My wife bought me a Retrosound Hermosa stereo and Pioneer 6x9s for the Chevelle for Christmas. So, added to chasing down and fixing the coolant leak and getting my headlamp that blinks sorted out, I have a stereo/speaker install to do. Why wait until spring? I don’t have a heated garage/shop space and I’m not going to drive it on salty roads to another location. I’ve decided that I’m just going to leave the dash speaker and just not use it. I have no desire to remove the dashboard just to swap out that speaker and really don’t want to try with the dash in place. It’s been darn near 20 years since my last stereo install. Wish me luck.
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 15, 2022
You may find that once you wrestle the radio out, the speaker may be right there, accessible...
Head light blinking...can you cause this by tapping it firmly with a fist? or does it need a stronger jolt, like from a pot hole ? If a fist will cause it, it's probably the filament broken, but laying against the other side. Anything else will need the plug wiring inspected for a loose/broken connection, OR the ground wire is corroded and not making good contact with the core support.
Coolant leak... Without a pressure tester, this can be frustrating to find, but there are telltale signs of certain places and components to check first. All depends on where the drip is coming from.
No heat ? It appears your garage is finished and probably insulated. I have one of these and it will be warm enough to work in 10-12 minutes and you can wear your summer attire of t-shirt, shorts and sandals in 30 minutes. No need to wait for spring to work on your car... It runs on the same propane tank as your grill.
I think the coolant is leaking from the thermostat housing. It pools up in the air gap portion of my intake. Intake gaskets are dry. I noticed it at SMN and tightened the hose clamp. That stopped it from getting on the valve covers and alternator bracket. Still pooling under the intake runners. As far as the light, tapping on the light, pushing the bezel, etc makes it go out. I’d bet you’re right with the bulb being shot. Any idea where to find sealed beam lights? Or, should I go with modern LEDs front and back? Decisions decisions.
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 15, 2022
Very common for the housing to leak. It gets warped from the 2 bolts getting over tightened. I've saved a number of OEM housings with a file followed by a flat block and 220 sand paper. You can buy new ones too, but they all come from overseas and don't seal all that well either.
Headlights. Auto stores don't stock much but show them on their web pages and can bring them in from warehouses. I use Halogen for better light and by adding relays and wiring the headlights direct to battery power, the lights get much brighter too. Right now ALL the voltage goes thru the switch and they get dimmer with age, kind of like us old farts.
LED lights are better and they may require the relay upgrade to run on full 12 volts. You can get all kinds of fancy stuff with them, like outer rings that change color and can be used as running lights and turn signals.
All depends on what you want your car to look like.
ghaasl said
Jan 15, 2022
I’ll most likely go the relay route and sealed beam. I’m going to try to save my housing with the file and honing stone trick. Then some well placed blue RTV for good measure. Thanks for the advice!
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 15, 2022
Don't use the stone for the final finish on the aluminum. I like the slight "tooth" the 220 leaves to grip the gasket and I don't use rtv. Get the Blue Fel-Pro gasket and it will have sealant on it. The cheap gaskets, ESPECIALLY the one with adhesive on one side is a guaranteed disaster.
My wife bought me a Retrosound Hermosa stereo and Pioneer 6x9s for the Chevelle for Christmas. So, added to chasing down and fixing the coolant leak and getting my headlamp that blinks sorted out, I have a stereo/speaker install to do. Why wait until spring? I don’t have a heated garage/shop space and I’m not going to drive it on salty roads to another location. I’ve decided that I’m just going to leave the dash speaker and just not use it. I have no desire to remove the dashboard just to swap out that speaker and really don’t want to try with the dash in place. It’s been darn near 20 years since my last stereo install. Wish me luck.
You may find that once you wrestle the radio out, the speaker may be right there, accessible...
Head light blinking...can you cause this by tapping it firmly with a fist? or does it need a stronger jolt, like from a pot hole ? If a fist will cause it, it's probably the filament broken, but laying against the other side. Anything else will need the plug wiring inspected for a loose/broken connection, OR the ground wire is corroded and not making good contact with the core support.
Coolant leak...
Without a pressure tester, this can be frustrating to find, but there are telltale signs of certain places and components to check first. All depends on where the drip is coming from.
No heat ? It appears your garage is finished and probably insulated. I have one of these and it will be warm enough to work in 10-12 minutes and you can wear your summer attire of t-shirt, shorts and sandals in 30 minutes. No need to wait for spring to work on your car...
It runs on the same propane tank as your grill.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200932278_200932278
Actually, these are nice too, just more localized to an area. The plus is, no jet engine noise or fan blowing.
https://www.northerntool.com/images/product/200x200/174/174335_200x200.jpg
I think the coolant is leaking from the thermostat housing. It pools up in the air gap portion of my intake. Intake gaskets are dry. I noticed it at SMN and tightened the hose clamp. That stopped it from getting on the valve covers and alternator bracket. Still pooling under the intake runners. As far as the light, tapping on the light, pushing the bezel, etc makes it go out. I’d bet you’re right with the bulb being shot. Any idea where to find sealed beam lights? Or, should I go with modern LEDs front and back? Decisions decisions.
Headlights. Auto stores don't stock much but show them on their web pages and can bring them in from warehouses. I use Halogen for better light and by adding relays and wiring the headlights direct to battery power, the lights get much brighter too. Right now ALL the voltage goes thru the switch and they get dimmer with age, kind of like us old farts.
LED lights are better and they may require the relay upgrade to run on full 12 volts. You can get all kinds of fancy stuff with them, like outer rings that change color and can be used as running lights and turn signals.
All depends on what you want your car to look like.