Replacing Radio - Snowball effect
- Thread starter Dean
- Start date
And the snowball continues to roll.
The "now what" was pretty well figured out, but now that I can inspect the pan and seams, I can see where some moisture has worked through some rather brittle seam sealer joints. So, my tech question is, does anyone have experience with patching up seams?
Dean
The "now what" was pretty well figured out, but now that I can inspect the pan and seams, I can see where some moisture has worked through some rather brittle seam sealer joints. So, my tech question is, does anyone have experience with patching up seams?
Dean
3xbrowncutty
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2010
i dont, but i would imagine a paint remover wheel on a grinder would be best since seam sealer is a pita to get off. then just clean out the best you can and re-seal it.
i have a question though, is that strut that holds your trunk open factory? looks pretty clean!
i have a question though, is that strut that holds your trunk open factory? looks pretty clean!
Use a heat gun and scraper to get the old seam sealer out. You can get good 3m seam sealer from auto supply store. I recommend the brushable sealer. I've worked in body shops and been doing body work for 15 years. I'm in the process of doing it all to my car now
Doesn't look factory, but I want to know where I can get something like that!!
I agree factory seam sealer is white. And the floors look like lizard skin
usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
I used por15 sealer for those types of spots where there was a bit of brittleness and some rust starting to appear. It's about 20 bucks for a small tube but dries rock hard, literally.
Nope, not factory, but something I'm working on to make space for woofers I'm putting in the rear deck. Roc87, It was suggested I put together a kit once the bugs are worked out. We'll see. It has been an aggravating tribulation of trial and error so far.
Sweet, I'll look into that. The factory did a pretty "clumpy" job throughout, and I would like to clean it all up a bit before laying the Damplifier and new carpet (that has FAR thinner rubber backing and jute padding). I'm concerned about the clumps showing through.
T What? and 87_we4, the trunk pan is all original as far as I know. My car came with the trunk carpet kit, and I removed it to do this sound system install. I'll get a couple better pics.
GNRick, the area is over on the passenger side, near the forward most seat mount. Minor rust residue can be seen in the pic.
usetaboost, Thanks, I'll look into that too, but I think the seam seals should remain somewhat pliable, no?
Dean
just plain john
El Camino a Go-Go!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2007
That looks like the most complicated radio install in history.
usetaboost
SAY CAR RAMROD!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2005
I agree. Same thing kinda happened to me. Started with seats and ended up doing a frame off
Pfft. Tell me about it. At least I'm finally getting to it after being stalled for years due to the Snowball Effect. There were so many projects stacked up on this car, but now they are getting done!
Roc87, will do.
T What? and 87_we4, here are a couple more pics of the trunk floor. I don't know what it is that was sprayed on, or why, or when or by who. I'm the second owner and the original owner never mentioned anything about it. The full trunk carpet kit is original, and the glue that holds the carpet/fabric to the rear vertical surface is on top of this black stuff, so the black stuff was sprayed before the carpet (or the carpet was pulled, glue residue cleaned, black stuff sprayed, glue vertical piece back on). Also there is no black stuff on any wiring.
The snowball effect. Happens all to often.
It started simple enough. The 20 year old radio and speakers needed replacing. OK, so I have the radio out, now what?
Wow, usually not necessary to remove the entire interior to replace a radio but love your enthusiasm. BTW, if you change the antenna on the fender it is NOT necessary to pull the engine and transmission!
I didn't notice it the 1st time I looked at the pics, but now a couple of things in this pics popped out at me. There are a couple of extra holes in each door. The 1st is in the lower door panel, about halfway down the length of the panel, for what looks like a 6" or 6 1/2" woofer (odd place for a woofer?). The 2nd is in the upper door panel in front of the power window switch, for what looks like a 4" midrange or a large format dome midrange or tweeter. Your work or previous owners?
87_we4, I was going to mention, all of my seam sealer is black.
hesermon, See, it is that Snowball Effect thing. It started out as the radio because the 20 y/o disc changer died and to get a compatible changer would be more $$ than a far better new CD head unit. Then I knew the speakers weren't sounding great, and when I checked all the surrounds had some serious deterioration. Actually, one rear deck woofer was just floppin' around, so I decided new speakers throughout were in order. But then, if I'm doing all that, why put the front speakers in the goofy azz spots that 6APPEAL noticed (yes those were large format tweets blasting your face and 5.5s shooting into the side of the seats), so I fabbed a set of pods to hold the CDT comps that will mount in the C/S location in the lower panels, and for the holes in the uppers I kept the tweet housing and got some Tri-Shield appliques to go in the center. Might do something else later, but for now, it will do.
'Course I couldn't stop there, oh no. I figured why keep the old cruddy amp to power new speakers, so that was added to the list, as was new wiring because the stuff the original owner had put in was TINY. Lotta wiring there, and looking at the carpet it needed replacing, and that would be the perfect time. But it continued. I noticed when I had the door panels off to take out the old speakers that they were very tinny and echoey. While on a couple audio BBs while researching different components, and I became convinced that sound matting would be very good, and why not do it when all the interior is out? Also the headliner was starting to sag in places, so, that came out, and now I was sitting in one heck of an echo chamber, so I decided to do sound matting throughout - roof, pan, doors, wheel well... everywhere I could reach.
Then I started the install a while back and hit a problem - the 6x9s wouldn't fit. After a long hiatus from the car due to other things in life, I got back to it and started working on a gas spring strut system for the deck lid so the 6x9 woofers can still be used, though a sub is probably going in as well, Probably a Sundown, SA-8 or SA-10. I'll try a sealed box first and see if I like it. If not, I'll sacrifice more space an build a ported box.
Snowball Effect. Hopefully it has reached the bottom of the hill.
Thanks for the tidbit on the antenna, but, we'll have to see where it leads. BTW, I have a "ported heads" project that started 10 years ago that is just now coming to a close. $8k job when that Snowball stops rolling...
Dean
hesermon, See, it is that Snowball Effect thing. It started out as the radio because the 20 y/o disc changer died and to get a compatible changer would be more $$ than a far better new CD head unit. Then I knew the speakers weren't sounding great, and when I checked all the surrounds had some serious deterioration. Actually, one rear deck woofer was just floppin' around, so I decided new speakers throughout were in order. But then, if I'm doing all that, why put the front speakers in the goofy azz spots that 6APPEAL noticed (yes those were large format tweets blasting your face and 5.5s shooting into the side of the seats), so I fabbed a set of pods to hold the CDT comps that will mount in the C/S location in the lower panels, and for the holes in the uppers I kept the tweet housing and got some Tri-Shield appliques to go in the center. Might do something else later, but for now, it will do.
'Course I couldn't stop there, oh no. I figured why keep the old cruddy amp to power new speakers, so that was added to the list, as was new wiring because the stuff the original owner had put in was TINY. Lotta wiring there, and looking at the carpet it needed replacing, and that would be the perfect time. But it continued. I noticed when I had the door panels off to take out the old speakers that they were very tinny and echoey. While on a couple audio BBs while researching different components, and I became convinced that sound matting would be very good, and why not do it when all the interior is out? Also the headliner was starting to sag in places, so, that came out, and now I was sitting in one heck of an echo chamber, so I decided to do sound matting throughout - roof, pan, doors, wheel well... everywhere I could reach.
Then I started the install a while back and hit a problem - the 6x9s wouldn't fit. After a long hiatus from the car due to other things in life, I got back to it and started working on a gas spring strut system for the deck lid so the 6x9 woofers can still be used, though a sub is probably going in as well, Probably a Sundown, SA-8 or SA-10. I'll try a sealed box first and see if I like it. If not, I'll sacrifice more space an build a ported box.
Snowball Effect. Hopefully it has reached the bottom of the hill.
Thanks for the tidbit on the antenna, but, we'll have to see where it leads.
BTW, I have a "ported heads" project that started 10 years ago that is just now coming to a close. $8k job when that Snowball stops rolling...Dean
87_we4, after some looking around I found the water intrusion point was not actually the seam sealer, but a small drilled hole in another location. I'm wondering should I just leave the hardened stuff alone, but another question I have is regarding the lumps. The new carpet and pad is much thinner than the original was, and the factory seam sealer job left many lumps and clumps that I'm afraid will print through the new carpet. Would it be unadvisable to heat up those lumps and press them down a bit?
Dean
Dean
