Ok, I've got a 89 Firebird w/T Tops, body is supposedly a V6 body where the ac unit and vents were removed so that a V8 could be stuffed in it. Had the car for about 5 1/2 years and have had about 4 drivable months.

Things I need done, or to learn how to do are:

Find a short, good battery looses charge over time in it.

install a thermostat, right now its manually controlled at the fan/ac lever thingy

find where a water leak in the back is coming from(T Tops or Hatchback weatherstripping?)

Find out if my tires are salvageable:
http://www.imagemagician.org/images/...f/DSC00010.JPG

Fix the hatchback opener, it doesn't stay up when you lift it anymore

Needs new rims(granite curb is greater than standard alloy wheels) looking for the same ones I have, i like 'em!

Transmission needs a makerover, shifts bad, sometimes skips 2nd gear(or feels like it) and for reverse you gotta pull a Fred Flinstone open the door and push with a foot, after that the car kinda helps a bit. lol


So I know I can't do the tranny myself, but with some help I think I should be able to workout the other problems.

Only other possible problem will be the ignition. Its got one of those keys with the little black chip in it, no spare key and the main key is currently MIA. From my understanding if I can't find the key then its cheaper to just put a new one in. Correct?

Hoping I got this is the right forum. Really just need some organizational advice on what to do first and then I can pick them out and post in specific forums for the topic(sorry if this type of thread shouldn't be here.

Also how can I find a quality place to rebuild the tranny? what are things to look for?



Heres the lovely work area with the wellkept vehicle
http://www.imagemagician.org/images/...f/DSC00009.JPG


Thanks for sitting through this, yes i'm finally done babbling

 

Sounds like you have alot of work ahead of you. It will be expensive, but can be really fun as well. Just take your time, and do things right. As for the pic of your tire, I'd probably just get a new set. At least two of them anyway. Have fun though!

 

Problem is, how do I do them?

 

Hmm. That's alot of questions.

For the battery draining, it could be a number of things. I'd check the main ground coming off of the negative terminal. It will be attached to the frame/body. Unbolt it, clean the are up really good and bolt it back up. Past that, I'm lost. I don't know how to use a multi-meter so I know basically nothing about electronics.

The thermostat is a piece of cake. It's right where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine. should take you about 10 minutes. Just undo the clamp on the hose, pull the hose off, and the thermo housing should be held on by two bolts. Remove them and the housing, pop the new thermo in (make sure you have it in the correct way), and then redo everything in reverse order.

Your water leaks. For a car that old it's probably leaking from both places, but I'd suspect the T-top seals first. You can get new ones from the dealer fairly cheap and install then. It should be very simple. If that doesn't work, take the car to a glass shop and have them redo the hatch window. They'll take it out, put in new glazing/sealant, and re-install it.

As far as your rims, the best places to look would be the for sale board on this site, ebay, and salvage yards. There is a ton of stuff for sale from all of out members here, and even more on ebay. Salvage yards might have the wheels, but I'm betting they'd already been sold if they did have them. You could probably find aftermarket wheels that look very close to the same.

The transmission, I don't really know. It seems cheaper these days to find a used one and throw it in. Or buy a rebuilt tranny from a shop trading yours in as a core. You should have the 700r4 tranny, and if so there are a million of them out there.

Hope that helped, and if not there many more knowledgeable members than me here, so keep asking.

 

Can help ya with a few of 'em

Hatchback - I know of no quick cheap or easy fix. replace gas struts. They're about $35 ea if I recall at autozone, schucks where ever. Easy job, basic tools.

VATS key - Hard to decipher exactly what your problem is with this one. Do you have 1 good key & just want to get a spare? If so, take the good key or VIN # & registration to a good keysmith & they'll make you a spare for about $25. If you don't have a good master, you should still be able to get one from a keysmith using VIN & registration, assuming it's the original lock cylinder.

Battery loosing charge - how long does it take for the battery to go down? days, weeks or months? Have you had the battery tested? If you're convinced there's an unusual draw when sitting, disconnect your negative terminal & measure amps between the negative cable & the battery terminal. Anything more than a few (like maybe a hundred milli-amps) milli amps means something is drawing power. Look for map lights, glove box lts, anything not turning off completely. Aftermarket amps & alarms vcan drain the battery if not installed correctly. If you let the car sit for weeks without driving it, a solar trickle charger is great for keeping the battery up. $10 & up from Harbor Freight etc.

Thermostat - again, hard to tell exactly what your question is here. Are you looking to install the engine coolant thermostat? Which V8 ya got? LT1's are a unique thermostat, otherwise, grab one from the parts store & follow the install instructions. If this question relates to HVAC issues inside the car, post the question again with more info.

Water Leaks - Ahh, feel yer pain on this one. Some people will tell you all 3rd gens with T-Tops leak, but they are fixable. Start by cleaning all the seals & sealing surfaces. Lube them all up with a rubber seal conditioner. Silicone doesnt work very well or lastlong, try to find a seal conditioner product. Check alignment of hatch & T-tops. Adjust for best fit to seals as required. Dont make T-Tops too tight.

The '89 is a great body style, stick with it, I think you'll have a car you'll be proud of,
good luck,
Ian

 

Thanks guys!


Tanmanski, The VATS key as you call it, right now it looks like I do not have ANY key.and VIN does not match the key lock.

Battery losses charge after a few months, maybe 2 or 3.

Thermostat, yeah engine coolant thermo, dunno what engine I got. Is there an easy way to find out?

Think I'll start with teh seal conditioner thing, sounds simple

and yes i love the 89 body. All the little decals and stuff are removed and it just looks so smooth.




Thanks for your time guys.

 

If the battery only loses charge every 2-3 months, could be a bad battery, or you're not driving it enough.

As for the engine, it's very easy to tell the difference between an L98, LT1 and LS1. And I don't know of anyone that would swap a LB9 into it. Just look around here at pics of peoples engines, or post a pic of your engine on here and we should be able to tell you no problem.

 

Well, on the 93-97 f bodies VATS can be over-ridden fairly easily, see shoeboxe's excellent web site for a comprehensive how to...
not sure if the same procedure will work for your year tho..should be easy to find out.

As far as everything else, we're gonna have to know what engine ya got. As Don says, check for stamps on your block, or front of the heads, or take a digi photo & post it up, someone will know.

 

Ok, pics coming soon, need to clear some room to get there.