Well, well - after learning the hard way last time I did my valve lash adjustment the "correct" way (running of course), I decided I've met enough of the local Fire Service personnel already and wanted to reduce the smoke screen this process inevitably creates 🧑‍🚒

So, not having any better use for my original valve covers, I decided to get creative (in English, carve them up).

Did the job this morning, and the mess was significantly reduced. Still some oil that shot across the engine bay that wasn't caught by rags, but otherwise it became a relatively clean, simple job that was pretty easy to clean up.

And in the process I found the reason my accelerator has been sticking occasionally. Evidently the pivot monstrosity against the firewall had begun to separate from the shaft, and was hanging at a bit of an angle causing it to bind up. Quick snap back in place with some multi grips, some silicone & WD spray on all the joints, & it works like a new one. Happy days 😁

With some adaptation, I got my new but not perfectly matching neutral-safety switch installed. A Dremel tool with the right bit in the chuck is a wonderful device.

Rick

Last night I had the joy of removing the battery out of my mother and father-in-laws 2006 Solstice, with the help of my brother-in-law. Removing a Solstice battery is almost as bad as removing a Corvette battery. It’s located in the passenger side fender, near the door, next to the firewall.

First, the battery is dead, it won’t crank or start. We had to jump the battery enough to be able to shift the car into neutral (electronic shifter - it cannot be manually shifted into any gear without some power). We pushed the car out of the garage, set the parking brake, and blocked a rear tire.

Next we had to remove all the bolts that hold the partial right front fender on the car! One in the door well, three on top, two on the bottom, and three in the fender well. All are different socket sizes or so it seemed.

With the fender / cover off, we had to remove a retaining nut to a metal frame that acted like a small swinging gate. Now we could disconnect the battery cables, hold down bolt, and take the battery out!

We pushed the car back into the garage for now, I put the battery in my truck and I took it to the garage mahal to charge the battery. Later today I will take it to a parts store to load test it, once it’s fully charged.

Edited June 28, 2025Jun 28 by Frosty

What a chore, that battery!!

Rick

7 hours ago, Frosty said:

Last night I had the joy of removing the battery out of my mother and father-in-laws 2006 Solstice, with the help of my brother-in-law. Removing a Solstice battery is almost as bad as removing a Corvette battery. It’s located in the passenger side fender, near the door, next to the firewall.

First, the battery is dead, it won’t crank or start. We had to jump the battery enough to be able to shift the car into neutral (electronic shifter - it cannot be manually shifted into any gear without some power). We pushed the car out of the garage, set the parking brake, and blocked a rear tire.

Next we had to remove all the bolts that hold the partial right front fender on the car! One in the door well, three on top, two on the bottom, and three in the fender well. All are different socket sizes or so it seemed.

With the fender / cover off, we had to remove a retaining nut to a metal frame that acted like a small swinging gate. Now we could disconnect the battery cables, hold down bolt, and take the battery out!

We pushed the car back into the garage for now, I put the battery in my truck and I took it to the garage mahal to charge the battery. Later today I will take it to a parts store to load test it, once it’s fully charged.

Frosty

I hope it’s not one of those cars that when you stick a new battery in it you have to plug into the obd2 and tell the computer the car has a new battery !!

Been there done that on the boss’s mini

I hope like hell not!

Bro-in-law and I got the new battery in the Solatice. The old battery was DOA. It’s madding because it isn’t even 3 years old. Only a 2 year warranty though. Shit. Mum isn’t happy, she thinks she got a 3-year warranty.

It took longer to reinstall the fender than it did to take off. Getting the bolts started through the door and bottom of the fender were hard since you had to do it by feel.

BIL and my youngest nephew are out test driving the car now. Car hasn’t been driven in well over a year.

The gas is probably stale but the tank is full at the moment.

Max looks good in the Solstice!

I took the car for a spin with my other nephew Owen. I noticed the low tire light on so I stopped,at,a gas station and pumped up all the tires.

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by Frosty

15 hours ago, Frosty said:

Last night I had the joy of removing the battery out of my mother and father-in-laws 2006 Solstice, with the help of my brother-in-law. Removing a Solstice battery is almost as bad as removing a Corvette battery. It’s located in the passenger side fender, near the door, next to the firewall.

First, the battery is dead, it won’t crank or start. We had to jump the battery enough to be able to shift the car into neutral (electronic shifter - it cannot be manually shifted into any gear without some power). We pushed the car out of the garage, set the parking brake, and blocked a rear tire.

Next we had to remove all the bolts that hold the partial right front fender on the car! One in the door well, three on top, two on the bottom, and three in the fender well. All are different socket sizes or so it seemed.

With the fender / cover off, we had to remove a retaining nut to a metal frame that acted like a small swinging gate. Now we could disconnect the battery cables, hold down bolt, and take the battery out!

We pushed the car back into the garage for now, I put the battery in my truck and I took it to the garage mahal to charge the battery. Later today I will take it to a parts store to load test it, once it’s fully charged.

That sounds like an absolute nightmare of a job 😩

Its definitely not a walk in the park.

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Bro-in-law and I got the new battery in the Solatice. The old battery was DOA. It’s madding because it isn’t even 3 years old. Only a 2 year warranty though. Shit. Mum isn’t happy, she thinks she got a 3-year warranty.

It took longer to reinstall the fender than it did to take off. Getting the bolts started through the door and bottom of the fender were hard since you had to do it by feel.

BIL and my youngest nephew are out test driving the car now. Car hasn’t been driven in well over a year.

The gas is probably stale but the tank is full at the moment.

Max looks good in the Solstice!

I took the car for a spin with my other nephew Owen. I noticed the low tire light on so I stopped,at,a gas station and pumped up all the tires.

well done Mate they are a cool car !

As we know with lead acid batterys , use em or lose em !!

they love to be cycled, Frosty what are you paying for a battery ?

down under you get no change out of $200 nzd for a 520cca average size one

I paid $219 USD for a 660 CCA with a two-year warranty. That included a refund for the core charge for the old battery. My Optima Red Top battery in Lucy was around $290 USD after core refund for a 720 CCA one. The Solstice battery is lead acid and the Optima is an AGM (absorbed glass mat) style. Some AGM batteries cost well over $300.

Edited June 29, 2025Jun 29 by Frosty

Found I have to drop the tank to get to my fuel pump power supply. Not Happy! Bugs chased me out of the garage tonight. Was cooling off nicely for a change. Had trouble with the John Deere tonight as well to get the yard done. Figured out the electrical issue in the house chasing down every plug switch and appliance on the circuit today. Better call it a day, kiddo's will be here round 7am.

So last night, finally traced the wiring back down to the fuel pump. And the power was back. Replugged in and the pump was singin away. Checked the gauge and have plenty of pressure, turned the key and it fired up. WTF? Guess I have a NEW spare pump. Still need to drop tank and find a different power source that is easier to work on in case of problems again. Glad to have it running, now need to see what I can do with my screwed up front spoiler without destroying the paint.

I might wash the windows LOL still dirty from the rain storms we hit. trying to get to Milan tomorrow. Work is kickin my butt for being off for 2 weeks.

Did a few little things to the Bonneville recently...

Pulled a front & rear shocks so I could see what they were like.
Rears are good (look quite new - gas, too). Fronts look older than me so I shot into my local & believe it or not, they found a listing, the supplier had some in stock, & they'll be here early next week at @ $100 each. Who-hoo!!!

Adjusted the power steering box. Ended up ¼ turn tighter, & it definitely seems to hold a better line on the road.

Also readjusted the timing - again! Even after I adjusted the valve lash it seemed a little rattly under hard acceleration, so I figured it must be still be pinging a bit.
It's now sitting at 6 º BTDC initial, all in at 24 º. Doesn't seem a lot, but it starts easy hot & cold, idles nice (at 650rpm), and the rattles have gone when I boot it. So...happy days. I love my digital timing light.

I've had to send the bloody clock away again, which is now the 3rd time it has stopped working since it was initially repaired (2023). So after speaking with the repairer I've decided to swap the internals for VDO digital - at least it'll still look like it should (except without the red second hand), but should now work without an issue.

I'm thinking of fitting a temperature gauge (mine just has the hot/cold lights), but want some advice if you have any answers?

1. If I do this, will I be able to retain the original hot/cold lights as well as the gauge?

2. Although I want the gauge so I can monitor the actual temperature, I don't want it on show all the time (because modern gauges in classic cars shit me to tears!). I'm planning to hide it in the ash tray to the right of the steering column, which is why I still want the lights to work if that's possible.

3. Happy to hear any ideas you guys may have.

I've included a photo below because...well, because I can.

Your temp sender should be the same as my 64 one Paul , leave it in the intake manifold and just find another spot to fit your aftermarket sender … 👍

1 hour ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Your temp sender should be the same as my 64 one Paul , leave it in the intake manifold and just find another spot to fit your aftermarket sender … 👍

Simple solution - now why didn't I think of that?
Thank you

Hey there,

Crash damage update...

The car gets assessed tomorrow - evidently the process will simply be a discussion between the Assessor and the repairer. All going well, should have an answer within a couple of days 🙏🏼

Still waiting on Old Mate to tell me what he can do with my body side moldings. Hopefully he can sort them, because I've had zero luck finding any others to date 🤷‍♂️

Pulled a front and a rear shock to check on their condition. Fronts completely stuffed, rears near new.

So...I Installed some new gas struts in the front, and noticed when replacing there rear one that it had some play in the upper mount.
Went looking & discovered that it had ⅜" mounting bolts running through ½" eye inserts. Finally - I think I've found the source of the knock in the rear when going over sharp bumps 🧐
Bought some new bolts, but they won't fit as the shock mount holes are too small. And what doing you think the chances are of getting a drill up in there to sort that out? Absolutely none. Zero. Nil.
After trying several ideas (none successful), I realised my best chance would be to drill 2x access holes in the boot floor and "line bore" the mounts through them.
All I had left to do was patch the access holes, fit up the shocks with the new (correct size) mount bolts and go for a drive to check my work.

Success! Finally, I no longer have any knocking from the rear, and it m=feels a lot better on the road with the new fronts 🤙🏻

Happy days - it makes me feel better to be doing some continuous improvements while waiting to get it repaired.

Crash damage? I must have missed something here. Maybe posted in another forum/topic?

Regarding the timing. At what RPM are you all in? Ideally, you should be all in at 3000 RPM. And, 24 degrees does seem low....Jim Hand in the book he wrote "How to Build High Performance Pontiac V-8s" (2023 reprint) describes his well performing daily driver big block as liking 10 - 18 degrees initial timing and then another 20 - 25 degrees mechanical advance. For a total of around 30.

He also outlines a procedure on how to find the ideal timing for any given engine.

At any rate, good luck dealing with the insurance behemoths...

On 7/28/2025 at 1:35 AM, Ken Caruso said:

Crash damage? I must have missed something here. Maybe posted in another forum/topic?

Regarding the timing. At what RPM are you all in? Ideally, you should be all in at 3000 RPM. And, 24 degrees does seem low....Jim Hand in the book he wrote "How to Build High Performance Pontiac V-8s" (2023 reprint) describes his well performing daily driver big block as liking 10 - 18 degrees initial timing and then another 20 - 25 degrees mechanical advance. For a total of around 30.

He also outlines a procedure on how to find the ideal timing for any given engine.

At any rate, good luck dealing with the insurance behemoths...

Hey Ken,

Accident information (& photos) you'll find on my other post "Devastated"😔

I began with 30º all in, & have worked back from there. I agree 24º seems low, but that's where I've ended up to achieve

easy cold/hot start
smooth, low idle speed
decent acceleration (low or high speed)
no pinging under load
fuel economy @18l/100km (13 mpg)

Have the Sunbird back together and have gone through every in of the wiring and can find no reason for the Pump to stop working. The car will not go onto a flatbed and can't be wrecker towed. So I've got myself into a much bigger mess. Was given a T trailer/ car dolly from a friend that hasn't used his in 25 yrs. Was in weeds/3/4in vines with pickers up to my armpits. I was a torn up mess by the time I got in there N hooked a chain on it. Pulled it out with the truck til I had to cut the rest out. Then realized there was no wheels on it. After digging, I found one wheel with blown tire. He couldn't find the basket tie downs. I used a come along to get it on my trailer and home. After a full day of trying to match the original rim/tire I came across 2rims/tires and got an awesome deal. Orig will be my spare. Will go through and inspect/repack bearings. Add some real safety chains, it will be hauling my baby. Ordered new basket tie downs that came in today. Will have to customize the wheel pockets so the car will sit higher and not destroy the front spoiler again. Will also need to be able to pull it out so I can haul the GTO if needed. Need to rewire with a new light kit. Make it functional so I can get the Sunbird home if I have probs. Maybe I'll even try to get the car out for the 1st time this year. Will have to buy new fenders and sand/paint before winter hits.

Bought all new bearings, seals, bearing buddies, rims/tires, basket hold downs for the tires. All installed today after the rims arrived. Have done a bunch of sanding and started painting tonight as well. This will be the only way to get the car home if needed. Was able to straighten out alot of the Sunbirds front air dam damage, but have spots in it where paint is cracked. Can't mess with it any further. All I can think of to do is add super glue to the cracks and hope it wont spread farther or loose chips all together. (I know) Here's a couple Pic's. Get to see my Pontiac utility trailer too.

Justa - I was expecting this thing to be painted as bad ass as the 'Bird based on how you were talking about it!

I suppose I should cut you some slack though. It's tough to hold a paint gun or can when one of the twins is barfing on you!

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

I suppose I should cut you some slack though. It's tough to hold a paint gun or can OR EVEN THE PHONE!, when one of the twins is barfing on you!