88 coupe - I'm just rambling, mumbling, grumbling

I bought an 88 coupe three years ago (red exterior/tan interior). I found it on E-bay. It was about 90 miles away. I picked it up and drove it home. Pretty little car with some potential I thought to myself. Fast forward three years.... Still not on the road and finding more things to fix as I fix things. Funny thing though... The car, as the saying goes "had me at hello". Now I'm recently retired (60 years young) and have some time to "play" with the cars. I have the Reatta. I have a huge project (55 Tee-Bird) in the garage. Bought that 38 years ago and that's a whole 'nother story! I have a 2011 Dodge Charger MOPAR special edition #735 of 1,348. My delapidated garage is ready to fall in so I thought my first big retirement project would be a new garage. This Reatta is eating up my time and some money. It probably should have been a "parts car" but I don't want to make another one disappear! Once my garage is done (if I ever get started on it) I am considering buying a parts car (a Riviera possibly) to help save this Reatta. Like I said I don't want to make another Reatta disapear. This one is in pretty decent shape. It has some rusted components underneath and I'm not sure if the AC works. At this point I should replace the rear end/suspension assembly (lots of rust and some rot), rubber on strut mount points and where body bolts to the frame needs to be replaced, I should replace all fuel & brake lines, gas tank straps. I noticed the other day the trunk (key lock) button is falling apart, out. I just purchased both rear calipers and rear parking brake cables. It looks like someone retrofitted parts from some other vehicle. Cables are not routed properly, they are held together with cable clamps, there is no equalizer, the rear calipers are not a matched pair. Once I fix the parking brake I might be able to register it and drive it. I'm sure I will find more issues once I start driving the car. There's a couple spots that will need some bodywork/welding in the near future. I saw in the manual that you need to disconnect ABS module and some other computer memory type things before welding on the car. Oh well.. I've got the patience and ability but I just didn't want to be going this far into this car this soon. I was hoping to drive it for a couple years. Sorry I'm just rambling on but I do think I will thoroughly enjoy this car when I get it road worthy! I just want to extend an emphatic "Thank you" to the people who have helped me so far to fix the headlight bellcranks (Steve Skyhawk @ West Coast Reatta) and the ABS brake system (Numerous people). I still have the yellow ABS light but at least the red light is off.

im not sure rivera suspension parts will work,but they might.

Just took a break from detailing the interior of my '90 when I saw this.

Two things come to mind.

One. Having a decent place to work on all those cars will become very important once the snows flies.

Hard to think about that now what with the warm weather and all but, it's coming.

Two. If you can salvage the intermediate cable from the Reatta, then do so because they can't be had new at any price.

John F.

Hang in there, "f-r-steven"!!!

there are several folks here that may be able to help you out on parts you need. also if there are any "pick-a-part" yards in the your area, check them out - most are online, and their inventory changes often.

unless you can find a northern garaged "parts car" (maybe a wrecked Reatta), you may want to look south for a "less" rust or rust free Reatta for suspension parts and more.

i've had a couple folks here call my Reatta a "parts car", but it was my daily driver for over two years (i have a '05 Caddy CTS for that purpose now, but i still take the Reatta out at least once a week). lots of work went into her to make it a driver and still needs more repairs to bring her back to more than a driver.

it appears you have the knowledge and experience to get her going! i made a list of repairs needed and prioritized the list to get her past the state inspection for a driver, then started on "cosmetics" and other repairs that have popped up since then.

good luck! i couldn't have done mine without the FSM, and just as important - the ROJ tutorials...

Thanks for the encouragement. I've already had more than one person tell me to get rid of the Reatta and focus on the 'Bird. I just like the potential I see there. Having daydreams of my wife and I going together to shows in the future. Me with the 'Bird and her with the Reatta. Anyway. After seeing the note from handmedownreatta I looked in the Hollander. Yep.. I need to find the suspension from 88-90 Reatta. I'll search it up once my garage is done. Hopefully before the snow flies this year otherwise I'll wait for spring. I don't have room (or an understanding enough wife) for a parts car right now. I'm sure once she's driving the Reatta she will be more understanding once there is room for another car.

John F. - I'm hoping the correct intermediate cable is on the car. I just refurbished the threaded end. (Four hours working rusted parts back and forth without tearing up the threads - I've worked on many a rusted car here in the NorthEast) The opposite end looks like it's looped around and has a cable clamp and gobs of RTV (liquid rubber) encasing it. I need to get under there and trim away the rubber to get it apart (I promise I'll be delicate). I used to make my own brake and clutch cables for my motorcycles back in the day. I can try that as a last resort if need be.

Be careful when ordering new cables. Some vendors will try to send you the wrong intermediate cable when you order. I had the cables in the Reatta Store but it was so confusing I removed them to avoid problems.

Just a thought based on my experience. Years (decades) ago I thought it would be nice to have a MGB. Found one locally, for not much money that needed work, biggest issue was rust-not uncommon for Michigan. After a lot of elbow grease but not a lot of money, I realized the replacement parts needed would cost more than I would have to pay for a nice 'B' that had no rust. As much as I wanted to save the first B, I bought a more expensive rust free B and immediately had a car that I could drive and enjoy. Over the years, I gradually updated it, replaced items as they were needed, but never was without being able to drive it. I sold the salvageable parts off the first B, (it really was too far rusted to save), so those parts were available to keep other 'B's on the road. Then I bought a very worn, but rust free third B and took several years on and off restoring it to near new condition-very enjoyable project -but all the time I had the other one to drive. Now, for good or bad, nice Reatta's are available for much less $ than a marginal one whose cost to make it driveable and safe would substantially exceed the cost of a 'good' one--such is the market and current value of Reatta's. To me, the biggest concern is rust, especially on the engine cradle, suspension components and rockers. Last year I sold both 'B's and with some of the money bought a nice rust free driver Reatta. It had and still has a few issues, none of which has prevented me from driving and enjoying it. I guess my point is--as much fun and satisfaction that is gained from 'fixing' something, for me it is more fun having a car that runs and improving it over time.

I do see why it's not uncommon for folks to have more than one Reatta, they kind of grow on you.

Tom

^^^^^^^^^ +1 on what he said.

Well.... I ordered the rear parking brake cables from RockAuto. (Raybestos brand) Igot the correct cable for the passenger side. When I opened the box for the drivers side it was way too long and had a spring on it. It was a front cable in the box with the P/N for the left rear cable. I contacted RockAuto right away. They asked if a still wanted the rear cable. I said yes. They sent me another.... Yep front cable in the box with the rear cable P/N. I went back to RockAuto. They gave me a store credit and then I ordered a different brand (ACDelco). Still waiting for it to come.

In the meantime I have a question. Will the intermediate cable from an Allante work on the Reatta? Just wondering.

And... I have contacted a local auto Salvage yard to buy the rear suspension / crossmember assembly. Hollander interchange manual says P/N 477-03437A. The salvage yard told me that the Allante rear is interchangable. I guess I'll find out next week.

BTW - I now have two brand new front cables. RockAuto said don't send them back. Anybody need a front cable?

Greetings from MI! It is great to see someone else refusing to make another Reatta disappear. I found mine rotting on a dealer lot and put a lot of elbow grease into having it roadable again. It's just nice to see someone taking care of one that isn't in mint condition. Good luck to you sir!

Well with the Buick Open Golf Tournament about five miles from my home a lot of Reattas wound up in Central Florida (see .sig about rust). I do not see as many on CL as I used to but are three local ranging from a $5700 'vert to a $750 parts car & six "nearby".

My 'vert is in the back garage until after the "100 days of summer" this is coupe with roof vent & max AC weather.

BTW I suspect the 88 will be recognised as a milestone year, all later were decontented.

Thanks PontiacDude210. I agree somwhat also with Buickguy62 and Ronnie. It is nice to get one that doesn't have the rust issues and you end up chasing your tail quite a bit. For me it's part of the old car hobby to try to save some of those old beatiful cars. I'm a machinist by trade. I've worked on cars and motorcycles since I was 12 years old. I even took a course in auto body once I completed schooling for my life career choices. I have cars in various stages. I have a 1955 Thunderbird that absolutely needs to be completely stripped and new floors welded in. It has a crack on the hood where the hinge bolts on. I have converted it to 12V and installed a 302 automatic. I made brackets for A/C compressor and alternator so it all fits under the hood. I have rewired from both ends of the car to the dash and got stopped there due to job relocation. I have the Reatta that is very close to road worthy. Just needs a little more work. I hope to get it going so I can drive it while I do the T-bird. Then when the bird is done I'll probably tear into the Reatta. Third vehicle is 2011 Dodge Charger special edition MOPAR #0735. My bride and I are planning to drive the MOPAR cross country soon. Maybe some of you guys will see my out there! Unfortunately before I can begin to get back into my old Thunderbird I have to rebuild my 100 year old garage. I plan to go a little bigger (28 ft deep by 45 ft across) and I want to get a lift in there. Lying on my back underneath cars is getting old now that I've reached the age of 60.