Getting serious about this repair job

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with what I'm working on right now. I wanted to take my 1990 coupe out for a few months to make sure it would be ready to make the trip to the U.P. after I get married this time next year. Hard winter means the car goes into hiding in October and might not make it out til May. So far, here's my fix it list since driving it to work every day:

Fix brake rattle - probably gotta adjust parking brake, and do the hardware kit. Found the right one at a local store.

Replace window motor, pass side - Got an ac delco model from the reatta store. Just gotta get it installed when I have time.

Locate and repair fuel leak - Front driver side of tank damp with fuel. Never noticed it last time I had it plated, never noticed it over the winter. I didn't ever have the money to keep it filled up then though, and it sat over the winter at a quarter tank. Lines have been replaced and the pump gets up to pressure with no trouble, I'm thinking tank leak?

Replace cruise servo - I just have to bite the bullet and do it

Install new wheels and tires - The wheels I bought are still back ordered. I gotta make the 15 year old firehawks on there last til September.

Replace headliner - No idea. Really. It's sagging bad, torn up and I'm lost.

Repair flopping headlight - One of the bolts the light hinges on seems to be loose or rusted in half.

Replace spark plugs - I have some my dad bought for his 3.8l Regal and never used. The Bosch platinum plugs I put in last time I drove it look like hell on the outside already, and I can't imagine I gapped them right on 3 hours sleep back then.

Then my nonessential repairs list is even more extensive. I'm looking at:

Repainting - Repairing minor body rust by rear wheels, shooting the car red, and shooting the hood matte black and redoing the pinstripes on the body and the red ones on the hood. I currently have the hood shot flat black with red pinstripes, and the body is the original paint, red, but flaky clear in a few spots and dull clear on the doors. The paint peel was so bad on the hood I had to strip and reshoot before taking it out this year.

Add subs - I have 2 Rockford Fosgate 12"s, the wiring I need, and I'll have an amp soon enough. I already have replaced the head and components. I just need to build boxes.

Find Grand Prix spoiler - I want to add the 2 pillar early nineties Grand Prix GT wing. I found one in a junkyard but it was stripped out.

That's where I'm at. I finally don't have any engine codes, btw. If anyone has any advice on any of this, please fire away. I need all the help I can get. I'm not ready to give up on this thing, I've been to hell and back with this car and we're just getting started. Thanks guys, for all the help up til here and in the future.

In order of importance, I would delay the wheels and speakers (if $$$ are an issue) and get the fuel leak, passanger window working. Take the headlight apart and find the problem, the pivot bolts are seldom a problem, you may have a broken parts. Next would be the cruise servo (should be any number in salvage yards)

The brake rattle is an annoyance, new pads on the back will usually make it go away for awhile, and take care of the parking brake adjustment.

If you have a gas tank problem, Riviera, Seville, and Eldorado use the same tank, easy to find.

The headliner can be a do-it-yourself item. If you live in a decent size town, fabric shops carry the headliner material, you can also get it online, takes 1 1/2 yards to be safe and it cost $12-$15 a yard. You will also need a can of spray adhesive...another $10 The procedure is probably at www.reattaowners.com or www.reatta.net

Your best bet is to replace the whole tank. They're pretty plentiful.

If you go with new, be SURE it has the baffles. Some don't, and trust me, without them, you'll mess up more than you'll fix.

If you'd like used I have several rust free used ones available. Not sure where you're located, but I'll be in Hershey PA in October.

As far as the gas tank, can I be reasonably sure by the location of the leak that it it the tank leaking and not the sending unit lines? It isn't damp on the pass side or the back, just front driver side. I can scrape by only filling it up a half tank at a time for now, I'm not broke but here in MI, where do I get a rust free one?

As far as the brakes, a local store carries the hardware for $9. The pads are new, but floaty and rattle.

The wheels are already paid for and ship out whenever they get off backorder. Like I said, not broke anymore. I was working for beans and going to college when I got the car. I'm sitting a little better now. The tires are so rough and the original rims are all chewed up it was a priority at the time. Same with the speakers, it is all on a shelf, waiting for me to have the time.

The window won't go all the way up unless I open the door. I'll get that done and the brake hardware installed this weekend if I don't have to work.

I didn't give enough info on the headliner, sorry. It's a sunroof car and the insulation behind it is rotted or chewed out. The dealer let the roof leak and mice got in. I bought a new switch from East Coast Reatta parts and got the roof closed, car has been dry inside for three years but the headliner is wrecked and so is any backing that was there.

Are you sure it is rear brakes rattling? I had that issue on my white vert and it was actually the rear strut dust shields. Took them off and no more rear rattle.

The inside pads float and the sound goes away when the brakes are pressed. I think it's the brakes. They're missing the retaining rings. I know because I was the one who put them back together, incorrectly of course. I will look at the dust shields though, it is possible there's more than one odd noise back there.

On the headliner, I can only suggest finding a parts car (check with usual suspects here) with a sunroof to get a good fiberglass shell and then recover that. The form (shell/backer) is unique on the sunroof cars in that it lacks the "indentations" of the normal cars to extend headroom slightly. That and it has the cutout for the sunroof.

Minor damage to these can be repaired but extensive rot and rodent damage will likely be too much to patch up. The fiberglass can also partially collapse losing its shape (had this on my scrub 88 and had to get a new form to recover).

I would suggest getting the rust you mentioned fixed ASAP. That can turn bad quickly and then you will never get it whipped. If you have minor damage now, get it done while it is still minor.

KDirk

I'll have to find a vendor on here who is willing to ship a fiberglass shell then. No junkyard in a hundred miles has a Reatta.

"I'll have to find a vendor on here who is willing to ship a fiberglass shell then. No junkyard in a hundred miles has a Reatta."----- Check car-part.com for Complete Auto Salvage in Flint, they have several Reattas listed. He probably has fuel tanks also. Or he can order you a new one. My Reatta tank was full of rust & when I called a salvage yard the price for a new one was around $150. And it has the baffles inside.

PD,

Re., your Gas leak.

There's really no good way to tell if it is the tank or the fuel sender lines. I've had both issues on different Reattas.

The only reliable way to find out is to drop the tank. As mentioned above, you can go with a new or used tank. NC made a good point of noting the baffles. It's just a plastic framework installed when the two halves of the tank shell are put together but they are necessary. Can't be put in once the tank has been sealed together. I've had to replace the sending unit on at least one car and was able to have another repaired locally. The guy I know can repair damn near anything! He cut back all the rusted sections of the lines and replaced with new steel tubing. Not sure but I think there may be a problem with obtaining new sending units for some, if not all, model year Reattas. NC would be able to answer that.

John F.

I think the prevalence of the problem with a full tank points to a hole in the tank. There's new line from where I can see forward. I might be surprised though. I will buy a new tank either way, just because it is so rusty. The fuel filter plugged up on me once. I can get a new one on eBay for $200, no mention regarding baffles in the ad though. I would consider having a used one shipped to get the right one. Again, in MI, getting a rust free used tank could be a challenge. I'll look at the site you recommended for the headliner.

I know your pain. I remember when my list of stuff to fix was that long. I've had my car now about 9 months, not everything is fixed but it's road worthy. I still have a rattling front brake, fuel tank to pull and back lighting to fix. Wrench on sir!

Since the 3 lines to the gas tank go to the top from the drivers side, it could be a line and not the tank. It will take some investigation.

I don't think that mice like fiberglass....while there may have been mice in the headliner, the fiberglass sub-structure could be usable. On coupes, I have repaired several around the sunvisor pivot, they tend to tear out there. A fiberglass repair kit will probably take care of the headliner backing, after that there is not much for mice to eat.

I'll have to drop the gas tank if I get time this weekend. I'm already planning to deal with the brakes and window, it's raining hard here this week and that window not sealing is a problem now. I'm just worried if I drop the tank I'll break the hard lines going into it. Marck, do you ship tanks?

As far as the fiberglass goes, I can feel the pieces of something solid inside the fabric broken apart. There's all sorts of torn up parts of insulation and something else falling out of the holes in the headliner. I've patched the holes for now, but it still sags. I guess I'll have to pull that too, see what I'm dealing with.

BB, it is so good to see another mechanic saving a Reatta instead of parting one out. It feels like more of these are falling off the road every day.

New fuel tanks are ~$148 with free shipping in the Reatta Store. No mention of baffles but they do say, "Spectra Premium fuel tanks meet or exceed the performance of the original equipment fuel tanks they replace". If your tank is rusty you might want to order new straps at the same time.

Spectra Premium Fuel Tank Straps

Spectra Premium GM36 Fuel Tank

I doubt you have a problem with your lines. On a 1990 they are all plastic except for about 2" before they go into the tank, and then about 14" before they screw into the fuel rail.

Fuel senders are no longer available new. We bought the last 6 in the country from GM about 4 years ago.

Yes I do ship gas tanks. PM Me or call and we can discuss

The headliner backer board is NOT made from fiberglass. If it was we'd be set for life. Fiberglass doesn't break down when I comes in contact with water.

It is made from a pressed fiber board much like the door panels are, but not as heavy.

I have two very nice sunroof headliner boards available as well. I ship those too, but they are not cheap.

Maybe we can try to meet up sometime in the near future. I have a parts car to pick up in Indiana sometime in em next few months.

Thanks for the links. Once I get the tank dropped and figure out what I'm dealing with, I'll put in a few hours overtime at work, and I'll order one. Like I said, so much rust and crap in the tank almost necessitates replacement.

I just remembered my dad has several hundred fiberglass headliner blanks he got from a friend who worked for Ford. We insulated the pole barn with them. If he has any extra, I might try to cut my own new one, maybe play with recessing it a little to grab an extra half inch of headroom. I think he has a few dozen blanks in the attic yet.

I just remembered my dad has several hundred fiberglass headliner blanks he got from a friend who worked for Ford. We insulated the pole barn with them. If he has any extra' date=' I might try to cut my own new one, maybe play with recessing it a little to grab an extra half inch of headroom. I think he has a few dozen blanks in the attic yet.[/quote']

If the headliner were flat is say go for it, but it has several very difficult curves. It has a bulge where the sunroof motor is, plus slight curves where it meets with the sunroof opening. It will be nearly impossible to replicate it I'm afraid.

I think you should reconsider. A guy named Earl has a rare 1988 with a sunroof for sale in the Reatta Buy/Sell on this forum. He is 80 years old so the car probably has no rust and is not beat. It is in Maryland which isn't that far away and you could probably ask Zoltan to take a look at it for you. His car is ready to be driven, your car needs much work. You will spend more in rust work and paint then what Earl wants for his car, and as a resident of Wisconsin I know as well as you that once rust starts, you can chase it but you will never stop it.

You can offer your car up for $800.00 and some kid will buy it and then buy Earl's for $1800.00 or less. You would be much better off.

Just my 2 cents...

Marck,

Not to nitpick, but th headliner shell is pressed yellow fiberglass (like the insulation one puts in the attic of a house). If it were fiberglass bonded with resin (like the hull of a boat, or the rear storage bin compartment of a Reatta coupe) then it would be almost failure proof as I believe you were trying to convey. Of course it would also weigh 20+ pounds if it were made that way.

I can say with certainty it is not pressboard - or any kind of bonded wood pulp - as I have repaired tears in two of mine and replaced a third outright and when it tears or breaks you can see the inner portion is just yelllow fiberglass pressed into shape. My 95 Deville has a high density pressboard headliner form, and is a much better design for strength and rigidity. I wish they had done that on the Reatta.

As an aside, I helped a buddy of mine recover the headliner on his 83 Olds Cutlass. Was shocked to find that car used a molded styrofoam shell about 3/16" thick. Total garbage as it was cracking everywhere. Spent hours repairing it and had to be careful what glue we used didn't melt the styrofoam.

Dave also raises a good point. When repairing a car needing so much, when Reattae are worth so little (relative to other used cars presently) you may well be better off to buy one that is nicer. You can sell the other one or use it as a parts donor. This works best if both the cars are the same year and color, but many parts are still interchangeable between 88 & 90 though the interiors are notably different. Something to consider.

KDirk

I don't think you and I measure "worth" in the same terms, my friends. If I had another I would almost certainly try to save them both anyway. Rust repair is cost of materials for me, as is paint. My dad and I have shot several cars, a tractor and a motorcycle in his garage, as well as done rust repair. 3 out of 4 of the vehicles I have right now have had extensive paint and body repair, always done with my own two hands. I have a hard time farming out a job like that, it's too much fun.

Fuel tanks seem inexpensive and available enough. Headliner backing boards are proving to be a challenge. I could try to make one from fiberglass, I know fiberglass work is tricky, just helped my dad a few months back with a John Deere 140 where the fiberglass hood was cracked.

I already know I'm investing more than I'll get back. I plan on holding on to my car til it becomes a parts car for the next one out of necessity.

"I'll have to find a vendor on here who is willing to ship a fiberglass shell then. No junkyard in a hundred miles has a Reatta."----- Check car-part.com for Complete Auto Salvage in Flint, they have several Reattas listed. He probably has fuel tanks also. Or he can order you a new one. My Reatta tank was full of rust & when I called a salvage yard the price for a new one was around $150. And it has the baffles inside.

Look up both headliners and sunroofs and you will find one. As a matter of fact J & S in Flint has one. Complete Auto and New Castle are good sources to try.

Sorry about telling you about getting rid of your car. I didn't know your skill level or willingness to work on rust.

Good luck

lots of advice above. coming from my "old school" background - you first need to make it run (engine), drive (transmission) and stop (brakes). out of the three, it seems you only need to get the rear brakes to work correctly.

re: the gas tank - from what you have said, it could be anything from a bad rubber gasket around the sending unit on top to rust hole(s) mid seam. since you are going to have down time, i'd drop the tank to check it out. it can be cleaned out and repaired with DIY products or a radiator shop. but since the tanks are not very expensive - compared to some i've dealt with - it may be cheaper/easier to pick up a new one (and new straps) from "The Reatta Store" or another good (used?) one elsewhere. on "most" gas tanks, the baffles do nothing unless the fuel level is around 1/8th a tank. it slows the movement of fuel side to side in turns - so the fuel pump doesn't get a dry spot. the "easy" solution to that is to not let the tank drop much below 1/4 full...

does the pass - side window motor work at all?

it seems i was your age not very long ago and throwing in a 8-Track quadraphonic system was the most important thing to do:p - but hold off on the audio upgrades until you are waiting for parts or need a break for a couple of days this winter on other fixes.

the most important thing is: have fun with her!!!

Skill has nothing to do with it, I'm just stubborn and refuse to let the poor old car die. Willing to work on rust is an understatement. My daily driver, a 91 Cherokee 4WD, had rust up to the rear windows. Some sheet metal and help from ABPS in Muskegon and it's looking great for a northern car of two decades.

Yes, the passenger side window motor works, it just can't push the window to seal tightly unless I open that door.

I might buy a new tank and put it on just so it doesn't look so nasty under the car. New straps probably too. With all new exhaust pipe and still intact Ziebart under coating, the fuel tank is the nastiest, ugliest thing under there and it is kind of flaking apart.

I can respect that. When I previously posted that it may make more sense to replace the car it was from a purely fiscal/cost versus benefit standpoint. But, cost is not always the driving rationale behind restoring a car. In fact, it is quite often a loosing proposition if considered only on the money and time spent.

I have more in my 91 coupe than I could ever recover by selling it. The same will be true of my scrubby 88 by the time I'm done with it. Probably the convertible too. But I didn't plan to make money on these. I did it because I could, and was too determined (stubborn) to write off cars that needed more work than they cost to purchase. So, I completely understand the thinking.

Only you can decide how much time and money to pour into a project before it is no longer worthwhile in your own estimation. That threshold will be different for each of us depending on skill level and funds available to do the job.

I also appreciate that you are saving this car rather than parting/crushing it. Many would not go that route and would take the easier path of getting a car that needed less work to bring back from the edge. There is something to be said for those who will do it the hard(er) way.

KDirk

the reason i asked about the window motor is if it is running, it may be another problem - one that i and others have had are dirty front and rear guides or crudded hinges that hook up to the window and regulator.

it's fairly easy to check this without removing the door panel. with the window around halfway down, spray the guides and any rollers, hinges, etc. with PB Blaster or a similar product. power the window up and down a few times. that may take care of the problem.

since it seems the window goes off angle near the top, it could possibly be a broken or loose roller, loose guide, a loose rivet in the sash channel, among other things.

again, doing the "lube job" above should rule the motor in or out, and guide you to areas needing attention.

do you have a "Factory Service Manual"? having one will help tremendously!

and, thank you for saving another one from the "crusher"!

One thing off the list - got the shoulder bolt on the headlight fixed so the headlight won't flop around. It apparently rattled loose then rusted there. Didn't even look like it had threads til I worked on it with some 3-36 oil for a few minutes. The headlights work so smoothly now and I'll check tonight on my way to work if the alignment is better. The plastic bezel was hitting the marker light housing due to the loose bolt. All better now.

I also decided there's no way in hell I'm doing the window motor alone. I read the ROJ tutorial and it did not look like a single person job. I have the AC Delco 11m23 sitting on a shelf. There shall it stay, window will stay shut until I get some of the more pressing issues done.

Brake hardware kit came in today. Hoping to get the rear calipers working correctly tomorrow. It'll be nice if that horrid noise stops.

Sure thing, got down to a half tank today and the fuel smell is gone. That should rule out fuel lines, because they shouldn't leak only on a full tank(or after the car has been parked for a weekend). If it was fuel lines, I would think it would leak all the time the car runs. Something in the top of the tank is leaking. I'm going to replace the tank and straps. It's not too expensive and it would look better.

... One last thing. When I was booted from my parents' house, working lots of OT and in college full time, I bought my 1990 coupe. I learned so much about mechanical work having to wrench on it myself, it was the first car I owned in my own name, first car I made payments on(well, for three months), and between school and work, I slept in my Reatta three days a week. Through some really hard times legally and personally, wrenching on this thing kept me sane. I've been told it would make a better parts car, and that doesn't offend me, but that won't happen short of irreparable damage. Thanks for helping me save this thing.

Checking back in. I got to the brakes today. The strut dust cover was loose too, eliminated that noise. Thanks to user my3buicks for the pointer. I went to pull the driver side caliber and noticed my brand new wheel bearing has at least 1/8 inch play in it. Changed back to an old noisy (but not loose) one for now and gave AutoZone a thorough earful. I got the hardware kit on the driver side and boom, noise gone. Pulled the passenger side and the piston is leaking. Didn't bother with hardware, I'll be trekking out in the morning to acquire a Riv caliber from a boneyard. I'll change over the caliber Saturday and the wheel bearing Wednesday if all goes well. If that ain't a kick in the pants, huh?

Oh, btw, I bought a CC servo, should arrive in a few daysm