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The Car Thread ... !

@Relentless Power

Thanks for the photo!

That's a clean looking car, most likely a '73 or '74(probably a '73). The '72 got a glove box back(went away on US market cars in '68) along with the face-level vents. The chrome "egg crate" grille came in '73. 74 1/2 got rid of chrome bumpers completely in favor of the rubber bumpers. I say it's PROBABLY a '73 because the '74s had big, blocky rubber overrriders on the bumper(called Sabrinas) although these are easy to change.

Also, the turn signal lenses are backwards :)
 
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Did I miss something or has Acura always had a $50,000+ sedan? The Acuras I always remember were maybe $8-12K more than their Honda counterpart.
 
D.T. said:
My thoughts were something in a satin finish to make it stand out a little more, but keep it in a darker/gray scale color, something kind of near Magnetic Gray, but maybe more of a medium gray, in a slightly flatter finish (see Porsche).
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Can you do gloss with satin? Do you know how some performance packs utilize a satin paint in stripes format alongside the factory gloss paint? Do the inverse of that. Satin majority with gloss stripes. If you went all satin with hints of that lush orange-yellow, I feel it wouldn't be too different from your previous GT and it wouldn't necessarily stand out, unless you wanted it to not stand out.
 
@Zenithal Sure, you can mix all sort of textures, colors - in fact, there was a Hellcat at the last Ace cruise I went to, totally wrapped, the body was glossy-ish, the hood was flat black.

I was shopping wraps for the previous car, wanted a change up, tired of dealing with the black paint, etc., but I wouldn't want to hide the new glorious color under vinyl :D

What I am shopping is Edelbrock 2650 packages :D
 
D.T. said:
@Zenithal Sure, you can mix all sort of textures, colors - in fact, there was a Hellcat at the last Ace cruise I went to, totally wrapped, the body was glossy-ish, the hood was flat black.

I was shopping wraps for the previous car, wanted a change up, tired of dealing with the black paint, etc., but I wouldn't want to hide the new glorious color under vinyl :D

What I am shopping is Edelbrock 2650 packages :D
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I meant on the same panel. Such as the quarter panel using mixed finish.
 
XPEL wrap from the mirrors forward. To be done by a professional :)

Relentless Power said:
Are you having the whole car wrapped or various sections?

I can’t really offer much assistance in terms of wraps/materials, and nor I am trying to stray you away from having the car wrapped, but the only thing I would be Leary of, is when they wrap your car, they obviously have to remove various parts, (i.e door-handles/decals/emblems/ect.) The big thing to make sure of, is that you inspect the car thoroughly if you have the car post-wrap, in another words, make sure the decals/emblems are perfectly aligned when they reattach them, the doorhandles (If removed) function normally. When they remove the hood, make sure there’s no gaps when they re-position the hood back on the car, the bumpers have no gaps, trunk alignment, etc.

Shops aren’t perfect, but you can address those issues right away before you leave the shop if something doesn’t seem right, a lot times when they remove parts, sometimes they don’t put them restore exactly to OEM spec, and the slightest gap will show.

And of course, just do your homework and what shop you plan on using in terms of customer satisfaction/reviews. Usually it’s a minimum of a ‘two-man’ job to wrap a car, it’s a timely process, but that’s most crucial part, taking the time to make sure it’s executed right the first time.

Good luck.
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I just got some interesting instructions on installing an oil filter in the Marina...

"Use Scott's single ply. Unroll 25 turns and jam if firmly in the can. Push from the outside to make sure it doesn't cone up."

I can't believe they still sell these Frantz set-ups new...
 
ivanwi11iams said:
XPEL wrap from the mirrors forward. To be done by a professional :)
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Awesome. There’s another member who uses XPEL and has been happy with it. There is also a lot of YouTube reviews with XPEL, it’s a pretty good quality wrap.

I was initially going to suggest considering ceramic coating your GT being it’s black (As is my GT). Now, ceramic coating doesn’t make it ‘scratch resistant’, but it does help against minor things with dirt/debris and it does add a nice protectant to the paint. I’ve actually ceramic coated all my black performance cars, the latest being my Charger Scat Pack. It’s a nice perk to have, especially with any dark colored/slate colors on cars.
 
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bunnspecial said:
I just got some interesting instructions on installing an oil filter in the Marina...

"Use Scott's single ply. Unroll 25 turns and jam if firmly in the can. Push from the outside to make sure it doesn't cone up."

I can't believe they still sell these Frantz set-ups new...
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I used to stick a screwdriver through my old ones on my Renault 11 as there was no easy way to remove them.
 
There is currently an offer on the table to install the XPEL wrap, from the mirrors to the headlights.
Then, ceramic coat the entire car. I have till Sunday, to decide if I am going with one, or both. The car goes into the shop on Monday...

Relentless Power said:
Awesome. There’s another member who uses XPEL and has been happy with it. There is also a lot of YouTube reviews with XPEL, it’s a pretty good quality wrap.

I was initially going to suggest considering ceramic coating your GT being it’s black (As is my GT). Now, ceramic coating doesn’t make it ‘scratch resistant’, but it does help against minor things with dirt/debris and it does add a nice protectant to the paint. I’ve actually ceramic coated all my black performance cars, the latest being my Charger Scat Pack. It’s a nice perk to have, especially with any dark colored/slate colors on cars.
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ivanwi11iams said:
There is currently an offer on the table to install the XPEL wrap, from the mirrors to the headlights.
Then, ceramic coat the entire car. I have till Sunday, to decide if I am going with one, or both. The car goes into the shop on Monday...
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Definitely take advantage of the ceramic coating. I promise you will see the distinct advantages it has for your paint protection. Not also doesn’t give it that really ‘high gloss shine’ being that you have a black Mustang, but even the way it repels water off the car is impressive. But I assume you plan on keeping the car for a while, so this is a nice investment for the paint, especially if this is your daily driver. I still ceramic coated my GT/Scat, but then again, I don’t really daily drive them either. :D
 
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Relentless Power said:
Definitely take advantage of the ceramic coating. I promise you will see the distinct advantages it has for your paint protection. Not also doesn’t give it that really ‘high gloss shine’ being that you have a black Mustang, but even the way it repels water off the car is impressive. But I assume you plan on keeping the car for a while, so this is a nice investment for the paint, especially if this is your daily driver. I still ceramic coated my GT/Scat, but then again, I don’t really daily drive them either. :D
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I am certainly considering both options. At this exact moment I was not anticipating spending as much as it will cost, for both.

Alas, I understand the 'long' term benefits...
 
Got the Marina running-it needed a new ignition switch, and then more or less came to life. I just ordered some carburetor parts a few minutes ago to take care of some issues there.

Unfortunately, its shakedown road test(probably a mile round trip, if that far) showed some serious issues with the transmission. It's hesitant to shift, and when I got back home I needed to climb a hill and it would not engage first gear. Automatic transmissions are black magic to me, but I've been advised that I might have some luck with a transmission drain and fill along with changing the seals. The fluid on the dipstick is bright red and looks okay, but I've also been advised that in several years of disuse, it can end up looking that way from any sediment settling to the bottom of the pan and then migrating to places it shouldn't go.
 
bunnspecial said:
Got the Marina running-it needed a new ignition switch, and then more or less came to life. I just ordered some carburetor parts a few minutes ago to take care of some issues there.

Unfortunately, its shakedown road test(probably a mile round trip, if that far) showed some serious issues with the transmission. It's hesitant to shift, and when I got back home I needed to climb a hill and it would not engage first gear. Automatic transmissions are black magic to me, but I've been advised that I might have some luck with a transmission drain and fill along with changing the seals. The fluid on the dipstick is bright red and looks okay, but I've also been advised that in several years of disuse, it can end up looking that way from any sediment settling to the bottom of the pan and then migrating to places it shouldn't go.
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Hope it doesn’t end up costing you too much. Automatic transmission can be expensive to fix.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Hope it doesn’t end up costing you too much. Automatic transmission can be expensive to fix.
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Let's just say if there's anything serious wrong...out comes the auto and in goes a manual.

The manual is a Triumph box that's not too terribly difficult to find, so beyond that I would need to put in a clutch master cylinder, plumb it in, and of course find a "narrow" brake pedal.

With that said, I've made some phone calls today, and was told that the fact that it's sluggish for all gear changes, and seems to have issues in multiple gears is most likely a good sign. It's probably just a gummed up or failed servo, or so I've been told, and not something like a damaged gear band(which would require a full tear-down). I've been advised to drain the fluid, drop the pan, clean whatever I can, and put it back together with a new gasket and screen.
 
bunnspecial said:
Let's just say if there's anything serious wrong...out comes the auto and in goes a manual.

The manual is a Triumph box that's not too terribly difficult to find, so beyond that I would need to put in a clutch master cylinder, plumb it in, and of course find a "narrow" brake pedal.

With that said, I've made some phone calls today, and was told that the fact that it's sluggish for all gear changes, and seems to have issues in multiple gears is most likely a good sign. It's probably just a gummed up or failed servo, or so I've been told, and not something like a damaged gear band(which would require a full tear-down). I've been advised to drain the fluid, drop the pan, clean whatever I can, and put it back together with a new gasket and screen.
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Given your experience I’m sure you’ll get it done.
 
My wife misplaced the spare set of keys to our Fiat 500 a couple of years ago. I finally decided to get a replacement keyfob, because it is better to have two than one. The dealer wanted about $500.

So if you live in the vicinity of Houston, Texas, I just got back from MHS Locksmith, North Freeway, where it cost $160. I called about 10 different locksmiths who live closer, and they were the only ones who said they could do it.
 
Huntn said:
My wife misplaced the spare set of keys to our Fiat 500 a couple of years ago. I finally decided to get a replacement keyfob, because it is better to have two than one. The dealer wanted about $500.

So if you live in the vicinity of Houston, Texas, I just got back from MHS Locksmith, North Freeway, where it cost $160. I called about 10 different locksmiths who live closer, and they were the only ones who said they could do it.
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I’ve not got a spare for either of our cars. Neither came with one. Cost me about the same when my wife’s Kia key broke.

My Golf passed its MOT and had a service today. They gave me a hideous Polo to drive.
D848EDDD-9770-49A9-8E53-00ACC0EA080C.jpeg
 
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Weirdly, or I guess, very cool on the sellers part, I picked up a SmartTOP module for my car a few weeks ago (it's awesome, "fixes" the two major gripes with my top), but the guy through in another key fob, definitely a MY18+ Mustang part, so now I've got 3 :D

(He had sold his car, parted out the aftermarket, maybe stumbled on the key after the fact and figured, why not give it to this guy, so a 2 months old SmartTOP for $100 under the sale price and a free $xxx keyfob was a bargain!)
 
Dealers are charging for the convenience to code it in. Locksmiths license the same software or any good independent shop. That pricing is typical for any European car. The software is what bumps the prices up on these. As far as I know, dealers still pay for everything, including subscriptions to schematics data on top of repair manuals straight from the manufacturer.

I'm curious what the replacement cost for BMW's 7 series key is. The one with the parking ability you have to finger in yourself.
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Apple fanboy said:
I’ve not got a spare for either of our cars. Neither came with one. Cost me about the same when my wife’s Kia key broke.

My Golf passed its MOT and had a service today. They gave me a hideous Polo to drive.
View attachment 859373
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Color is hideous but the Polo is a nice little car!
 
Zenithal said:
Dealers are charging for the convenience to code it in. Locksmiths license the same software or any good independent shop. That pricing is typical for any European car. The software is what bumps the prices up on these. As far as I know, dealers still pay for everything, including subscriptions to schematics data on top of repair manuals straight from the manufacturer.

I'm curious what the replacement cost for BMW's 7 series key is. The one with the parking ability you have to finger in yourself.
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Color is hideous but the Polo is a nice little car!
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I wasn’t keen. I think it was the base model. Felt much more plasticy inside. Also the windscreen is tiny compared to my Golf.
 
Apple fanboy said:
I wasn’t keen. I think it was the base model. Felt much more plasticy inside. Also the windscreen is tiny compared to my Golf.
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That's typical of low end cars. My point was it's great for its size compared to other options. Those do nicely in narrow European streets.
 
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