Even After He's Gone, Dad's Teaching Me...

[Ratdog68]

Dad had this nice little car, an '88 Olds Toronado Trofeo. It's the "little one", like the baby Riviera and el Dorado. It's got some issues, but, still a SOLID little car.

When he was still alive, I caught him monkeying with the switch for the electric moon roof... fussing with trying to get the sliding glass to position JUST RIGHT (closed). So... I sat down with him and showed him how it works. "OOOOOHHHHHH !!!!" And, he smiled triumphantly. Well... I should've asked more questions, because he was fussing about water getting inside the car. I associated the "leak" with his monkeying and having an improper seal due to not allowing the switch/motor do what it's designed to do.

Fast forward a couple of years... I go over to bring him a small fan/heater so he can dry out the inside of his car, and find that he's duct taped all around the moon roof, and had a tarp over the car, and tied line to secure it. They'd mentioned they were using "her car" in the winter months, and "his car" in the summer. Again, I didn't ask why, and he didn't tell me. But, now he's damaged the beautiful black paint with his "fix"... and the headliner's hanging down... and... and... "crap". Ok, dad's getting up in years and battling serious health matters... and, it's just a car... ("crap"... sweet little ride though).

Fast forward a couple of more years... dad's died, my step-mother's died a couple of years later. I'd suggested she keep the car in the driveway at her place (she'd already given away her car, and had decided to quit driving) to give appearances that someone still lived there. Well... the poor little thing's now sat in my driveway for a year (after it came home), waiting for me to tend to it. Last time home, it got washed/buffed/waxed, battery charged up, started and given a test drive.

So... aside from the cosmetic issues done to it by an older person's neglect, and the few "bat it around" (parking lot battle scars), it's still a solid little runner, well equipped car. So, this time home, I've been scrubbing on the inside (OMG) LOL and in the process of working through one tire that isn't holding air (another trip to the tire shop is on today's agenda). A good scrubbing of the glass with RainX, some carpet/upholstery shampoo... I'm making progress.

Ok... now to the "lesson". ASK dear ol' dad WHY he's doin' what he's doin' (for those of you that still have him around). While cleaning, I've discovered something, factory installed electric moon roofs have drains that run down the front pillars on either side of the windshield. One of them was plugged up with gunk. So... now I'm on a mission. I learn from Youtube (I LOVE Youtube !!!) that often, there are also REAR drain tubes that run down the REAR pillars !!! Now, it's not a major deal to clean the drain tubes... but KNOWING they're there... and KNOWING that there's a leak problem helps a WHOLE lot. Dad was monkeying with the switch because he didn't know about the plugging drain tubes causing it to overflow and leak into the car.

So, I now have a plan of attack. I KNOW the front drains are cleared, now, I've got to verify that the rear ones are too... and, I'm also learning that foam backed headliner material is CHEAP. I've done the "emergency re-glue" to my pick-up a couple of years ago, so the job isn't "unknown territory".

Another "issue" is the dash cluster... this is an electronic gauge cluster (like the 'Vettes were using in the same era). After dad had died, step-mom had taken it to a local repair shop, and the guy told her it needed a new one... but that they aren't made anymore. Well... now that I'm tinkering, I'm finding that things come and go with it... so, I'm thinking it's got a bad ground connection... so I'm going to see what I can learn about that too. As long as I'm able to fix things on the cheap, I'm happy. Mechanically, it's a solid little runner.

I've also learned (from my last time home, working on the truck) that it's NOT a major expense to switch over from R12 to R134a when the air conditioner is in need of help... it's just a matter of draining ALL of the old R12 from the system, and using a conversion oil R134a to recharge, along with new nipples on the fillers that are R134a compliant (so you don't put the wrong stuff in by accident). "Nephew" not only has all the right tools for it, but works for NAPA... so, I can have the A/C system back up to snuff for under $100 !!! We did the truck last month. I see a recharge in the Oldsmobubble's future. LOL

If I keep this up... this little buggy's gonna have her dignity back intact and ready to roll for another good amount of time. At 25 yrs. old, it's a 50/50 car... looks GREAT at 50' or 50 mph. LOL It's old enough that it doesn't require emissions testing, gets good mileage, loaded with the comforts of home... and I get to enjoy the many good memories of when dad lived with me for six years after he retired (and before he married my step-mother). I was with him when he bought this car, helped him pick it out, helped him with a custom touch here/there, have waxed this thing untold times... and hauled him here/there with it for any/all of life's outings.

 

[FrankT]

Sounds like a great and worthwhile project...ahhh the memories!

 

[histopicker]

Awesome read Ratdog. Most often when I encounter a problem that I haven't dealt with before, I just envision my father fixing it and somehow I am able to repair whatever it is. I might not do it by the book but it gets done. My wife asks me "how do you know how to do that?" I just tell her my father showed me. Wonder how things would have been if he had yotube fu available to him? When my father passed he left me his old greasy tools, a shot out rem 721 .270. and an old ford pickup that was in no way fixable. That was all he had and as he saw it, all he needed.

 

[Ratdog68]

Dad Barely Had Two Nickels To Rub Together, But, He Made Due Just fine.

 

[Ratdog68]

Well... the sage continues. The flat repair didn't take... they were closed yesterday... so, this morning I showed up and told the guy behind the counter that I had a SERIOUS problem. I presented him a dozen fresh doughnuts and told him it needed a major hurt put on it... could his crew rise to the challenge? He smiled and assured me they were in GOOD hands. Then, I told him that their "fix"... "didn't". LOL My suspicions were right, the valve stem had gone bad. I'd seen a bubble appear yesterday afternoon while doing some MORE scrubbing on the wheels. I KNOW that the last time these wheels got any TLC was when I detailed the car for him on Father's Day (quite a few years ago now). Brake dust is baked on, and there's LOTS of tiny places !!! Anywho... new valve stem, and a happy crew with bulging cheeks and making "NOM-NOM noises".

Stopped at the local Marina and took a couple of quick pix of the car (will post 'em up later).

Swung by the hardware store and snagged up a "Temp Fix" for the headliner... while I'm doin' my homework and formulating a plan of attack. I got some of that flat (clamshell type) 02 piece track for putting Romex on the outside of a wall (very thin plastic). A 5' stick was less than $10 and the two halves serve the purpose of being bows that'll hold up the sagging headliner (for now) and allow me to see out the back window while driving. PERFECT. The proper repair will come later.

I also discovered that someone/sometime... has snapped some ears that tuck up into clips that secure the upper moldings above the doors (inside) when they were trying to see what was going on with the leak. Those moldings have sagged for a few years now. When I asked dad what happened, he just shrugged his shoulders (I'm thinking he didn't wanna 'fess up what happened LOL) Well... after looking it over, I'll just Fab up some splints of ABS (since that's what the molding backers are made of) and ABS cement them to the ears/backer... and they'll do just fine... (that'll be one more base covered) No more sag on those then.

Yesterday morning I took the sheepskin seat covers to a Laundromat and ran 'em through one of the BIG machines... and dried 'em in the sun all day.

I'd seen the kid (Friday) look inside the trunk when he was rotating the tires and working on the flat fix... figured he was inspecting the spare. Nothing was said, and I'm going to assume he got side tracked before finishing the inspection. Something told me to inspect the well/spare myself. Ugh.... the well was FULL of water and the spare was flat. And, (of course) Oldsmobile did a FINE job of making sure ALL sheet metal had some GOOD sound deadening material... so... it wasn't as simple as JUST sucking up the water. The wet vac got a GOOD workout this afternoon !!! Now, the trunk is open to air out for the next day or two while things dry out. Aired up the spare (will check it again), lubed the jack, installed the seat covers (smells fresh again !!!), lubed all the hinges throughout. I'd been wondering why I was finding one corner of the trunk was damp... water was sloshing up from the spare tire well, and wicking up the sound deadening material.

So far... all it's cost me is cleaning supplies and a dozen doughnuts... and quite a few hours of elbow grease... but, it's coming along !!!

 

[Ratdog68]

Not too shabby for a 25yr. old car.

Remember their ad slogan? "This is NOT your father's Oldsmobile !!" Well... THIS one IS. LOL (Mine's "black" too... an '84 Hurst/Olds)

 

[FrankT]

Nice looking blast from the past!! I had my headliner redone for $125 on a 4 door truck and it is better than new.

 

[Ratdog68]

Nice looking blast from the past!! I had my headliner redone for $125 on a 4 door truck and it is better than new.

I've been doing my homework. The backer is in need of some love. The water has caused IT to sag as well, not JUST the fabric separating from the liner. So, my plan of attack will include using that thin foil tape for sealing duct work... and using it to reinforce the backer as needed. I MIGHT even give it a little custom touch. If you take THIS foam, and cut it to the shape/design you want... and adhere it to the backer... then adhere the liner material and work the edges of the design... it gives you an embossed look. Anything... a flame pattern, lettering... whatever level of creativity your paws can muster. I'm toying with the "T" logo of the "Trofeo" that is also on the rear sail panel of the car. Or... the "Olds Rocket emblem"... m'be I'll just leave it plain... I've got time to kick it around.