Thar be sound in them speakers!
I got the radio put in, the front dash put back together, and the amp and subs hooked up. So I can hear music now! Now I just need to get the rear speakers and get those installed, and I guess it will be done. That and figure out how to set my clock. But it’s nice to have my dash back! I’d update with pictures in the morning.
Edit: Here’s the pics.
What a Disaster
Maybe it’s my youthful ignorance, but anymore it seems like nothing is as it seems. The radio in my Toronado was in far from mint condition when I got the car. The display didn’t work, and none of the tone controls worked. It pretty much just turned on, and turned up. I could listen to the radio and that was about it. But it was a Bose system. It sounded decent, but never really got loud. I wanted to upgrade the stereo and hopefully get a little more out of the Bose speakers that I was sure still had some life left in them.
And then.
I pick up a nice Pioneer stereo and a kit to mount it into the dash. First I have to get the old stereo out though. Little did I know what lied ahead of me. I knew I was going to have to take off the drivers side dash trim. I was prepared for that. Or so I though. I got all the screws out and the panel loose, but the darn thing was wedged between the upper edge of the dash and the steering column. After about 45 minutes I started thinking the only way for me to get it off was to remove the whole feakin’ steering column. (I deeply despise the people who design cars.) For some strange reason I got the idea to put the gear level and reverse. Wouldn’t you know that did the trick.
So now I can clearly see the bracket and the screws that hold the radio in. There they are just smiling at me, an all too easy reward after all the hastle I went through to get the trim off. I remove the screws and tug to pull the radio out…and it doesn’t budge. Ugh! So I start feeling around what I can, and for the life of me I can’t feel anything.
So now I have to remove the ashtry and ashtry bracket that is below the stereo to see if there’s anything underneath. Upon doing that, I get a little bit of a chuckle. This truly is a luxury car. Inside the ashtray there are two little vacuum lines to pull cigarette smoke out of the car. Sheesh.
After I get the ashtray out I am able to feel a bit more around the radio and finally find what’s keeping it in. There’s one last bolt left on the passenger side of the radio, right by the air vent. And the only way to get to it is…to remove the glove box. UGH! Luckily I’m a pro at this part since I’d taken it out and put it back in several times when I was fixing the heater door. Andrea gives me a hand getting that out, and I can FINALLY reach the last bolt holding the old radio in, take it loose and pull the unit out. Praise the Lord! Nevermind I’ve all but completely disassembled the dashboard now.
Here’s a shot of how it looks now:
One would think that this is the last of my headaches. Oh what else could go wrong? Just wire the new stereo to the old speaker leads and mount that bad boy in there! Well that’s just what I did. And lo and behold, the unit powers on, but it’s eerily quiet for a stereo that’s supposedly on. Nay, it’s silent! What have I done!
Well I start reading around on the net to try to figure out what the heck I did wrong. Come to find out, this Bose sound system that is in my car doesn’t rely on the stereo to power the speakers. OH NO! Each speaker has to have it’s own built in amplifier. And the outputs of my shiny new Pioneer stereo just aren’t compatable with ANY OF THE SPEAKERS IN MY CAR! Well isn’t that plesant.
So I picked up two Pioneer speakers and got them mounted in the front today. And I ordered two more Pioneer speakers off eBay for the rear, because of course they have to be an odd size. 4″x10″. So what started out as a $150 head unit swap is pretty much turning into a $300 complete redo of my car stereo. But damn it when I’m done it’s going to sound goood!
04.21.06The Toronado Caliente
The “upgrade” from Lil Brudder. Here it is. A 1985 Oldsmobile Toronado Caliente.
It was the top of the line Oldsmobile in late 1984-1985. In the class of “Personal Luxury” cars including the Buick Riviera, Ford Thunderbird, and Cadillac Eldorado. Infact when I first drove it to work, everyone thought it was a Cadillac.
What does a 21 year old car of this calibur cost? $625.
First, the drawbacks. (The reason it was $625).
-It has 196,000 miles. Yikes! Though from what I’ve heard of the Toronados, the transmissions are nearly industructible, and lots of them last over 300,000 miles. Plus for me! And it looks like it doesn’t leak a drop of transmission fluid.
-It’s in bad need of a paint job. The paint is wearing thin and there a little bit of surface rust in places, and some significant rust behind the rear wheels. Though nothing that isn’t repairable. I’m hoping to actually get it fixed sometime soon. I can fix most of the rust myself except the rust in the rear.
-It’s 21 years old.
Outside of that, there’s not a whole lot wrong with the car. The engine runs solid, shifts smooth. It needs new front tires in a few thousand miles. The tires in the rear look almost new.
The AC doesn’t work, but it’s been updated to the new R134a standard instead of the old Freon which you can’t get anymore. So the AC is certianly fixable at a reasonable cost.
This really was a luxury car for it’s day. It’s got power doors, windows, seats, locks, and an auto dimming rearview mirror for driving at night. Leather seats, a digital dashboard, and a Bose sound system. The speakers sound really good, but it needs a new stereo in the dash.
All in all, yeah, it’s got a lot of miles, but the thing is running solid. No major leaks, and I think I got a great deal for $625.
Take a look at the pictures. It’s not the sexiest car ever, but with a little TLC, it’s gonna be a sweet ride.
EDIT: 07/10/09
Well this post has been getting a lot of traffic lately, so I though I would update with a few more recent pictures. Lots of work since that day!
Traveled back to the now defunct dealership where the car was originally sold in Quinter, KS.
04.20.06
I bought a car!
Pictures forthcoming.
It’s a 1985 Oldsmobile Toronado. It’s certianly a boat. =) More on this and other stories at noon.
02.28.062006 Dodge Challenger concept car
thats right i said challenger …its to :drool: over with a 425 hemi
Trickin’ out the RC
ok here you go heres my newest hobby next i just need to figure out how im going to paint it. this first two pics are before i added any upgrades or “carbon fiber” componets the second two are after the upgrades including the body. edit: pics removed
12.7.05I think I figured out why it still runs.
Earlier I had reported that my car was running due to some kind of devine providence from God. But the more I think about it, the more I tend to think the exact opposite.
I’ve come to the conclusion that my car and I are locked into a battle to the death. It’s recently been about 3 degrees when I get off work at night, and my car will start and run fine, but the heater doesn’t work AT ALL. It just blows cold air. The same 3 degree air that’s outside. And last night on my drive home, I started smelling exhaust fumes in the car. So much that I had to roll down the windows. Remember, it’s still friggin’ THREE degrees outside.
I wonder how much I can get on eBay for a car that’s posessed by a demon?
Quick update
Just since everybody’s wondering. I didn’t get the Monte at that auction. A couple people there REALLY wanted that car or something. I thought it was worth about $550 due to a decent amount of rust and doors that needed rebuilt completely. So I let them have it. So keep an eye out for decent cars forsale in your area.
If you couldn’t get ahold of me this weekend, it’s because I went down to Andreas and the ol’ cellphone died. I really need to remember to bring my charger when I travel.
I need a prayer or seven.
Well, there’s an auction going on this Saturday in JC. There’s an 84 Monte Carlo on the block. Seeing as how it seems no one will put these friggin tires on my car, I’m praying that I’ll be able to get that car at at least an affordable price for me. But I don’t know anything about the car either, except that it’s white. So hopefully it’s worth bidding on at all.
So say a prayer for me between now and then. I’d surely appreciate it!
Hello, from the Duncans!
Posted by: Jamie
Hey Matt, the car looks sweet! Looks like it’s time to get a new one! Maybe a Lexus or something! Anyways, just wanted to say “Hi”! Take care, bro.
Luv, Jamie and Bryan!