Midnight_Rider's progress log

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Sat May 10, 2014 12:28 am

At the WI meet last Saturday, chipdogg connected most of the dots for my BUX retractable antenna so maybe I'll have it installed before Carlisle. Thanks Jake!

hudson_neon discovered that the long screw that runs behind the driver's headlight on my car has a bend in it (the body shop obviously reused it after the accident) so now I have to trot off to the dealership to buy replacement part. We were going to install new headlight welts when this was found (also discovered that one screw holding the front fascia on isn't grabbing and another one turns either way so replacements for these will be ordered as well). Needless to say, I'm not too happy with the body shop and sorry that I didn't discover these goofs until several years after the repair work was completed.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Sat May 10, 2014 1:48 pm

sucks they didnt pay attention to detail...

Gnuserup · Post by **Gnuserup** » Sat May 10, 2014 3:08 pm

Shops usually don´t pay attention to details (at least over here and just my experience).

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Sat May 10, 2014 8:08 pm

I had a discussion with the manager of the body shop last fall when he applied the new decklid badges and he admitted then that they don't pay as much attention to what doesn't show. The repairs do have a lifetime warranty so I may approach him again on this subject.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:55 am

Got the long headlight screw and some of the smaller ones for the front fascia from the dealership. Primer and one coat of paint are on the suspension parts. Not sure of an install date though.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:55 am

Soooo you were planning on going Stage 2?

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:40 pm

Yeah, I'll stop being coy about it. Plans were to have everything installed back in April but my mechanic had a car on his lift and couldn't do it. Work was rescheduled for this past Saturday but, oddly enough, that same car is still on that lift. So much for having surprises for Carlisle.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:51 pm

Stage 2 is pretty weak, unless you get it with TOY's and use the HOM feature. But it would be nice over bone stock, which you are performance wise correct?

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:53 am

No, I've been Stage 1 for some time now:
viewtopic.php?p=848388#848388

I do have the complete Stage 2 without toys kit for a future install though (with the correct '05 ECU).

I looked into buying a Stage 3 with toys kit when they were still available at my dealership but I couldn't afford the loan it would have taken to buy it (IIRC, $5,400 plus labor). I went with the Stage 1 and have been very happy with it but just wanted the

bragging rights

of a Stage 2.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:51 am

i thought stage 1 was factory on 04-05 and was an upgrade for 03 only?

as for your stage 2 dilemma bring it with you to the show, theres plenty of knowledgeable ppl that could install it easy enough on the show field.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:17 am

r/tguy02 wrote:i thought stage 1 was factory on 04-05 and was an upgrade for 03 only?

Nope, optional for all three model years.

r/tguy02 wrote:as for your stage 2 dilemma bring it with you to the show, theres plenty of knowledgeable ppl that could install it easy enough on the show field.

Hmmm...

Well, the ECU still needs to be flashed so that would be a problem.

What would really help is for someone at Carlisle to buy the parts that I don't need.
viewtopic.php?t=67969

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:17 am

ryan brashear (sidepipe87) will have a DRBIII with him, he could possibly do it.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:28 pm

^^You're right but I goofed big time by not having new heat shield bolts ordered from Chrysler before an install, just in case they might be needed. Too late for that now.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:16 pm

yeah not a bad idea to have spares of those, so what's keeping you from ordering them? you have a week, they might be able to get them in on time.

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 2:00 pm

and we could do it on the show field!!!

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:49 pm

r/tguy02 wrote:yeah not a bad idea to have spares of those, so what's keeping you from ordering them? you have a week, they might be able to get them in on time.

For one thing, I don't know which ones to order. It really helps if I have information like that when I go to the dealership as the parts people sometimes have a hard time finding what I want.

My mechanic had offered to help me find them but then changed his mind and said that I'm on my own.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:02 am

You would be fine without a heatshield for the time being. Don't really need new heatshield bolts. They do come in a copper/gold color, but once they heat up they turn brown.

The S2 WGA has to have a specific preload. I believe too, which isn't too hard to do. I feel yah though, you will be far away from home and I would be leery having someone flash my PCM...

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:47 am

My thoughts exactly.

This work was supposed to have been done back in April (before chipdogg's WI meet) but my mechanic had a car on his lift and couldn't get to mine. I had rescheduled for this past Saturday but that car was still on his lift. He thinks that I'm being silly for worrying about having new parts handy just in case but I can't afford having something go wrong (like not being able to drive home).

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:28 am

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:You would be fine without a heatshield for the time being. Don't really need new heatshield bolts. They do come in a copper/gold color, but once they heat up they turn brown. The S2 WGA has to have a specific preload. I believe too, which isn't too hard to do. I feel yah though, you will be far away from home and I would be leery having someone flash my PCM...

its not like he cant switch back in the old ECU

besides all it is, is puting his vin info in, its not like hes tuning it.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:30 am

This is true. I am more concerned about the bolts. My mechanic said that he has experienced them rounding off or snapping in two which is why I want to have extras on hand when the S1/S2 swap takes place.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:16 am

r/tguy02 wrote:
MyNeonSaysHi wrote:You would be fine without a heatshield for the time being. Don't really need new heatshield bolts. They do come in a copper/gold color, but once they heat up they turn brown. The S2 WGA has to have a specific preload. I believe too, which isn't too hard to do. I feel yah though, you will be far away from home and I would be leery having someone flash my PCM...
its not like he cant switch back in the old ECU besides all it is, is puting his vin info in, its not like hes tuning it.

True. The S2/S3 Injectors, S2 WGA, Map and TIP sensors SHOULD be installed prior to flashing the new PCM to the car? So all that would have to be swapped back to his old setup if is VIN didn't get flashed right.

Would save you some money $$$ though if you got it all done at Carlisle.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:25 am

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:Would save you some money $$$ though if you got it all done at Carlisle.

Yeah, that's the sad truth too. What really ticks me off is that all of the mods were supposed to have been installed before Carlisle (really before the April WI meet). I started buying all of the parts last fall (suspension parts first, then the S2 kit was purchased in February and I lost an overtime day at work to drive to near St. Louis to buy it

). I have no cash for the dealership to do it so I guess that it's just as well that things will have to wait until I can get the necessary stand-by bolts for both the S2 kit and the suspension mods.

sidepipe87 · Post by **sidepipe87** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:47 am

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:
r/tguy02 wrote:
MyNeonSaysHi wrote:You would be fine without a heatshield for the time being. Don't really need new heatshield bolts. They do come in a copper/gold color, but once they heat up they turn brown. The S2 WGA has to have a specific preload. I believe too, which isn't too hard to do. I feel yah though, you will be far away from home and I would be leery having someone flash my PCM...
its not like he cant switch back in the old ECU besides all it is, is puting his vin info in, its not like hes tuning it.
True. The S2/S3 Injectors, S2 WGA, Map and TIP sensors SHOULD be installed prior to flashing the new PCM to the car? So all that would have to be swapped back to his old setup if is VIN didn't get flashed right.

Would save you some money $$$ though if you got it all done at Carlisle.

VIN flashing is simple for me to do, not really anything to fuck up. Gramps wouldn't trust me to do it though as I don't report to work at a Dodge dealer 40 hours a week.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:54 am

sidepipe87 wrote:Gramps wouldn't trust me to do it though as I don't report to work at a Dodge dealer 40 hours a week.

It's not that- the mechanic who installed my coilovers, BOV and CAI wasn't a dealership employee at the time (although he used to work at a Dodge dealership and is Chrysler tech certified). What is holding everything up is my not being proactive about ordering standby bolts.

Midnight_Rider · Post by **Midnight_Rider** » Mon Jul 07, 2014 4:36 pm

4724464AA W/STRIP-HO

Ordered a new hood weatherstrip today. Apparently, the body shop just reused the OEM one when they installed the new hood several years ago. I noticed yesterday that it wasn't in very good shape. Wish that I had seen it earlier so that it would have been replaced in time for Carlisle.

FAC3L3SS · Post by **FAC3L3SS** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:53 am

Not to be obnoxious, but how much are these "standby bolts" that you're procrastinating on? Just wondering why a $28 piece of rubber was needed before a small set of bolts to make power.

Hudson_Neon · Post by **Hudson_Neon** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:58 am

because it's gramps... you should have seen when i was jokingly pretending to point out small flaws with his car.

FAC3L3SS · Post by **FAC3L3SS** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:13 am

Hudson_Neon wrote:because it's gramps... you should have seen when i was jokingly pretending to point out small flaws with his car.

I know it's BC Gramps. LOL I drove down and got the original hood from the accident he's referring to. I'm just continually baffled.

FYI NEVER point out Gramps's car's flaws to him. Ever.

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:25 am

Flaws? There are not even pretend flaws.

Don't make Chuck Norris pay you a visit.

r/tguy02 · Post by **r/tguy02** » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:35 am

flaws give it character gramps