jpmillermatic
Member
- Messages
- 1,094
So a while back, my buddy called me up and said that his son was moving and needed to sell a car that had been sitting for a couple of years. Being a sucker for this kind of stuff, I decided to go take a look at it, which usually means I'm going to make an offer. (cant help it!)
The car developed a leak into the interior passenger floor area. To stop the car from leaking, Gorilla tape was used around all the windows, the sunroof, the trunk and hood!.....The headliner had all but fallen down on the seat tops.
The car looked to be in decent shape with no rust, no dents and was not abused. it just sat for a long time. When I went to look at it, it had been running, but the battery was flat, so needed a jump start. I didnt see any of this, but was told it ran fine. just pump up the flat tires and get it home!
nope.
First rescue attempt: FAIL.
the car was not charging, had a coolant leak, a tire that would not stay inflated, locked up brakes, engine codes, would not idle, and began to look like I was going to pass on it......
But did I?...NOPE
I found a rental tow dolly near me, borrowed my buddies dodge pick up and towed it home. This was harder than it sounds as the car was on a bit of a hill and winching it up on the dolly was not easy...it took 3 of us to do it. and by 3 of us, I mean 2 very young and strong firemen and me giving them a lot of encouragement!
anyway...here it is finally home awaiting a repaired tire.....
The tape on the windows looked like this all over the car!....what a mess...
and the rotors needed a lot of attention from sitting so long!....
first thing I decided to do was get the alternator working again. It was a complicated rebuild, but I got there in the end. this bosch unit needed a few wires resoldered inside the cases...so it had to be pulled apart. the bearings were fine, but I replaced them anyway.... Heres the before....
the reason it stopped charging, Im pretty sure, was because the coolant was leaking from a pipe fitting right above the electrical connector. the regulator was bulging and corroded!
and afterwards....
The motor without the engine cover reveals what happens when you let a car sit for a long time. the aluminum bits are all corroded, everything is covered in dust and mice have made several homes both inside and outside......
taking a break from the mechanical stuff, I started with a washup and then some clay bar action. This was after the car had been washed twice!....yuck!
On the lift after some clean up....
Each rotor was removed and gone over with a sanding disc, then the centers were cleaned up and painted satin silver....
In order to get to the thermostat and leaking pipes AND the alternator, I had to remove the intake manifold....simple, right?
and finally back together after scuffed knuckles and rounds of making up new curse words.......
It was at this point I took a bit of a break from the car. Next up would be sorting the brake calipers, wheels (tons of cleaning) and the removal of the headliner.....which ended up being a very big job!......
but its getting there...
thanks for lookin
JP
The car developed a leak into the interior passenger floor area. To stop the car from leaking, Gorilla tape was used around all the windows, the sunroof, the trunk and hood!.....The headliner had all but fallen down on the seat tops.
The car looked to be in decent shape with no rust, no dents and was not abused. it just sat for a long time. When I went to look at it, it had been running, but the battery was flat, so needed a jump start. I didnt see any of this, but was told it ran fine. just pump up the flat tires and get it home!
nope.
First rescue attempt: FAIL.
the car was not charging, had a coolant leak, a tire that would not stay inflated, locked up brakes, engine codes, would not idle, and began to look like I was going to pass on it......
But did I?...NOPE
I found a rental tow dolly near me, borrowed my buddies dodge pick up and towed it home. This was harder than it sounds as the car was on a bit of a hill and winching it up on the dolly was not easy...it took 3 of us to do it. and by 3 of us, I mean 2 very young and strong firemen and me giving them a lot of encouragement!
anyway...here it is finally home awaiting a repaired tire.....
The tape on the windows looked like this all over the car!....what a mess...
and the rotors needed a lot of attention from sitting so long!....
first thing I decided to do was get the alternator working again. It was a complicated rebuild, but I got there in the end. this bosch unit needed a few wires resoldered inside the cases...so it had to be pulled apart. the bearings were fine, but I replaced them anyway.... Heres the before....
the reason it stopped charging, Im pretty sure, was because the coolant was leaking from a pipe fitting right above the electrical connector. the regulator was bulging and corroded!
and afterwards....
The motor without the engine cover reveals what happens when you let a car sit for a long time. the aluminum bits are all corroded, everything is covered in dust and mice have made several homes both inside and outside......
taking a break from the mechanical stuff, I started with a washup and then some clay bar action. This was after the car had been washed twice!....yuck!
On the lift after some clean up....
Each rotor was removed and gone over with a sanding disc, then the centers were cleaned up and painted satin silver....
In order to get to the thermostat and leaking pipes AND the alternator, I had to remove the intake manifold....simple, right?
and finally back together after scuffed knuckles and rounds of making up new curse words.......
It was at this point I took a bit of a break from the car. Next up would be sorting the brake calipers, wheels (tons of cleaning) and the removal of the headliner.....which ended up being a very big job!......
but its getting there...
thanks for lookin
JP