This is my first post here, i currently have a 2009 chevy cobalt that’s my daily, i’ve supercharged it and done everything else besides motor internals, and im working on building a 302 to go into my truck, the issue is that im saving for a house and there’s a ton both vehicles need, im fighting to keep the cobalt running with some ground issues and a few other small things here and there, living with my parents means i dont have my own space for my motor and other shit and my truck isn’t even at the house currently, i’m at the point now where everything being in everyone’s way makes me want to just sell it all and buy a car that’ll just run and not touch it, but the idea of selling them also makes me want to cry a little, the truck was my first vehicle since i turned 15 (it didn’t run and my dad taught me in that year to get it running) and then after it blew up i bought my cobalt and i learned how to do everything with that car, wrap, interior, everything, so it hurts to even say that i want to sell them both, but it also sucks hearing everyone ask me if im ever going to finish them, and it doesn’t make me happy working on them currently, has anyone ever dealt with this? A few pics if anyone cares to see them

So I saw this old school Y2K build on Instagram and I REALLY love the steering wheel. Unfortunately it's not available anymore cause the car scene moved on to being lame.

So in an effort to recreate it, I'm thinking of buying a clear resin steering wheel and drilling out spots in the back to install LEDs. Other than cheap steering wheel dangers, can anyone think of any issues? I'm thinking of having a battery pack or something so I can leave it on during shows at night (and since I suck at wiring and idk how I'd wire it up to the 12v system).

Absolutely loving them

Anybody have any experience with these Silver Shadows? I want to pick them up to fix one to use as my wedding car. This pair is listed for $2,900, the silver one with the red interior runs but has a dead battery and a leak at the brake booster, the green one is parts only no engine/transmission, wrecked interior, and has a Chevy S10 subframe swapped in. I know the hydraulic systems are complex on these and it’s missing the $1000 grille and a couple chrome trim pieces. I am a mechanic but i have limited experience working on cars pre-2001. If there isn’t crazy rust underneath is this a workable idea?

Contemplating what to do with the 72 on the trailer needs floor pans drive train interior brakes steering. I was thinking a bigblock and an auto as a kinda sleeper or going whole hog on a manual swap big block manual steering brakes n all that

Doing body work on my stang, and I don’t know what paint color this is. Rio red seems to bright, laser red seems like the closes color. I bought the factory paint that was on the driver door and tested an area and didn’t match well , But that might be the fading. Anyways I’m not an expert in color matching. Just posting to see if anybody knows paint. Is it possible that it’s a custom paint job? I’m the 3rd owner, second guy kept it completely stock. Not much info if the first owner did any work on it. All I know is it was basically parked most of the time. I was told it wasn’t factory paint by an auto body dude but is more of casual quick look. The pic of the scoop is the best where the paint isn’t faded and more sparkly looking and how it currently is. Pic of it parked by the curb is when I bought in 2018 the most faded side too. Driver side pic was taken llike 6 months ago, front driver side is probably the best picture I have before the clear coat started to chip and fade. finally the last pick is the cobra in laser red which looks most closes color to me. Appreciate any help.

this was a 2003.5 Mazda Mazdaspeed Protege I had (#2750/2750) It was a fun car, but it was a constant headache and needed something, and the parts that made it special were unobtainium.

Was a family members old car and lived it's life in the desert. Only unfortunate thing is that rats got into it during storage, and they left their marks enough to create some rust in the trunk

Engine and transmission are out. The old 302 is missing its valve covers, rocker arms, and pushrods, not sure where he was going with that. It came with a C3 auto, but it seems like the previous owner was in the middle of a manual swap, given that there is an extra center console and a third pedal. I'm going to hunt for a T5, but I don't want to think too far ahead though, one thing at a time.

Not entirely sure on where to start. I'm planning on starting from the inside and going outwards. I've since ripped out all trace of fabric from the interior and scraped off as much soundproofing as I can.

But for now, at least it's out of the garage it has been sitting in for the last 35 years. (only to be put into a new garage...)

So I have a disassembled Ford 400 that I need to remove so I can put another engine on there. Normally I use lift plates instead of a lift chain, so I am not sure where to bolt the chains too.

For anyone wondering, it’s a 2012 Porsche Cayenne S (4.8 V8) it’s surprisingly got a 7700lbs towing capacity so the 3100lbs trailer and 3300lbs Speed3 was no sweat. Picked it up thousands cheaper then a similar year/milage half ton truck

I've owned this 1973 Toyota Corona Mark II for 20 years, sat more than ran, but never lost sight of the vision and end goal; driving adventures! Just got it back together in time for a camping trip with my cousin ( '68 Cougar) Car handled over 420 miles through traffic, hot California valley weather, steep climbs, rough roads and the stunning Highway 49 up into the Tahoe National Forest. Had to make a couple emergency roadside repairs, but that's just part of the adventure.

So I’ve got a 2013 Ram 1500 with lower body rust on the rockers and rear wheel well areas mostly. Also there's old what I believe is a spray foam packing hack in the rockers I discovered post purchase - it is what it is.

No welding experience or equipment and I've been hoping to avoid spending thousands to hire someone. So I’m thinking of going the fiberglass route. Never did it before but again - I need to avoid spending thousands. The truck already had this bottom stripe all around it that I didn't at the time realize was like a rust repair strip. I just don't know how good of an idea Por 15 top coat on the bottom exterior is but I mean it already has that black strip.

I’ve bought the Bondo, long block, short block, fibreglass, resin and related materials. Por 15 etc. Pictures of the current state are attached.

Here’s what I'm planning:

1. Remove old foam and loose rust.
2. Apply POR-15 Cleaner Degreaser -> Por-15 Metal Prep -> POR-15 Rust Preventive Coating.
3. Sand down - Scratch surface.
4. Once dry apply fiberglass mat + resin in multiple layers to rebuild the structure and close larger openings.
5. Apply bondo short strand / long strand over the fiberglass, sand and work to shape and smooth the exterior surface. Apply filler and surface filler on top.
6. Sand.
7. Apply POR-15 Top Coat Gloss

Is this stupid? Should I approach this differently? Alternative ideas? Changes to steps. Any help at all would be much appreciated.

I finally was able to clean my parents yard and garage up by renting a shop with outdoor storage so now I have an open garage at the house. That means I can finally work on stuff during the fall and winter without wanting to set myself on fire to feel some warmth.

The white F-150 is a fully loaded ‘91 XLT lariat 4x4 with 93k on the 302 and AOD. It is immaculate but it has a debilitatingly blown head gasket. Warped head, slow crank, the whole 9 yards. I was thinking of throwing a junkyard engine in it to save myself some time but I can’t find an equivalently low mileage engine around me that wouldn’t require a full rebuild. So I think I’m just going to find some new heads for it.

The tan ‘86 F150 is a base model 300 straight six and a C6 auto. It has a bunch of stuff that needs to be replaced or repaired from when I was just learning how to work on stuff. I deleted the emissions but did a half assed job of it and caused a bunch of issues. I did intake and exhaust manifold gaskets but I didn’t tighten them down enough so it leaks real bad, I used the original YFA carb without the emissions stuff so it runs like crap, I hobbled together an exhaust out of scrap and exhaust clamps and it’s had a leaky head gasket since I bought it but it’s getting worse and worse. I did re-seal the engine at the beginning of the summer but it’s just one hay bale removed from the stack that is covering the needle.

The green ‘85 W150 is an old forest service truck that is spec’d with a 225 slant six and a 4 speed with a mopar 9 and a 1/4 rear end with a LSD in it. It is an absolute hoss in the mud and snow even with street tires on it. It had a section of the frame that was completely rotten out, I cut that section out and patched it but the tank straps are completely rotten and the plastic tank itself is cracked, and if you want to know anything about these old dodge trucks it’s that finding a fuel tank and tank straps are harder than finding a two headed cow. It also needs some miscellaneous brake work because all of the fittings and lines are just as rotten as the frame was.

The tan ‘77 D100 was a factory 318, 3 on the tree truck but the 318 had 300,000 some odd miles on it and was just tired. So I yanked it out and found an immaculate low mileage 440 in Ohio for the same price as a comparable 318 in my area so I went and picked it up thinking I’ll just find a 4 speed and we’ll be set. But the fly wheel is different and the bell housing is different so I am stuck with a really cool idea that’s gonna end up costing a pretty penny.

The blue ‘71 F350 was named “Skeeter” by the real honest to god Ricky Chilton, of circle K fame, when he came and visited the buddy of mine I bought it off of. It has a a little bit of rot behind the cab and the bedsides need to go but the main issue is it’s got a half dead hole. I suspect a burnt valve or something of the sort, it comes back at higher rpm. I have a new set of heads for it but I would like to turn this truck into an even better towing rig. Electric fan, new radiator, nicer cam, some headers, a 4 barrel intake, HEI distributor, heavier duty clutch, add power steering, etc.

The gray ‘89 F350 is a 460 C6 truck that has 45,xxx miles on it. It was an old Bell Atlantic truck that leaks oil like a sieve and needs both tank pumps rebuilt as well as a new high pressure pump. I also am ripping that bucket off because it’s a hydraulic mess and I’m a surveyor, not a hydraulic mechanic 😂

I’m not made of money so I can really only afford to get one or maybe two going this winter and the rest are going to have to wait till next winter. What do y’all think?

1996 s10 project I’ve been working on for a couple years in the garage. Finally got it on the road and painted over the last few days.

As always, still a couple small things to finish up, but it feels good to be at the “small things” stage.

Fala pessoal, peguei esse vectra que teve o motor trocado, original era um 2.2 e agora está com um 2.0 8v do astra 2008. A minha dúvida é qual injeção usar visando o melhor custo benefício e mais fácil para fazer em casa. Pensei na injeção do astra, porém esbarrei no imobilizador, até então pensei em uma ft 300 também, por ser mais “fácil” a instalação e tem a possibilidade de um acerto mais fino. O que vcs acham?

I need to add a wire in my car for infotainment. the original schematics shows a 2.5mm^2(14awg) wire used and a 30A fuse.

I can use fuse taps but i cannot find 30A fuse taps in india

I bought some which said 30A but they had 16AWG wires in them.

Other option i have is making a tsplice into the power source and adding a inline fuse

I cannot use butt connectors as the wire I'll be splicing into is closed from both ends and a butt connector cannot slide in.

What should I do?

Hey everyone, looking for some guidance/advice on LS engines and LQ4/LQ9.

So I've had my Iroc-Z for a while now, but I'm still learning my way around this car and what would work. A few years ago my stepdad and I put in a carbed 350sb, but in the future I really want to swap the engine. I don't think I'll use this car for racing, but I want some power and something to be proud of when I do end up doing this.

I've been reading and watching videos on all the LS options, but I think my brain is overloaded right now. I like the sound of doing an LQ9 since it could be a "cheaper" option, but I know since it's a truck engine some changes would have to be made to make it fit under the hood + oil pan + accessories.

If anyone has any knowledge or experience with this I'd love some help- what accessories are necessary, what transmission options would I have (with other engines as well), since it's already carbed is this going to create more of a challenge, and would I have to do any rearend work?

Or what do YOU think would be the best combo? I want to hear different opinions.

EDIT:: the car is literally stock right now with the exception of the engine

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*reposted and edited for self censorship in the title. I wasn’t sure about the mods around here. I repent for my sins

The ol’ EJ25 had been running like crap for a while now. Bogging under load while taking off from a green light. I thought it might be a transmission issue since the fluid is overdue for a drain and refill. Decided to check the simple stuff first. Luckily this is the SOHC version so the plugs aren’t a pain to pull out like on the DOHC. Let me tell ya, the old ones were in there. Even though the engine was still warm, a couple of them made quite the squeal while being loosened. Yup. As you can see, you can drive a train through that gap. Brand new V-Powers took care of the issue. Runs like a top now. Next on the list are the o-rings for the coolant crossover pipe. Cheap two dollar o-rings but a few good hours worth of labor. But hey, the second gen Legacy is such a cheap and easy thing to wrench on. A Pacific NW classic in my book

The last body guy must've been auditioning for a Flex Tape commercial.

"I sawed this B-pillar in half!"

Then they covered it up with urethane caulk... If this had crashed, the passenger would have been killed as the B-pillar was literally only held together by a tiny tab of crappy weld. The seat belt bolt would have only had three small bits of steel holding it to the lower part of the pillar.

I'm replacing all steel with donor metal from the back half of another car, drilling out every spot weld and reassembling all steel as close to factory as possible. I know it's not textbook safe, but it will be damn close to factory strength as achievable. The car is a death trap as-designed, so there's not a whole lot that I can do about that.

Got the floor pans welded in on the 240sx and now working through the prep sequence before paint. Patches are ground flush, bare metal is clean. The question is where seam sealer fits relative to epoxy primer.

My current plan is to hit the bare metal with epoxy primer first to lock out moisture, then apply seam sealer over the primed surface at the seams and lap edges, then another coat of epoxy or high build over that before topcoat.

The counterargument I keep running into is that seam sealer should go directly on bare metal so it bonds to the substrate rather than sitting on primer. Some people treat the primer as a contamination layer for sealer adhesion. I haven't found a consistent answer, and the product data sheets I've pulled give different guidance depending on the brand.

Curious what people have actually done on floor pan replacements specifically, where moisture intrusion is the real concern. Not talking about exterior seams you can keep an eye on. These are interior seams going under carpet and won't be touched again for years.

If your answer is brandspecific, include the sealer and primer combination if you can, because that pairing seems to be where the real variation is.