Old Blue

Quick Tune

2009-11-04T18:40:00.001-08:00

I’m normally not one for tips and tricks, but here’s one of my favorites. About once or twice a year, it’s a good idea to clean out a car’s vacuum lines, carburetor jets or fuel injectors, and intake valves from carbon deposits.

This can usually be accomplished with a simple fuel injector cleaner poured into a full tank of gas. Most auto parts store recommend this at every oil change. If you really want to do the job completely, feed a cleaner—such as Sea Foam—through a vacuum line.

It’s really a simple thing to do, and it improves drivability and mileage dramatically. Make sure and read the instructions on the can first, but anyone can do it. Good luck.

The Tune-up is Complete…

2009-09-26T22:19:00.001-07:00

OK, so this isn’t really an new news either, but I finally finished Old Blue’s tune up. Now she has new Bosch +4 spark plugs, new Bosch wires, Duralast Gold distributor cap and rotor, fresh Prestone coolant, and finally a new fuel filter. I thought I’d show some new photos with my freshly painted front license plate. Everything seems to be running good. Next project…sunroof?

Finally something new…

2009-09-16T21:03:00.001-07:00

Ok, not that new, but here are a few updated photos from the last cruise night. I’ve also fixed the original front license plate, and cleaned up the engine bay, so there are more photos to come later. Enjoy…

July Photos

2009-07-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

Again, It’s been a while since I’ve done much with my car (as far as major changes go), so it’s no wonder why I haven’t taken many pictures. here are some of the latest from the beginning of the month at a Cruise night in town. If all goes well, I’ll take some more in the next couple of days. Everything’s been great though, and Old Blue has been running great. Thanks for visiting the site, and I hope you come back soon.

Finally, an update…

2009-07-23T21:25:00.001-07:00

OK, so it’s been a while…again. I guess I’ll start with the oil change.

The 18th was the oil change, new Mobil One 10W-30 oil, Mobil M-102 EP filter, and some Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer. After running Royal Purple (which was still purple after draining out), everything seems to be running great. The only problem was a bad transaxle seal. After replacing that, everything is running smooth—even the A/C seems to be nice and cool despite the 108 outside temps.

I guess it’s hard to update lately, but it’s too hot to do much, I’ve been working more lately, and not much as really gone wrong to speak of (although I guess that’s a good thing). I’ll try to take a short trip somewhere soon, and maybe post a few different pictures. ‘Till then…

More work to do…

2009-06-04T21:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess I got my wish; a new project to tackle. After a work-related trip to Bakersfield (about an hour drive), I noticed that the trunk lock was having more trouble opening than usual. I tried to grease it up with some graphite, but that didn’t help. Finally, the key wouldn’t even fit in the lock cylinder any more.

It’s an easy enough fix; just replace the lock cylinder. But that doesn’t make it any less of a pain in the butt. Since I couldn’t unlock the trunk, I had to fold the seat down from the inside, crawl into the trunk, and un bolt the striker plate from the lock. Hey, I’m just glad I can still get the part: $17 at AutoZone. Time to make a tutorial about how to install…

Preventative Maintenance

2009-05-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Time for a little Old Blue lovin'. Why oh why do I wait so long in between posts. At least I'm pretty happy with the way the site looks; well, for now anyway. I've done a little more restorative work on Old Blue lately.

First up was the annoying click-clack sound from the timing belt tensioner. Thanks to a Goodyear Gatorback component kit from AutoZone, she sounds as good as new. After that, it was time for a grease job. The grease job itself was not much of a problem at all. L-body Chryslers are generally very easy to repair and maintain. Only four grease fitting in the front to deal with, once the wheels are removed. A nice bonus to doing your own grease job is checking other parts. With the wheels off, it's easy to inspect the brakes, rotors, tie rod ends, ball joints, axles, etc.

While I was doing my inspection, one thing was very obvious; I had recently blown a CV axle boot. The boot itself is a cheap part (about $17 plus tax). But if it's not replaced soon, I will cause serious damage to the axle joint and subsequently, the axle itself.

Thanks to a little extra maintenance, a costly repair was avoided. Proud of my work, Old Blue got a bath a few days ago, as well a fresh coat of wax. Everything else seems great at the moment. In about a month, I'll change the oil, and tomorrow I get to go to work. After that, maybe a short road trip. Thanks for reading.

Missed a whole month

2009-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I missed a whole month's worth of posts. A lot's happened lately. My job's been going great, but I haven't has as many chances to update the site.

Old Blue had an oil change last week, and I tried some different oil. Usually I only use Mobil 1 synthetic, or Valvoline synthetic. This time I tried out Royal Purple. I couldn't believe how slick it is. Customers at work always ask if it's really the best, and if it makes a difference, so I thought I'd try it out. It really does work great; I noticed a huge difference in oil flow / pressure.

My car club has a meeting soon, and after that, we have our annual car show. Now that it's summer, I'll have more photos and stories to post. Coming back...

Mini Update Part II

2009-02-23T22:22:00.001-08:00

I've been working a lot lately, but Old Blue's been running really well. I cleaned out the vacuum lines earlier today, and now she's running really smooth, idle's perfect at 900 RPM. That Seafoam always seems to do the trick. I haven't had much of a chance to find extra parts. My days off have seen some bad weather; not good for junkyard hunting. Every salvage yard I go to only has 1990 Omni / Horizons that I can't use any parts off (except for a few body parts, that are in useless, poor condition).

Maybe it's a good thing that I don't have much to write about. If my car doesn't have any problems, there's not much work to be done. So I won't complain. I still have a few cosmetic things to do, but nothing serious. I'll update again soon. Maybe after the next cruise night.

Mini Update

2009-02-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

OK, so I thought it's about time for a small update. I've really been trying to become more regular about this, even though I don't have much to write about--maybe I should not have mentioned that. I haven't done that much with/to Old Blue lately. As I've mentioned before, I fixed the radiator overflow tank, and the radiator. I've also given her a complete going over/tune up, of everything she needs. Only a few cosmetic things remain. I'd like to find some cheap--possibly junkyard--window scrapers for the driver's door, and a driver's side drip rail cover. If I can find a nice one, I'd also like to have an extra front license plate bracket. They're really hard to find in good condition, and expensive NOS. Other than that, everything's nice. My next day off, I'll try to take some different photos (instead of just Old Blue in front of my front yard). Maybe I'll go up to the mountains after the snow...just a thought...

Recent Photos

2009-01-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

Since the weather has been so nice lately, I've had a chance to take some photos of Old Blue. I've always liked the front end cover on the L-bodies (really all 1980's cars). So here are some new ones of the front, rear, side, engine, and interior. Hope you like them:

New Radiator

2009-01-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

I finally fixed that last nagging problem with Old Blue: the radiator. It really wasn't that bad of a problem, just annoying. Old Blue never overheated or anything like that, she just leaked coolant. The hole was decent sized, but the temperature never went even close to 200 degrees. Oh well, I got tired of cleaning up the puddles of green liquid on the driveway, and sprung for the new radiator.

She just turned over to 96,000 miles. I'm actually glad that she's almost to 100,000. My odometer only reads five digits, so when the clock finally turns to the big 100, it will read: 00,000. Just like a new car (wink). But for such an old car, it really runs great. I change the oil ever three months, or 3,000 miles. Only Mobil 1, or Valvoline synthetic 5W-30 (10W-30 in the summer), and a really good filter. Clean K&N air filter, and Bosch Platinum +2 or +4 spark plugs and premium wires...I could go on for a while here, but you get the point.

I also a new bra for her a few weeks ago. I haven't put it on until now because of the weather. It's been pretty wet up until a few days ago. Now It's beautiful. I'm off work tomorrow, so I'll try and take a drive and take a few pictures while it's so nice outside. I'll be back soon...

Oil Change

2009-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

It's that time again. Three months and new oil--and a filter. I just changed my oil, filter, spark plugs, and cleaned my air filter. Old Blue is running pretty good. The engine sounds nice and smooth, and she drives great. Even the transmission feels newer. I normally use conventional 5W-30 oil and a Fram filter when I change my oil, but we had a special at AutoZone on synthetic oil and a Mobil filter, so I used Valvoline Synthetic 10W-30 instead. I also used some better Bosch Platinum +2 spark plugs instead of the stock Champion copper plugs. I think they've both alread made a difference. I just have a cheapo paper air filter installed right now because I'm cleaning the K&N. It was filthy. Here in the central valley, the dust and junk in the air kills air filters really quickly. Well that's about it. 95,805 miles and counting...

Photos (finally)

2008-12-20T23:08:00.001-08:00

Well, I thought it would be a good time to finally put up a few photos. These ones are only a few hours old--as of this posting--so everything on Old Blue is current. It's also a good time to showcase the new tachometer. It looks pretty good in the custom gauge cluster (the one I made for the last tach). With the wash and wax, she looks pretty good. That's about it for now; enjoy...

Cleaning Time

2008-12-19T19:39:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty obsessed with keeping my car clean, so today I exercised my weekly ritual of washing and waxing Old Blue when she really didn't need it. OK, so this time she was actually a little dirty...a little bit...maybe; well, dirty enough, anyway. At any rate, she looks great. I always like to keep a nice coat of wax on top in case it rains, or just for general paint protection. I also vacuumed the interior, put on a good coat of Armor All, and detailed the engine. I usually do the entire car from head to toe, bumper to bumper, when I wash her. A few days ago, I put on the new AutoMeter tach, and it looks great. I had to get some new connectors from AutoZone, though. AutoMeter changed from just wires to having connectors (which weren't included). Thanks. Either way, it actually works, and looks great. When I detailed the engine compartment, I noticed that one of the battery tie-downs was missing. I have no idea where it went. So now it has new J-hooks and I went ahead and cleaned the posts and terminals, and filled up the H2O. Now everything looks great and I need to take some photos. We've finally had some nice wheather, too...

Plans

2008-12-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Time to write up a few plans for Old Blue. I got bored today, so I thought I should at least get a written record of what I want to do next. I just got a new tachometer (10,000RPM, 3 3/8 inch diameter; same as the Mopar Performance) to replace my bad one, and a new air filter (no real reason--it's just time to replace). I should get the tach in a couple of days, so there's more time for other stuff.

I also need to get some new wipers (AutoZone with a discount), flush the radiator and refill the coolant, fix the driver's side door handle (it's loose on one side), rotate the tires, and buy some more cleaning supplies--car wash, tire shine, etc. I'm also going to get some oil and a filter (change in January) since the prices are great right now (5 qts. of regular Valvoline and an STP filter for $16.99).

I guess that's it for now. I should have more photos coming up in a day or two, and hopefully more work done. The site looks good, though...right...?

Finally working on the site

2008-12-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to finally have something to put on the site. I've either been too busy to update, or had nothing to talk about. I changed the blogs theme again (I was really getting tired of that light blue, for some reason), this time to a medium blue. It just looks so much better. I also added Twitter updates on the side. At least now if I'm too lazy to update the blog, I'll at least throw in some tweets.

I dusted off Old Blue today--even though she wasn't that dirty--and topped off the fluids. That is one clean engine. For some reason, everyone seems to touch my windows when they get in and out of Old Blue. I don't know why, but finger prints just seem to be really hard to get off my glass. I usually use Invisible Glass (not an advertisement); that seems to get everything off the best without leaving any streaks. One little project to keep me busy is the replacement of my 10,000 RPM tachometer. I have a Mopar Performance tach that does not seem to be working well anymore. It's not accurate after 2,500 RPMs and does not even work below about 1,600 anymore. I guess the bad distributor killed it off. Now that I have some money, I've been saving up to replace it (it's over four years old and not made any more). Well, that's enough for now. More to come...

Time for an Update

2008-12-09T20:48:00.001-08:00

OK, so it's been a while. Really, I haven't done much to Old Blue. She hasn't really needed it. I guess that's good news, though. I need to do a face lift on the site pretty soon. I've been letting it go for a while, and need to update my links, photos, etc. I need to put on some new windshield wiper blades and change my oil in January, but that's about it. Other than that, everything looks great. I put on some plastic door-ding protectors, that look pretty good, and the Mopar Performance license plate is back up front. I'll take some photos pretty soon, and update the site over the next few days. Luckily I'm off work in a couple of days...

October Cruise Night

2008-10-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

So it's finally starting to feel like fall here in Porterville. This is usually about the time of the year here in the central valley that the weather starts to coincide with the date printed on the calendar. It was a nice, cool, 78 degrees yesterday--a huge change from 97 just a few days ago--and just perfect for a cruise night.

I took a few photos of Old Blue, who has been running great lately. Actually, she's been running pretty nice since I replaced a bad PCV valve that fell apart when I took it out to check it. I just washed her, and gave her a nice coat of Eagle One wax. That came in pretty handy when the birds decided to fly over the festivities. Luckily, everything just slipped right off the paint.

I really wanted to change the oil this morning, but it rained late last night and into this morning. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. It isn't that essential that I change the oil right now; I have less than 1,000 miles on the clock since the last change, but it's been about three months. Oh, well. I have to admit that I like working on it anyway. I like taking pictures of her too. Till next time, enjoy these...

September Cruise Night / Poker Run Photos

2008-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hope you like the photos. As the caption suggests, the first four photos are of Old Blue at the September Cruise Night, and the final picture was taken by Lake Success during the 2008 Poker Run.

Time to update...

2008-09-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

I get a little lazy with the site sometimes, and I should really try to get better. I've been a little busy lately. OK, not that busy, but I have had a few things to do. Old Blue's been running really great lately; better than I've seen her run in a long time. About three or four weeks ago, she was having trouble starting up, so I check everything out. When it came time to check the PCV valve, I pulled it off the crankcase, and it fell into pieces. After getting a new one she ran great. The only other thing I've done is re-wire the trunk light. It was flickering on and off, and finally broke. It was a pretty simple job, though. The car club had their annual poker run last weekend--I"ll put up photos soon. She's really looking nice too. She always seems to run better with a good coat of wax; or maybe that's just me. Oh well. I'll change the oil next...

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Crusin' Cool...

2008-08-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

As you might already have guessed, Old Blue has her A/C back and working well. I'm so glad. Of course it wasn't working when the temperature was 105 degrees; it was a nice breezy 89 today. As I always do when I get my car back from the shop--a ritual that has become all to often recently--Old Blue got a bath, and tonight a coat of wax as well. She's really come along well lately. I'll take a photo tomorrow, since the weather is so nice right now. It's just good to have everything working.

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Summer Sucks...

2008-08-15T20:57:00.001-07:00

OK, not really, but it's not great if don't have A/C. Old Blue's actually been running great. I advanced the timing 12 degrees--I think I already wrote that, though--did a little tuning, and now she's perfect. Except for one thing: the A/C is dead. At least the compressor is DOA. It was going for a while--I noticed that it would flicker on and off every once in a while. I've already bought the new compressor, it just needs to be installed. Until Monday, though, I've got to deal with 100+ degree temperatures. The "Vent" setting isn't cutting it. Well, I guess I've just got to stay hot for the weekend...

Good stuff...

2008-08-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

I really like updating this site. I've added a few new things, and changed some things around. I guess it's kind of like my car, or any project. They're never really done, but that's the fun of it, right?

Old Blue has been going pretty good. I went to a local car show today downtown. It was a small show, but nice. There were a few hot rods, a couple of Mustangs, and a lot a bikes. I was thinking of entering Old Blue, but $30 just seemed like a lot--especially after all of the recent repairs. I took some photos anyway, you can see them on the Rn'R Blog: http://rollinrelicscarclub.blogspot.com.

That's about it for now. I need to take some more photos...

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What is this "Smog" you speak of...?

2008-08-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

Well, the wonders of California have bitten me in the rear again; this time it's the biennial smog check. That's a great way to learn you have a bad carburetor bowl float, a dead catalytic converter, and awful, fowled spark plugs. Everything is done now, at least the smog check stuff, Old Blue is registered for another year, but now the A/C is out. Time for a new compressor. Oh goodie! Well, she's running good. That's something, right...?

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