Project Dark Side

[Video]

None of you know this because I havnt really been on here posting enough for you guys to get to know me and my car, but its been a struggle since I got my car 8 months ago. Between paying off debts, and this car breaking every week, its been hard to keep up. In the beginning all i knew was how engines worked to a degree. I didnt know anything about fixing them. I was even nervous at first to add oil. It was my first car and i didnt want to break it. But when it finally broke on its own i had to start learning.

My first projct on the car was replacing the clutch. I went online and learned EXACTLY how a clutch worked and some guidelines on replacing it. I went under with my dad and we replaced the flywheel, clutch kit, and slave cylinder. What fun. After that several other things started breaking and on my own sometimes with the help of a friend I fixed them. I replaced the front brakes on my own which for someones whos never done it is still a project. I replaced the driveshaft later on my own, the transmission mount with a polyurethane one, and recently replaced the water pump gasket and coolant elbow all on my own with no guidance but the forums I post on.

I now have a nice set of tools, a lot more knowledge, and a better attitude. This car is my daily driver so I treat it like one. I dont put crazy performance parts in it because mainly i dont have money, but also I want to keep the gas mileage where its at. Ive been slowly removing useless things i dont use from the car. The other week i removed the cruise control haha. But in any case im starting over with confidence this time. My car is still a work in progress, but fortunately i can slow down that progress and for now just enjoy my car after all the work ive done. One major project ill be doing after my taxes come in next year will be replacing the transmission. Its got 180,000 miles of hard work and its ready to take a break. Ill put in either a tremac or an identical one with lower miles, and take apart this one to learn about the insides and Ill post plenty of pics.

Ive got a couple small things I want to do to it in the next month so Ill post about them here. You can by the way erase my previous thread, I lost all those pictures anyhow so its useless. Welcome to my Project Thread!

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1824.jpg

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[My84Z]

V6 ewwwww lol

[ZFreie]

V6 ewwwww lolAtleast its not a I4 lol

[Video]

V6 ewwwww lol

haha wanna shit on this V6? It overheated to failure and i mean complete failure, got started back up drove another minute then shut off....was missing 3 gallons of water. Still runs great and can reach 125mph maxing out the speedometer. No misfiring, no compression loss, nothing. This engine is a beast! Lemme see your V8 do that.

[ZFreie]

haha wanna shit on this V6? It overheated to failure and i mean complete failure, got started back up drove another minute then shut off....was missing 3 gallons of water. Still runs great. No misfiring, no compression loss, nothing. This engine is a beast! Lemme see your V8 do that.Its ok, my84z is just being a big bully and means no harm lol

[Video]

Its ok, my84z is just being a big bully and means no harm lol

its okay, and I actually forgot...it overheated twice. A second time the next day. Also a friend was in a firebird with a 3.8 and it overheated over 6 times on the way back from new hampshire and still ran with only one misfiring cylinder...these are serious engines.

[941LE]

I've killed a 3.8. Didn't even have to overheat it to do that. And hitting 125 isn't that impressive anymore when that car will only trap high 80s stock.

[Video]

I've killed a 3.8. Didn't even have to overheat it to do that. And hitting 125 isn't that impressive anymore when that car will only trap high 80s stock.

Its impressive after overheating like it did haha. Thats all im saying. Im not bragging about its power, im bragging about its durability. and durability is what I need :D

[My84Z]

:wammbulance:haha wanna shit on this V6? It overheated to failure and i mean complete failure, got started back up drove another minute then shut off....was missing 3 gallons of water. Still runs great and can reach 125mph maxing out the speedometer. No misfiring, no compression loss, nothing. This engine is a beast! Lemme see your V8 do that.

Umm my v8 has been beaten alot at over 400rwhp and nitrous burnouts rev limiter hits miss shifts etc etc...... Never overheated or skipped a beat :)

I am not easy on things lol

[Video]

:wammbulance:

Umm my v8 has been beaten alot at over 400rwhp and nitrous burnouts rev limiter hits miss shifts etc etc...... Never overheated or skipped a beat :)

I am not easy on things lol

Right, but what i was saying is my v6 did overheat and it still runs great. usually overheating like it did means the end of an engines life. My v6 has also been beaten up, 180,000 miles of burnouts over revving etc. all that good stuff. Still running strong.

[My84Z]

Overheating is user error not car lol btw just busting balls

[Video]

Overheating is user error not car lol btw just busting balls

Oh i know :D I can take it. I can handle an argument ;) But that is beside my point and going off topic. The point was, its been through hell and runs beautifully. A real testament to the 3800 series 2 engine.

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

Id say you have gotten lucky more then its a good engine. They can be reliable. But after some heat forget it. Keep up on the maintenance and she will do good for you. and as far as the tranny goes. If it ain't broke don't fix it. You could buy a "new" and be worse off. The t5's are junk. If your is still shifting good keep it.

[Video]

Id say you have gotten lucky more then its a good engine. They can be reliable. But after some heat forget it. Keep up on the maintenance and she will do good for you. and as far as the tranny goes. If it ain't broke don't fix it. You could buy a "new" and be worse off. The t5's are junk. If your is still shifting good keep it.

Eh maybe. I post on an entire forum of v6's and they all love them and claim theyre reliable. Some of them are up in the 200k mile range and still going. Only thing ive ever herd of going on the v6's are the head gaskets, but all engines are prone to that it sort of doesnt count. Ive had coolant issues, but still not the engine itself. The internals will last forever. A buddy of mine has a turbo charged stock 3.8 that runs great. And i mean its TURBO charged...biggest turbo ive ever seen. Things a beast...but im done measuring d***s.

But as far as the tranny it grinds in every gear and is very loud. Its definitely on its way out soon and yes its filled. Ill probably replace it with a tremac.

[KB93z28]

My good old LT1 has 175,000 original miles on it, still runs like a champ through constant flogging. But thats honestly the best way to learn your way around a car, just do it. You can sit through all the classes you want that tell you how shit works, how to pull shit apart, how to fix certain shit, little shortcuts here or there yada yada yada. Does it help? yea, but it doesnt even come close to comparing to the knowledge you gain from hands-on experience and just looking at something and figuring it out for yourself. Most of working on cars is just common sense anyways.

[Video]

My good old LT1 has 175,000 original miles on it, still runs like a champ through constant flogging. But thats honestly the best way to learn your way around a car, just do it. You can sit through all the classes you want that tell you how shit works, how to pull shit apart, how to fix certain shit, little shortcuts here or there yada yada yada. Does it help? yea, but it doesnt even come close to comparing to the knowledge you gain from hands-on experience and just looking at something and figuring it out for yourself. Most of working on cars is just common sense anyways.

Yeah thats how i knwo everything i do. Ive already done the clutch, flywheel etc, driveshaft, breaks, various engine components (water pump etc.) without any prior experience. So far successful :D

[DavidS]

Yeah thats how i knwo everything i do. Ive already done the clutch, flywheel etc, driveshaft, breaks, various engine components (water pump etc.) without any prior experience. So far successful :D

Sounds like you are having a lot of fun with the car and have learned a lot working on it. How many miles per year are you putting on it?

It's looking great and it sounds like everything is working well except for the transmission.

[Video]

Sounds like you are having a lot of fun with the car and have learned a lot working on it. How many miles per year are you putting on it?

It's looking great and it sounds like everything is working well except for the transmission.

Thanks yeah I definitely have learned a lot. I love my car. It's my first one I've only had it for 8 months. I put about 15k on it. I'm good friends with the previous two owners so I know all about its history which is cool.

[Video]

My glove box came wrapped in vinyl with the car. Had no idea why so i investigated by tearing it off...i found patches of the original material worn off. So i cleaned it and sprayed over the whole thing in hopes to mute the spots. It turned out good imo and looks better than the vinyl wrap. Also stopped by a salvage yard and picked up this emblem for my bumper.

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1848.jpg

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[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

Not too bad. Spending some time with the car before winter huh??

[Video]

Not too bad. Spending some time with the car before winter huh??

Sure am. Trying to get all the little details done. But theres good news! Were moving and the place were moving into has a 2 car garage! Im gonna have a field day!

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

ohhh god. we will have threads upon threads..... Umm Guysss?? How Does This Go Back On????

[Video]

ohhh god. we will have threads upon threads..... Umm Guysss?? How Does This Go Back On????

Lmao I know right. Haha do i really give off that impression ? Its true im new at this still but ive always had this knack for mechanics. Even as a kid i was making some crazy shit with Lego's out of pure imagination. And growing up i became a wiz at computers. I know everything there is to know aside from some advanced networking stuff but I can still host a server and write some code, or even compile a custom linux kernel/os. Now that I have a car my brain is just like a sponge when it comes to this stuff. So far everything ive done Ive succeeded at on my own with little or no help. Im confident enough that I could successfully rebuild my engine.

[ZFreie]

Lmao I know right. Haha do i really give off that impression ? No, just gotta get used to the guys on here lol a few of them like to be pains.

Your prob better with stuff then pizza is... LOL

[My84Z]

No, just gotta get used to the guys on here lol a few of them like to be pains.

Your prob better with stuff then pizza is... LOL

yeah bunch of dicks!

[ZFreie]

yeah bunch of dicks! I prefer the term, bag of dicks, but yes, more or less. LOL :zfreie:

[Video]

I prefer the term, bag of dicks, but yes, more or less. LOL :zfreie:

I see :D By the way is that supposed to be jango fett or boba fett in your avatar?

[ZFreie]

I see :D By the way is that supposed to be jango fett or boba fett in your avatar?boba fett

[Video]

For the first time in 9 months...ive run out of suff to do on my car...i believe its pretty much complete to my satisfaction. If it werent my daily driver itd be an endless project. But for its purpose (getting me to my girlfriend and work) its pretty much complete. The only thing missing is the red LED's for my tachometer and some rear speakers but those can wait for christmas :) time to start paying some friends back now that its done breaking no me. took a few pictures today out of boredom:

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1882.jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1874.jpg

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[frankzlt1]

Looks really good.

[My84Z]

We are gonna need pics ofthe gf to confirm

[Video]

Looks really good.

Thank you very much! :)

[Video]

We are gonna need pics ofthe gf to confirm

Haha. Yeah shes definitely real. And shes very accepting of my obsession with my car. She even got me a $70 Hurst shifter knob that i wanted for my bday! Which is friday but...well she made it pretty obvious she got it for me.

[KB93z28]

Looks pretty good, id ditch the red wire loom under the hood IMO but whatever, its your car, if you like it keep it.

[My84Z]

Pics or she is fake. Maybe with the shifter

[LSX-Nation]

^ what he said....car looks good.

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

NEW WHEELS!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH SALAD SHOOTERSSSS AHHHHHHHHHHH

[Video]

NEW WHEELS!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH SALAD SHOOTERSSSS AHHHHHHHHHHH

Well, I was actually gonna get some stock 5 spokes from a 98 to replace them hopefully. My buddy likes my rims and I like his so we were gonna swap if he still wants to go through with it. Only thing is his tires arent quite as wide...oh well.

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

get em anyway! tires aren't to expensive in that size.

[Formula413]

I say this about every Camaro on 16"s but some ZR1s would really bring that car to life. I'd like to see this paint job in person, it actually looks pretty cool in pics.

[My84Z]

Get those cheap y2k's from kalstar would look perfect

[Video]

I say this about every Camaro on 16"s but some ZR1s would really bring that car to life. I'd like to see this paint job in person, it actually looks pretty cool in pics.

I was pretty psyched about it at first. In the right lighting and right after its been waxed it looks pretty good. But once the wax wears off it looks kinda shitty the more I look at it. Its unevenly sanded so its sort of blotchy. If you look at it in the right amount of sunlight at the right distance it looks perfect. If you get too close you can see all the scratches and blotches. It especially looks shitty at night under lights. If I go over it with some 3000 in the spots that need it and do a good buffing job I think i can make it look a lot better. I as honestly rushing after being half way done because i just wanted to finish. SO half the car looks better than the other half haha. I could just be anal but i dunno...I get compliments on it from people that see it up close but im a perfectionist. Even with all of my drawings as an artist growing up, i always thought i could do better. People would look at my artwork and even say its AMAZING but id be like meh its alright. But its getting close to winter so its gonna have to wait anyway. For now I dont care what it looks like. Depending on what I get back for taxes I may just bring it in and get a $400 maaco paint job for it. I still have to pay some people back and get a transmission so well see.

Edit: I stared at my car this morning and as i looked at it i thought for a sec, and went over and dragged my finger across the body. Theres a gross film on it from the wax ive been using which i think might be causing it to look all blotchy and gross. Im gonna give it a good scrubbing to take the film off and see how it looks. Ive actually havnt given it a proper cleanining since i sanded it etc. i just spray it with water then wax and ive waxed it avout once a week. So i bet it has a build up of it on it making it appear the way it does. Well see how it looks after a proper bath. I know better than that too. I always do clean it really good before waxing but i guess lately ive been a bit lazy. Theres probably nastiness and dirt etc. mixed in with the wax and water by itself is definitely not gonna take the old wax off especially just spraying it.

[Video]

Okay...real random but I decided to go white. I think this might be the last time. I think it turned out to be a good 2 coats over the whole car and i used about 10 cans. Still need to touch up some areas and fix a little overspray. It wasnt easy doing white on black. I had to be very careful of overspray but i managed to do okay. I actually went very lazy on covering stuff. Its actually very easy to get overspray off windows etc. all you need is a mr. clean magic eraser sponge and it comes right off. Gonna do the top black and the handles black. possibly that rear panel with the letters as well and definitely doing my rims flat black:

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1914.jpg

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[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

DAMN!!!! Thats Alot of Rattle Cans!!!!! results look pretty good!! you need a 30 gallon compressor and a devillbiss gun and it will look GREAT!

[My84Z]

For the love of god stop spray bombing that thing. No matter what it will still be a spray can paint job.

[Z28]

ummmmmmmm....

[Formula413]

If you're really determined to rattle can your car I would suggest going to a local auto body supply place and see if you can get proper auto paint in factory colors in a spray can, along with some clear coat. Joe (SLP IROC-Z) did his engine bay that way and it looked great. You might be doing a really good job with what you are working with but nothing screams trailer park like going to the hardware once a week and changing the color of your car. Just my $.02

[KB93z28]

What Alex said, If your bent on a cheap DIY paint job without a compressor and a nice gun, you can get pre mixed factory colors in cans that lay down pretty nice, Joes bay came out nice, I know a buddy who painted a whole fender with that stuff and you can barely tell the difference over the factory dodge paint.

[Video]

I get tons of compliments even more than with the original factory paint job. Paint is paint. "Auto paint" seems like bull to me. Ive used a lot of paint and it all reacts the same. Seems like a way to sell the same paint for more expensive. The only "problem" with my paint job is it lacks a clear coat so it wont last as long as a "proper" paint job. Spray paint is the same freakin thing as shooting from a spray gun except the spray area is much smaller and its already mixed in a can. If you do it correctly it comes out the same...i took my time and i think it came out good. This will probably be the last time i spray it tho. i really like the white.

And to top it off, i dont have a lot of money. I ended up only spending maybe $50 on the whole paint job...i could spray my car 10 more times and itd still be cheaper than getting it professionaly done.

[Video]

I get tons of compliments even more than with the original factory paint job. Paint is paint. "Auto paint" seems like bull to me. Ive used a lot of paint and it all reacts the same. Seems like a way to sell the same paint for more expensive. The only "problem" with my paint job is it lacks a clear coat so it wont last as long as a "proper" paint job. Spray paint is the same freakin thing as shooting from a spray gun except the spray area is much smaller and its already mixed in a can. If you do it correctly it comes out the same...i took my time and i think it came out good. This will probably be the last time i spray it tho. i really like the white.

And to top it off, i dont have a lot of money. I ended up only spending maybe $50 on the whole paint job...i could spray my car 10 more times and itd still be cheaper than getting it professionaly done.

[My84Z]

Maaco will spray the car with good paint for less then 500 if you do the prep and finish

[ls6monte]

If you think a spray can paint job is the same as a quality paint job you are out of your fucking mind! and spray can paint is not the same as a good paint job. Most of your friends must be fucking blind when they see that car and say it's as good as a nice paint job. lol

[black heartbeat]

It sure looks a lot different from when I had it

[Z28]

If you've been out in the industry for more than a few days you can tell the difference between a rattle can and bc/cc. "auto paint" is far from overpriced junk

[Video]

Well i appreciate all of your negative comments. I'll take my v6 camaro sprayed with rattle can paint to another forum. I can't say i got anything positive out of posting on this forum. You guys arent very nice at all.

Oh and by the way i get complete strangers come up to me and compliment my car. When i tell them i sprayed it with rattle can paint every single one looks astonished and they all say the same thing "it doesnt look like it was sprayed with spray paint!" i did a very good job and im proud of myself. It takes a certain kind of talent to be able to do that which obviously none of you possess if you think you cant obtain a good paint job with spray paint. its MUCH more difficult than the traditional way, but it can be done.

My paint job is FLAT WHITE. Look at the pictures again and try to tell me it looks like it was spray painted. I have a very good eye, and ive been doing art my whole life. I have a very steady hand and i also am a perfectionist.

Heres a flat white car done proffesionally and mine which actionally isnt done yet because i want to touch up some small spots:

http://www.autofiends.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/aston_martin_vantage_v8_kilgour_motorauthority_002 .jpg

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r572/videophile88/IMG_1926.jpg

If your going to tell me my car doesnt look even half proffesionally done then your all a bunch of idiots. Im not posting here any more anyways, ive gotten absolutely nothing out of this forum which is something you might want to ponder for future members. You guys enjoy yourselves.

[My84Z]

It's not people are being negative to you I appluad you for your effort and enginuity but when you get around real car people and shows etc. you will look like the ricer with the rattle can. If you are happy that's all that matters. However we are trying to help not being malicious at all. If you wanna leave best of luck elsewhere.

[ZFreie]

Why cant we all just get along? Lets not forget about my Frankenstein lol

[ls6monte]

When you post up pics on a forum you have to expect not everybody to like them. You don't want anything negative then don't post any pics. It's that simple.

and pics of paint don't show up as good as seeing it in person. I have been told that many times about my new paint.

[Formula413]

:Dumb:

[Camaro9969]

Don't worry about what people say if you like it that's all that matters.......tell them to eat a dick if you want lol oh and how did you get a picture of my Aston? ;)

[DavidS]

If your going to tell me my car doesnt look even half proffesionally done


From the pics, it looks very good. I haven't seen it in person, but from the pics I think you did a great job.


then your all a bunch of idiots.
You really need to chill out though.

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

Yeah man I'm sure from a few feet it looks great. All these guys are trying to tell yah is that there is a reason people pay good money for paint and not half ass it. Take the time and go look at davids thread about a car that was half assed. Sorry dave no harm intended just trying make the point.

[DavidS]

Take the time and go look at davids thread about a car that was half assed. Sorry dave no harm intended just trying make the point.

No apologies needed Pizza.....except that my car was not half assed. It was fully assed.

[smokinss]

Yup I for one have seen some half way decent rattle canned paint jobs. But like stated all that matters is if you are happy man. Hell look at my paint job. It was 5k to do the whole car with flames and all. Some like it some don't. I don't care because its different and the quality is top notch. Trust me I know about being on a budget. My motor took a shit on my ss and I've got a house and a 6mo old to worry about and people are like oh just buy a cheap motor for 800$ and be done. Well money doesn't come easy as it did so now its going to take me some time before I am able to get it back together. Just do what you like to do

[KB93z28]

I think part of the problem here is that he didnt say that flat white was the look he was going for in the picture post. I was thinking he was going for a nice glossy white, and thought to myself, damn that looks like shit. But if he was going for flat white, then it works and it came out pretty good IMO. Flat white cars look BA. Seen a c5 vette thats flat white with the rear bumper and taillight panel painted flat black, that car looks kickass.

[Formula413]

I like flat paint on cars about as much as I like flat chests on women

[KB93z28]

I like flat paint on cars about as much as I like flat chests on women

Ive never had the misfortune of a flat chested woman lol. But flat paint looks badass when done right. I bet if this kid does what he says hes going to do (flat white, black berger panel and black (aftermarket) wheels, this car will look pretty good.

[MTBSully]

Head over to ls1tech. They are way nicer and more forgiving over there.

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

^^^^ hahahaha nice!!

[Formula413]

Head over to ls1tech. They are way nicer and more forgiving over there.

Want to tell us how you came to that conclusion? LOL

[My84Z]

Mmmmmmkay

[KB93z28]

If you think a spray can paint job is the same as a quality paint job you are out of your fucking mind! and spray can paint is not the same as a good paint job. Most of your friends must be fucking blind when they see that car and say it's as good as a nice paint job. lol

Damnit Ron, ya see what ya do?! lol

[ls6monte]

Damnit Ron, ya see what ya do?! lol

I have fun with what I do! lol

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

If you can't take some critisism then your on the wrong board. Just sayin....

[ZFreie]

If you can't take some critisism then your on the wrong board. Just sayin....Yes but, some are worse then others lol

[Formula413]

If you can't take some critisism then your on the wrong board. Just sayin....

You suck!!!!!

[ILuvPizzaTimes10]

What?? Haha am I wrong. We all give each other shit. Its what I love!

[Formula413]

Godammit that was sarcasm!!! :haha: