DAVES89 Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Seemed like a good idea "over there" so I thought we should have one here also. Not a "What did I do" but a "Does this make sense". I think I am on my last winter with the Black, as winter only driving in Wisconsin is hard on a car [ice, snow, and salt plus some very cold weather]. I also only have so much storage and I refuse to pay for storage. As you may know I just picked up a very nice 1988 Black/Tan Reatta for a crazy low price. So having said that I went to Gibson's [my local You Pick] and asked them after they buy the car from me as a junked vehicle, how much it would cost me to have them pull and then sell me back the transmission from the same car. Right now the transmission has about 50,000 miles on it [I bought it a couple of years back with about 5,000 miles on it. It had been a "plant car" at GM]. So it would be a great back up. They said they would want $125.00 [they will pull it]. I think that is a very fair price as I would have no labor in the removal and would have a great back up. Any thoughts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 1 hour ago, DAVES89 said: Seemed like a good idea "over there" so I thought we should have one here also. Good thinking Dave. I've heard is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so they should be happy to see this thread. 1 hour ago, DAVES89 said: They said they would want $125.00 [they will pull it]. I think that is a very fair price as I would have no labor in the removal and would have a great back up. You can't go wrong at that price. We know that the transmission in the Reatta are a little weak so you never know when you might need it. I wish I knew I would be able to get a transmission for that price with 50k miles if mine ever goes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I washed my car again this morning after having only driven it about 5 miles since the last time I washed it. I'm planning on driving it somewhere tomorrow morning to enjoy the beautiful weather we are having. Don't know where I will be going yet. My daughter wants to ride with me so I left it up to her to pick where we go. She said she would surprise me by not telling me until we are in the car ready to leave. The last time I let her surprise me she used the GPS on her phone to guide us and it ended up putting us on a gravel road going through the Smoky Mountains. Luckily I was driving my Blazer that day. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted August 30, 2019 Topic Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 56 minutes ago, Ronnie said: Good thinking Dave. I've heard is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so they should be happy to see this thread. You can't go wrong at that price. We know that the transmission in the Reatta are a little weak so you never know when you might need it. I wish I knew I would be able to get a transmission for that price with 50k miles if mine ever goes out. By spring I'll probably have about 65,000 miles on it. Still a very good deal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted August 30, 2019 Topic Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 Gravel road and a Reatta as nice as yours? For sure a bad combination. But good that your daughter wants to take driving trips... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, DAVES89 said: Gravel road and a Reatta as nice as yours? For sure a bad combination. But good that your daughter wants to take driving trips... I'm going t check her route this time before we head out. No more gravel roads for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Me and the Kat drove the Reatta to Uncle Gus's BBQ for supper this evening. It's like Cracker Barrel but a little bit more redneck. They have fantastic BBQ. There is a collection of antique stuff around the outside of the building including a real steam powered steamroller. Ever wonder where the group Buffalo Springfield from back in the '60s got their name? Yep, this company is where the name came from. I took the photos below on an earlier trip to Gus's but the place hasn't changed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 4, 2019 Topic Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 "For what it's worth"... For the uniformed or short memory that was probably their best known song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Thanks Dave. I hadn't thought about it but most people will probably remember that song better than they will the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 When I was driving on the Foothill Parkway this past weekend I turned on the AC when we were going slow through a small town to get there. I got a warning on the CRT several times that the Freon was very low. So, today I added a can of Freon and now it's cooling normally again. Every year I have to add a about a can and a half in the Spring after the car has been sitting, and I have to add another can about this time of year that will last through the Fall. It's not a real problem but I was wondering if other Reatta owners have to do the same? I have an electronic Freon detector [sniffer] that usual works well on other cars but it never finds a leak on my Reatta. My Reatta was changed over to 134a before I got it. Maybe they didn't put in new o-rings and they leak so slowly the detector can't detect the leak Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 17 hours ago, Ronnie said: Me and the Kat drove the Reatta to Uncle Gus's BBQ for supper this evening. It's like Cracker Barrel but a little bit more redneck. They have fantastic BBQ. There is a collection of antique stuff around the outside of the building including a real steam powered steamroller. Ever wonder where the group Buffalo Springfield from back in the '60s got their name? Yep, this company is where the name came from. I took the photos below on an earlier trip to Gus's but the place hasn't changed at all. You certainly have some interesting backgrounds. I'll have to work on that? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon L Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Today, I took a trunk solenoid and made it open the hood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 That's interesting. Does it unlatch the hood with the key fob? Or with the red switch? Give us some details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 54 minutes ago, 2seater said: You certainly have some interesting backgrounds. I'll have to work on that? I'll admit I do keep my eye peeled for a good background for a photo when I'm out driving my Reatta. I've been known to turn around and go back when I see a really good one. ? I think a good background can make an otherwise poor photo look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 4, 2019 Topic Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Ronnie said: When I was driving on the Foothill Parkway this past weekend I turned on the AC when we were going slow through a small town to get there. I got a warning on the CRT several times that the Freon was very low. So, today I added a can of Freon and now it's cooling normally again. Every year I have to add a about a can and a half in the Spring after the car has been sitting, and I have to add another can about this time of year that will last through the Fall. It's not a real problem but I was wondering if other Reatta owners have to do the same? I have an electronic Freon detector [sniffer] that usual works well on other cars but it never finds a leak on my Reatta. My Reatta was changed over to 134a before I got it. Maybe they didn't put in new o-rings and they leak so slowly the detector can't detect the leak Any ideas? The Red and the 'vert does not leak, and the Black's hasn't worked since the front bearing went out on the compressor. The Black 1988 that I just picked up still has r-12 and according to VinceVega it uses about a can a year. I'm okay with that. I did talk to an A/C guy years ago and it was his opinion that most freon is lost through the front bearing of the compressor. His opinion I don't have one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I think I will add some Freon with red dye after I'm done driving for the year and it's cooler. A leak should show up with a black light if I put the dye in the system. If the problem is the compressor maybe I can replace the bearing and seal. Don't think I will replace the whole compressor in order to save $15 in Freon each year but I do feel bad about adding to the global warming problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon L Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I took a trunks solenoid and trimmed and installed it as you see it in the picture. I connected it thru a relay to a remote unit. I t is controlled by a momentary fob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 12 hours ago, jon L said: I took a trunks solenoid and trimmed and installed it as you see it in the picture. I connected it thru a relay to a remote unit. I t is controlled by a momentary fob. That's thinking outside the box. If you could pair that up with a hood mounted like this it would be a show stopper when you hit the button and the hood swings open. I found this car on the internet. It's been around for a long time. I wonder who owns it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Too bad there is no way to search on a photo. I remember a conversion like that a long time ago, including the grills over the fog lights. I think that conversion used '89 LeSabre T-Type parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 5, 2019 Topic Author Share Posted September 5, 2019 5 hours ago, 2seater said: Too bad there is no way to search on a photo. I remember a conversion like that a long time ago, including the grills over the fog lights. I think that conversion used '89 LeSabre T-Type parts. You are correct on the LeSabre parts. Don't remember the guys name but he was "over there" for just a short time and then was gone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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