Repost: I Now Own A Less-Busted Camaro

"Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job..." (idiotinthegarage) 07/17/2014 at 14:46 • Filed to: None

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Reposted, cuz Kinja only sent it to my personal site.

An Update:

The Accident:

It was bumper to bumper morning traffic, I was keeping my distance as best I could, the car in front of me braked hard and I couldn't stop in time. It was pretty low speed collision though. I was in the center lane at the time, so I couldn't swerve to the side. I don't want to publish too much more than these basic facts on the Internet, because, who knows if the people I hit suddenly come down with a case of the Lawyers...

The Aftermath:

No yelling or screaming. We barely talked to each other. Cops arrived, took info & statements, called a wrecker, and I and Blucifer were taken to a body shop that didn't really want to deal with a classic car. The beige mobile I hit had damage but drove just fine. Both its tail lamps still worked.

The Body shop I was taken to did however put me in touch with a guy who does paint & body work on classic muscle cars. And that's where my luck began to improve.

John at Dusty Boots Body Shop was the exact guy I needed. He reworks and beautifully paints classic muscle cars. Dropped everything he was working on & got me road worthy. Only had to replace the radiator (Trans cooler had some bent vanes but was ok) and he actually found a radiator that would work.

During all this, I was mostly phone-less, or else I would have posted more. Phone fell out of my pocket in the tow truck. They found it and John's assistant ran me over there to get it.

The Final Drive Home:

... was certainly interesting. Engine was fine, new radiator was fine, and both headlights were still working when I left.

But, after a pit stop at a rest area mere 45 minutes from home, the headlights cut out. While I was an the Highway...

I know.

I should have pulled over and... stared at the engine?

I'm a novice mechanic at best, I know very little about electrics and the side running lights were still working. There were a couple of semis to follow, so I used them as mobile light houses and carefully made it the rest of the way.

I STRONGLY DON'T ENDORSE THIS STRATEGY.

But I was sick of delays and problems, and I was so close, and I knew my cats hadn't been fed in a day.

So I pushed on.

Thanks to ntl0505 for the Photoshoppery. I needed the laugh.

GhostZ > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:50

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Were your hazards able to work when the headlights went out? At least then if a cop had seen you they'd see your flashing rear hazards.

bob and john > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:50

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yay, your home! it could have been worse, dont fret about it. it will buff out

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:51

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Glad you made it back alright! You and the car. :)

And it looks much better than yesterday as well. What are the plans for Blucifer now?

jkm7680 > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:51

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Glad to hear it!

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > bob and john 07/17/2014 at 14:51

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:)

crowmolly > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:51

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Check the wiring near the horn relay.

thebigbossyboss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 14:51

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Glad to hear it worked out. Honestly if your down on light, remember to turn your interior dials down (if you can) makes a big difference. I had to drive minus the drivers side light in the pitch dark through the canadian bush, I just drove within my sight lines going slowly.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > GhostZ 07/17/2014 at 14:54

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Hazards gone too. And driver rear blinker wasn't working. I need to find a good electrical person who knows these cars and is in the Metro Detroit area.

Bandit > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:02

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You probably lost a ground connection or blew a fuse. Luckily the headlight harness is dead simple on the first two gens of F bodies.

Party-vi > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:07

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"Blucifer"

Fucking. Awesome.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 07/17/2014 at 15:11

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Safety First is my thinking! Install seatbelts, replace drums with disc brakes & sort out the loose steering. Then sort out the body damage. Then figure out what few trim parts I'm still missing and install them and rubber seals. Though, after safety upgrades, I might just wait and save up my money to get it properly painted. No use putting it together only to have to take it apart for painting. I dunno, I've gotta work the restoration timetable against restoration budget. A budget thats lost funds due to the accident. But definitely the safety stuff before all else.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > thebigbossyboss 07/17/2014 at 15:16

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Derp, I never thought of that at the time. Though oncoming headlight were the worst distraction. At least 275 is a divided highway & was mostly empty.

Roadster Man > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:17

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Ugh. I remember driving my (now stolen) WRX home from the shop in the middle of a snowstorm at 8 o'clock at night... when the headlights cut out on the highway. Luckily it was bumper-to-bumper because of the snow, so the guy behind me lit up everything I needed to see.

No fun. Did they cut when you went over a bump? If so, you might be able to track down a loose wire or connection somewhere. Check the fuses too.

Good new is that you made it back without incident. Funny how you take things for granted until they go wrong... Like tires or headlights.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:25

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Nice! Best of luck. How's the paint? If you don't mind my asking. It looks pretty decent; or does the accident mean that you'll need a full repaint?

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > Bandit 07/17/2014 at 15:26

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Thanks, I will take a look at those things.

camaroboy68ss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:37

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well now you have a reason to swap and RS nose onto it now. Since the panels have to be replaced.

Was it just headlights or did all lights go out? Because the flashers run a seperate circuit than headlights.

camaroboy68ss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:39

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Also is the car all non power drum brakes? After this looking at a power disc conversion might not be a bad idea.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > crowmolly 07/17/2014 at 15:50

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Thanks for the tip, I'll look into it.

crowmolly > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:52

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Tough to read but you can see what links to where.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 15:53

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Hey man, I'm in Wayne, MI, soon to be in Canton, MI. If you need some help working on it, I'm happy to join in. We can have a little Muscle Car/Pony Car party with the 68s! (My Montego is a 68)

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 07/17/2014 at 16:07

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Paint looks good in pictures, but once you get close theres all sorts of little problems. Minor rust where all trim pieces attached, scratches here & there, a weird mustard colored blob on the trunk lid etc. Blue isnt the original color either, it was red. The accident revealed some past bondo work on the front too. It was always gonna need a proper repaint, I just intended to live with it while I concentrated on mechanical & missing parts issues. Now...

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > camaroboy68ss 07/17/2014 at 16:12

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Flashers failed in the rain storm I drove through shortly after purchasing the car. Dont remember if lights cut out after a bump. Only the side lights and passenger blinker seem to work. Im definitely gonna check all the fuses & connection and see if that helps.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 16:13

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I see. I kinda liked the blue on it; I think a baby blue looks good on any car of that era. Looks like it does need some more work than the pics represent. Good luck! I hope to see it around sometime. :)

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > camaroboy68ss 07/17/2014 at 16:30

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4 wheel drum brakes, not sure if powered or not. I didn't know there were unpowered drums until you asked.

camaroboy68ss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 16:32

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the big connection to check is in the firewall the underhood harness connects to inside through a big plug . But if you lost them in the rain you also might need to look for a leak because water might have shorted something and with the grille being smashed the turn signal wires could have crossed. Best thing to buy now is a chassis manual and a assembly manual.

camaroboy68ss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 16:37

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This is under the hood of my 68 Camaro. You see the big round gold item behind my master cylinder? That's the brake booster for power brakes. It uses engine vacuum to amplify the pressure you put on the pedal. It makes it feel like it doesn't take much effort to stop the car. Non power have a hard pedal and can lead to questionable stops.

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > Party-vi 07/17/2014 at 16:38

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Named in honor of this statue (that I've seen in person) : http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_ob…

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > camaroboy68ss 07/17/2014 at 16:53

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So thats what that is. Yeah I think I've got that then.

camaroboy68ss > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 17:06

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yep you got power brakes but looks like a kit was added. That's not a factory 68 unit. Some has messed with the wiring though all the jumble on the front in the drivers side shouldn't be there. Should be empty space. That's where the vacuum tank goes of the RS cars for the hidden headlights.

1337HPMustang > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/17/2014 at 17:08

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did you not just get this car? Aww dude that sucks. Sendin out my feels for ya bro

Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 07/18/2014 at 11:43

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I'll probably be taking it down to Ypsi on Saturday late afternoon. We could meet up on Michigan Ave or something.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Idiot In The Garage Needs A New CGI Job... 07/18/2014 at 12:05

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I'll be doing maintenance on all 3 vehicles at our house this saturday, as well as around the house. Good to know there's another OPPO pretty close by though!