Saved from the Demo Derby: 1990 Country Squire

[gadget73]

do they have decent traction? I don't need something that I can autocross with but if I get stuck in the rain I dont' want it just sitting and spinning either.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

do they have decent traction? I don't need something that I can autocross with but if I get stuck in the rain I dont' want it just sitting and spinning either.

I've found them decent for an all-season tire. Traction is great in dry, good in wet. No issues with unusual wear in regular driving or occasional towing. Been running them on the '87, haven't had a "scary" moment with them unlike those older Firestone FR710s, which were awful in the rain.

[Mainemantom]

I have had no issues driving in the rain or on dry roads with the Nexen tires. I only have maybe 4,000 miles on them in less than two years.

[gadget73]

ok, maybe will have to give them a go when the Conti is due for tires next.It really would look better with white walls. I've had tires that were unusable in the rain before and its no fun.

[Tiggie]

Well old friend, you've been good. 15 years and 8 months. You were almost old enough to drive. Autocraft Gold was legitimate gold. You've outlasted most, if not all, Optima, AGM, deep cycles, and Interstates from the first Obama administration. I'm gonna keep you around as a momento of when things used to last. Turned in the 10/23 Neverstart with a dead cell as a core.

[sly]

Nice. I've never had a battery last that long. 8 years was the longest.

[DerekTheGreat]

Just occurred to me that the yellow top Optima in my Town Car is getting pretty old. Maybe nine or ten years of age now, so the oldest I've had so far.

[friskyfrankie]

In the Sun Belt, 3-4 years is about all I have seen and this is with well maintained vehicles!

[Tiggie]

Got the rear interior plastics dyed and back in this thing. Color was an exact match. Very pleased with it. I'll grab some pics in the near future. Here is the paint can for reference purposes.


Engine bay got cleaned dusted off for the first time since all the paintwork. It's a pretty clean engine bay. I have a few items I want to refinish under there, but overall okay. Then it got a new hood pad. Ordered the Metro HI3 from RockAuto. Also ordered the pins, Auveco 14163, which are an exact match. Pleased with it so far.

[87gtVIC]

Looks really good in the bay.

You had to reduce the paint?.see it says makes one quart on your can....but it also looks like a quart can to begin with so maybe its just some lingo used by the maker.....

Did you use any type of adhesion promoter ahead of spraying? Curious how the plastics would have reacted without any kind of primer (adhesion promoter) ahead of paint application as it may have been very dry/porous. Just looking to learn about your process.

[Tiggie]

The process was lots of cleaning - Purple Power, SEM Soap, and another round of Purple Power, all with a gray scotch Brite. Let that dry really well.
Used SEM XXX adhesion promoter just prior to the paint/dye. Did not reduce the paint. Used every drop of the quart. It sprayed thin like a base coat. Needed three, or even four coats in the faded areas. There is a clear that can go on top if desired to change the sheen. The paint guy said I did not need it if I was going for a satin finish, and indeed the shine is just right in my opinion.
I did experiment with adhesion while I was checking the color match before spraying. It absolutely did not stick to slick plastic without the adhesion promoter. It stuck really well to the actual trim with the adhesion promoter. I tried to scrape it off in a hidden area just to test and I couldn't get it to come off. The plastics in this car were sun faded but generally still hard surface, not degraded can flaking.

[87gtVIC]

Thanks Ben for the explanation. It is not something I have to do but always found interesting....learning peoples process in sprucing up their interiors.