can't work on my car anymore

[Phoenyx]

I have a buddy going through chemo right now. And for him it's not to bad (I'm sure it differs for everyone), he says just really tired and gets dizzy quite often (It sucks for him because he's got a sports bike and can't ride right now). But he to now has a lot of time to clean it and do small projects on it.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I can definitely identify with fighting cancer. My mom has been fighting it for 16 years now (breast that metastasized into her spine) , and I used to drive her to chemo and radiation in my Cutlass back when I was 19. My aunt is going through cancer treatment right now ( my mom's sister), and my grandmother died of it about 10 years ago. It is anything but hopeless.

I will also say, don't do your body work. The chemo will make you very sensitive to the chemicals needed to do it. Plus, it is a very labor intensive thing to do, and you won't have the energy to do it on chemo. I would, however, keep the car and work on it slowly. It would be therapeutic to have something else to do to keep your mind off your treatment. It is not good to have nothing else to occupy your mind with. I sometimes use mine as a way to keep my mind off my depression as it gives me things to plan and research that keep me from thinking about all the negative things in my life.

I also have a question about your choice of speakers. What size are you going with and how good do they sound? I did a quick Ebay search after reading your post and they seem reasonable. I need a set of 5.25 separates, but can't decide on what to get for my sub $100 budget.

 

[pokertramp]

I can definitely identify with fighting cancer. My mom has been fighting it for 16 years now (breast that metastasized into her spine) , and I used to drive her to chemo and radiation in my Cutlass back when I was 19. My aunt is going through cancer treatment right now ( my mom's sister), and my grandmother died of it about 10 years ago. It is anything but hopeless.

I will also say, don't do your body work. The chemo will make you very sensitive to the chemicals needed to do it. Plus, it is a very labor intensive thing to do, and you won't have the energy to do it on chemo. I would, however, keep the car and work on it slowly. It would be therapeutic to have something else to do to keep your mind off your treatment. It is not good to have nothing else to occupy your mind with. I sometimes use mine as a way to keep my mind off my depression as it gives me things to plan and research that keep me from thinking about all the negative things in my life.

I also have a question about your choice of speakers. What size are you going with and how good do they sound? I did a quick Ebay search after reading your post and they seem reasonable. I need a set of 5.25 separates, but can't decide on what to get for my sub $100 budget.

Yeah I thought about not having any energy so I plan on getting some junk material and practice sewing so I can make my own seat covers and reupholster my seats.

I have heard nothing but good things on the RSD 6.5's not sure on the 5.25's though. You can get the 6.5's at http://www.woofersetc.com/p6952/RSD65cs ... System.htm

and look at the price :shock: I am going with 2 sets in the front and a cheap amp to power them. I will also use the deck I have now to round it up. I heard they have great midbass too. Everyone online at different sites said for a budget speaker they blow away a lot of top end speakers.

I was going to get Polk SR6500's but they cost $589 and are THE BEST period. Even $2,000 components can't touch them from all the research I have done.

I am VERY picky on my speaker choice. I had Alpines and they where a step down from top of the line. For a $300+ compnent I would throw them in the trash if given to me, total junk. Best I had so far was old school A/D/S components and the only place you can find them is E Bay, the company went out of business.


Hope this helps.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Yeah, a friend of mine was saying something about their speakers and how they sound really good. I also was looking at some discontinued MB Quart components on E-Bay, but I can't find any objective information on them. I just wish stereo shops didn't use such a ridiculous amount of markup as I would rather shop with a local small business than on line. That way, I could hear them before I buy. I don't have a big budget, but like most people, I try to get the absolute most I can for the money. Much of what is going in to my system is second hand but in great condition, even if it is old. As for my speaker size choice, it is due to the constraints of the factory door speaker system I am using in my car. I want it to look hidden, but still have good sound. The front staging in a G body has to be the worst I have ever experienced in any car that originally came with a 4 speaker system. 3.5's only up front? What were they thinking?


BTW, good luck on upholstering the seats. Post some pics to show us how they come out. I am looking in to a similar project for myself if I can find a set of seats I want in the junkyard.

 

[pokertramp]

Yeah, a friend of mine was saying something about their speakers and how they sound really good. I also was looking at some discontinued MB Quart components on E-Bay, but I can't find any objective information on them. I just wish stereo shops didn't use such a ridiculous amount of markup as I would rather shop with a local small business than on line. That way, I could hear them before I buy. I don't have a big budget, but like most people, I try to get the absolute most I can for the money. Much of what is going in to my system is second hand but in great condition, even if it is old. As for my speaker size choice, it is due to the constraints of the factory door speaker system I am using in my car. I want it to look hidden, but still have good sound. The front staging in a G body has to be the worst I have ever experienced in any car that originally came with a 4 speaker system. 3.5's only up front? What were they thinking?


BTW, good luck on upholstering the seats. Post some pics to show us how they come out. I am looking in to a similar project for myself if I can find a set of seats I want in the junkyard.

LOL I know what your saying,,that's why I have been hanging at fiberglassforums.com a lot. I am learning how to make my own door panels for the components. Seen some sick stuff over there. I heard the MB Quarts are good too but not as much as the PG RSD's.....

Thanks I will post pics if I attempt it. I was thinking of turning the front bench bucket seats into buckets, I was going to cut the passenger side down so I can put a middle console and floor shifter. I will go from the pillow top to a regular black and red tweed.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

There actually were some Regals that had the factory bench-buckets you were talking about. I had a chance to buy one several years ago for like $100 (the whole car!) that was in need of brakes, but passed on it because I didn't have the room or money. It was an odd color combo of beige and dark blue on the outside and interior, IIRC. I think it was some sort of special edition, maybe a use of the "Somerset" name predating the use of it on the Grand Am clone that came along in 1985?

 

[pontiacgp]

I was going to get Polk SR6500's but they cost $589

They're on sale up here north of the border for $799....regular $999...:shock:..I have 4 Infinity Kappa 6.5 component speakers in the interior and have been looking for something new and better. The aftermarket stereo stores up here don't even carry the high end products because they don't want the overhead.

85 ...I have a friend who owns a car stereo shop and the markup isn't as drastic as it has been in the past. The industry has taken a hit with the new cars being equipped with good systems and ones that are integrated into the other systems in the vehicle making it very costly to upgrade. Plus with the internet being a competitor to the retailers the retailers have been forced to drop their prices. The retailers will drop the price to get the products out of the store so if you could find what the product xost is to the retailer you'll have a better angle on making a deal

 

[pokertramp]

There actually were some Regals that had the factory bench-buckets you were talking about. I had a chance to buy one several years ago for like $100 (the whole car!) that was in need of brakes, but passed on it because I didn't have the room or money. It was an odd color combo of beige and dark blue on the outside and interior, IIRC. I think it was some sort of special edition, maybe a use of the "Somerset" name predating the use of it on the Grand Am clone that came along in 1985?

That's what my car is, a 1982 regal somerset limited with the split bench bucket. I want to cut part of the passenger seat off to put a full console in the middle or I will just buy 2 bucket seats from EBAY and get rid of the back seat. They are around $249 pair depending where you look, heck I might even get 4 buckets at that price then I don't have to sew anything.

Either way my car will be a 1-2 year project spending around $300 a month.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

For some reason, I thought the Somerset came with the seats already in that configuration. As for E-Bay seats, they are cheap, but most of those cheap "Racing" seats are anything but comfortable. Why not look for a set of seats from a 90's Grand Prix instead? I think they used the 4 bucket configuration, and the car is a similar size to yours so it may work.

 

[pokertramp]

For some reason, I thought the Somerset came with the seats already in that configuration. As for E-Bay seats, they are cheap, but most of those cheap "Racing" seats are anything but comfortable. Why not look for a set of seats from a 90's Grand Prix instead? I think they used the 4 bucket configuration, and the car is a similar size to yours so it may work.

AHHH!!! I forgot all about that. Thanks for reminding me...

I went to a junkyard 2 weeks ago and the guy said $35 for any seats usually. I was looking for caddy seats with the seatbelt built into them but they only had tan. I want either gray or black. When I go again I will look and if I can't get any I will look for what you said or just get Accord seats or something.