thinkeither of them will cut it:

4332_1060675080633_1338605099_30151437_6265821_n.jpg

4332_1060675120634_1338605099_30151438_6539536_n.jpg
 
Ouch, yeah, you're right about that. Is it possible to remove the whole panel to get at the back?

That's the problem, no real way of getting to the back, the panel is welded on, and I can't be bothered to cut it off. Im going to try and bend it with a big screwdriver from the inside (there's a small hole) and hopefully it'll come up enough for filler to work..:|
 
I'd replace the fender; that will probably be the cheapest, easiest and fastest way to deal with it. Most fenders are held on with bolts, not welded on, for simple replacement.
 
I'd replace the fender; that will probably be the cheapest, easiest and fastest way to deal with it. Most fenders are held on with bolts, not welded on, for simple replacement.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it's welded on :( I could grind it off, but I have no welding tools, so replacing it would be an issue. Also, is it really possible to get the colour to match on a new fender?
 
Tack a nail to it and use a pull-hammer, grind off the nail and paint it over.

+1.
That will definetely work. I've seen it done before.
 
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it's welded on :( I could grind it off, but I have no welding tools, so replacing it would be an issue. Also, is it really possible to get the colour to match on a new fender?

Yes, it is possible! Any competent body shop can do it; since you have a solid color and not a metallic one, it should be child's play. My XJ6 has that green metallic paint, and my bodyshop was able to match it perfectly when my passenger fender suffered an injury and needed to be repaired:

Beginning of repair, with dent mostly pounded out:
HPIM0797.jpg


HPIM0838.jpg


HPIM0878.jpg


Matching that color is *hard*, getting your white color straight will be easy. Painting your fender will go exactly like this anyway.

Although I've just looked at a pic of the engine bay on a Merkur XR4ti, and yeah, it looks like the idiots spotwelded that thing on. No matter, it can be gotten off by a competent shop in no time.

Or you could buy one of these kits and pull out the dent, as others suggest: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ct...=cpc&zmam=33951326&zmas=12&zmac=112&zmap=3223
 
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Yes, it is possible! Any competent body shop can do it; since you have a solid color and not a metallic one, it should be child's play. My XJ6 has that green metallic paint, and my bodyshop was able to match it perfectly when my passenger fender suffered an injury and needed to be repaired:


Matching that color is *hard*, getting your white color straight will be easy. Painting your fender will go exactly like this anyway.

Although I've just looked at a pic of the engine bay on a Merkur XR4ti, and yeah, it looks like the idiots spotwelded that thing on. No matter, it can be gotten off by a competent shop in no time.

Or you could buy one of these kits and pull out the dent, as others suggest: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ct...=cpc&zmam=33951326&zmas=12&zmac=112&zmap=3223

The problem with "competent" body shops is the price. The whole car cost me 500?, so I wouldn't really want to blow much money on it.. I've got to ask a friend if he has any tools with which to straighten it out. Thanks for the tips though.

Oh yeah, would it be possible to get the colour to match with just a rattle can of the same paint the car was originally painted with (Ford colour code B3). Would just some buffing and wetsanding, etc. make it blend in with the 23 year old original paintwork?
 
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