Teeth, Hell I was/am in your boat and I am much older than you. Always loved the old shit, but couldn't afford to own one. Lot's of trial and error and personally I think that setting dead lines for yourself only makes matters worse. I say that because I did/do the same things and it causes nothing but anxiety. Being new to this (age has nothing to do with it) only means that you need to learn more. Do some basic research. Stop trying to figure out what is wrong with your car and start looking at how a car is supposed to work correctly. Spend some time and think about it. Learn from those that know but also experiment and learn what does and does not work. And for once I must agree with wes [ QUOTE ] but it feels good to figure somthing out on your own. [/ QUOTE ] Once you figure something like this out on your own by using your own abilities, the feeling of accomplishment will make it worthwhile. I MUST stand behind my earlier comment of not setting deadlines for yourself. It never seems to work out. Hit, miss, shit or piss is what hot rodding is all about. And believe me I have shit and missed many times. Hang in there and you will get it figured out. Again I offer my help but need more info. Getting answers from friends is great, but understanding the reason for the question is even greater.
I stopped reading about half way down, so if it has been said already, it's being said again... The first chance you get, buy yourself a battery charger, they are about $30 at most parts places. It is one of the BEST tools I own. It has saved my ass so many times. You always want to avoid using a dead or half dead battery because your alternator needs to work overtime.
sounds like you are blaming your car for all your OTHER problems. the "easy" way is the internally reg one wire alt. smart way too. or you can take some time and learn the basics of wiring. forget about the diagram for your car, it became irrelevant when you switched to 12v. a 65 chevy diagram would get you further, but forget that and get the right alt. and don't take the word of someone who "appears" more knowledgeable than you, that it is wired right. hell, i can think of more than one occasion where i told some idiot he had it right. i'd bet something is wired wrong. can you describe exactly what you did to convert to 12v? you might have several different problems. oh, and the later alt. will put out a lot more amps than the 60's one.
oh, and if you don't care about your credit for a few years, and you don't own any real property, tell them to get bent. you gotta survive. take your time to pay them. don't feel bad about it, in a year or two they will offer to settle for 50% or less and be happy. you'd be suprised how easy it is so swing those lump sum bills when you don't got all those monthly payments. there is a reason 20 years ago they didn't give credit cards to kids, its about time "they" remember why. o/t rant over.
[ QUOTE ] Humbolt, Yeah I feel that way alot lately I DO NOT WANT TO QUIT. I know for 200% that when this car is running and driving I will be fucking exstatic but im sorta at that point where either everything needs to start fittign together a little better or its going to turn into an even bigger clusterfuck. If I didnt know anybetter I would start stripping down the car to NOTHING and start building the car 200% the "right" way. [/ QUOTE ] I get to feeling that way, too. When I started prepping for paint a year ago, I had NO idea how much it would take (having not done this before). Have painfully learned the hard way a correct - or BETTER - order in doing things. I'm about as close to frame-off ground up work as you can get, without actually doing it. I mean, the cab and motor are still there, but... I wish I could help you with the wiring, mine's a bunch of hanging spaghetti (power/tilt steering from a '76 Caddy brought with it many other wires, some useful, others just THERE). Eventually, I'll take it into a wire shop, unless I meet someone around here that knows how to do it. Wiring is one o' those things I'm afraid to mess with myself, at least the under the dash stuff. Wish I could be of more help. Hang in there, man.
I wouldn't feel too bad, I just turned 21. Back in April when I was trying to fix my car's charging system, I finally gave up after a LOT of stress and sent it to a shop, which coincidentally actually had a car almost exactly like mine in for brake work at the time. The best they could give me was "It isn't charging, we can send the generator off for a rebuild for $200". The way I finally fixed it was with junkyard parts and internet help
Thanks folks after a little sleep and thinking I am feeling a little better. If all works well I am just gonna take Bigums up on the offer of the alternator and put it on and wire it up like FlamedAbone and everyone has said. I just have to get this fucking car running and its taking its toll and me and everyone around me that I am always calling for help etc.
Drag that piece of shit over to Tampa and have Voodoo look at it....He can fix anything. Problem solved. tim MBL
Woohooooo what a way to start the morning. Now BOTH my cars dont work. My 85 Olds wont start this morning. Yet more shit to figure out again. Hoping its something easy, gonna check the battery as soon as I can this evening. Friend is on the way over to see if we can jump her into submission of starting. Till Tonight, Justin
Just a quick note on wiring up components....don't take it for granted that all info you come across is correct! When I was converting one of my old Mopars to electronic ignition using junkyard parts, I wired the control module up the way my Chilton's book showed it...which turned out to be WRONG! (They had two wires in reversed positions in their diagram...I figured out the right way, and made the correction in my manual for future reference!) Sometimes even "experts" goof up...you gotta double check everything and eventually you will figure out what's up! Best of luck to ya!
Justin you know why Im not answering the phone and the others arent jumping at the bit to help. Everything we do you undo and make it worse. if you dont know then maybe you should take some notes if you are a slow learner....Your exhausted? were exhausted. we have our own projects and problems....but you think everyone in town should just drop everything and KEEP fixing your car everytime you try and work on it?..last time it was up here we got it running and got you to a good point. I told you the charging system weasnt working when you left...you didnt even hear that and drove it on the battery til you killed it... then you expect me to run over and rewire it after again you didnt listen to start with and forgot to mark the wires? Im sorry BRO be mad be upset feel like quiting if you want..but yea your 20 and at that age you pretty much cause all your own problems by not listening to people who've been there and done it...Grow up a little and itll all seem clearer Oh and when you do get it "running and charging" Id be concerned that it runs hot in about 2 minutes....Its a hour run to Daytona and youll be coming during rush hour traffic
Justin, Not trying to be harsh or negative man, but get used to it. My old boss used to say "if it's got tits or tires, it's gonna be trouble". Dude, I guarantee you that every guy on this board has a story about getting fucked on a car deal. It's part of the learning curve. See, next time you buy a car you'll be wiser and will secure a much better deal. That's just how it works. Another thing, one of your problems is that you need to be a little more realistic with your goals. You're a little too impatient. You need to understand that the timeline of when the car will be roadworthy has nothing to do with the Turkey Rod Run, or any other show for that matter. You need to just accept the fact that this car may not be on the road for quite a while, as you are slowly addressing the mechanical issues & learning along the way, and that can take a while. It may not see the turkey run for another 2 years man, that's just the way it is sometimes. I think one of your main problems is that you're so anxious to have your cool cruiser that you are making errors in judgement, and causing yourself frustration. Setting unrealistic goals (like expecting a project car with electric & cooling issues to make a 2 hour round trip to a car show and back for instance) is a great way to continually frustrate yourself. If you've tapped yourelf out, and your resources (human and financial) are dwindling, you may have to cut your losses. Just be patient and settle in for the long haul, or decide that this one is over your head, cut your losses, start over with something else, and walk away with some lessons learned.
I've been in your shoes, I didn't have any spare money (still don't) You'll learn real quick, If you have no money, you can't make mistakes, PERIOD! The only thing we have is time, so research every penny you spend. Don't waste money on quick fixes, or "I think this might work" or impulse purchases. When you get something for free (Bigums Alt., Mike's advice), take advantage, then be grateful. When you have something somebody else needs, give it to them. If the person you gave it to never uses it, they will probably give it back (then YOU don't have to store it, wink, wink). If you feel you are draining your friends patience, you are. Do something you know how to do for them, take them to the 7-11 and give them the money to buy a 12pack (yer 20) or pizzas, block sand, change their oil, wash their socks, scrub the skid marks, sort the spare screw bucket, make a nice flower arrangement(?), etc., then they won't be resentful having to help you. See ya in Daytona next Fri., I won't have a car either. Mike
repo, 4t6frd all spoke words of wisdom. Now I'm going to throw in a few cents. I think that there is a segment of the populace that has mechanical ability and others that don't. I do think with practice one can improve ones abilities but others are a lost cause. I'm not going to lump you into the latter catgory, yet, but I'm getting close. I honestly don't want to deflate you further Justin. I like you, I consider you my friend. But phone calls in the middle of dinner at my family's is a bit much. And this nonsense about being 20 is just plain bullshit. Guys like Joaquin Arnett and Gene Winfield were tearing up the salt at that age. Age is an inexcusable crutch. Lack of experience is excusable but the only way you get that is by slogging away and banging your head against the wall. Lack of tools is another hinderance to getting anything accomplished. Tools before booze! Lack of money further complicates manners. Until you get to the root causes of your malaise your car will remain unfixed, no matter how much your friends help you. It took me years and years, decades even, before I felt I had the accumulation of tools and ability to build a car from scratch. I can't apply my life experience to yours, but I can say that crawling before leapfrogging is a good way to approach life. Don't sweat it if your car doesn't make it to TTRR. In fact taking an ill sorted car any length from home might sap the $1.21 you have left in your account. And I'm not lending you my AAA card for a tow, because Lord knows I need them. As soon as this crunch of a week's over I'll give you hand, even though I think you oughta fix this shit yourself.
Nads, in Switchblade's defense, when the majority of the country stopped fixing their own cars in decades past, alot of high schools stopped offering classes like auto shop. My high school never had it, but we HAD to take home ec, go figure. I think that if I did have it, or my father was more into cars, I would have gotten into it alot sooner and be more comfortable (and more patient) doing new stuff. If he is anything like me, when he goes out to figure something out or fix something and shit doesn't go his way, it is not just a minor set back, it turns into a violent explosion of rage and thrown tools. I like having someone with me just as a deterrent from acting like a royal flipcase. I love doing it when it is something I've done before and I know what to expect, but I get wary of just fiddling with something for fear of making it worse or the aforementioned temper tantrum. I don't know if this is the case with Switchblade, but it happens.
Well yeah Deyomatic, I hear you. Indeed in Blighty we did have an auto repair class when I was in high school, and I loved every second of it. But the biggest lesson in electrics I learned was when I put in a nail in place of a fuse on my '70 Sprite. The fucker almost burned to the ground. I think lessons learned the hard way are the ones that stick. And in no defense to Justin at all, he had a working model based on my '54 Chevy to follow and I told him so. But he didn't listen. A one wire alternator, a 15 cent diode and a spliced hot at his original regulator was all the Buick ever really needed. And now he has a gigantic mess to deal with. Having said all that, Justin I'm still on your side. Nothing would make me happier than to see you get regular use out of your Yank Tank.
There are a lot of them in the up and cummin generation who I'd consider mechanically and reality challenged. Some can be saved, some will go thru life living off state aid and the foodstamps their unwed girlfriends get to support their babies and whatever they can get for free from people who feel sorry for them. We made it too easy on this generation. They grew up believing welfare will save them, and their parents and teachers had no right to correct them. They didn't need to work to get a car, they just picked a girlfriend who had a job and a car daddy gave her. Others have ambition but no skills to build on and no one's ever lit a fire under them. They've seen the bear, but not it's teeth and claws. Some will sink, some will learn to swim. Some we'll have to teach to swim. I don't know where our boy here fits in yet, but at least he seems interested in learning. That's better than a lot of his generation. I tried to help my neices boyfriend a while back. Found a bad O2 sensor on the car, told him how to take it off the exhaust manifold, what tools to use, called the parts place, had him take the old one with him to compare with the new one, etc. Then I went to work. When I came home he'd managed to put a screwdriver thru the radiator, fried the battery hooking it up wrong, and crossthreaded the wrong sensor into the manifold. Some just need to be shot.
After reading all these posts, I have to admit that when I was 16, I was in his place. I had been reading all I could about cars from 10 yrs. on, and by then I thought I had a pretty good handle on things. It was only though trial and error, and the advice of others, that I gained enough knowledge to figure stuff out on my own. Book smarts is one thing, hands on is another. I still need help. Often. Also, make sure the ones you seek out for advice know how much you appreciate their input. When someone helps you figure something out, and it works, understand what they did, why they did it, and how. Then leave it alone until the next time, and you will be able to fix it yourself. Some day it may be YOU they look to for advice. I still hate electrics. The one thing about electricity is that YOU CAN'T SEE IT! If you have a voltmeter of some sort, it helps, but you also have to know how to use it. There is ultimately no substitution for research. Get a manual and figure it out. Trace wires back to where they should go. It can be confusuing, but make sure you understand the basics of how all these parts are supposed to work together. Then seek out the weak link(s). NEVER assume that the new battery, alternator, or regulator you just bought are good. Sometimes your "new" parts are junk too. Above all, good luck to you. There is nothing worse than being really close to satisfaction and having it blow up (no pun intended) in your face. Keep at it! It's a f*cking machine! You're smarter than it is!
I order here we go. MIKE, I do know why you are not answering the phone and I cannot blame you. I really dont feel I undo everything that is done for me, You are right I didnt hear you say my car wasnt charging cause I was happy it was running and ready to drive it. I know everyone has there own lives which is why I try to call and ask questions and never expect anyone to jump and come help me. It is nice when someone can come help but I completely understand when they cant. I also know that if something on my car is broke I am probably the one who did it which is why i need to step beck yet again, slow down and learn without getting to anxious. JEFF, I never expected having an old car to be easy nor did I expect to get screwed on my car deal, but, I do know its a learning experience and I am learning the hard way. One of my ongoing problems is I always set huge unrealistic goals which in turn never gets done and frustrates me, again where I am at now is a perfect example. TRR probably isnt a good goal at this point. I know I have tapped out my resources which is why I am trying to cool it all off. I thought about starting over but I really like my car and want to settle in and stick it out, otherwise I am gonna be in a world of hurt if I got rid of it and started over, god only know I cant buy something else at this point even if i did sell the Buick. Time to buckle up and settle down. 4T64RD, Making mistakes hurts people without the money or knowledge to fix them correctly. Researching my pennies and doing it 150% right the first time is the only way I should be doing it, although i know its not how its happening. I appreciate every little bit of advice or free parts and labor I get, I am a damn lucky kid a lot of people my age or even older dont have such good friends, not to mention a cool old car to work and learn on. If i had the spare money to give to people for beer or whatever I would. About washing the clothes though, I am going nowhere near Nads man panties or Mikes tubetacular socks. NADS, First I apoligize if I ever interupted a family dinner. I though you said you were about to leave to go to your families for dinner, guess I heard wrong, sorry. It is the three lacks that are getting me to the point I am at, Tools, Knowledge, and Money. Crawling is definitely a good "re"-start for me. Taking my car to TRR could be very dangerous on my account and further hinder me being able to work on the car. I know this is crunch week for everyone and hope everyone is ready and willing for TRR. DEYOMATIC, You couldn't have possibly explained it any better. That is exactly how I feel and react a lot, i.e. why I need people to guide or stop me from acting like a lunatic.
EXCELLENT ADVICE AND COMMENTS FROM ALL. THANK YOU. I am, after reading this, starting to realize its time to start back at square one. This time I need to take it slower and do it the correct way and the way I want it to be done but just slower and LEARN, LEARN, LEARN while it happens. All my local friends I am well aware I need a smack on the back of the head sometimes to settle down and realize the goals I have need to be realistic or at least understood that it will not happen overnight and without the correct knowledge.
I gotta say, that this kid is handling all of this criticism VERY WELL, most kids his age would have flipped out and started dropping F-bombs on the people that criticized them, so it is pretty obvious he wants to learn. Keep at it, and good luck.
when I was in a similar situation at a similar age I happened across a book that really helped a lot, Auto Engines and Electrical Systems by Blanchard & Ritchen the MOTOR Manual people It's like an old school voc-tech book and it goes in depth into the hows and whys of old tech- well, new tech at the time.. get yourself a book like that, it's like a bible to an athiest! I refer to it a lot! uh.. and other then that, the best advice I can give is to go out (unless you got a girl friend, in that case stay in) and GET LAID! good luck Paul
I agree with Deyomatic. I made a conscious effort at a 20 something age to stop throwing things or pounding my screwdriver into my front fender ( ) At least now I make sure my fits of rage won't hurt anything or anyone, and cause minimal damage to the flying object in question or I just...walk away. I think sometimes you just need to step back, take a deep breath, and re-think your "plan". It's the simple, overlooked things that bite your ass sometimes. Some of the best solutions come from taking a break and re-organizing your thoughts and priorities...I know you'll solve all your problems. That's pretty much all that these 'old' cars are...a quest to solve problems. If you're not the type to be out to solve problems and challenges, you wouldn't be into old cars to begin with, right? Guys: I like Switch's style towards reconciliation...by the way...
Switchblade, you're not alone with your vehicular frustrations. I often get to wondering why I persevere with old &/or modified cars. I have 4 at the moment and two bikes. Only one out of all of them is currently street legal and the auto in it has just shit itself in a big way after having spent quite a bit on other repairs. It seems never bloody ending. Do I quit it or keep at it hoping the repairs will come to an end soon? I figure I have too much in it to get rid if it, and certainly wouldn't get much for it given it's current state of immobility. Counting the dollars I've put into it recently is downright disheartening. When you're able to fix something yourself it's great isn't it, but when those moments are few and far between it ceases to be fun. Do I need my head read? Probably. Is it a sickness? Sometimes I think so. Should I sell them all and get one "reliable" set of wheels. Some would say so. I've been down that road before though and I usually regret having sold one car or another and sooner or later I start looking for a project to work on. If I stopped at 1 project would be the smart thing to do, but usually another one will pop up that I can't walk away from. Where am I going with this? Stuffed if I know just having my own feelings of frustration. I need one reliable vehicle because, like Switchblade I can't go anywhere without one. Thinking of quitting a couple of the cars I have but they're always easier to sell (& are worth more), if road legal. Which to sell, which to keep? It all takes time, some of it takes money, but in the end it's minor shit. I'm above ground, my kids are well and the sun often shines. But, at the moment it has ceased to be enjoyable. A shed full of uncompleted jobs is disheartening. I think I have just rambled my way through it and seen what I need to do. If you read through this, thanks for "listening". Good luck with your's Switchy hope you get it worked out soon.
Sometimes you just have to vent and take the good and bad as it is then thrown to you and sort out the mess you are in. Then and only then can you realize you need to step back and completely reorganize thoughts and plans. I duns am learnin stuff.
Oh man...years ago my thing was to stomp the shit out of empty coffee cans. There just happened to be one laying by one day when something went wrong, and a stomped the shit out of it and kicked it across the yard. It felt pretty good! So....I kept 'em around and took my frustrations out on THEM to keep me from bashing my fenders in or something! The idea of having something expendable on hand to destroy worked out well...and saved many cars from suffering serious damage! Of course....NOW I'm far older and wiser...and NEVER lose my cool!
Switchblade, you have better spelling and syntax than many guys much older than you. Keep it up, it's obvious to me that you're not one of the losers that our schools are churning out nowdays. Go get yourself a later model internal regulated alternator and a "1 wire plug" and a few feet of wire. You'll be charging in no time.
SwitchBlade, Hang in there...you'll get it. From reading your symptoms, it sounds like you might have a loose connection where your positive battery cable mounts (probably at the starter on a GM). What leads me down that path is your statement about sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't. That junctions is usually the same place where the alternator's 10gauge wire connects and the positive feed for the ignition switch which could cause both of the problems you have. Catch the car in the situation where it won't start, then check to see if you have power to your ignition switch. I suspect not. Trace the source wire. It should lead you to the main starter bolt where the pos. battery cable is connected. I suspect either the connection is loose there, or a fusible link is blown at that spot. Reggie
Good Kid my friend. well see you at the turkey rod run. just drive the olds out. enjoy the weekend and relax with your friends! call me I might answer..if you dont talk about the buick?
The Jalopy Journal
