Here's an update. My throttle body heater gasket thing was fubar'd from the three retaining screws rusting into the aluminum. I tried drilling it out but unfortunately I'm not very good at that being that I don't own a drill press. In '87 the throttle bodies were slightly different from 88+ and I was worried my cruise control wouldn't work with the newer type. I was lucky enough to find one exactly like mine on ebay and took a $70 gamble that the screws weren't rusty... and as you can see, I now have a working throttle body heater!
(I also bought a brand new $100 coolant tank, justified by FCP's lifetime warranty program...)
My car's drivers door lock didn't match the rest, likely owing to a break in at some point in the car's past, and although I'd solved the problem with a keyless entry, it was time to fix it entirely. At work we do car keys so I used the machine to identify my original key's bitting and ordered the $50 rebuild kit to fix the lock! I followed along with a video I found online and once I worked out how to start it wasn't a very difficult process. I also replaced the burnt out light bulb inside the key.
I managed to acquire a set of cardinal door cards but I had to paint my rear inserts, seatbacks, and handles to match. I used duplicolor fabric paint, and the match is very close, especially considering the cost difference to do it perfectly. I don't have any pictures, but I took apart both seats to replace the 8 gas struts that allow for recline and adjustment, as well as the braided cords that connect the recline adjusters to the seat bases. Mine seemed like they had stretched so I threw another $85 "fixing" that problem. If anyone does this, be aware the part numbers on the realoem diagram are actually for 6 series sports seats, which are larger and have longer lines. I found the correct one under a diagram for a euro spec car, and picking the equivalent part numbers that were described as a shorter length. ECS backordered one of my lines, saying it had to come from Germany, and we all know that means you're basically fucked, but luckily it came in 3 weeks later! One of the mounting tabs that allows the seat back to attach to the base had broken off, which had to be welded back together and painted. This means my seat back had to be taken apart again, foams and all. Pictures came in clutch here, as 3 weeks passed between disassembly and reassembly.
(I also bought a brand new $100 coolant tank, justified by FCP's lifetime warranty program...)
My car's drivers door lock didn't match the rest, likely owing to a break in at some point in the car's past, and although I'd solved the problem with a keyless entry, it was time to fix it entirely. At work we do car keys so I used the machine to identify my original key's bitting and ordered the $50 rebuild kit to fix the lock! I followed along with a video I found online and once I worked out how to start it wasn't a very difficult process. I also replaced the burnt out light bulb inside the key.
I managed to acquire a set of cardinal door cards but I had to paint my rear inserts, seatbacks, and handles to match. I used duplicolor fabric paint, and the match is very close, especially considering the cost difference to do it perfectly. I don't have any pictures, but I took apart both seats to replace the 8 gas struts that allow for recline and adjustment, as well as the braided cords that connect the recline adjusters to the seat bases. Mine seemed like they had stretched so I threw another $85 "fixing" that problem. If anyone does this, be aware the part numbers on the realoem diagram are actually for 6 series sports seats, which are larger and have longer lines. I found the correct one under a diagram for a euro spec car, and picking the equivalent part numbers that were described as a shorter length. ECS backordered one of my lines, saying it had to come from Germany, and we all know that means you're basically fucked, but luckily it came in 3 weeks later! One of the mounting tabs that allows the seat back to attach to the base had broken off, which had to be welded back together and painted. This means my seat back had to be taken apart again, foams and all. Pictures came in clutch here, as 3 weeks passed between disassembly and reassembly.
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