Mopar Desk Clocks

I previously posted a couple of photos of my first in-dash clock conversion and here I present my second build:


This clock was originally in a Chrysler 300M and the same style can also be found in the second generation LHS. I was pretty pleased with the results, even though it is barely recognizable as the 300M clock.

I also have new photos of my first project:

1989 Shelby CSX Fiberide Wheel Model

A few years ago I purchased a busted Fiberide wheel from a 1989 Shelby CSX VNT. These wheels are of a fiberglass / plastic composite construction; just one of the very innovative features. The 89 CSX featured a 2.2L VNT (variable nozzle turbo) motor; the first of its kind. The VNT can alter its geometry eliminating the need for a wastegate and preventing turbo lag. This technology was way ahead of its time and has just recently been incorporated on performance cars like Porsches and various diesel motors.

Getting back to the Fiberide wheels; I decided recently to model this rim based on measurements taken from my sample. This was a fun project for me, allowing me to explore some more advanced features of Solidworks (I used the 2006 edition). I would like to someday work some freelance solid modeling, perhaps creating a freelance design firm in the distant future. Hey, I can dream, right?

Here is a screenshot of my model:

And here is an exquisite example of a 1989 Shelby CSX-VNT from Jalopnik.com:


Fiberides unfortunately don't seem to hold up well if you experience a tire blowout; perhaps some a serious Turbo Dodge enthusiast will one day want some machined alloy "Fiberide" wheels and I can make use of my CAD model...

Tail Lights

The latest addition to Christine's Cruiser has been second generation tail lights. I was able to buy a pair from someone with a 2006 cruiser who moved to aftermarket lights.

Here's a comparison of first and second generations:

And here's what the Cruiser looks like now:


You can see these also have chrome covers which are pretty cool. Hard to see the clear turn signal area, but they look good in person.

Mopar Subwoofer

I've completed a couple projects in the past few weeks: a 8" Mopar factory subwoofer was installed in Christine's Cruiser; I did a little bit of work cleaning up the LHS's dash.

I bought the subwoofer on eBay a while back from a guy who had it in his 2001. Unfortunately it was wired to be installed in a 2001. I quickly realized our 2005 factory radio differed from the 2001 factory radio! I found the original manufacturer on a PT Cruiser forum, and he was able to make an adapter for the 2001 style sub wiring harness for our 2005 radio, but it took a while to properly power the sub/amp. Ended up bypassing the included subwoofer wire harness' relay and was able to power everything correctly. A big pain in the butt, but it ended up being totally worth it. The sub was adjusted to about 75% power level and it still kicks pretty hard! Very satisfied with the sound; I even need to keep the bass at -2 (on a scale of -8 to +8 at the radio) so my brain isn't rattled.

All I did for the LHS was wire up a cigarette style power outlet behind the dash, tied into the radio power. Now the Sirius' power cord is run behind the dash, tidying up the front of the car a bit. Nice and cheap addition.

As a side note, my Sirius XACT XTR7 started having issues with the back light about a month or two ago. It'll flicker in and out randomly. I may look for a new unit to replace it once my year subscription runs out next spring.

New Wheels

Bought new wheels last weekend for the Cruiser.

They're 17s from a Scion Tc (don't tell anyone...) that came mounted to Sonar tires. I'd never heard of Sonar before, but so far I like them. I had to order new center caps since we couldn't run the Scion logo all over them. The new centers are actually old LHS caps.

2005 PT Cruiser

So my fiance Christine bought an 05 PT Cruiser a couple months ago:


It's really nice to have a car worth modifying, as the LHS is pretty tired... Perhaps a 2004 Chrysler 300M Special will be replacing her.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to go over my additions to the Cruiser.

First was a basic tune-up: It was idling pretty rough, and seemed to surge like one cylinder wasn't getting fuel or spark. Since we bought an aftermarket warranty we took it to the local dealership to investigate. Of course they didn't really know what the problem was, and the warranty company wasn't going to cover it... Basically this means I spent 70 bucks in diagnostic fees for nothing (bah), but at least they pointed me in the right direction -> plugs and wires. I replaced the plugs and wires with OEM replacements (should have gotten performance parts, but nothing was available at Murray's - might add performance plugs and wires later if the problem returns). She runs like a top now, which was pretty clutch since I worked on it the day before we drove up to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

I also added a drop in K&N air filter. Christine swears it improved acceleration...

When we bought the car the left front door speaker was pretty janky, so I replaced those with a set of Pioneers; I think they sound great. Old:


New:


Also when we got the car the dealer was adamant that you had to open the rear hatch using the key. Truth is there is a pressure switch located under the Chrysler wings in the back that pops the trunk whenever the doors are unlocked. Again I thought the dealership could be of help, but they charged me 40 bucks in diagnostic fees, just to tell me the whole unit would need to be replaced for $375. And of course warranty again wasn't going to cover it. Beginning to wonder why we signed up for this aftermarket warranty... So we said "No thanks" to that. I looked on ebay for a replacement, and found one for 60 bucks. I thought I was making the right move there. Well, turns out this replacement hatch handle I got had a severed wire (even though the seller said it worked great on the car it came off of), so I proceded to take the whole thing apart. I was hoping to solder the connection back together. If you want to try this at home, don't even think about it. The flat switch wires are sooooo thin; I don't think there's any way to repair the connection.

I thought about this for a minute while sitting at our dining room table, and made a trip to Radio Shack to look for a simple switch to use. This is what I came up with:

The thing works perfectly; I'd go as far as saying I like it better than factory. I'm pretty proud of it. Plus I could have done the whole thing for $2.99 - the price of the switch! I now have a replacement handle (since the ebay seller won't accept it as a return since I disassembled it - doh!), so I think I'll post it up on a PT Cruiser forum; maybe do the same repair for someone else.

The last thing I've done is hard-wire an auxiliary input into the factory radio. I only did this because Christine's FM transmitter for her iPod sounds so staticy; I couldn't stand it anymore. I bought an iSimple kit on Newegg for 60 dollars - totally worth it:



The switch on the left turns on the box, which plugs intermittently between the radio and antenna; it's run audio from simple left and right RCA jacks. The kit also came with an iPod specific cord that will play your tunes and charge the iPod, but I like the FM transmitter Christine has which holds the iPod and charges it. So we just run the headphone cord to the dash. I think it looks factory, which makes me happy. Sounds great too; no static!

So there you have it. Not sure what's next for the Cruiser; we have some pink pinstripes to put on. That should compliment the stuffbyxtine.com sticker nicely. I know rims are in the future - pink accented ones are necessary. I wouldn't mind a new exhaust... But who knows. Only time will tell what else is in store...

In-Dash Clock Conversion

I’d like to take this opportunity to show off my latest creation:

A refurbished in-dash analog clock removed from a 1950s era Chrysler.

This clock was acquired on eBay (where else?) and was delivered in pretty decent condition. I went through the process of disassembly, including completely removing the internal mechanism. Pieces from the mechanism may later be seen in Stuff by Xtine’s artwork… After this all bracketry was cutoff, the outside smoothly finished, gritblasted and painted. You will notice the face of the clock was distressed using proprietary tooling (a simple wood screw and hammer… don’t tell anyone). I think it turned out pretty well.

The hardest part, which took me a few months of fiddling, was modifying a standard clock mechanism, available at Michael’s or JoAnn Fabrics, to fit inside the housing. This was a huge pain, and included drilling a larger hole in both the tin face of the clock and the plastic cover (which incorporates the numbers), grinding down both the hour and minute shafts of the clock mechanism, epoxy-ing the original clock hands to the new, modified clock hands from the clock kit, and finally epoxy-ing the center button onto the small nut holding the minute hand. The hardware was also spray painted with a chrome-like silver color. After it was all said and done, I’m not sure I’d want to do it over again.

Anyway, I must say it turned out quite nice. And it actually keeps time! I think I might bug Christine to take some better photos for me too; so check back for that.