Nile

I happened to see an 87 Monte Carlo LS the other day, and being the kind of person I am, my reaction wasn't "Neat old Chevy", it was "Those headlights might fit a TC". I did a little research and the 1986-88 LS (not SS) Monte Carlo headlights look like they might be workable. Has anyone ever checked them out?

Car looks great - were I in the market for a third yellow 16v car, we'd be talking. Over the years I've found that minor, but obvious details can matter a lot. With that in mind I think adding the fender badges, installing correct plug wires and losing the "Maserati" script on the trunk would increase your chance of selling the car, particularly to a non-TC person. It's the right time of year to be selling a convertible and the TC is on a lot of folks' radar as a "future collectible". I really think you'll get your price, or very close to it.

Only thing I can think of is mileage - a lot of the vehicles BaT sells have real or even unreal low mileage. I think the TC they sold in August had very low mileage, but an odometer issue, which is normal for a TC and was sold "true mileage unknown". From the standpoint of someone who likes to actually use his toys, I'd much rather buy a 30 year old car that has been driven a couple of thousand miles a year than one that has sat idle most of the time.

If BaT will "accept" your car, which they should, you could crack 5 figures. EBay can be a real ordeal. I think our TC's are finally starting to move up in value, especially the 16v cars, so you could justify keeping it as an investment. As far as what it's worth I agree that less than $8,000 would be close to fire sale territory. You never know what this post will stir up, as a club member might be interested. I'd say a fair price would be in the $9,000-$10,000 range. - Nile

Since it's not April 1st, I'll go for it. I'll buy a set for the $25 plus shipping. Cheapest way is fine. My zip is 14870. Send me a pm so we can arrange $ and shipping. Thanks Marty - Nile

I agree with everything above and use Mobil 1 in all my 16v TCs except one. For some reason, I'm assuming better lubricity, my 89 oozes Mobil 1, but if I use the same viscosity regular oil it does not leak. At least it wasn't as bad as a buddy who switched his new Subaru to a 0 weight synthetic - had quite the puddle on the garage floor the next morning.

Currently on Copart is this TC which actually looks worse than the pink one.

I noticed your car had the hard top on. For whatever it's worth - on all of my TC's the hardtops leak and the soft tops do not. I don't know whether that's due to a design or manufacturing flaw (that the hard tops leak, not that the soft tops don't). The soft tops are easy to adjust which may help the situation. Now if I could only adjust the soft top on my S200 I wouldn't have to have a rag handy!

That "winning" bid doesn't vibrate right to me. No one who's into TC's would bid that much for that car given the color, miles, wheels, seats, etc. I also doubt someone not into TC's would open an Ebay auction that high on that car. It's located in Montana and it's winter. Lots of times people have a buddy open bidding on a "No Reserve" auction to get other bidders into the bidding process. They can claim it's sold, but it really isn't. I bet we'll see it again.

I looked all over when I replaced mine and never did find specs for the 16v engine cover nuts. The 8v engine calls for 105 inch pounds which would be about 8-9 foot pounds. I used that and it's worked out ok.

My favorite is the "California Car Cover". They're custom made for each car so they fit perfectly, even have "ears" for the mirrors. They're gathered on the bottom which keeps them on if it gets breezy. That's the good news; the bad news is they're pricey - over $100 depending on options & shipping.

That was my first guess, but it moves freely. I can manually put the needle at zero and it simply goes up and up.

The odometer in one of my TC's quit, so I installed new gears and it worked fine, however the tach needle only went up - sort of like an old school tell-tale tach. Naturally I ran the engine thru the upper ranges of the lower gears, convincing myself that this might somehow reset the tach, but the needle just stayed at redline. It would not go back down to zero. I put in another cluster and the odo , tach and all other gauges worked great. Any ideas?

I bet that 273 turned a lot of heads, no pun intended. If I remember correctly the Mopar small blocks of that era had a higher nickel content which led to greater strength than other V-8's. I realize the aftermarket has embraced the LS3, and they certainly are cheap enough, but I'm just not impressed with their durability. Two of my friends have done the LS3 conversion with their RX-7's and they do run well, when they run.

I agree - sure sounds like a bad speed sensor. Usually when they go the tach acts just as weirdly as the speedo. It's a cheap part, but is not the easiest thing to get at.

It's a 340 with some mild engine mods to get more revs (balanced, ported, hotter cam, recurved distributor, larger carb). Obviously, a lot of lightening.

Answer #1. - The lightest car, by 15 lbs under the S2000, verified by official scales, is the 'cuda at 2820. The TC weighs hundreds of pounds more. Answer #2. - While the S200 has the highest top end due to its aerodynamics, 6 speed tranny and 9,000 rpm red line; and the 'cuda wins the 1/4 mile due to its 3.91 gears and power, the 0-60 sprint is won by my wife's Infiniti - 328hp, AWD, 7 speed and traction control - it simply erupts off the line.

Since I'm as guilty as any of us as far as flogging a TC (all of it legal, of course), Hemi's comments got me thinking, and I agree. The TC is a wonderful car, having just about every convenience one could want. The driving dynamics and comfort are equal to most modern cars and there is simply no other convertible available in the TC's price range that offers what the TC does. While I thoroughly enjoy beating the hemi Challengers in autocrosses, including a Hellcat (rookie driver, so it doesn't count), one of my friends just got a Civic R, and it is just one example of the amazing group of performance machinery out there now. Even the used market has some incredible vehicles at decent prices, altho they are not convertibles. All that being said, there is one area that prevents the TC from being a bruiser rather than a cruiser - weight. So I've got two, highly unfair, trick questions for you. 1). Which of the cars pictured weighs the least? 2). Which is quickest 0-60? I'll do a separate post with the answers.

Hey Bob - You can add my new toy to the list - it's a triple black 1990 Cal emissions 16v car, VIN: ZC2FR1202LB206510. Thanks. - Nile

It's the little one - about 7& 1/2" long. Any recommendations on where to get one?

That's it. Works great on pine sap, decal residue, pinstripes, etc. Just be careful not to get it on your skin.

In case the cable or internal release are sticking and the safety catch isn't broken, have someone pull the hood release as far out as possible while you pull up on the hood. If that doesn't work, try rapping on the hood with your fist near the catch while someone else pulls on the release. Next attempt would be to spray some penetrant (PB Blaster, WD40) through the grill onto the catch.

Life is rarely this simple, but if your air filter box had a big rodent nest, your car might well behave that way. Good Luck - Nile

I just redid a couple using "Goo Gone". I sprayed some around the edges of the outer port hole and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The porthole easily came loose using a small plastic pryer. Then I sprayed a little more Goo Gone under the outer porthole and it easily came off. Either wear rubber gloves or be very careful as skin and Goo Gone do not get along. The emblem sheet is a decal attached to the outside of the inner porthole. By carefully removing the glob of sealant and using my plastic pryer to keep the decal on the inner port hole it stayed in place.

Just thought of another item - the windshield, especially if it is an original. I bet there are some folks on this forum who could tell you how to remove it without too much trouble.