Overdraft

I sent a note to VDO off their website (twice) asking for the name of a Canadian distributor with no luck. Can anyone suggest where I could call - speak to someone helpful - then order 3 - VDO guages (temp/ volts/pressure or clock maybe) that I could mount in my new Kooglewerks console. Decided to clean up gauge cluster, add LED bulbs, then complement the OEM white on black with white on black face gauges mounted in the console. Maybe add some chrome bezel trims to zip those up….has anyone done that?

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. World Upholstery mailed me some samples and between that and the pamphlet enclosed, winged it from there…ordering # 158 ‘Rust’ with the basket weave inlay and when arrived (thankfully) turned out to be an almost perfect match. I am having a professional install and when the cover is off, he will firm up seats with foam (modestly) and refinish the hardware in the OEM black. Will post when they are back. Thanks again.

I can’t speak to Piedmont NC… but I would suspect that any market within a 75 mile flat bed delivery radius of 1M people will survive…but to prosper (imho) requires the Entreprenuer to having a skill set to communicate inherent costs to repairing these cars to clients and maintain a relationship through it all. Further, I think you’d need a or business model that has multiple income channels because one guy wrenching to support a shop will be a difficult way to make a living. Case in point….when I was troubleshooting my reverse lights not working, I remember thinking to myself “how could you justify 3hours (@$110+/ hour) to some poor bugger to fix this?”or worst yet, another project I had in getting the fan motor working which would have been 8 ugly hours and some rusted parts that would take you a day to track down….and the customer getting a bill for $1500.00 - when he expected $150. Unless you have a lifelong desire to have your own shop -which is on to its own enough reason for sure - be prepared to stock/ sell parts, refurbished cars…get a cool logo and sell some swag…host cars and coffee to become well known In the community- anything over and above wrenching. After you hire a second guy to work a second bay, then somebody to do the books, clean your facility once a week, property taxes..on and on..you may wish you’d spoken to your existing shop and work out a deal where you are paid wage premium for your unique skill set or ‘book rate’ for a given tasks..even commission on parts you install and become “the guy” all then enthusiasts request to fix their cars given your knowledge . Anecdotal evidence, but I get the sense guys on FAQ2002 are by and large knowledgeable and sensible and not your average customer because most folks don’t understand -nor want to understand (and pay) - for the time it takes to do this work…

I went from a Bendpak HD9 to double lift this summer with a Bendpak RJ 9 rolling jack on one bay. If I was to do it again, I would have stuck with the single lift and rolling jack combo…because although it looks cool, you have to have the lift in a low position to work on the inside wheels of the elevated cars when you have a double lift and move two cars out of the garage to access a vehicle on the 2nd level. The RJ9 has a pretty low profile..my 2002 is not particularly low but I do keep my GT3 on the lift and it clears it.

Hello all. I am taking the opportunity to fixing my 1.8 l leaker…(front engine cover and ???)….by swapping in a 2.0 litre that will be rebuilt this winter with modest power upgrades making my car a little more spirited driver. I will be assisting my mechanic do the work as that is WAY beyond my skill set however concurrently I will be upgrading my interior with Etsy carpet/ World Upholstery seat covers/Retrosound stereo and amp and Kooglewerks console and kickspace speakers. In the Kooglewerks console are pods for three instruments which I will be filling. My searches are not coming up with anything current so hoping someone here has done or considering something similar. Question - My OEM gauge cluster is tired looking with cloudy plastic and dim lights…so…what would be the suggestion to an tasteful upgrade/ cleanup to the OEM gauges AND filling the three pods (gauge type and manufacturer ) on the Kooglewerks console to complement the OEM cluster. Thank you for any suggestions.

Thank you all! I have now ordered a Retrosound unit with BT and the small amp goes under dash and under seat subwoofer- so with the Kooglewerks kick space speakers and two existing on the parcel tray in the back…it should sound pretty decent. Taking the opportunity to recover my front seats and install Etsy’s carpet set and Kooglewerks console to give me a winter project. I appreciate all the suggestions.

I did a search which came up with posts 10+ years old and some e nay adds - so there must be something new on the market one of the guys have installed??…or maybe not. I am ordering new speakers , amplifier and sub woofer for my car and would appreciate if someone could offer an opinion and satisfaction with a retro radio they have recently installed. Ultimately my car IS NOT a restoration but I would like a radio that looks like it came with the car - blue tooth - no visible antenna - and wire into an amplifier and sub woofer or if they make a combo unit even better. This will not be a mobile boom box….but rather I want it to simply provide a nice rich sound. Any suggestions appreciated.

Did this with the help of the forum, a (knowledgeable)friend and a guy with parts which was a Godsend. It was a pain in the butt yet very satisfying when done…an every time I change the fan speed.

I apologize for the typo…yes MVP…as I said before - remarkably good…and thank you for the positive comments on the car. Next….some seat covers, retro sound system and some motor work to deal with the leak on the front engine cover.

MVL is the manufacturer of the trim product that I bought from Roger. It was complete, good quality and true to the original. Was not inexpensive though ?…

Thanks for the comments all. In the end, I sought out a body shop with the patience to listen to me as I explained what I had learned through FAQ - photos and all. The MVL mouldings provided by Rogers Ti were excellent . Car looks much more complete.

I have a double lift..two cars in the air - two underneath - and my fifth Bendpak. I like them a lot as most everyone does.

The PO of my car did a beautiful glass/ motor out paint job. His vision was NO chrome - NO moldings - wheels offset out etcetera. I am modifying the car to my taste and I really like the rocker trim and particularly the belt molding. I ordered a set from Roger's Ti and now two people have spooked me into re-drilling the holes that were filled by the PO and potential damage to an otherwise 8 on 10 paint job and highlighting irregularities in the the door - hood - trunk alignments. I am aware of the adhesive molding some have used - which looks pretty good for sure - but I just wanted to go that extra little bit. Simple question is - have any of you heard of using two way molding tape or other no intrusive technic that I mitigate risk. In a perfect work, there would be a product of perfect thickness that hides it self within the MVL trim piece and 'sticks' to the body of the car....but I am not hopeful that has been done. Any ideas? Thanks for potential responses.

Just went through this…and so thankful for the help of the forum and more particularly my neighbour who was tremendous help with knowledge AND parts. I put the car back together yesterday and started the fan….was music….no actually a symphony!… to my ears.

Thanks for posting. A creative way to demonstrate how beautifully your car runs…and have some fun doing it.

Thanks to all. It appears a friend of mine has tracked one down less than 1/2 hour from me...and given we are in Canada, that’s a borderline unicorn. I will start my stretching now anticipating physical contortions under my dash this weekend as my ‘new-to me’ fan install awaits.

Hello all. My heater fan motor is shot... heater box is cracked but fixable....heater Valve bracket broken..but maybe can be saved...resistor bracket lifted, but I think I can Mcgivor that.....and...well you get the idea. I need a motor for sure...but if there was someone who had a reconditioned box/ fan complete...that would be great as well. Any leads to where I could source this?

Thanks to all for the excellent ideas and comments. I will be jumping into it this weekend and very thankful to have a long term FAQ member rummaging through his garage to find parts and tools to help.

Fuse is good yes. I have power at one terminal of the motor but when I run a jumper from opposite terminal to ground...motor doesn’t start which leads me to think, motor is defective. Getting bits and pieces to dismantle and reassemble that box and repair the motor is a pain in a pandemic believe me...curbside pickup...not reading labels to choose caulking ..getting a turkey baster to remove coolant - then fixing/ replacing motor...bit of a drag.

It would have been a female a little wider than I the variety I had..but I soldered a tail on instead which worked. Motor still doesn’t work though...?

I have now soldered (Mgivored) the ground...but I have lost the 12v I had at the hot side of the fan motor ? I have added WD 40 to the motor...and it certainly is easier to move...it doesn’t spin freely however but per say but moves freely if that makes sense - just don’t know how free they are supposed to move. I will follow the circuit diagram John posted earlier and see if I can sort it out. I can’t get 12v when I put my tester in the socket of the panel light either. Is that a clue? ....or am I just avoiding the inevitable to replacing that blasted motor?

Reviving this thread which has been very helpful. I am trying to solder a new female tail onto the old brass (ground) tab a la ‘Method A’ by Dudeland in preceding post. Unfortunately (but thankfully) I have not pulled the heater box and trying to solder a new female tail on the broken blade while laying on my back under the dash...brutal- but anyway, despite flux, proper soldering iron again and multiple attends, it will not solder..I mean 6 attempts. Do I keep trying or is the material that the tab made of not solderable??....tab is looking shabby now ?. The worst of it is with the Pandemic, I can’t simply go to the auto electric place and get a variety of connectors to try - even yesterday I had to get Flux from a friend ..I am Mgivoring everything the past three weeks just to keep my projects moving forward. Any ideas to why my soldering isn’t working? update: It turns out when I swapped out the tip from my iron..it worked brilliantly. Tail is now installed...but motor still doesn’t work ?