evilone Posted January 29, 2009 Posted January 29, 2009 Ok heres the post that your gonna need to hear the whole story on.First off it began as a HOT summer day last year me and my granddad went on a cruse with my death wagon.Well the fan belt decided to not like me that day and flipped over disengaging the fan and water pump.We started hearing noises(other then the "other passengers" and the check engine light came on.We pulled over and opened the hood and a huge cloude of steam came out.You guessed right it overheated .Fast foward about 2 week and my stepdad walks on the stage.He went to "help" me on working on the wagon and replaced the belts,radiator cap,water hoses,and,thermostat housing as well as the gasket.It started running good until bam something went wrong(no his arm wasn't cut off though i wish it was ) and it started to run hard.Now fast foward to last week.I got the wagon towed(that was awsome to watch a hearse one a 53 foot flat bed)to a local shop.My buddy told me that it would take a week or so.I called him about 5 days ago and he told me that i dodged a bullit.All that was needed to be done was the timing needed to be set,head bolts needed to be retourqed,And belts tightened(my stepdad isn't the SUPER MECHANIC he said he was ).So i told hime about do a point to point check on it.About 3 days ago i called again and found out that the AC didnt have a ground to it so it dosen't work(like i didn't know that when it over heated DUH) and that it would take a few days to find out what went wrong.Yesterday i went to the shop to check up on the wagon only to see that the dash was ripped out to bare nothing(MY COACH WAS VIOLATED Time to make some heads roll on the floor )I asked what the hell happened to it.My buddy said we needed to take the dash out to see all the wires.I told him that a phone call to tell me what was up couldn't have hurted.To make a long story short i don't know when my death wagon will be out of the shop and now i have appointments i can't keep.Its not like the appointments arn't life threatening or anything but it would be real nice to have my coach have some kicker 10" woofers as well as a new head unit by the NNL west so i can arrive in style .So right now Im kinda mad/worried about the stuff that is happening to my pride and joy.Hopefully this story will end with no needs to go back into another shop other then for some tires and a oil change.
Custom Hearse Posted January 29, 2009 Posted January 29, 2009 Well..... It could be worse. I had a '71 Plymouth Road Runner that was a great running car.... Until I blew the right side head off the 383.... So I went to an L.A salvage yard and found a 426 Hemi (this was back when Mopars weren't the big money cars they are today), and had it re-built and installed. About two weeks later, I'm just cruising along, when the back end goes upwards suddenly (the rear tires came completely off the ground). I got the car to the side of the road, walked to the rear and looked under the car. Lo and behold, there was a 6 inch diameter hole in the rear axle casing. About half a block away, I could see the spider gear laying in the road.... Went to the salvage yard in L.A. (again), and got a rear axle for the car. Replaced the rear axle, and drove the car for another month, when lo and behold, the car wouldn't start. I did a complete tune up, but it didn't help, re-built the carbs, but it it didn't help, so I had the car towed to the shop where the engine was built.... Lo and behold, they took the timing chain cover off, and found that the timing chain had twisted the pin clean out of the camshaft.... They fixed the problem, but I got so tired of car being at the shop. As soon as they finished fixing it, I sold the car to a friend of mine.... ONE OF THE DUMBEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE!!!! Now the car is worth thousands of dollars, even if it isn't a numbers matching Hemi car, just having it now would be a thrill! I could just cry....
RodneyBad Posted January 29, 2009 Posted January 29, 2009 Dang! I hope he is a good friend atleast and not going charge ya by the hour to put it all back together. Ya could've told him the a/c wasn't the big of a deal. You have a cold stiff stashed in the rear.
evilone Posted January 29, 2009 Author Posted January 29, 2009 Well today im not in a good mood much so im going to go over there and see whats up with it now.I mean its been about a week now since they pulled out the dash and started tinkering(Though i want to put another word rules are rules) with the wires.Good thing is that circut city is closing and i got me a 10" sub for 60 bucks.Now i need to only buy one more and a head unit plus pay for install this will grand total with labor hit me $500 and only take 3 1/2 to 5 hrs.Cheapest rate around here plus the shop has multiple magazines of cars they worked on.
mageckman Posted January 30, 2009 Posted January 30, 2009 Kevin, this is why I do my own work on my cars. If it breaks, I fix it, I don't take it to someone else. I know what is done to it, and when, and how. There are books out there for this kinda stuff.As long as you can read, follow diagrams, and know which end of a wrench is which, you should be able to do it.You seem like you are bright enough to be able to do the work yourself, and it would save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
evilone Posted February 1, 2009 Author Posted February 1, 2009 Well i kinda got some good news the other day (well atleast to me its good).The grand total of the repairs are(and god is my witness i am not making this up)$666.70.The problems were the belts were loose,engine parts were messed with(i know who did it my dear old stepdad),Timing was off,And the head bolts needed to be torqued(these were the main problems).the minor problems were the A/C ground was crossed(probably by the cheap mecanic my mortition buddy took the car to previouse to me owning it)and the A/C control unit was burnt out(the circut board was BLACK serious circut frying went on there).The part is gonna take about 3 to 4 days to arrive and about 3 to 4 hrs to install.So i should get it bar no more problems about wednsday or thursday of next week.Then it goes to the audio shop to get some goodies put in it(2 10" kicker subs,a sony head unit,and possably a 500 watt amp.My brains will be forced out of my head via nose holes )For being good at the doctors office LOL.So things are looking up it seems now to take the ligit driving test only had a temporary one LOL first time driver LOL.
Pokey Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 This is exactly why I love my Bonneville, and refuse to trade it up to something newer, even though it's been in a couple fender benders. Ten years and 200,000 miles and it hasn't let me down yet! Dang, I shouldn't have said that, I probably just jynxed her! Glad to hear they found the problem!
evilone Posted February 10, 2009 Author Posted February 10, 2009 Well my friends i can say that this stressful deal is officially over with.And i saved a grip of cash.Apperently GM dosen't make the parts i need for my wagon so instead of it costing me $666.70 it only cost me $161.00 sweet huh.Now when i got the wagon back i found out several things:1 If they say they only took it 5 miles for a test drive that is complete B.S.(i had 1/2 a tank of gas now its almost outta the stuff.My car dosen't take alot of gas eventhough it is 6000LBS )2:Detailers like to mess with your sterieo(i had some real good 8" subs with a 250 watte amp.I had to go to the audio shop to step up my system.They blew my 8" subs out .All is well now it has 2 10" kickers and a 1000watte amp .).So now its got the sound system and runs like it is new i am set Now for the driving test(im gonna rent a sute and tell the tester that i need to hurry up due to the fact i have a funeral.I should pass easy on that test LOL.)
evilone Posted February 10, 2009 Author Posted February 10, 2009 davezinn said: so now you have it back, what doesn't work still? good luck on the driver's test! Dave The A/C controls and the driver door's pull bar.But now i can mess up any foo that wants to turn his system up.And it all looks completely stock .
Casey Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Why do I get the feeling the Death Coach is an '87 Chevy Celebrity wagon with faux woodgrain? Seriously, some advice- take the $$$ you'd spend on a system and buy a good mechanics tool set and a factory service manual for your ride and learn to fix things yourself. Nobody should know your ride better than yourself, so nobody will be better equipped to fix it when the need arrises. Yeah, it'll take time, and you may not be able to fix everything, but you'd be far ahead both in terms of money and know-how if you learned to wrench on your ride yourself. Oh, and tell your step Dad to put down the tools and step away from the Death Coach.
jbwelda Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 what are you, like 15 years old? thank your stepdad for caring enough to help you. next time he wont and you and your deathtrap will be stuck along side the interstate at 3am. and while youre at it, fix your car and stop blaming all your lack of attention to it on others. and stop whining about how much it costs to get it repaired when youre getting a far better deal than it sounds like you deserve. yeah its expensive to have someone else save your a$$, so get your hands dirty and do it yourself! *then* you might start to appreciate what people do for you, even if you only have to pay bottom dollar for it. or consider riding a bicycle. not a bad choice all things considered. hope that helps!
MADmodelDOCTOR Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Dude, you need to quit hatin'. There are a lot worse things that will happen in life. You should be glad your step-father made a good effort to fix it. All belts need to be checked and re-tightened after some use. Get a grip. later,
James Flowers Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Unless your Stepdad took the valve covers off, He could not have done anything too loosen the head bolts. That happened probably when you and Grandpa over heated the engine. Belts come loose or wear out all the time. You should get a repair manual for your car. Learn the joy of working on your own car. The way you build models it should not take you long to learn how.
CAL Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Custom Hearse said: Well..... It could be worse. I had a '71 Plymouth Road Runner that was a great running car.... Until I blew the right side head off the 383.... So I went to an L.A salvage yard and found a 426 Hemi (this was back when Mopars weren't the big money cars they are today), and had it re-built and installed. About two weeks later, I'm just cruising along, when the back end goes upwards suddenly (the rear tires came completely off the ground). I got the car to the side of the road, walked to the rear and looked under the car. Lo and behold, there was a 6 inch diameter hole in the rear axle casing. About half a block away, I could see the spider gear laying in the road.... Went to the salvage yard in L.A. (again), and got a rear axle for the car. Replaced the rear axle, and drove the car for another month, when lo and behold, the car wouldn't start. I did a complete tune up, but it didn't help, re-built the carbs, but it it didn't help, so I had the car towed to the shop where the engine was built.... Lo and behold, they took the timing chain cover off, and found that the timing chain had twisted the pin clean out of the camshaft.... They fixed the problem, but I got so tired of car being at the shop. As soon as they finished fixing it, I sold the car to a friend of mine.... ONE OF THE DUMBEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE!!!! Now the car is worth thousands of dollars, even if it isn't a numbers matching Hemi car, just having it now would be a thrill! I could just cry.... That's how I feel about the 70 RS Camaro I got rid of: accident free, rust free, needed a cylinder head.
Robert81 Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Dang guys, stop ranging on the guy. It can take years to know how to tell what is wrong with a vehicle. This a vintage Cadillac Hearse, you can't just plug a black box in under the dash and it tells you what is wrong. If you don't know how to read the signs you will screw it up BIG time. A factory service manual only tells you how to do something, not how to tell how to tell what is wrong. Even a good set of hand tool ain't cheap. There are a lot of tools that you don't get in a set that are required to fix a vehicle. I'm not talking air tools either. A set of half inch sockets and a foot-lbs torque wrench are a must, to be able properly tighten parts to factory specks, you can't fudge that stuff. I think Evilone did the right thing, and he got a hell of a deal. Looks like he only got charged for the parts. Bottom line: if you don't know what you are doing, find somebody that does. Evilone, do thank your stepdad for trying, a lot of people wouldn't bother helping.
jbwelda Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 aw i was half jesting in my post above. ive been there and done that and thats exactly what the benefit of years will do for you: give you perspective. im just saying dont expect deals all the time. one thing i didnt mention though: cheaper is not always better. theres an old saying: those who buy cheap buy often. thats one thing getting old will do for you: teach you that you got better things to do with your time than repeating the same repairs and even if its cheaper once, its not cheaper when you have to do it 5 times. oh well evilone, just thank your stepdad and be happy you got someone around to help you. a lotta people are in the same situation you are but dont have anyone to lean on for help. you may even be in that situation one day.
slant6 Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 I skimmed over most of the posts on this thread once I saw 10" subs mentioned. I love that your doin' Kicker (Im in an installer, Kicker F***ing beats all), but why tens? You must have room for at least one 15" L7. You could blow the roof off of that car (not literally of course, I mean why would you want to, right?).
RodneyBad Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 slant6 said: I skimmed over most of the posts on this thread once I saw 10" subs mentioned. I love that your doin' Kicker (Im in an installer, Kicker F***ing beats all), but why tens? You must have room for at least one 15" L7. You could blow the roof off of that car (not literally of course, I mean why would you want to, right?). And a Huge Speaker box shaped like a coffin. When you kick the Bass, the Coffin rattles That's what I'd do if I did that..
Custom Hearse Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 Robert81 said: Dang guys, stop ranging on the guy. It can take years to know how to tell what is wrong with a vehicle. This a vintage Cadillac Hearse, you can't just plug a black box in under the dash and it tells you what is wrong. If you don't know how to read the signs you will screw it up BIG time. A factory service manual only tells you how to do something, not how to tell how to tell what is wrong. Even a good set of hand tool ain't cheap. There are a lot of tools that you don't get in a set that are required to fix a vehicle. I'm not talking air tools either. A set of half inch sockets and a foot-lbs torque wrench are a must, to be able properly tighten parts to factory specks, you can't fudge that stuff. I think Evilone did the right thing, and he got a hell of a deal. Looks like he only got charged for the parts. Bottom line: if you don't know what you are doing, find somebody that does. Evilone, do thank your stepdad for trying, a lot of people wouldn't bother helping. I agree with you 100% Robert. When someone is just starting to get into cars, it's not easy to to know what is going on with the car, and people should remember that. I know what you're going through Kevin. I owned a '76 M&M with a 500 C.I. at one time, And when you're first starting out learning about cars, allot of it is learn as you go. There's still allot that I don't know about, and I'll be 46 soon (transmissions are Greek to me). When you take it to a repair shop, ask as many questions that you can, it'll help you to learn how things are fixed. Glad to hear you got it back on the road! Just do me one favor.... Don't drive by my house.... I can't afford to replace my windows!!!! :D
sdrodder Posted February 12, 2009 Posted February 12, 2009 Nice to see the death wagon is back in buissness Yeah with that caddie its hard to tell whats up. I myself have some stories of those shops. We had out 58 chevy truck(well my future ride) in a show to get the generator replaced to a altronator as it was acting up. Well dad(at the time he didnt have time to do it) his friend told him a shop. So they went there at first they thought it was the carb thats screwing up the engine running. So they tear the carb apart(screwing up the gaskets in the process) just to find out it wasnt it. So they take cheap carb wannabe gasket paper and stick it back together. Then the replace the generator. Well after we got it back it ran fine till my dad did something and stuff didnt work. Well they took out certain wires which messed up a fan so he was mad plus we payed like 300 bucks too. So one weekend dad redid the wireing. As for the carb. Its leaking like hell still but will be replaced in couple months with a triple set up. As for my other story. My mom drives a 91 blazer 4x4. Well something went wrong on it and it didnt run. So dads old boss had it towed to his shop to see whats wrong. Since it was a body shop they couldnt really figure it out plus dad didnt have a clue on it as he did all checks. So dads boss suggested to tow it to the gm dealer. So dads boss towed it over there and they had it for 2 weeks. Well after long while mom went over there to see whats up. Well in the 2 weeks they had it they did nothing to even check it and they jacked some stuff too So the outcome. Well dads boss bought a machine to check whats wrong with the car, had it towed to his shop again, and fixed the car for nothing but still Whats this prove. Sometimes its good to send it too a shop but not always do they know what they are doing.
RodneyBad Posted February 12, 2009 Posted February 12, 2009 Where is Kevin? How's the car running? any pics of it? CarDomain? I've seen pics Once, somewhere.
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