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Washed the Cobalt and used Turtle Wax Black Detailer on it to try and lose some of the swirl marks in the paint. This was my first experience with quick detailers, and I'm fairly impressed with the results. Not hugely dramatic, but worth the price for the bottle of detailer, which will last many many uses.
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Apr 10, 2011 21:40
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Washed the Cobalt SS just in time for a thunderstorm to roll in. Thanks, mother nature. At least it isn't covered in bird poo poo anymore.
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Apr 26, 2011 04:51
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Cleaned all the brake dust off the wheels of the Shelby. A very uneventful day.
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May 12, 2011 02:14
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Took the front license plate holder off the Cobalt SS since we don't have front plates in PA. This involved removing the headlights, headlight brackets, and bumper cover to remove the bolts from the backside of the bumper cover. Before: After: 
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Jun 4, 2011 00:47
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wav3form posted:It looked better with the plate because now you have three ugly holes. They're plugs.
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Jun 4, 2011 02:48
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Tried taking the top off of the Bronco only to discover that I need a T40 security torx bit to take it off...
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Jun 6, 2011 02:00
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Finally got the top off my Bronco! Had to order a Security T40 bit to take the bolts off, and one bolt was stuck. A little WD40 and some impact gun action and it came right off. Took a total of about 30 minutes including removing the top with the help of my weak-wristed wife.
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Jun 7, 2011 14:43
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Sold my 72 Baja Bug to an out-of-stater.
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Jun 10, 2011 01:42
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Today I used the Turtle Wax Black Box on my Cobalt, and it looks pretty good for only taking an hour of my time. Tomorrow will be the new intake install. I broke the breather nipple on the stock intake by daring to put a new air filter in (stupid brittle plastic junk), so I just went ahead and ordered the AEM kit that I was planning on ordering in the future anyway.
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Jun 16, 2011 14:49
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Well, I was impatient and put the intake on tonight. During my test drive, no CEL's and no hoses popping off. Sounds incredible under boost, and I actually heard my recirculating valve for the first time. At low boost, it sounds like a goose. Edit: Picture! 
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Jun 17, 2011 03:16
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Did a super quick black-out spray bomb job on the bow ties on my Cobalt. It's mostly an experiment to see how they'd look, and I like it. If they get lovely soon, I'll pull them off again and actually prep them and take my time.
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Jun 25, 2011 15:56
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Ordered a slew of parts for the Cobalt SS: 3" downpipe and cat-back exhaust, Trifecta tune and update cable, Injen hard intercooler pipes, a shoty antenna to replace my humongous scratched-up one, a center console/arm rest (my car doesn't have one from the factory), and new headlights with black housings. The exhaust isn't available until Friday, but hopefully everything else will ship ahead so I can put it all on.
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Aug 2, 2011 13:31
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New Intercooler pipes: New center console/arm rest (never mind the scratched up e-brake)  New headlights.  I also got my downpipe and my tune/PCM update cable, but I'm waiting to install those until my cat-back comes next week.
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Aug 7, 2011 01:13
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Got new wheels and tires on the Bronco. 15x8 American Racing wagon wheels with 31x10.50x15 BF Goodrich A/T KO's. Definitely looks better than the stock wheels with sketchy clearcoat and no-name highway-tread tires.
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Aug 14, 2011 00:04
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Sat by my front door all loving day waiting for FedEx to drop off my exhaust, and they didn't deliver it because they said I wasn't home. Literally, all day by the front door. Now I have to drive out to pick it up at the sorting facility tomorrow morning because I don't trust those fuckwits to get it right the second time.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:20
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Sponge! posted:Ahahaha, having had the same experience, have you called them and TOLD them to "TAKE IT OFF THE TRUCK!" yet? If not, well, you'll pass it on the way to the depot. Yeah I called right away to have it held at the depot. Picked it up today and went to install it, but since I am doing the full turbo-back, I needed to get the down pipe off too. That didn't go so well. My electric impact didn't have enough gusto to get the bolts off, so I am taking it to the shop across the street for them to take the down pipe off and install the new parts. So for now it's sitting with just an open down pipe until Monday, good thing I have several backup vehicles. Additionally, I am no longer in good enough physical condition to be doing this poo poo any more. Being on the ground under the car wreaked havoc with my busted hip and shoulder. I guess I will have a lighter wallet for some projects. Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Aug 19, 2011 |
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Aug 19, 2011 22:32
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FINALLY got the turbo-back exhaust installed on the Cobalt. What an ordeal. When it was on the ground, I couldn't get leverage to remove the nuts holding the downpipe to the turbo, and when it was on the lift, the bottom two studs pulled out and stripped. Luckily, the threads in the turbo itself were fine, and a quick jaunt to the auto parts store found me with new studs and nuts in hand, and the rest of the install went easily. Sounds great, looks great, and along with the intake and Trifecta tune, should put me at about 300whp.
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Aug 23, 2011 01:18
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hedge posted:Installed the accessory armrest in my Mazda 2. The pieces: I recently did this on my Cobalt SS. It could have been less of a pain to line up the brackets, but overall for such an easy job, it's a big payout in terms of comfort.
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Aug 26, 2011 13:28
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Installed a new rear window switch in my Bronco. Bought one off eBay for $10 when every other seller wanted $40-50. Installed it and it works perfectly and I don't have to get out and use the key to open the window.
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Aug 27, 2011 22:53
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The aftermarket leather steering wheel cover in my Bronco had been degrading seriously over the past year, to the point of flaking off in my hand and feeling disgusting to the touch, so I removed it. I just used some surgical scissors to cut the string, and pulled the cover off. Underneath, the stock plastic wheel was perfect, so I hit it with some adhesive remover and then rubbing alcohol. Feels like a new truck. I also WD40'd the locks because they were sticking, and now every single thing on that truck works. List of stuff I've fixed in the past year: New radiator - $150 New battery - $90 New rear window motor - $50 New rear window switch - $10 New headlights - $40 Got tailgate to open - Free So, $340 on top of a $2k truck. Not bad considering It passed PA inspection last year and this year without needing any work. I also put new wheels and tires on it, but I am not counting that in the "had to spend" category, but in the "wanted to spend" category.
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Sep 9, 2011 23:13
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Didn't uncover the Shelby. Again. It's been under the cover for weeks now, and hasn't been started in just as long... I should probably go drive it at some point.
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Sep 25, 2011 20:04
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It's weird. Here in PA, some cars rust, and some don't and it seems random to me. My 96 Bronco has lived in PA its whole life and there is only a patch of rust above the right rear wheel; that's due to stones and mud being up in the fender (WTF?) for an unknown amount of time. I know the people I bought it from and while they take care of their vehicles, I doubt they washed it on a regular basis. Today, I washed and waxed the Cobalt SS. It's been raining pretty constantly for like 2 weeks so the car was filthy, and it was covered in red bird poo poo because I had it parked under my tree yesterday. The birds like to eat the berries off of my tree and immediately poo poo on anything under the tree. It feels SO good to have that car clean again.
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Oct 5, 2011 15:07
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Podothehobbit posted:With the long weekend I finally had some time to take the car to the local exhaust shop and get a new turbo exhaust system installed. The car sounds more aggressive then any Yaris is meant to be with the upgraded piping + Magnaflow 2.25" exhaust! I got a few thumbs up on the drive home haha. That muffler looks like it hangs down way too far below the bumper. Did you try tucking it up at all? Or is it just a weird camera angle?
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Nov 26, 2011 05:38
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Splizwarf posted:What do you mean by "standard"? Ford did that a lot. Standard meaning manual transmission.
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Dec 18, 2011 19:42
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This is more of what I did for my car rather than to it, but I bought a set of flat stoppers from race ramps for the Shelby since it will be parked all winter. Pictures and impressions to follow once they arrive.
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Dec 20, 2011 03:57
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evilnissan posted:My old Honda CB900C will make up for driving a boring car. A Kia Soul has lots of space? The trunk is like the size of a briefcase. I couldn't even fit a stroller in it when the wife and I were looking at one!
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Jan 26, 2012 16:04
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Detroit Q. Spider posted:Wow, that sucks. Was the wing optional on SSes at least? It's hard to find 18" steelies. My SS can't go smaller than 18" because of the brakes. Also, the huge wing was optional. There was a standard small wing, but 90% of SS cars have the big wing. People still don't expect a Cobalt to pull on them, no matter what the wing or badges say. There are so many "clone" SS cars around here that seeing a real SS is always a surprise. I also never see any other turbocharged ones, just the supercharged ones. Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Jan 28, 2012 |
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Jan 28, 2012 02:00
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Detroit Q. Spider posted:That's crazy. How wide are the tires? Does the car really need discs that big? The tires are only 225mm wide, but the car has Brembo brakes. Super Aggro Crag posted:Do you have upgraded brakes? I read that the 16" Pontiac G5 5-spoke steel wheels will fit on a SS/SC (although I know you have the SC/TC). My pops works for a company that delivers OEM car parts to body shops and mechanic shops so I can probably get a discount on some for my winter tires. Stock Brembo brakes. I guess technically I can go 17", but finding a 17" wheel in an offset that will fit over the calipers is really difficult. Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Jan 28, 2012 |
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Jan 28, 2012 16:00
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Super Aggro Crag posted:Gave my car its first wash today. Never owned a black car before. Its going to suck keeping it clean isn't it? On mine, the wing moves the air in a way that makes the trunk lid and top of the rear bumper dirty, while the sides of the car stay relatively clean. Get the Turtle Wax Black Box. You'll like the results.
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Feb 3, 2012 21:47
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Took the G8 to DC and back. First real road trip. 5 people, a trunk full of poo poo and some city driving around DC= 24mpg. The tank would have made it just shy of 500 miles. Not too terrible for a 6.0L V8.
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Feb 13, 2012 01:10
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Washed the Shelby tonight after work. Only the second time in like 18 months of ownership, and mostly just because the wheels were dusty as poo poo...
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Feb 18, 2012 02:43
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Washed the hell out of the Cobalt today and saw that my wheels have some chips in them, which disappoints me. I also feel the need to Plasti-Dip the car now. Edit: is this breaking tables for you guys? I resized it in Imgur but it won't change on my monitor even after clearing my cache. Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Feb 19, 2012 |
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Feb 19, 2012 23:47
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Super Aggro Crag posted:Where'd you get the shorty antenna? Looking to replace the 10ft tall antenna on my SS/SC. Modern Performance. $20 if I recall correctly. You will lose radio clarity, but I use my iPod all the time so I never notice. Imperador do Brasil fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Feb 19, 2012 |
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Feb 19, 2012 23:50
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bull3964 posted:I got both the '02 and '11 washed today thanks to the nice 70 degree day in PA in loving march! Got the inside of the '11 all cleaned up as well. I also decided to swap the all-seasons back on the '02 and shelve the snow tires. Winter is dead. This has been the warmest winter in my 12 years in PA. Not that I'm complaining, as this whole week in central PA is supposed to be around 65 degrees.
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Mar 13, 2012 01:04
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Not my ride, but a friend's. Done at my house so it counts mostly. Installed a Magnaflow exhaust on a 2007 Hummer H3.  
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Mar 24, 2012 18:24
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Anticipation of what is to come:
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Mar 28, 2012 01:43
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Installed my Magnaflow axle-back on the GT500. What mufflers? 
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Mar 31, 2012 01:19
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Das Volk posted:Shouldn't the rears on a car with that kind of power be a lot wider? The rears are 285's, but they can't really cope all of the time. So the answer to your question is YES. Add to that the fact that they have very little sidewall and it makes it tricky to get a proper take-off.
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Apr 1, 2012 16:02
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Took the wife's G8 to the drag strip for t he first time. Ran a best of 13.24 @ 105mph without really launching the car. I was just left-foot braking at the line and leaving basically at idle. If I can get my 60 foot time a bit better, I am confident it can run in the 12's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnIxX_9iKqU
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Apr 7, 2012 03:40
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 15:53 |
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Rhyno posted:I tried my hand at doing that today for the first time, sadly my first coat was kind of lovely and it was loving windy as hell so I aborted the project for the day. Will give it a second go later this week. Make sure your cans of plasti-dip are warm before you start (like room temperature). I plasti-dipped my drag racing helmet when my can had been outside for a few days, and it came out all globby so the final product was textured, when it would have been smooth if the paint were warm. I plasti-dipped my motorcycle frame on a 70 degree day and it came out perfect.
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Apr 24, 2012 13:23
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