“Cars are a part of everyday life, used for commuting, running errands and traveling. While most people know about the obvious dangers of emissions, they are unaware of even more substances lurking within the car itself. The following outlines the most common hidden toxins in automobiles.

Asbestos:

Asbestos is a mineral that is heat and fire resistant. In the early 20th century, it was commonly used in a large number of auto parts, including gaskets, brake assemblies, seals, clutches, valve rings and the hood lining. While asbestos is found more often in older cars, it can also show up in newer models. These materials can still be used from other parts of the world like the Middle East, and need to take extra safety precautions.

Studies have shown a clear link between exposure to asbestos fibers and certain cancers, such as mesothelioma. The disease can take many decades to develop and it often has a poor prognosis by the time it is discovered.

Chemical Compounds:

When a car is closed up and the interior temperature rises, compounds known as aromatic hydrocarbons can build up. This can contribute to a worsening of allergy symptoms and cause other health problems as well.

Opening windows to allow adequate ventilation will reduce or eliminate this problem.

Other Contaminants:

Polybrominated biphenyls (PBDEs) are chemicals, which have no ability to bond to other material. This causes them to turn into toxic vapors when released into the air. Phthalate esters, which are an equivalent to polybrominated biphenyls, are used in auto plastics to make them more flexible and long lasting. These are usually found in car interiors.

Exposure to these chemicals for an extended time may lead to birth defects, premature babies, problems with the liver and kidneys, and lung disease.

End of Life Issues:

When an automobile reaches the end of its useful life, it often ends up in a junkyard. A scrapped car can hurt the environment by leeching oil, battery acid and other toxins into the ground and air around it. This can be harmful to the water supply and anyone who comes into contact with the car.

Car toxins are a big but often invisible problem. People should be aware of the health hazards and how to avoid them, if possible.”

-Brian Turner, fellow car enthusiast and blogger.

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BTW if someone from DC Shoes see’s this and wants to hook me up with any freebies?!? I am game!

Of course we all know my love for BMW’s and you have all posted on my POLL for my next project… Needless to say I got a 2003 Hamann ///M5 BMW. What an amazing car. It came with quite the mod list including:

• Hamann full length headers
• Hamann mid pipe
• Hamann catback
• Hamann tuning
• Hamann Body kit & Badging
• Hamann 19″ staggered wheels

Aside from all the Hamann add ons there are several other things like Billstein PPS9 coil overs, HID lighting, Brake cooling ducts, etc. I will soon be installing a set of AFE cold air intakes from Turner Motorsports and a few other goodies I won’t reveal just yet! Be ready for tons of great info and work on this beast of a car! For a some more information now… Check this article which the ///M was featured in from Crank and Piston…

Well here I will tell you how I did it. There was someone out there who was smart enough to find some carbon brushes that can be retro-fitted to work in our IC Pumps. These brushes are 95% of the time the cause to your IC Pump dieing. Sometimes a cleaning of the pumps internals is all that’s required, but if you’re in there and notice your brushes to be low on carbon then it’s time to change them!

Here is where I purchased the new brushes! Makita CB-407 Brushes

The part number you are looking for is CB-407 (made by Makita) and I bought 2 sets in case I wrecked one. Shipping took 1 week to Texas.

So lets get started!

• If your truck is not lowered you don’t even need to jack it up off the ground!
• Locate the IC pump, if you look under your front bump and up on the drivers side you will see the pump with 2 lines connected to it (these lines go to the IC Pump reservoir)
• Remove the 2 lines (be sure to have a clean catch can for the fluid (chances are you can re-use it)
• Remove the electrical connector
• There will be 2 bolts holding the IC Pump bracket in place, loosen and remove the pump!
• Make sure to drain out any remaining fluid.
• Using some needle nose pliers, pry back the retaining clips on the top of the pump
• Carefully pry the pump apart to expose the internals (you will now notice lots of carbon deposits) tap gently to clean it out!
• You will now see where the brushes are/were and might just have the bare wires to the coils.
• Take your new brushes (you will notice they have a “coil spring”  on them… You will want to gently cut the end off so you can remove the spring but keep as much of the electrical lead as possible! (you will need to solder this to the coil wires)
• Use a piece of 220 grit or similar sand paper and sand your new carbon brushes down CAREFULLY! You want them to slide into the housing and be able to fit snugly but still be able to slide freely! (if you wreck one then its a good thing you bought a second set right!?)
• Solder the leads of the brushes onto the coils and check to make sure the brushes are spring loading correctly (moving freely in their housings)
• Now is the tricky part! You need to hold the brushes back to be able to get the shaft of the motor between them when you put the motor back together! Some people use a small string and tie them back… But I managed to put the housing back on sideways to start and get one brush over the shaft then I took a very small screw driver and pushes the other brush back while pushing the housing back together!  (be creative here, patience is key)
• Assemble the pump back together and try putting 12v on the leads to see if your pump works! With a bit of luck you’re in business!
• Installation is reverse of removal.

I hope this helps some of you save a few bucks!

Some pictures as reference:

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The DIYs I have read were pretty poor in terms of pictures and were pretty vague in what is needed. When you first read it you think, oh no big deal?! But you need to be prepared!

It’s not a hard job, just a job that requires you be informed before starting!

• You will need a press or a puller to get your pulley off and to get the rear bearing assembly off of the shaft. You can make a custom tool as I did (see pics)
• Prepare for about 4 hours in case you need to make a trip to the parts store but as long as you follow these instructions you should be ok!
• Some key tools, pulley puller (large and small from autozone free tool rental, basic socket sets, screw driver, skinny rubber hose, bar, and rebuilt kit.

Simply view the photo gallery and each image will have the information you need to do as you go along. They are all in order so just follow it until you’re all done! My application was a 2000 Ford SVT Lightning. I had 130k miles on it.

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A few things to note if you are not sure you need to rebuild yours. If you hear any noise (mostly at idle) and it goes away with a bit of throttle, chances are your snout bearings are worn and/or bad coupler (the coupler is a little round bushing like piece that wears the holes where it sits and can become noisy). If you put a large screw driver against the supercharger and put your ear to the handle you can listen for sounds. If the noise is in the front, you need to rebuilt your snout. If it is at the rear, your rotors are touching each other and you most likely need the rotor bearings and needle bearings replaced.

Note: The snout bearings/coupler normally need to be replaced well before the rotor/needle bearings will. By rebuilding your snout you will most likely have a reliable supercharger for the rest of the time you own your M112 Eaton supercharger.

Since my Lightning only ever had a Gray option I was quick to dye the interior black. I had dyed dozens of Mustang Interior, BMW interiors, Hondas etc. I have used black, white, blue, red, gray dyes and paints. There are many options out there when it comes to the paint/dye you want to use and it can be extremely confusing. What it really comes  down to tho is the prep work. Much like painting a car.

Plastics & Vinyl

Paint/Dye options. You will notice that most now saw plastic/vinyl and both will work just fine as most interior consist of these two materials. Please note that you CAN use this on leather with great results as well. So here are some options you may come across these days:

• SEM (limited vendors and expensive but great quality and my personal pick)
• VHT (available through most auto stores such as Autozone, Advanced Auto Parts, Pep Boys etc. Also a very good option)
• Krylon (Wal Mart and has a great spray nozzle and super cheap!)
• Rustoleum (Recently seen this taking over the dupli-color options at Auto-Zone, great color selection and haven’t used it yet)
• Dupli-color (Most auto stores and “okay” quality hard to find some colors)
• Dealer (Yes you will know you can buy interior paint directly from the dealer if they used it, be prepared to pay, good quality but you pay for it and inconvenient)
• Dupont (You can buy it by the gallon if you wish and mix it and spray it through a paint gun for bulk projects)

Gloss/Satin/Flat: Lots of controversy over this and I have used all of them. In my honest opinion stay away from Gloss finishes. It looks cheap, reflects light into your face and just looks cheesy. There are however sometimes a time and place for it with some custom interiors. If you are after a factory OEM finish like most cases, you will want a “flat” or “satin” finish. It really depends on what you prefer. I tend to lean towards a satin finish since it gives a nice clean look. I also find that the flat finishes tend to scratch a little more easily as they have no sheen what so ever. The sheen sometimes allows things to “slide” a bit better.

So along with all these options, some of the manufacturers of these paint and dye products  also have available their own “special” cleaners and adhesion promoters etc. They are sometimes even more expensive than the paint itself! Don’t be fooled by such gimmicks. The best way to prep your surfaces prior to paint is to use the right products and to take your time!

Here we go!

1. Get some dish soap (yes the kind you wash your dishes with). Make sure it doesn’t have hand lotion or any other weird stuff (scented is okay)
2. Bucket of nice warm water and add a good amount of soap.
3. Get one of those cellulite sponges that has the scotch pad on the back
4. With your interior panels removed and in a clean area wash them down with your water and sponge really well. Also go over the whole area with the scotch pad side of your sponge. This will help “scratch” the surface to give the paint something to stick to. (don’t worry it will not damage the surface)
5. Use clean paper towel to dry your panels off completely. You will be amazed at the dirt and grime and old Armor All you remove! Wash them again if you feel they are still dirty. Some parts you may have to use a tooth brush (like on dash vents)
6. Use a clean cloth and poor some Acetone on it and wipe down the surface you are about to paint. It will dry itself and this will make sure your surface is free of any dirt or oil. Acetone can be found in the household paint area in Wal-Mart
7. In a well ventilated area place your pieces out on a big piece of cardboard or whatever you got to make it easy to paint and get access to. Be creative! Make sure there isn’t much wind and that you have good lighting. Make sure to mask off any pieces/areas you don’t want painted.
8. Shake your can of paint/dye well and apply light thin coats almost “misting” it on. The idea is to get a uniform look and not to have a “splotchy” finished product.
9. For color changes this could be 5-6 coats.
10. Let dry and reinstall! – Note: Interior dye dries fast! Like 10 minutes fast, but I recommend waiting 12-24 hrs prior to handling for re-install.

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The pics above are some I recently took of my lightning.. The interior was gray and originally I had dyed it with VHT Flat Black  interior paint. After 4 years and 40, 000 miles there were a few marks on the kick panels and door sill plates and I wanted to try a Satin finish. This time around I used Krylon. So far so good! Before I had some Silver accents in the interior that I wanted to get rid of also. It used to look like this!

Carpet:

- Don’t waste your money on an aftermarket rug if yours is in good shape. Do the following:

1. Remove the Carpet
2. Remove any sound insulation from the back
3. Get a large garbage can and fill with warm water if possible
4. Add 15 boxes of RIT dye from Wal-Mart in the Laundry Detergent Section
5. Mix Well
6. Add your carpet one chunk at a time (wear gloves!)
7. Move the carpet around as you eventually get the whole thing in the can and submerged
8. Wait an hour
9. Remove the carpet slowly and put it back in another way to avoid light spots and creases
10. Submerge (use of a cinder block helps) and let sit overnight
11. Remove and rinse off with hose until water rinses clear (pressure washer OK!)
12. Let dry
13. Re-install

Not only will your carpet look like NEW and be all cushy again, but it will fit like OEM because it is! No trimming and cutting and it will NOT RUB OFF!

Headliner:

Easy to recover with the material of your choice. Remove headliner and peel off the material and recover using 3M industrial grade spray glue! Make sure to spray both sides of the surfaces.

If you wish to just paint your old one… Don’t waste your money on material paint. Buy the $1 cans of black primer from Home Depot and paint in cross X patterns each coat. Get a soft brush and brush in-between coats to get soft again!

Reinstall!

]]> http://theinfamousproject.com/automotive-interior-dyeing/feed 0 http://theinfamousproject.com/svt-lightning-diagnostics http://theinfamousproject.com/svt-lightning-diagnostics#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 02:51:07 +0000 Infamous http://theinfamousproject.com/?p=801 So a good friend of mine has been having a strange noise coming from his drive-line in his F-150 SVT Lightning. With his exhaust being so loud it is always hard to try and pinpoint where sounds are coming from. It basically sounded like marbles in a can to a certain degree, and the sound would come and go. He was told it could be a spun bearing and of course when you have a built motor you always assume the worst.

After weeks of trying to convince him to look at it in depth we finally got the truck in the air and used a scope to try and pin-point where the sound was coming from. The other assumption we had was the torque converter as he did buy it used and it had been used for over 140 launches at the dragstrip! We were set to pull the transmission but during our diagnostics we all agreed it sounded like something maybe in the exhaust.

Removal of the cat-back system (Full Bassani with longtubes and Magnaflow high flow cats) allowed us to find this!

LEFT= Drivers side                                                    RIGHT= Passengers side

So there you have it, a blown out catalytic converter with most likely rattling internals the cause! A pry bar was used to smash out the other Cat (emissions are not strict in Texas) and the Catback will soon be reinstalled and we are all crossing our fingers for no more noise! We plan to drive to Florida at the end of the month for the Old Town Lightning Show in Kississmee Florida. One of the largest Lightning shows in the Nation!

Those Magnaflow high flow cats are always a great temporary solution but on numerous occasions I have seen them break down and become more hassles then they are worth. So the solution = move to an emission free state!

Of course, how could you not go for a little drive with open headers? Enjoy

Also the car received, new plugs and fuel filter change, and air filter cleaning! Didn’t snap any pics of this project but did get the vid of the Seafoam coming out! Again, I do plan to start filming all these little projects again and will follow up with more info.

It could have been much worse but no biggie. Jacked the car up, took off the wheel and removed the inner fender. Then some patience with a hammer and an old connecting rod (pics to come) was used to bring the fenders shape back to life! Sometimes you have to make the tools you have around you work right? So about 45 mins of shaping and hammering almost no filler was needed at all. Not bad considering the body line of the wheel well was affected.

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Some follow up pictures to follow with paint of course I am just glad the dent is gone. Oh and after I was done, my buddy and I had a bit of a tailgate party down in the garage.. mmmmmm Barbecue!