mini wide body (Page 18/20)
Australian JAN 31, 05:36 AM
Wait till you get it out into the sun and you have more room to show off your angles get some scenic backgrounds now whilst perfect you wont regret it.
bjc 350 FEB 22, 04:03 PM
We just returned from a warm weather vacation, trying to break up our wet and gray Northwest 6 month winter rain fest. Before heading on vacation we attended our local school fundraiser and I won a silent auction for an all wheel alignment. Only problem is the shop is about 45 miles away and will probably drive it there. Not a good start for new tires. Anyway, we returned to sunshine(for one day) so I just had to pull the wide body out for a couple more photos. But, while out in the direct sun for only the third time since paint, it developed a small blister , you guessed it, right on the front facia where we had a problem on the first color coat and had to do a repair. Man, this car has been frustrating at times. After the rant, I will bore you with a few more pics.



Sorry for the last year grape vines getting into this shot.




The finished rear shot, first time taken outside.


In this picture, when I zoom in, I can see the developed blister on the facia about 8 inches left of center in the vertical nose area. Less than ten minutes outside, not a good sign. At this point it was only about 3/8" diameter, but it assuredly will grow with time.
Rick Morehouse FEB 23, 01:06 PM
May I repeat: STUNNING, ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! Caddy lights are killer. Light panel surround is spot on. Front turn signals are way too cool. And your mini-wide-body sneaks up on ya. Custom front end is super trick along with the rear spoiler. Damn,,,what a great job. Ride with Pride.
bjc 350 MAR 02, 07:05 PM
Thanks again for the positive comments, Rick. I finally got the front license bracket made up. Still looks like a mini snow plow, but Oregon requires a front plate. Researched retractable plates, but would not fit into the opening for the grill/intake area. So if I put it under the facia, I would lose over an inch of ground clearance which is only about 5 1/4" at best. Waiting for the weather to break so I can drive it to licensing and alignment. On another note, we got home from a vacation a few weeks ago, and two of my friends arranged for me to be "given" a 2004 Chrysler Crossfire because they could never get it to run. Pretty sure I need another project!?? They had owned since 04 and it hasn't run since 13. Can't believe someone wants to give another person a car. They figured I was the only guy in the car club that would mess with an orphan car made in Germany.





[This message has been edited by bjc 350 (edited 03-04-2020).]

Rick Morehouse MAR 03, 07:34 PM
Man, that front tag IS gonna suck, totally disrupt your front end design. Just a FYI: maybe Sema/san(sema action network) is working in your state to change some of those dumb laws, perhaps your club is involved? Only we can protect our hobby/car collections/projects/parts cars. Your build is fantastic. The Crossfire(Mercedes) were neat rides, not many left around either. Could make a good beater. Best of luck.
bjc 350 MAR 11, 10:25 PM
A milestone. Yesterday I purchased a 21 day trip permit so I can get this car sorted and take care of the wheel alignment and vin inspection and such. Tonight I actually drove it about two miles round trip to the gas station for a fill up. 10.7 gallons, guess I really needed gas. Unfortunately, the gauge is pegged past full/hard right. That was the first venture out of the driveway , for this car, in just shy of 10 years. Engine ran fine, brakes worked ok. Transmission shift is lazy, but I replaced the TV cable when I installed the replacement engine. May need some fine tuning there. Steering wheel is off center and not sure how it will steer at highway speed. Can't wait for the alignment. Guys at the mini mart/gas station really liked it. The young man pumping gas even knew where the engine was , after being quizzed by another onlooker. Hope there are not too many disappointments before getting this thing finished up. Running out of enthusiasm. And yes, the front plate is ugly as heck. But, that's Oregon.

[This message has been edited by bjc 350 (edited 03-11-2020).]

bjc 350 MAR 19, 07:54 PM
Made it to DMV today and got title and registration in the works. Temporary registration runs to July. I was able to get the "ROKIT" license plate. But went to the alignment shop and after checking the car once getting it up on the rack, they said they didn't have enough time to align the car today because the car had too little caster on the passenger side. My appointment was a bit late in the day, but I left my phone number so they could call me if they had an early opening. I got there at 3:30 and the bay was empty. Still not enough time , I guess.Suggested I pull the upper suspension arm bolt and adjust it best I can at home, then bring it back. Really, well it would be cheaper for me to do it, but I do not have the means to verify the caster angle. Anyway, a bit disappointed, but will research the procedure and try to do that part myself. Another issue, the trans shifts fine, but there is a substantial droning/moaning going on in the rear. Perhaps a wheel bearing or maybe the differential. Hardly drove the car prior to all the body mods, so was not expecting this issue. I had high hopes of getting it to some car shows this summer, but lots of other projects to do as well as this one.
bjc 350 MAR 20, 12:19 AM
After some research, I realize the alignment tech was looking at info on his machine that depicted the 84-87 caster alignment methodology. It was not showing the 88 suspension. Doesn't give me a lot of confidence that this will get done right. I will call or stop in at their shop tomorrow and enlighten them on the differences in suspension. This is a never ending project.
bjc 350 APR 24, 12:23 PM
Update. I fixed the rear end noise. Replaced the left rear wheel bearing, no change. Replaced the right rear bearing. Droning is gone. That is the second car I have replaced a good feeling bearing, that was actually causing the noise.
Got the car back to the alignment shop and after about two plus hours , it does drive fine. But with the one inch lowering ball joints and a cut coil, they could not get the caster and camber any where near the green zone. He felt I will have tire wear on the passenger side from too much caster and positive camber. I understand that the area where the upper a arm bolts go through can be slotted outward a bit to get better caster. I may have to do that. I also bought a set of used camber/ caster tools to help hold adjustments. Bought two pair so both sides can be adjusted at the same time. Of course I didn't have them in time for the alignment.

Also found the cruise control does not work. Surprise! So I am replacing the turn stalk first and will verify the switch adjustment at the brake pedal as well. The solenoid at the canister always has power with the key on. Pretty sure it should only show power with stalk switch pushed to the cruise on position. Can anyone verify?

After having the car out in our limited sunshine, I found a second small bubble in the paint, near the radio antenna. Pretty disheartening after all the filling/sanding/cleaning that we went through. My friend, Richard who did the final body and paint work said he will be over to work on it. He has to be really careful during this Covid time, because his immune system is compromised due to the chemo he goes thru to keep his cancer problems at bay. He has been struggling with it going on seven years now.

I have been searching a bit for an LS4 front drive setup, possibly. It seems like this car should have a little more power to go with the Rokit image, though it runs and drives fine with the 2.8. And at my age, it gets harder and harder to drive like I stole it! We will see if that moves forward. Certainly with the current covid environment, I should have lots of time to do the work. Thanks for looking. Stay safe.
shemdogg APR 25, 10:09 AM
Looking good sir! check out the sto n show removeable license plate bracket. My buddys machine shop makes em for a retired air force guy who started the company. Sorry to hear about the bubble in the paint, hope its small

shem