I tried all the various colors years ago. While it may seem cool at first, it will lose the novelty. Just go white and don't look back.
Why box the arms, Bill? The pipes are most likely lighter and probably even more crush-resistant then boxing the arms. I hafta agree with you John, however, weight being a non issue (maybe 1 lb. per side) boxing will lend it self to a bit more torsional strength. JMHO. The flat stock is 1/8 X 2 X 20. The flat plate with 2 nipples welded on is just free floating inside the arm. Theres no sign of it being welded. Ill confirm that when I pull the bolts out for cleaning and paint. I think that in itself can cause a stress point. We've spoken before ( a ways back ) and IIRC this came up then too but yeah I'm about 15 miles east of Dwight, small town named Herscher. I do recall now. I worked at Joliet Electric Motor with a fellow from Herscher. He was the delivery driver. Im gonna agree on the white lights with you and Mike. Eyeball mechanics are pretty amazing yet peculiar. I did have white dash lights on my boat (OEM) but they were so bright that you'd encounter night blindness. You have to turn the lights on, scan the gages, and then turn them off all with one eye so the other was already de-sensitized. IIRC, I'd hafta say the gage lettering on the Buick is a very whitish green to begin with for that greenish tone from a white lite. I think the bar is a 78-87 or so GM A/G bar. I cant debate the year or model, but being pretty straight across, I know it didnt resemble the other GS's Ive owned that were V shaped in the center. The angle fits the arms rather well with no shims, but the bolt centers are off 1/2" on the front bolts. I am guessing the strengtheners are Olds as well(?). I plan on welding the incorrect holes closed when I box the arms. The judges'll never know LOL. The dash is as bright as its gonna get with a good clean up and polished lenses helped last time apart, maybe I should stick with incandescent bulbs. I just didnt like the heat and longevity factor. I do want to swap the running lights though, just for shear visibility. The GB lite looks pretty complete yet no way to hook or clamp it to the GB liner. I thought it took a clip, but maybe the spring tabs on the switch escutcheon hold the assembly in place? I tried a bulb in the socket (a bayonet base) and it would NOT stay in against the ground spring coil. The hot wire was in the socket and I pulled it out for some mtce (Im anal!). Does the connector grab one of the bulbs tits for retention? The shop manual is pretty vague about small accessories like this. Advice from all is always appreciated! One last thing; whats the red light at the bottom of the gas gage? Seatbelts? I can look later but Im inside for the day. Dash pic is from last time it was out in Dec. '13. ws
Right...that connector on the orange wire is supposed to grab one of the bulb pins on the side. It's hard to tell what goes on there, but the wire should go through the metal hole in the dash. The chrome piece goes into the hole for the ground. The switch doesn't actually go in the liner. The other yellow switch usually goes in the liner, like below the cutout for the light, or in front of it. That's not the actual switch Buick used. The hole switch deal is kind of flimsy and fragile. The chrome escutcheon has to be just so on the black plastic. The connector should stay in the black plastic piece. But it looks like you got the whole deal there. This article is from the other side. It's not the one I was looking for. He goes way into depth with pics and mods on a Cutlass. The pods are nearly the same. See if you can find it, it's good reading. https://classicoldsmobile.com/forum...egant-illuminations-dash-lighting-photos.html See also the link in Post #7 of the link above. I think that's the extensive one.
GADS!! Theres nothing worse than trying to reverse engineer a previous experts Faux Pas! In this case it the GB light. After thinking about it for a day and concurring with you about the connector being part of the bulb retainer, I too think its all there. The knucklehead PO had left the guts hanging in virtual space inside the dash board and the push button/escutcheion ring was still snapped into the sheet metal. Fot the life of me, I am surprised that the spring was wound around the black button tight enough to not lose it! It was at that juncture that I became confused. Now it all fits together. On the trunk button, thats identical to the ones I remember on my dads E225's. I have a nice hole punch set to make a "knock-out" for the switch and a piece of black formica to make a stiffener for the hole as well. That was GM's faux pas. The switch mounted in cardboard... bad, bad, bad! Just spent 2 hours reading the CO thred(s) about the dash lights. WOW! Lady-n-Rick stuff was thorough beyond the line! I was surprised to see how easy those Olds dash gages come out. I wish mine did that; but as usual Buick tried to squeeze more into less space. That Cutlass dash panel looks about 6 inches wider than the GS's. Soooo, since my gages are in rather good shape (lens clarity/gage and numbers paint) I am just gonna go with a re-lamp. I am really liking the cool white LEDs, but theres something to be said about the OEM look (especially back in the days of being in love with my Buicks and a little +25 on the side!!) just parked out in no where with the parking lights on listening to some DOORS or ALLMAN Bros on an 8 track, under the stars grooving on everything man! So the big decision is upon me. To LED or not to LED; that IS the question! Really though, thanks guys, I appreciate the input. PUHLEESE keep it coming. Still interested in sequential rear turn signals. These guys are really good, but the emergency vehicles these days with the LED or Xenon lights kick booty.
Yup, the switch is all there. The best thing to do is put the wire through the hole and assemble the switch outside the hole. Then put it in the hole. Glue some beard hair around the hole if you can't find it. It's a smart move to reinforce the trunk button area. Right...that's a very thorough post on the gauges. He did another nice one on calibrating the temp gauge. The left gauge pods on Buicks are nearly identical to Olds. The others are similar. The big difference is on the Cutlass, the bezel is much smaller, and a few screws it comes off. Then the gauges come out of the front easily. For the Buick gauge pod removal, you only need a good pair of Kevlar gloves, an ample supply of cuss words, and a lot of patience, especially with AC. I'm still going to mess with LEDs on my stuff when I get time. It's low on my "to do" list. Last time I was in there I did all the bulbs, but when I see some of these before and after pics, I want that. Truth is, unless I'm at a show 120 miles away, I don't drive much at night. Sometimes if I leave early for a far show it's dark. At cruises I like to leave at dusk. I like original stuff, but I'm spoiled by modern lighting. Nobody can see it but you, so it doesn't hurt anything by having it. They also draw less power, so there's that, too.
The glove box light and switch are similar to this one. That "hooked blade" terminal slips in behind the bulb between the bulb base and the plastic housing, then the bulb goes in. That terminal acts like one side of the socket, and makes the base hot, and the chrome bezel makes the ground path with the hole in the dash.
Thanks Michael! Thats exactly what I needed to see! So mine is complete (sans the bulb). Im gonna try it out maybe this afternoon. I blew it off for a few days as the orange pig tail is hard wired on the Buicks and only has a few inches right inside the GB door to play with. Once the connector goes back into the plastic housing, it takes 1-1/2 hands to get it apart. Without it out the bulb didnt click into position; thats what stuped me! Im kinda surprised there wasnt a back reflector to keep most of the light in the GB. Hmmm ws
This is more of a bump to the top, but also a real question. Got the rear diff outa the car and theres a good (but rusty) pair of Gabriel air shocks supporting the booty on the XGS. I dont mind pulling the shocks off, but the mounting rubber bushings are wasted. Does anyone know if I can by those new, or get a pair of El Cheap shocks and swipe them and toss the new shocks? All 4 bushings are gawners! Also want to get a new set of core support rubber bushings. Some sets seem better than others. Any input on that end as well?? Thanks everyone, and have a Happy New Year, and please no drinkin' and drivin'!! ws
YIPPEE-I-YO-KIYAY ! What could be better that laying on a 10 degree concrete floor with rust falling in your eyes on one of the worst "floor jobs" that GM ever thought of? Making something work that was in question and getting both of the shocks off "mostly" with hand tools. Bastardly tight, corrosion in the shock towers (aluminum stands) and rounded bolts. My half full 40lb propane cyclinder was cold and froze the fuel (too much demand) and shut the heater off. Had to lay the bottle on its side to expose more liquid surface to boil off for heater gas. I have a clamp on 110volt heater band for the tank; it may be time to pull that out of hibernation. Wife gave me the go ahead to order new shocks, then I can start to clean, paint and re-assemble... KRIPES! ws
Here you go, Bill.....as I was driving the trusty beater home last night, I realized I could have a pic with the answer to your quandaries. I've got green, white, and blue all in one ride. Sorry the pic is blurry, it's a quickie I took on a long straight flat stretch without looking at the phone.
Thanks man... Comparing all 3 with the BAD LAD versus something new and high tech, Id have to pic the OEM lighting. Still contemplating the LEDs for tail lamps tho... Whatcha think about those shock towers? Should they stay or should they go? Personally I dont see any reason for them, but I do like the control issue with the air shocks. I really dont care to experiment with springs; been there, done that a few decades ago. ws
I'd take them out if you're going with regular shocks, which is what I'd do personally. With them you'd be limiting the up travel on the shocks, and they're valved for the standard length. I've got LED sequential taillights in the stock lenses on the Mustang. They're cool and much safer because they are brighter, but I wish they didn't have the "lite brite" appearance to them. I was going to take them off, but the sequential action is awesome.
Going with stock length Gabriel air shocks. The car needs an inch or two in the back so the tires dont rub. Maybe 25 lbs of air? Thats about what they had when I popped the valve open 2 weeks ago. I think with the stock length AND the risers is what beat the sheist outa the upper bushings. The weight was always riding on the shocks and not the springs. ws
Yeah, your shocks should not be holding the car up, the springs should as you know. We get that complaint all the time from people when their car or truck is sagging or sitting crooked. It's difficult to get non-mechanical people's minds wrapped around the concept that if you remove a shock with the car sitting on the ground, the car shouldn't drop. If you could pull the spring, however.....
I know 'tail draggers' are all the rage now, but I used to have fun pumping the air shocks all the way up and cruising the highway. Got some funny looks. Stinkbug action.
Since its been around the zero mark for 2 weeks now, I decided to go to the doctor for an oil change; Medicare didnt even pause when he topped me off with 90-140 gear oil. Kinda hard to get going from a comfy toast house to a frozen shop with enthusiasm, ya know? The other day my 150K propane torpedo heater sucked the 1/2 full 40lb cylinder down to the point that it froze up. Grabbed a spare and drove all over the country side to get it filled. The DOT cert had expired and "nobody knows nuttin" about getting it done. Amazing. Finally found a CO-OP that did it for $10. The chickee there looked at the bottle numbers, wrote them on an aluminum self stick tag and her log book, and said "sign here". The state got their sawbuck and everyones happy. Back in Chitcawgo, as per the ILL-DOT they needed to HYDRO the bottle and pull the valve off for an internal inspection and new thread sealant; it was gone for a week. So the 40lb cylinder holds about 9.7 gallons of liquid LPG and was $39.00 to fill it. Now I can alternate warm bottles plus put the 250 watt electric heater band heater on it to keep it gassing instead of freezing. Picked up the new Gabriel schocks. Hecho en Mexico but at least they speak English in the western hemisphere (??) LOL. Thinking about going together without the aluminum towers. They just seem like a corrosion/weak point. If anyone wants/needs the old one shocks (still 100% functional) they are yours plus the USPS. AIRLINE stuff may or may not be included. All the new stuff is friggin' plastic; hose fittings, T-filler etc... Also only took two tries to get the correct differential gasket. I have an OLDS 12 bolt cover type "O" rear end in the car. I kept getting a 12 bolt 8-3/4" Olds cover gasket from crack-auto until I spec'd it out for a 4-4-2. Amazing! I guess thats why they make the big money! But hey, who else would got out and change a battery or alternator for nuttin' when its -20*F? Did that once and told the kid I'd wait inside the truck with the heater on while he swapped the alternator; "Uhhh, OK." ws
When I have a 20 lb propane tank that needs to be refilled and the DOT cert. has expired, I take it to a grocery store that has a Blue Rhino exchange program. So far I have never had a clerk check the date stamp. I don't feel as though I am being dishonest as they haven't asked about it. Kinda a "don't ask, don't tell" situation. If they asked, I would be honest about the date. I'm sure that they (Blue Rhino) are set up to do the testing and for them it's nbd. You said that you had a 40 lb tank, is that empty or full? A 20 lb tank that is full should weigh about 37 lbs give or take a bit. BTW: Weigh your empty tank before filling it; lots of places put only 15 lbs of Propane in the tank in order to offer a lowball price. A standard tank will take a full 20 lbs of Propane, but don't fill the tank with 20 lbs at 10 degrees then let it sit full until high summer; the Propane will expand and the tank will vent some Propane. This is both a waste of Propane and a fire hazard.
All so true John! The 40 pounders arent the blue rhino exchange jobs. Those are only usually 20 lbs. The empty steel tank is around 30lbs and I have a really nice aluminum one to lift up on the boat thats about 15lbs empty. The BR exchange thing is that they own the bottle. You should need a deposit or buy the original. I am guessing they accept the mtce. on the incomings. I own my 40's and they look like it. Roofers exchange theirs and they look like they were tossed off a roof job. I can see a hydro being required on those. Whenever I get my 40s filled, they bleed off the top gas to allow for full pressure and volume at liquid stage. By springtime, all my bottles will be around 1/2 full or less. I dont usually put them away full simply for the $$$ factor. ws
