1986 Cavalier RS Convertible
131,XXX mi., 2.8 V6, 4-Speed
Have not started it yet. Everything else works.
I would do a FULL tune up new wires,plugs,and filter,new oil and filter and once you get it running change the brake fluid,and trans fluid, and def check your brakes front and rear pull the wheels OFF and check ur drums,and front slide pins on the calipers.I would clean Battery terms,alternator,and ground wires as well.Being the car has sat that long doing these items reduces the problems it MIGHT have and especially the FUEL fitler!Add some seafoam to the tank I imagine there is some serious condensation in the tank!!! Cool car and get some more pics once you get it cleaned up.I would replace the belts and radiator hoses and thermostat,radiator cap,and flush the cooling system once running,This stuff I recommended will save ur a-- in the long run trust me.I would not drive it until you DO ALL this stuff bc it might fail due to age of car and sitting for sooo longgg.
I agree Ron, much as I just want to hop in and drive about! There is much work to be done before she hits the road.
Awesome find- wherehow did you hook up to it?
Interior looks good in the pics- usually the achilles heel in vert finds.
(Quoting a past member)-"Never underestimate a First Gen"
John Mac wrote:Awesome find- wherehow did you hook up to it?
For towing? We used a flatbed trailer with a winch.
John Mac wrote:Interior looks good in the pics- usually the achilles heel in vert finds.
Thanks. Looks a bit better now that it's been scrubbed clean (it was stored with the top down)
Smells horrible, though. Mildew. Any recommendations to get rid of that?
Found it advertised on the local Craigslist. $300
I traded the guy a 28" vinyl cutter for it. Took me 2yrs to actually be ready to get it home. (Suspended license)
Put on new brakes all around, new intake / upper engine gasket set, hoses, belt, filters, fluids and a battery.
Scraped most of the debris from the underside, additional undercoating everywhere. (5 cans!)
Still waiting on the exhaust to get here... (Saturday)
Now it's time to think about paint...
And I've tried everything the guide suggested, plus tried drowning it out with carpet fresheners. I guess I'll have to use the ozone generator we have at work. But it needs to sit for an entire day.
I might suggest 2 or 3 big boxes of plain old baking soda(leave in car) In the box but top lid removed.This helps absorb odor.Heck you could even remove the floor mats and LIGHTLY sprinkle it around and leave in there for a wk.Then go back and shop vac it out.This stuff HELPED me get the stinch of a dead field mouse who UMM died in my hvac blower motor.In short got in thru my shifter boot on my trk and crawled into the heater vent and could not figure how to go uh back the way it came.Fixd my boot,and used brake cleaner wiping inside the motor housing and totally anti bacterial soaped the fan wheel itself.NO odor after a couple of wks with my cleaning and baking soda box left open only.
Wow john that rust was hurting the floor pans.It def looks umm 100% better now.And Xavier I bought some replacement carpet from a company called automotive custom carpets (ACC) out of arizona good stuff and installed in my nephews 98 accord two yrs ago.It is molded and u just cut to fit(took me two days to it).I may post a pic of said work just have to upload off a disc I saved it on.Also another company out of atlanta ga stock interiors is another good place (and they will send carpet samples).
Where can a person get new weather strip kit for those convert tops?
Is that a sunbird RS ?
I also got a 1986 Sunbird SE convert that I bought right out of a farm feild just from a picture on the Internet. lol
Mine looks similar to yours yet different.
When I got it, the body and top were in good shap, but the motor , a 2.0 wasnt running.
The tow truck guy dropped it off in my driveway.......I opened the hood........What a nightmare. No rad or fan, no breather pan or snorkle, every wire in the engine compartment had the grouping tubes taken off them, thousands of skinny wires runing everywheres. lol All the wires had different ends added to them.
The CPU was layin in the back seat with another CPU., PWR windows didnt work, pwr locks wernt workin, radio wont power up tottaly,
SO to make a long story longer........Its all fixed and ALLMOST ready for a show car.
I got a repair book at Crappy Tire.........Located where all the sensors were and hooked up the wireing around the engine compartment.
Still wouldnt start, So next to check was the fuel supply system. I traced the F/P wireing back to the tank and found major shorts above the tank from being pinched between the tank and the floor of the car.
I dropped the tank, good thing I did as the fuel pump was melted inside the tank and two bare wires hanging in the tank. That could have been a disaster!!!!!!
I changed out the pump but it kept blowing the fuse when i turned on the key> turns out there was a broken ground wire that runs under the carpet on drivers side and is suppose to attach to the seat anchor rail> repaired that>>>>>>>>>>now it runs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so i removed the seats and carpet< repaired a small peice on the drivers side floor pan< painted the floor< took pictures< then put the carpet and seats back in.
Still needs a breather pan and snorkle and convert top weatherstripping. I just finished painting it, Looks like new !!
In my 98 vert I ended up just pulling out the entire carpet and starting from scratch. Seems like more work but worth it for sure.you never regret doing things the right way in te long term. Ditch the jute pad as mentioned. You can get more cheaply and easily enough. I ended up using carpet cleaner and one of those rug doctor machines. I also just ordered seals from soft seal, i know it's a third gen not first but the people there were very helpful
Good luck with it heck of a find
A bit cleaner now...
& Big 3 upgrade-
need some paint for that valve cover yet, anyone know of a matching color? I'll just find something close if not.
Xavier I used duplicolors engine paint and engine primer.As for color I used the low gloss black.Just remove your valve cover degrease it and wet sand and dry it well.Prime it with the ENGINE primer several coats (lightly and let dry).Then paint with the low gloss black several light coats over time for a good even coat and DO NOT install for at least 24 hrs so it will cure out and last a good long while.Napa sells this auto zone,advance do not.One can primer and one can paint is more than enuff.I used this on my entire engine when I did my resto paint job on my entire block and cover.Plus being able to put a new valve cover seal on it is a plus!!This color seems to be a really good almost factory color and take your time doing it so it will be nice and clean and oil free,and will not flake or peel down the road.I painted mine with several coats over two days and it will fully cure once it gets hot from engine heat.DO NOT RUSH this.The duplicolor engine paint is by far the best engine paint I have ever used and priming it makes it last a longgggg time and helps the paint resist oil and junk from wear over time.I used the same brand on my trks eng and super awesome and did back in march this year.Ok
