Jibby

You are, most definately, correct on that one!

Lol, at least you have some deer meat for dinner... even if it is emaciated and full of parasitic organisms!

Gotta love Autozone, guys... but they usually have what you need. Even if the customers are off-duty employees, and the entire crowd is Hispanic. Occasionally you'll see an African American, come in, but it's somewhat unusual. On rare occasion, some old white guy will show up, to see what kind of deal he can get on a part for his old Buick or Oldsmobile. They alway come in and go out with a look of disgust on their face, that reads: "What has this country come too?" I find that the people at most Autozones, are very helpful and knowledgeable about most things. I agree that their major area of expertise is, in fact, Japanese import vehicles. The last time I went, they even helped me with the "work" that I was doing on my T-Bird, in the parking lot... after I bought the necessary items from them, of course. Hey, if nothing else, at least we can laugh about the antics. What we have learned this week, is that Autozone is not the place to take your sweetheart/wife... unless she, too, likes to use profanity, extensively and exclusively, to describe car parts.

Hey, I'm down in Milford... where the hell are you guys? The only Reatta that I've seen, since I've lived here (2.5 years), is a white one that belongs to an old guy, who sold his house, on Route 739. I saw it once, while he was there to close the place up for the winter... or whatever he was doing at the vacant premises. I gave him the nod of approval, got it in return, and went along my way. If you're up in Lake Wallenballsack on the weekends, we should get together, so I can drool over your Reatta. Besides, I'm up that way, all the time, to go to the gun shops in Honesdale, Wallenballsack, and the State Shooting Range on Route 6. I'ma be out by Wilkes-Barre at the end of July. I have a Forensic Scientist Trainee test to take in Scranton. I scheduled it for after the BCA meet, in Batavia and the associated Reatta "meet" near Syracuse. I need new Reatta buddies to hang with, now that I'm a proud owner!

Yeah, but I can still radio in for other help... you're busted, sucker! You can't beat the radio! Still, it would make an interesting conversation piece. No high speed police chases for me... I don't do the beat cop stuff. You can think of me as a sort of detective. You see, in NJ, they keep changing the title around, to suit their new set of regulations and restrictions. It a convenient way of imposing edicts on us, in a semi-lawful fashion. I suppose that if you really wanted to shake things up, and had the money, power, and influence to do it, you could take them to the U.S. Supreme Court and win. After all, an edict is hardly a law... laws have to be sponsored by the State Senate and Assembly. Edicts are just temporary laws, made by people in Judicial and Legislative positions, who think that wield limitless power within the state. They fail to realize that someone is always bigger and better than they are. It's all about who you know, not what you know... at least in New Jersey. You can be a complete moron and still hold a high position in the state government and/or law enforcement, if you know the right people. That's why, next to California, I consider New Jersey to be one of the most corrupt states, in the Union. That's my humble opinion... but beyond that pointless bit of chatter, I still need the cash to do the work. I'm still strapped with unpaid bills and such. It's very hard to make a living in the U.S., nowadays. Nearly a third of your earnings go to various "taxes", and the rest is blown on the inflated prices of everyday products. Food, Drink, Plumbing, Gasoline, Insurance of all kinds, HVAC, T.V., Phone Service, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... We all know the feeling, unless we're in the upper 2% of the population that controls the country. By the end of the month, you wonder why you even work at all, when you're constantly behind in all of your payments and never have any spending money. It's hard to get the money together for a "new project". The monthly gasoline bill is usually around $1,000 for the entire household. That's just rediculous... but if I lived in Germany, I'd have to quadruple that amount... so why should I complain? Well, it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I'll eventually get to it... even if I put myself into debt to do it. I just got out of my post-teen credit card debt. What's another 5 years of monthly payments with rediculous usury (interest)? It is technically fraud to charge interest: Quick History Lesson: "The [Roman Catholic] Church held it [usury] to be a grave sin and the code was upheld by the civil powers. There were harsh penalties for those who broke the law. The regulation of usury was to prevent the separation of money from reality. Money is not a good, it is a measure. It is fraud to pretend otherwise, and constitutes theft. Usury is making money from lending money; it is making money from nothing." That's from an excerpt of a British newspaper article. It's the simplest explanation, that I have found, to describe the basis of usury and it's illegality. Gotta love the capitalistic ideals that we hold so true to, in this century. But enough of my rantings... this forum is about cars and this particular posting, dual exhaust!

Yeah, more information would be a good thing, for this particular situation.

I'ma have to look at that. I know I'ma end up, pulling the steering column apart to find the culprit!

Well, if it does nothing performance-wise, at least it may look nice. Besides, I can't see that it makes a big difference on an eight, anyhow... besides relieving some "back pressure". I think it does look good, in any event. Does the Jaguar X-Type need duallys? It certainly doesn't look like it does, but then again, it does make the car look nice. But in any event, comment noted... maybe my Thunderbird doesn't need a dual exhaust... but I think it'll like the V8 poser look. To tell you the truth, as I said, I like the balance, but I also like the fact, that in cold weather, you see two exhaust trails... call it immaturity, I suppose. I was gonna slap those V6 emblems from the Excape, on it, but I decided that it wouldn't look right. It'd be cool, for a custom car, but not for mine. I'd like it to be somewhat stock. Even if I do change the exhaust. If they'd make a nice after-market hood for the 94-95 series, I'd go for it, but they do not. Only a "Mach I" hood for the 89-93 series. Then I'd have to make it custom. I might as well put some more power under the hood, at that point, to go with the new "mean" look. Just a comment: I've never had any trouble with my '95 T-Bird. It's only the 3.8 V6, but it's still got a respectable top speed and handling, stock. I only had to replace the water pump, because it was 10 years old. The car was nearly mint when I bought it, at like 62,000 miles on the engine. The only thing that was wrong, was the passengers kickplate, which was cracked. I have the part to replace it, however, it needs to be sprayed... apparently Ford doesn't stock "Mocha" colored parts anymore... at least for the T-Bird. That rumor about it being "governed" at 99 MPH, is a total lie. My T-Bird will do 115 MPH if I so choose. I haven't pushed it beyond that, for the sake of the car... and the other people on the road. It can be very dangerous at those speeds, if you're not used to the car. I do need to put a heavier set of sway bars on the car, as it still sways too much for my tastes. It's a "sports car", it's not supposed to sway! Maybe some heavy duty shocks and brakes... then it'll be sweet. The brakes aren't as good as they could be. Even after I replaced them with stock parts! After a little re-paint of the passenger front bumper, and a scratch that I put in it with my rifled-musket, it'll be good to go. I was pissed about the musket scratch, and also about the scuff that an unweighted construction cone, put on it, on a windy night in New York State. Stupid NY DPW, can't keep their construction cones weighted. I hope that the guys who work on Route 17, screw up their everyday vehicles with some of their own construction cones! Laziness breeds contempt... in me! At least for this particular situation. No one likes their car to be messed up, because of someone else's stupity. Now that I'm calm again, I'll just leave off with this thought... will Jibby's Reatta become a Police Cruiser? It could happen. I need the specs for the prototype, if any. I'd love to use the Reatta for work... hey, you know you want to see it out on the road, doing what Buicks did for Law Enforcement, in the 1930's! But because of the sunroof, I'd have to put lights inside. Besides, I'm not a beat cop, so undercover is just what the doctor ordered, for this situation. If I could find a nice 1990 white coupe/saddle interior, sans sunroof, I may be tempted to sell my eternal soul to Lucifer, for it... and the chance to become a Buick Reatta first. A police cruiser on the road... instead of on the drawing board. I can dream, can't I?

I've been seriously thinking about a dual exhuast kit for the 1990 Reatta coupe. I think that my 3.8 Thunderbird is more deserving of one, right now. Super Coupe Performance, sees to it's beck and call, on just about everything. But in lieu of that, is there anybody who actually makes a dual exhaust kit for Reatta? Or do you have to have it customized? I think the car would look better. To me, in any event. I like the balance it gives to the rear profile. I wouldn't usually modify may car in any extreme measure, but I'm not sure that the exhaust would make a huge deal, if it wasn't chromed out and too large for the car. Not that I'll be entering my Reatta in any orginality contests. Besides, it can always be taken off and replaced with a stock or after market exhaust, of the original configuration.

Hmmm, I guess this one really stumped people... including me... oh well... I suppose I'll figure it out sooner or later. Probably, later! What a weird issue.

Heh heh heh!

Okay, so I did some work on the Reatta, yesterday. It was happy to see the light of day... although the various spiders that were living on it, were really pissed that they no longer had a home. I changed a headlight, to match the one that I had already replaced. I've been having a problem with the digital dash... sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Usually, it just states ERROR in the mileage box and nothing else is visable... HOWEVER... I was screwing around with the turn signal and I "accidentally" touched a wire that seems to go from the steering column into the switch/end-cover of the signal lever. The dash worked perfectly??? Everything came up, even the mileage. I'm confused. It can't be that simple... something is strange here. The wire looks to be stock, not some jury-rigged contraption. I have no idea why a loose connection inside the steering column would effect the digital dash in such a manner. Anyone have any ideas as to the reason for this mysterious happening?

I have no idea, as I said, I stole it from the www.reatta.net site. But I'm not too interested in the differences. I have to agree with the quote, that it is more likely an evolutionary change, than anything else.

I stole this off of www.reatta.net, it may be of some use to you. Road and Track statistics and what not. Year: 1990/1991 EngineDisp: 3791/3791 EngineLoc: F/F EngineType: N/N HP: 165/170 HP-RPM: 4800/4800 Torque: 210/220 TorqueRPM: 2000/3200 CompRatio: 8.5/8.5 Redline: 5700/6000 Gears: 4/4 Trans: A/A 1st: 2.92/2.92 2nd: 1.57/1.57 3rd: 1/1 4th: 0.7/0.7 AxleRatio: 2.97/2.97 DrivWhls: F/F Weight: 3730/3655 WtDist: 65/65 Whlbse: 98.5/98.5 TireSectWidt: 215/215 WheelDiam: 15/16 TireProf: 60/60 Cd: 0.41/0.41 Height: 51.2/51.2 Width: 73/73 GrndClr: 5/5 0-60: 9.81/9.21 1/4mile: 17.28/16.9 EPAmpg: 21.6/22.2 LatAcc: 0.821/0.82 Slalom: 59.4/59.5 LapTime: 208/204 Top Speed: 117.6/120 After editing that, because this forum didn't keep the parameters from the site, it came out to look like this...

Larry, I have no idea, but I don't think that the HP really suffers or in your case, increases, that much. To tell you the truth, it's <span style="font-style: italic">supposed</span> to be a better engine. When Chevy went with the tuned-port fuel injection in the Camaro, it ended up being a better car. For those liking the carbeurator, it was <span style="font-weight: bold">bad</span> , but I never had a problem with mine. In fact, even though the body was sh*t, the engine ran forever! I have no experiance with the 1991 model year, Reatta. But I can tell you that there <span style="font-style: italic">probably</span> is a difference. I wouldn't guess that it's a major difference, but it's still a difference, none-the-less.

Yeah, to tell you the truth, I really like the newest model Regal. I like the Century, too, but I like a floor shifter better than the steering column one. Now if I could find a Buick Regal in white with the supercharged engine, I might have to sell my soul... I'm so strapped right now, that a homeless man has a better chance of getting one. In fact, I'm still hanging on whether I want the newest Buick Regal or something newer, like the 2006 VW Passat, for my next vehicle. I love the Buick, but the new VW is supposed to come with an optional horozontilly opposed VR-6 engine at nearly 280 HP... and an optional all-wheel-drive. I liked the VW Phaeton, even if it was a rediculous idea and had a name that was oxymoronic. Phaeton = Old School Convertible. The new VW Passat will be a scaled down Phaeton. I still may go with the Buick, because I might be able to get one that's certified pre-owned (used, but under warranty), and it'll be less expensive. Besides, one should never buy a car, the first year they come out. It took four years for Jaguar to work the bugs out of the X-Type. The first year GTO buyers got stuck with the old 350, when this year, the buyers got a 400... and dual exhaust. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... I'm still "hankerin'" for a 2002-2003 Buick Regal...

An Opel? Oh god! I liked the 1913 Opel in white, but not the recent Cadillac clone of one.

Do not, I repeat, do not shell out the money for a new A/C! I'm not a mechanic or an electrical engineer, but I believe someone on the site may have the answers to this one. But what I do know is that mechanics are usually wrong about these things and make up just about anything that sounds like it may be the problem. What better way is there to charge you for something that isn't needed? Not that they really want to do the work in the first place. But in any event, if nobody here responds, take it to a GM certified mechanic. One who has worked on Buicks before and may understand the problem better than the regular lay-mechanic.

Catera? No, but I'm not sure if anyone wants a Cadillac Cavalier!

Hey, I actually know what a Studillac is and I've seen a couple!

By the way, reattadudes, this posting was, in no way, meant to be nasty to you or anybody else. I'm stating my humble opinion on certain vehicles and I've just stated the answers to some of your questions, as well as some commentation on your reply to my original posting. I would please ask everybody to never take anything I say to heart. I rarely ever make a nasty comment to anybody... well unless they're really deserving of it... but in any event, my postings are usually meant to be humorous in some respect. I like the people on this forum, I don't wish to become an enemy of anyone here. I'm only here to gather and give-out information that I feel is relevant to the posting it is associated with. And to find out about Reatta related events!

Ahhh, what I crazy weekend! Anyway... to get down to business here. Apparently, I pissed somebody off about MOPAR products. It's always a good idea to get upset about things, such as other's opinions on vehicles... (sigh) Well, I have no experiance with Uncle Bernie or Aunt Edith, because the simple fact is that I don't get my information from hear-say. I never base any of my opinions on anything, but I what I know, from what I see, feel, hear, touch, etcetera. I call it as I see it. Although I may be 25, that doesn't mean that I haven't owned or restored these same vehicles... and vehicles much older. My father's '63 Ford Falcon was a great car. People may have had issues with them, but we never did. Actually, I was talking about quality issues and restoration costs associated with the "Barracuda/Challenger/Road Runner/Charger" group, and some other vehicles associated with this popular line, although not necessarily a MOPAR product. I find AMCs to be of poor manufacture as well. I find the prices that some muscle cars bring at auction to be unrealistic for what they are. No car ever built is worth one million plus. And if you buy it, you're just an idiot. And that's a fact, not an opinion. Just buy one that's been a lawn ornament for 20 years and waste the money to restore it. It'll still be below the one million pricetag. As for Cadillacs owned. 1939, 1975, 1978. Would you like VIN numbers? Also, my father has had a few in his lifetime. We both agree that they're not what they used to be. No, I haven't owned any Northstars, but I've driven them and driven in them. I suppose that doesn't count, though, because I didn't own them? The W20 Factory Livery Package and some other additions to Livery vehicles are designed to keep the vehicle running for that many miles and more. If Cadillac did that with all of their vehicles, stock, maybe I wouldn't have any issues with buying one. Yes, things have changed dramatically, in the NYC area, since the 70's. That's why I left and moved to PA. Yes, many Italian men (and some women) still prefer the "White Diamond", Cadillac Eldorado... and if not an Eldy, then they go for the DeVille, Seville, STS, DTS, etcetera. I never had an issue with the ride of a Cadillac vehicle. The "power" comment was a joke, because I felt that it was quite a powerful vehicle. Maybe it wasn't funny, but never-the-less, it was meant to be a joke. The Escalade is reserved for "rappers" and other hip ganster wannabes, who wish to own the best, yet still live in an apartment in the middle of the ghetto. Yet, they never own the vehicle, they lease it until they destroy it, and then dump it back on the dealership. Or have it re-possessed by a financial institution. Even "mafiosos" know not to go there, it would be "unethical". Maybe their prize wife or kids might be seen sporting the SUV, but most "guidos" wouldn't be caught dead in an Escalade. And if they are, they aren't a real "guido", now are they? At least, not according to the Soprano's Or whatever MTV pop culture dictates as being "cool". Didn't Tony have a Suburban? Too much power? I guess you've never driven a 1971 Dodge Challenger 440 Six-Pack. I think most people would agree, that's too much power... but we all know we like it anyhow! I'm no longer replying to negative comments about my commentation. I don't wish to make enemies on the forum. There's no reason to do so. How do I know so much about vehicles in the New York/New Jersey area? I'm a warrant officer in NJ. It's my job to re-possess cars and other property when the individuals fail to pay their bills. Because they're too busy trying to act like Tony Soprano, without the money to back it up. I do it every day. I've seen it all. My father has been doing the same thing for 35 years. That's my experiance...

Oh, so you guys like the old Reatta steering wheels. With no airbag and looking like a reject from the sixties! Hey, to each his own... I always liked the 90-91 on the Reatta. Even the 1993 Mustang's looked better than my 1987 Mustang's steering wheel... to me, in any case. So, bleh!

You can try this guy... I'm not sure if your odometer chip is messed up, but I <span style="font-style: italic">believe</span> it is a completely different chip. Therefore, you cannot change the odometer reading by screwing with the dash. If it's just the dash having a brainfart, then you may do well with this guy. I have no reference to tell you whether he is good or not, but the service sounds fantastic. I believe that I may send my dash there, to be fixed. If anyone has any info on this guy, give us a heads up before we do anything. Hey, I wouldn't worry for like $150, you could give it a try. Give him a call and see what he thinks. http://home.comcast.net/~digital_dash_solutions/