Car Talk!

**RobRich** · December 10th, 2008, 12:47 PM

Expect to see more Maseratis being used as daily drivers. Used pricing has dropped considerably in recent months.

RedFury · December 10th, 2008, 07:00 PM

Solo, you can definitely get a nice paint job rolling the paint on. I don't have the link handy, but there is an article about a guy that painted his Corvair Monza in his driveway, white with nothing but rollers and some elbow grease. A year later and the paint still looks awesome. You'll need to put about 5 coats on to get enough to wet sand to a smooth, shiny coat, but I painted the topper on my truck that way, and it turned out pretty good. I still have to wet sand it and buff it out, but I'll do that this spring. It's been holding up great so far though!

I'll be painting my boat the same way.

**RobRich** · December 11th, 2008, 06:50 PM

Got quite a bit of cleanup work done on the BMW 750iL. Looking pretty good for a 1991 model with original paint. Would have taken a pic or two, but the sun was setting and rain moving back into the area.

Still have a little more work to do. Might get around to finishing it up tomorrow.

Actually got it inside the garage, along with the Maxx. It was close, but it fit after moving some boxes. Might have to rearrange a couple of shelving units to get better clearance.

The Talon is outside right now. If I hang on to it for awhile, I probably should invest in a breathable car cover, as I am not sure how well its dark purple paint job will stand up to the Florida sunshine on a regular basis.

SoloCamo · December 15th, 2008, 10:22 AM

I tested out some of my rolling techniques on some metal I had laying around...seems pretty straightfoward. Only thing I'm concerned about is wet-sanding...does anyone know the proper way to do it? I mean I've heard to just get a spray bottle and constantly wet your sanding "block" but I really don't feel like doing a few coats of paint and screwing each one up.

I also can't decide on a color...I'm thinking Black simply due to availability and ease of touch up, however the Jeep would just kind of look like any pickup on the road like that. Then again, with all black trim it would look almost blacked out. I can nightshade my spare taillights as well to match. Then buy a replacement Jeep sticker for the tailgate in white/red.

RedFury · December 15th, 2008, 07:54 PM

Wet sanding....have to use a sanding block, don't use your hands. Best thing is to use a mister out of a garden hose and keep the surface wet that way. Essentially you want to keep the sanding area flooded with water to keep the sand paper clean. You can use as much water as you want. The ideal feel would be that the sand paper never feels like it is "sticking" while sanding.

SoloCamo · December 17th, 2008, 03:48 PM

Thanks for the tip!

I just pulled 18.1 mpg out of the Jeep with about 75% highway driving the rest around town and lots of idling. This was under very aggressive driving (a few mini burnouts, "mountain runs", fun powerslides, etc.)

I'm quite impressed

I'll never doubt how much a old distributor cap and rotor can affect your mileage again!

**RobRich** · December 17th, 2008, 11:36 PM

Speaking of MPG, the Maxx averaged almost 32MPG on Interstate awhile back, and that little trip included construction zones and some urban driving. That is a pretty good return for a GM 3.5L OHV V6 turning 200HP. If opting for ethanol-free gasoline, the number might even improve to around 33MPG or slightly better.

**RobRich** · December 17th, 2008, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoloCamo

I'll never doubt how much a old distributor cap and rotor can affect your mileage again!

Definitely.

Curious, did you change plugs after the seafoam treatment? If not, you might be able to pickup a little more MPG with a new set. I suggest basic NGK coppers, but be prepared to change coppers every 5k-10k miles due to wear.

SoloCamo · December 17th, 2008, 11:54 PM

No, actually I didn't. I'm currently running good old Champion Copper plugs as over the years they have seemed to earn the best reputation on the Jeep 4.0. In fact the plugs I pulled out were NGK platinums I believe, or maybe Bosch, I can't recall, but they were in good shape. However, the coppers smoothed out the idle quite a bit compared to them.

Do you think the seafoam through the intake would have affected the plugs? I probably changed them about 5k miles ago by now.

I'm still amazed that a 20 yr old 4.0L I6 motor pushing roughly 180hp/235ftlbs torque with 133,000 on the clock can pull 18 mpg with my driving style, plus the fact it's an auto. Don't forget it's pushing a brick as well.

I'm also considering dropping in a K&N to replace the factory filter. Slightly better flow that will compliment my cutout intake airbox.

I can easily see it doing a good deal over the rated 20mpg on the highway with a light foot. Hell, it pulled about 19mpg last time I took a trip like that and that was with the old distributor cap and rotor

**RobRich** · December 18th, 2008, 12:19 AM

It is usually a good idea to change plugs following a Seafoam treatment through the intake. Lots of carbon can be tossed around and A/F mixtures can be off during the treatment, thus possibly leading to some plug fouling and/or premature wear.

Brand is largely a toss up when it comes to basic copper plugs, but whatever brand you use, I would suggest you stick with coppers for your older I6 engine.