Hey, All!
1758 is doing fine. I have a couple questions which may lead to
improvements in replacement parts, etc. and a tip or two...
If you are considering buying an air door kit or a new compressor, read
this: There is a Thomas brand compressor available from Grainger that is
powerful enough for use with air doors and costs much less than what the
Bricklin vendors are currently selling. I know of one owner besides
myself that uses this compressor. It runs off 12 VDC and uses 10 amps.
It is an industrial compressor which is rated for contiunuous duty.. If
anyone is interested and needs a model number, part number, etc. email
me. Grainger sells the compressor for $160. If you look in the catalog,
the compressor is listed as having a max output of 100psi. I was able to
use it to fill my tank to 135 psi!
If you are looking for a way to make your 1/4 windows look better, follow
the tip I got from Stan Fransen. He removes the 1/4 window, gets rid of
the gasket, smoothes out the rough edges of fiberglass, and mounts the
window in place without that ugly gasket.
For those of you who have the full length center console, you might want
to consider using it as a place to mount an air pressure guage for your
doors, and a cigerrette lighter socket for those nifty car
accesssories...no smoking, please.
I hear that the scuff plates are quite rare. Maybe an improvement can be
made here. On each side there is a "lip" used to hold the door gasket in
place. If someone could come up with aftermarket plates that have the
"lip" all the way across, and a slight incline set the right way, we can
drill a drian hole or two the way Sandy Bigman describes in the April
1998 Brickline (Tech Tip-Waterproofing) and have added assurance that
water will not creep inside.
It would also help to drill drain holes in the bottom of the door frame.
My car does not appear to have any, but perhaps other cars came with
them....
Now for a couple of questions.
With the headliner panel removed, you will see wires. Some will probably
be hot. Others will be ground wires. On 1758, there is a wire that
concerns me. It is very old, and the insulation is chipping away to the
point where the bare wire is partially exposed. Unfortunatley, some of
this is happening between the roof T-section and the birdcage, where you
cannot see. Though I carefully tested to make sure this wire wasn't
going to short out and result in Fried Brick, I still am concerned. This
wire is coming from the center hole approximately in line with the air
cylinders. There are two ground connections that are secured where the
door adjustment bolts are in the T-section. If I disconnect them, will I
still have functional tail lights and brake lights? Furthermore, if the
wire in question is indeed hot and for some reason hasnt shorted yet, I
do not know if disconnecting the ground connections will help. The wire
could very well still have current in it, and upon contact with the
birdcage, could short out and thus defeat the purpose of disconnecting
the ground wires. It is impossible to wrap the wire with tape since i
cannot get to the area that concerns me. I can send a photo of the wire
in question for those who can help. If you havent checked the wiring
behind the headliner panel, I suggest you do so before your next test
drive! I'm just the lucky one....somebody out there could have a short
waiting to happen and not know, simply becaue its hidden. I would
disconnect the wire from the power source, but I dont know what its for
or where it goes...I am having trouble tracing it.
And lastly, for those who are upgrading to air doors from hydraulics, and
are removing the four large solenoids in the control box, beware! Before
the mishap with the air compressor as described in The Brickline, April
1998-Almost a Catastrophe, I removed all the wires from each of the four
solenoids, cutting off the metal connectors as I went so a stray wire
would not touch ground and short. One bolt on the 3rd solenoid down was
stripped and had to be forcibly removed with a hammer and chisel. As I
was working there in the control box, a momentary short occurred while
removing a solenoid bolt. I stopped what I was doing and looked for any
wires that were still connected to the solenoids that I might have
missed. there were none. The only possible electrical connection to the
solenoids would have been the metal plate they are mounted on, which
would most likely be ground and not hot. I know I was not touching a hot
wire that I had cut, but my wrench connected two metal points that made
the short appear again. After looking a second time, I could not find a
cause. I found a safer way to remove the hydraulic junk, and can't help
but be curoius as to the presence of a "hidden" electrical connection
there. If you're removing the solenoids, disconnect the battery! I know
its a pain in the neck, since ya have to lift the heavy thing and keep it
lifted while you disconnect ground. Trust me...its worth it. And while
your'e at it, itb would be nice to add a Battery disconnect switch since
half the job is already done. Then all you have to do is turn the
key...no more battery lifing required.
I would love to hear from you if you have questions, or comments,
corrections, etc. I hope to see some of you at the CBO Christmas dinner
on the 6th. You can bet your life I'll be there!
Later....
Riley Marquis III
VIN 1758
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