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Engine bay questions, paint etc

Jan Larsson

Jan Larsson

Administrator
Staff member
Question moved. Original Q from Lynn (bravesoul1)


Where, what kind, etc. can I get radIATOR oem AND all I need with it Probable a water hose too and heater core? Any help deepluy appreciated/ Also paint colors for egine and parts.
 
Lynn,

Radiator and the heatrer core I picked up from NAPA ... they sell OEM style models just make sure you compare and pick up the right ones when they get them in for you.,

The radiator heater hoses Gates (who reproduced them) have pretty much sold out and only have the 1 still avalible ... however looks like carmotorsports.com still have them (for about twice the money you could get them for @ Napa) see: CAR Motorsports: Replacement 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Cooling System Hoses, TTA Cooling Hoses

When it comes to the paint color of engine and engine parts this is what I did:

Engine block black engine enamel from POR 15 .. Engine Enamel-POR-15 Inc.

Brackets that were originaly black I had powder coated sating black. However if you like to keep it 100% stock you really need to take one of your OEM brackets that still have good original black paint on it to match .. the original paint is fairly thin and a bit more gloss in it than what I got with the powdercoating I used.

Will drop you a line when it comes to the bolts and other Qs you had in the PM you sent me.

Hope this helps
Jan
 
Thanks Jan
I really appreciAte all your help. Car is at Dennis right now and undriveable. I am meeting with him next Sunday to pin down what has to be done and see what the cost comes out to be. Having issues with husband who doesn't understand importance of this car being stock. And I see no sense in not having it as stock as I can kind of like an investment (like I would ever sell it. Do feel validated when I kept saying the cooling system still wasn't right. When the heater core blew, finally what I suspected all along was right and I hD my suspicions about the water pump and radiator. This is really a lot of work!
regards
Lynn
Sick car 603
PS I paid the invoice for plates today
 
Powder is much more durable however it's also slightly thicker. There's also differnt types of powder but the company doing it will know (you hope) what to use on this type of parts. Suspension parts with a much harsher environment (stone chips etc) can use a different type compared to just the engine bay brackets.

Problem with paint is you chip it very easily then parts start rusting, if properly painted and oven cured they will last longer but if they use a rattle can and just paint them they will look worse quickly ...

Process is to get all metal brackets sand / media blasted to clean them to bare metal then either powder coat or paint; if this step is ignored it wont last long.
 
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Dennis mentioned the sand or media? blasting is what he would do. BSed on what you said I think powder coated would make more sense.
Is the link you gave me the hoses iz that also the heater core?
Regards
Lynn
 
Lynn - why are you putting such importance into originality? Paint is one of the most important things that determines a car's closeness to originality, and you have a metallic flake paint job on it. While I do not see anything wrong with personalizing your car, yours is no longer stock appearing. So don't worry too much about originality under the hood. Upgrades such as better performing aluminum radiators are going to help performance, and not change the appearance under hood that much.
 
I read that as long as you do not change the color of ghe car, even tho it is not the exact oem color they are not supposed to deduct and I kept it white. The paint really sets the car off and I could always put it back to what it wss if I wanted to.

To tfll the trugh I am conflicted what to do. I want it to be a collector' s car and I want the better technology that js 23 years advanced. At one time I thought about increasing the HP and modifying it and I know I would never race it - no experience or knowledge and would never risk wrecking it. So I am now where I want it ss stock as possible.

I wish I knew for sure what to do, right now a bit confused.
Lynn
 
bravesoul1 said:
When the heater core blew, finally what I suspected all along was right and I hD my suspicions about the water pump and radiator. This is really a lot of work!
regards
Lynn
Sick car 603
PS I paid the invoice for plates today
Click to expand...

It's interesting about Firebird heater cores. In my experience, they seem to expire like clockwork. In addition to my '89 white TTA, I own an '86 white Trans Am. At the 22 year old point the heater core went on the '86. At the 20 year old point, the heater core went on the '89. Fortunately I had both repaired at a good shop in Michigan familiar with working on American cars. Cost about $300 each. Here in VA I had quotes of like $1100 each - from shops that obviously had no previous experience. I'd say that most cars here are foreign makes. I save all car work that I don't want to do myself for my trips to Michigan.
 
bravesoul1 said:
To tell the truth I am conflicted what to do. I want it to be a collector' s car and I want the better technology that is 23 years advanced. At one time I thought about increasing the HP and modifying it and I know I would never race it - no experience or knowledge and would never risk wrecking it. So I am now where I want it as stock as possible.

I wish I knew for sure what to do, right now a bit confused.
Lynn
Click to expand...

Regarding a racing accident, I'd be much more worried about driving around the DC beltway - especially in construction zones. At the dragstrips that I've been to, accidents are extremely (1 in 10,000 races maybe?) rare - especially in comparably slow 13 second classes.

Regarding better underhood paint technology, if the car is garaged all the time (use a car bag with dessicant), sees just a few miles every year, never driven in salt, and rarely in the rain, if a part is sandblasted first, any 23 year old technology paint is going to hold up just as well as anything else available today. No need to get hung up on the "latest". For a car that is rarely driven, there is no need to do expensive powder coatings unless you just like a powder coat finish better - which is not "stock".
 
I did 2 heater cores in my 82 Trans Am. My first one went when I bought the car 22 years ago, and that lasted until last year and I had to replace it again.
 
With the exception of the one that went bad in only 7 years, I'm sensing a 20 year replacement trend here...

In other words, probably if the coolant is changed fairly regularly, one can expect 20 years of service.

The heater core on my now 32 year old Corvette is still original and still ok. I changed the coolant every couple of years though.
 
Both the 82 cars here have orig heater cores. They are lower mile cars, 22k and 31k. My TTA has the orig as far as I know. Heard thats a crappy job, so i hope I just didnt jinx myself.

As for stock appearing/collectiblity, I think its up to the individual what to do with their car. I am a total stock/stock appearing person, but I'm not that way because I'm worried about the cars value. Didnt buy any of the cars for value/worth/resale. I like low production/odd/"not what everyone else is driving" type cars.
 
So do I. I am married to a CPA and that is the only way I stop the fighting over what I want to do with the car. I have no intention of selling it ever. Plan to leave it to my son. He really isn't into cars so I have to really find out if he would take care of it. I want the car stock as possible because I strongly feel it should be that way, otherwise it is a hybrid.
 
So where do I get a heater core? I have had the car 7 years most of the time in very slow car places. One of which took 2 years to paint it (the one that ripped me off). Couldn't do anything about it because they had it torn apart. I don't know what the other owner did. I have some of the bills but not all and I don't see one for doing anything with the cooling system. The other cars I have had I always had the colling flushed, etc. about every other year.
 
Lynn, as already mentioned, you can get the heater core @ Napa as well as the radiator.

When I restored my TTA I opted for a factory look rather than factory 100% correct ... and I also opted to improve upon what came stock from factory but at the same time keep it factory looking.
 
jarredsoon said:
I have done heater core in all my T/A's other than the low mile cars.
Click to expand...

One would expect that. In addition to corrosion that builds over time, heating and cooling cycles obviously stress and aggravate potential damage. Heating and cooling metal makes it brittle over time. Cracks form. So if those low mileage cars got sold and somebody started putting some regular miles on them, it probably wouldn't be long before they'd be replacing the heater core. That's life. With use - comes maintenance.
 
kymmee said:
As for stock appearing/collectiblity, I think its up to the individual what to do with their car. I am a total stock/stock appearing person, but I'm not that way because I'm worried about the cars value. Didnt buy any of the cars for value/worth/resale. I like low production/odd/"not what everyone else is driving" type cars.
Click to expand...

My Dad used to work for GM and knew some engineers. He sometimes was able to borrow modified GM "test" or "concept evaluation" cars. Though the outside and inside of the car looked stock, the engine, suspension or transmission was enhanced for performance. Modifications were done to look just like regular production as sold to the public. Mimicking the theme of those cars is my "thing". Obviously those cars were "odd", "not what everyone else is driving". Perhaps that's your "thing" too. I make mods to my car that have as few visual tip-offs as possible. No braided lines under the hood. No funky colored jackets on the wiring. Just factory-like painted surfaces. No flashy chrome. From an engineering standpoint, chrome doesn't belong on an engine anyway - except the headers to hold exhaust heat. BUt I can do without that too.

If somebody wants to spend extra money on powder coating, that's fine. Looks very good and is more durable if the car is regularly driven in bad conditions. But my car is not driven in bad weather so for me, it's an unnecessary expense. I put my money into quality mechanical system upgrades instead.
 
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well said by Jan and Michbc3, low mileage 100% factory correct cars are great, but chances are you won't make a long trip in one without problems. to top it off not alot of people know the first thing about working on these cars. i go for function first with the best stock look next and even that is flexible, i may not be the best looking car going down the road but hopefully i won't be sitting on the side of the road :eeks:
 
stock cars are trailer queens ... i like to drive mine with 84# injectors front mount intercoolers an trans brakes and 9 inch rears just for fun!
 
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