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Questions and
Answers Please note: Questions and answers are provided for information and advice purposes. No liability either express or implied is assumed by reliance on the information presented either by the writers or the NFTAC. Some or all of the below is from our message board at http://board.firebirdclub.net and this is just a part of what appears there and in the member magazine. Also be sure to see our message board on our website for immediate help from fellow members. Q: My wife bought a 1980 Trans Am Special edition with the turbo package and stored the car in a barn for almost 24 years. In late 2003 we made arrangements to pickup the car and today it sits in our garage with approximately 4600 miles on it. Of course we had to change the tires and battery and put some money into it to get it running properly and it is! The car is almost perfect, however, I cannot get the chrome around the wheel well and lower front bumper to shine. They are fading and I am wondering if anyone can tell me what will bring the original shine back to them without painting as I do not want to mess around with pin striping to keep the car as original as possible. Also, will redoing the engine compartment take away from the value? Jim Madden Jr. A: Redoing the engine compartment will not take away from the value of it if done right. I did one for a guy last year. I pulled the motor and transmission and I pulled the wiring harness off so not to get paint on it. I pulled the wheel wells out and stripped them. I took brake and gas lines off. I also took the brake booster and wiper motor off. I even took the fenders off. Then be sure to clean, clean, clean. When all done I put a epoxy metal preparation on it - PPG DP90. It’s good hard stuff and a lot better then paint. It is real close to OEM black. Then put duplicolor trim black over that. It gave it that satin look. I painted the motor and all the other parts and put it all back together. It took about 2 weeks. It looked showroom new when done. I think you motor should be corporate blue. Doug Lester
Q: I have the carbureted version of the 5.0 and my idle speed is way too high unless I keep in drive, then it’s still too high. Any easy fix for this? The engine runs good going down the road. may2009 A: When you open the hood, do you hear a hiss anywhere? If so, that would be a vacuum leak somewhere and that usually will cause high idling. You can usually follow a hiss with your ear and find the leak and that would be your first line of defense. Bethany Orr Return to NFTAC Tech Tips Page
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