BUILD THREAD 1986 Oldsmobile 442 Build

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clean8485

Comic Book Super Hero
Dec 18, 2005
2,860
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Ontario, Canada
Looks good so far. I like the way the interior turned out. Sounds to me like you're being sensible, taking your time, and trying to set up realistic goals and a budget. Keep up the good work and the updates.
 

RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
clean8485 said:
Looks good so far. I like the way the interior turned out. Sounds to me like you're being sensible, taking your time, and trying to set up realistic goals and a budget. Keep up the good work and the updates.

Thanks - We are certainly trying to do that - this stuff gets expensive if you let it.
 

RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Spent some time over the last two days cleaning the trunk, prepping it, and painting. Shot 2 coats of black and 2 coats of clear. Finished the final coat this morning before work. The next step is to make template for the carpet, cabinets, and stereo stuff and start working on that.
 

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RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Re: 1986 Oldsmobile 442 Build - Chrome Time!

At the LBI car show last weekend Bimbos Xtreme had a booth. They sell car care products, such as wheel care, paint care, and so on. I never knew they were local to me, they are in Barnegat NJ! They did a demonstration of their product and it was quite impressive. So for $25 I figured how could I lose (plus they have a money back guarantee) and purchased the two part wheel care kit.

So tonight I came home wanting to try it out. I did all w rims, both exhausts, the chrome trim, and the engine air filter cover. I was very impressed with the results. It took a little elbow grease since there was lots of surface rust on my chrome bits, but the before and after pics speak for themselves. I am going to give it a second go another night to try to get more off, but I was happy with the results.

If anyone else is interested, here is the link to their products: http://www.xtremeautofinish.com/
 

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gp02a0083

Master Mechanic
May 17, 2011
308
3
16
there is also another local vendor that I buy products from frequently that i met at the E-town swap meets. They are based out of middle-town Nj and somewhere in NY. I like using the formula 113 aka "Bead X" spray after I have washed my cutlass. It lasts a while and really beads the water well. I use it on my windshield and i barely have to use the wipers. It looks like you found a good meal polish for the trim and stuff, have you tried it on the door belt moldings yet? I found this stuff from WAB that i also get from the swap meets. I got a coarse and fine cut versions and they worked really really well on all the window trim , door trim, air cleaner top, bumpers, and my rim trim and lower binder trim. Do you really have to use a lot of elbow grease with that polish you found? the stuff i got you just apply a thin layer, wait a few min and just wipe it away. More or less it works by dissolution rather than friction. Just checked out the link you posted, all their products are reasonably priced and seem to work well
 

RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Today I removed the headlight bezels and painted in inner portion with several coats of gloss black and clear over top. Also did the grille. I know I know, I was lazy and did not remove the pieces, but when the motor comes out in a couple of weeks I'll have to do it then so I figured better to do it once rather than twice. I also painted the airflow openings in the lower bumper. Looks nice and clean now.
 

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RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Re: 1986 Oldsmobile 442 Build - RADIO Part 1

The next project is installing the new double-din head unit, new front and rear speakers, and custom subwoofer/amp box. I am not good at building stuff. In fact, in shop class in high school my bird house was more of a bird tenement. But I figured I'd give this thing a shot. I'd great with electrical, and my finish work is usually good, it's just the measuring and construction thing. I started with what I know best - electrical.

Started fishing out the mess of spaghetti under the dash and cutting away the old wire and nonsense. Once that was done, I did my best at pretending I knew how to measure and determined that there was no way I could keep the HVAC controls where they were. I was hoping I could move them north a little but, but no such luck. So I disconnected them and tucked them behind the glove box for now. The last part of the project will be to attach them. I kind of already know how I'll do it, but unfortunately it requires more measuring. So it will wait.

Once the controls were moved and the new wiring harness installed I brought the new head unit over to test it. A test with existing speakers confirmed the rear ones were shot and the front ones probably did not exist, but it worked as best as it could. Once that was all done I wire tied everything up nice and need, stuck some conduit over it and presto - a clean wiring job.

Next up - more measuring and building stuff. : :blam:
 

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RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Re: 1986 Oldsmobile 442 Build - RADIO PART 2

Next up it's time to fit the new track for the double din unit in the existing radio faceplate. I've seen many people do this but they center it and lose the cigar lighter. I wanted to keep the lighter and make a switch panel as well. So let's see what we can do. I had a silver test face plate I used to practice one and once I had it down I transferred the measurements on to my good wood grained one to match the car. It was easy, just traced the track over the plate. I made sure I cut close so it would be a tight fit. Once that was done I tested the fit in to the car and it fit just fine. Later as I added switched and accessories I would dremel away things in the way.

Once that was done I cut a piece of clear lexan for a switch panel and drilled the holes for the switches. Now that everything is test fit and looks like it will work, on to the next stage.
 

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RunAwayNJ

Master Mechanic
Oct 9, 2012
409
182
43
Ocean County, NJ
Re: 1986 Oldsmobile 442 Build - RADIO PART 3

Next phase is to install the speakers. I am on a budget with this build so I scoured Amazon for inexpensive speakers that people said had good sound. I found Lanzar speakers to be well reviewed, so I took a gamble and ordered them. I also ordered an inexpensive Pioneer subwoofer. Here is the list of what I got:

FRONT: Lanzar VX320 VX 3.5-Inch Two-Way Speakers - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007L8AJK/?tag=gbody-20
REAR: Lanzar VX694 VX 6-Inchx 9-Inch Four-Way Speakers - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YU3OM/?tag=gbody-20
SUB: Pioneer TS-W304R 12-Inch Component Subwoofer - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KTRUS6/?tag=gbody-20

I installed the front 3.5" speakers first. Since the stock speakers and wire were completely missing, the install went quick. The Lanzar speakers fit right in the existing holes without any modification. I ran new wires and attached them to the new harness. Brought the new head unit back to test them and much to my surprise they sounded really good. I can't wait to see how the whole system comes together now!

Next up - More measuring, more building, lots of crooked stuff, and an idea that came out awesome!
 

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