Saturday, March 26, 2011
Got some headlights into the car
Finally got headlight supports in place. Frankly, I don't even know why I tried those stationary headlights. The regular support brackets fit so much nicer! I just should have realized that there are better alternatives to vacuum systems, and now I just need a couple of 3" linear actuators - I'll leave the current hardware in place and slap a nice circuit in between the headlights so that as soon as power is applied, they pop up. Much cooler than the stationary, and much more unique than the original wink-way of the poor vacuum system! Next up... getting those painted to match!
Friday, March 18, 2011
How time fries with that
Title says it all. It's been a while since I've posted, and frankly, nobody cares (not even me). But once in a while, someone checks, so I figured I'd better toss up a status report.
I finished up some sprinklers in the front yard this week. Now I can add some more dirt, and the front flower beds will be complete. Wahoo! Spring is here!
Speaking of spring, I couldn't get the springs to connect on the fixed, rectangular headlights. So... I am falling to plan D - I'm going to have someone copy some paint for me and mix a quart, and I'm putting the old pop-up headlights back in. But instead of a vacuum system (383 strokers don't handle vacuum very well), I'm going to have to switch over to an electric actuator. Might actually use my electronics fundamentals that I took in college, but it will be reliable, look original, and be very sweet! (and costly. I have to replace the support brackets, because mine are broken. Don't let anyone kid you, it may NOT be cheaper to fix your original vacuum system versus going with the fixed headlight kits!)
I did finally manage to get the trim installed on the door panel the body guy didn't line up. The trim had to be installed by cutting into the bottom of the trim and bending it. It doesn't look bad right now, so I'm pretty satisfied with the lemonade. I also managed to move the door striker enough that the gap on the outside isn't painfully obvious (just obvious, now). I had a quarter of an inch gap with the door closed against the striker. It looked hideous. Make sure you have the body shop install all of the hardware - so they can see where they made the mistakes and fix them for you. Now I only have an eighth inch gap. Not so shabby if you ask me.
So, I'll log off. I'm done with computers for the weekend.
I finished up some sprinklers in the front yard this week. Now I can add some more dirt, and the front flower beds will be complete. Wahoo! Spring is here!
Speaking of spring, I couldn't get the springs to connect on the fixed, rectangular headlights. So... I am falling to plan D - I'm going to have someone copy some paint for me and mix a quart, and I'm putting the old pop-up headlights back in. But instead of a vacuum system (383 strokers don't handle vacuum very well), I'm going to have to switch over to an electric actuator. Might actually use my electronics fundamentals that I took in college, but it will be reliable, look original, and be very sweet! (and costly. I have to replace the support brackets, because mine are broken. Don't let anyone kid you, it may NOT be cheaper to fix your original vacuum system versus going with the fixed headlight kits!)
I did finally manage to get the trim installed on the door panel the body guy didn't line up. The trim had to be installed by cutting into the bottom of the trim and bending it. It doesn't look bad right now, so I'm pretty satisfied with the lemonade. I also managed to move the door striker enough that the gap on the outside isn't painfully obvious (just obvious, now). I had a quarter of an inch gap with the door closed against the striker. It looked hideous. Make sure you have the body shop install all of the hardware - so they can see where they made the mistakes and fix them for you. Now I only have an eighth inch gap. Not so shabby if you ask me.
So, I'll log off. I'm done with computers for the weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)