2seater

The gap between the bumper and the trim piece does have issues. It almost looks like the center of the bumper is pushed down somehow. The gap to the hood looks pretty normal so hopefully someone that has taken all of that apart will chime in. That trim piece between the hood and the bumper is just a flexible composite material and I do not know how it is attached to the backing framework but it looks like moving that an appreciable amount will mess up the hood gap. Hard to tell but is it possible the plastic piece front lower lip is warped upwards?

There are a lot of moving parts to get synchronized so perfection is hard to achieve but what I see looks pretty normal. The headlight covers have a limited adjustment where they are attached to the headlight bucket frame with studs and shim washers. I am not sure if the stop for the closed position itself is adjustable. The hood does have adjustable stops at the front outer corners.

I know I am getting far afield from the topic but I would be interested to see what he comes up with. I have always had issues with getting the exhaust back out of the engine bay due to the limited room between the anti-lock and the rear corner of the block. Getting exhaust to the turbo or getting a down pipe from the turbo are not a problem, doing both at the same time has given me fits.

Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing pinstriping being put down with a wheel fed by a small reservoir. So I gather no one else has an aberration like this? I suppose anything is possible during the first few years of its life and I have vague recollections of the previous owner telling me the car was purchased in the Detroit area. I am sure the car was not repainted judging by the number of paint chips but added after the fact when it was new?? Maybe. I guess I will have to look at it in detail when it comes out in the spring. I don't remember there being any sign it was modified on the original stripe but that's only going by my shaky memory. Thanks for the input.

I have no idea how it was applied other than it is painted. I have seen painted pinstripes being applied but usually on something that had an edge or some feature that could be used as a guide for a device with a wheel that maintained the spacing. It seems very long to be done completely freehand. Both sides are the same so if it was an error, it was repeated. I would think there must be a template of some sort, perhaps a tape overlay as a sort of stencil. It is a question I had been meaning to ask for a long time as my stripe needs to be replaced due to wear.

This is a very old photo of my car but it's the best I have at the moment. The thing I wonder about is the "flourish" in the pinstripe to the rear of the door. I tried cropping and focusing on that area but apparently I failed. I don't see the same sort of thing on the vast majority of Reatta pics so I am wondering if this is rare or the pinstriper had some latitude in their application of the stripe? It is definitely the original painted stripe.

Agree with Dave on the headlights although they were not uncommon during the era. I keep toying with alternative ideas but the latest segmented LED lights on some modern cars may have some possibilities.

I concur on trying the wiring upgrade first. The full battery voltage available will make a difference even with stock bulbs. It is a worthwhile addition to all Reatta's, even the late '90's and '91's with the added relay, as the stock wiring is quite small and long length.

Yes, then there's that.

My wife and I were empty nester's by the early/mid '90's and we bought an existing small wholesale/retail craft store for my wife to run. This also required a lot of my time as well. I worked full time but in order to make the business go, I spent a lot of time after work and on weekends. I reasoned that the one thing I had time to do is drive, and I thought that was the one place I deserved a treat. I started looking for a suitable Reatta after I saw a couple on the street and was intrigued by the design. The nice red/tan '88 I tried from a private party at a golf course community had the dreaded shudder at about 50mph. At the time I imagined serious transmission trouble so I passed. The few I found on car lots all seemed to have small flaws or were colors I disliked. Ironically my Claret '90 coupe was on a Saturn dealership lot, off my normal route home, but less than a mile from my full time employment. This was in early '94 and the car had 59k miles on it. The only real flaw was the paint on the front had lots of small chips. I contacted the first owner who told me he was a salesman and put lots of miles on it on one of our major east west roads also used by dump trucks and such which explained a lot. The one serendipitous item was just as we were pulling back into the car lot after a long test drive, the IPC blanked out and electrical problem popped up. That was a lucky bargaining chip, plus they had to repair it before it would sell. 24 years later, I still have the car.

Yes, that's the one. The visual of a V8 distributor with two missing connections explained a lot.

Yes, none of that would interchange. It sounds like an engine a friend has in an Anglia. Odd fire Buick 3.8, hot cam, four barrel intake all connected to a five speed manual trans. It really scoots in the lightweight car and seems to rev to the moon.

If you think about it, there are many times the suspension can be at full extension and the wheel turned. As long as the drop is limited by the attached strut, there shouldn't be any issues. I agree completely it isn't a bad idea to provide a measure of safety and support for peace of mind, but strictly speaking, it shouldn't be necessary. My .02

Yes, you are correct. It only works as the nanny and a sort of fancy charge indicator light. I agree an analog voltmeter has its uses as well as an analog oil pressure gauge. I stand corrected.

Doesn't the BCM control charging through modulating field strength?

Well, that would certainly change the look It would likely need a rear suspension upgrade as the Reatta only has a 450#-500# weight capacity rating. I don't know if the sister Riviera has a stiffer rear spring leaf or they just made up the need with the rear air struts?

A pretty wide chasm between the two asking $$$$? It does make one cautious about the legitimacy/legality but the parts would be worth the money alone if it works.

They definitely make a mechanical noise as they are in motion and some thump at either end but there are supposed to be a somewhat cushioned landing. I found I could make mine a little quieter by reducing the backlash in the gear drive. There is an adjustment screw under the cap inline with and on the opposite end from the manual knob. Manually open the headlight maybe halfway and try to push/pull on the manual knob while also moving the headlight bucket itself. If it moves back and forth more than 1/16" or so, you can reduce that by turning the adjustment screw in. It does need a little play so it doesn't bind the shaft but it will help if it is minimized.

That's way off if just off the charger. What's the voltage while charging? Usually around 12.8v fully charged after the excess surface charge from a fresh charge burns off. Normal charging voltage should be 1.0v-2.0v above nominal battery voltage as it nears full charge. Voltage will be low if the battery is pulling a lot of amps while charging. I would bet the new battery has a dead cell.

There really isn't a parts list. Almost all of the piping I have done is put together from junkyard manifolds I modified and then had ceramic coated. The turbochargers are swap meet specials or cast off parts, all the old Garrett T3 series, so housings and some parts can be swapped. If memory serves, one is from an '87 Turbo T'Bird, one from an '84 GN "hot air" setup and one from a carbureted '79 Riviera, a real mongrel bunch. I am not after maximum power, the rest of the drivetrain is still all stock, just looking for that little bit extra that is seamless in operation. Sort of a contradiction in terms. While I enjoy the journey and experimentation, I usually suggest one of the supercharged configurations that are pretty well sorted out and reliable if looking for a drop in. GM already did the engineering and did a pretty good job of it. Even that can be improved with some simple smoothing, matching ports, maybe a smaller pulley etc... Oh yeah, cost. I only purchased one new turbine housing for $230, but that was just to get a tighter A/R for the half engine setup, and not really needed. The rest of the stuff is junkyard prices or free. The most costly item is the ceramic coating for $200-$250 for each complete setup, but that isn't strictly needed either. Always willing to share and help if I can.

No doubt the Corvette is a bargain relative to it's performance and price. Since GM has been the largest for a long time, they are a good target for sure and easy to hit. Not a defense of GM, they have made their share of mistakes and apparent short term thinking. Just when they get a product to where it should have been at the start, it gets cancelled? At the same time, they have produced a lot of reliable daily transportation for millions.

I doubt very much you will find anything performance related for the vin C engine. I have looked and looked over many years and have found nothing. The later models, especially the Series II has a fairly good market. The mid 80's through the mid'90's was a fairly rapid transition time for the 3.8/3800 until the Series II which remained relatively unchanged for a decade. Some cross breeding is possible, like people did with the SBC, but only incremental improvements are likely without compromising the basic reliability, emissions and long life. Boost is the most effective bang for the buck IMHO.

I think Dave is right. When the first S/C engine came out in 1992, it had 40 more hp and 50 lb/ft more torque than our LN3. As far as I know, it still used the 4T60E transaxle, but it may have been strengthened in some fashion? It may also have some additional programming to reduce torque near the shift points? Maybe if there had been a '92 model???? About the only thing to do is build your own as many have done. When it comes to auctions, rarity seems to have little bearing? For whatever reason, Muscle Chebbies tend to have higher prices than demonstrably rarer models of the same era, even GTO's, 442's, GS's from GM not to mention Fords and Mopars. Sure there are exceptions, but that trend has been going on for a long time. It doesn't make sense to me, but hey, I ordered an AMC Pacer when they first came out in '75 as my first brand new car, so that probably explains a lot

Typical spot for intake manifold coolant leak is the drivers side rear corner. The intake manifold erodes around the coolant port. GM even recommends a leak sealant as normal in the FSM. The eroded area can be fixed with JB Weld or use a new style solid style intake gasket that doesn't have the imprinted o-ring. Agree a head gasket blown would be unusual unless severely overheated. I am assuming "thermostat froze" means it stuck closed not actually froze due to temperature?

10-4 on the heads. I detailed what I did with them over on ROJ some time ago. All the intake valves were replaced due to rust and pitting, as part of what ruined the rest of the engine from water intrusion. Was a real shame. The block is likely junk due to deep rust pitting in two cylinders. Appreciate the heads Dave