What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

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sleepinghawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by sleepinghawk » Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:14 pm

[quote="PontiacFan"]


Did both door panel staple removal a couple weeks ago.

Are you glad you did it? Was it hard to do? I had seen the thread about doing it and I'm trying to stay on top of some of the preventive maint things.
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redhawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by redhawk » Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:32 pm

Ditto :mrgreen:
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by PontiacFan » Thu Mar 13, 2014 7:00 pm

sleepinghawk wrote:Are you glad you did it? Was it hard to do? I had seen the thread about doing it and I'm trying to stay on top of some of the preventive maint things.
Yea, it's a good plan.
If you don't have cracked panels yet, ..., you may have someday.

Not hard to do if you have the tools.

But I had done it before a couple years ago on a spare set of panels, ..., that are now wrapped up in the garage attic. :mrgreen:
My current driver's side door had some minimal discoloration at the very edge, that you could tell that it was going to start cracking soon.
And I try not to allow my windows to go all the down. If you watch the door panel flex during the last 3-4 inches of travel, you'll see why!

So if you have access to a Dremel tool or similar, ...,(I have an air compressor & a cut-off wheel on a die-grinder to do this.), ..., I cut out the old staples, leaving a bout 3 of them in place before completely removing the strip. Then I start to drill some holes thru-out the length, & will sometime try to stay in the same staple hole, in order to not create more swiss cheese. I bought short #4 bolts & lots of washers & nuts from the hardware store. The bolt should stay 'lose' in the panel, & then I do the double-nut thing to lock them in place, ..., & I also use Loctite on the nuts to help prevent them from ever coming loose. I also trimmed off the excess bolt length using the cut-off wheel after double-nutting them. You can't tighten down the nut & lock the strip back in place to the door panel, or you defeat the purpose of trying to allow the panel to 'grow/shrink/move'. The bolts can't be tight, but they can't be too loose either.
I would imagine there are other ways of securing the strip back in place on the panel. Maybe rivets? Maybe zip ties, ..., I dunno, to each their own. I used small bolts.
The thought pattern is, if you drill a 'clearance' hole big enough for the panel to grow/shrink/move with the bolts in place, it will eliminate the stress in that area.

I've done all the staples along the length, but after doing so, I've often thought that you could get away with just doing the back half, where the stress area is at, & that might be enough to relieve the panel so it doesn't crack. The problem area is right where there is a square pattern cut-out in the panel edge, & in one of those square corners is where the panel always cracks.

Sorry, I don't have any good photos, ..., :(

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sleepinghawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by sleepinghawk » Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:50 pm

Thanks man! Yea I have seen the bucking out when the window goes down. It was a long time ago it happened to me. I learned. But just like the dash, I know it's going happen. So, it sounds like my winter problem for next year, as long as it holds off. Just haven't figured out which way I want to do it. I still have to turn my sensor do hickey, that engages when my clutch pedal is out so my cruise control will work. Happens after installing the Tick MC. I crawled under there last weekend and it would not turn. So I have 2 little square magnets that hopefully I'll use to put on top of the metal brace so the do hickey will push in.
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Nighthawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by Nighthawk » Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:09 pm

Mines been in the body shop for a few days. I'm having some minor repairs done to the hood and the paint freshened up.
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james8008
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by james8008 » Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:31 pm

I took the hood inserts out. I think it looks meaner and she breathes better :D
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redhawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by redhawk » Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:50 pm

Rechecked tire pressures.
2002 Trans Am Firehawk Vert #25 Red w/Ebony Interior w/M6 1 of 19 built
2002 Trans Am Firehawk T-top #162 Sunset Orange Metallic w/Camel Interior 1 of 7
1978 Trans Am Martinique Blue w/Black Deluxe Interior Owned since 7/82

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sleepinghawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by sleepinghawk » Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:32 pm

redhawk wrote:Rechecked tire pressures.
:lol: That makes for a good day when you don't have to do anything to her!
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redhawk
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by redhawk » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:48 pm

Absolutely! :wink:
2002 Trans Am Firehawk Vert #25 Red w/Ebony Interior w/M6 1 of 19 built
2002 Trans Am Firehawk T-top #162 Sunset Orange Metallic w/Camel Interior 1 of 7
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DrZundel
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by DrZundel » Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:49 pm

Put my new rims on today. I love em!!

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Scott Chab
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by Scott Chab » Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:20 pm

What did I do to my Hawk today? Drove the shit out of it.

:twisted:

Took it to Cars & Coffee this morning, to a cruise in this afternoon and then to dinner tonight. Didn't put that many miles on it but enjoyed the ones I did.
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slowbird780
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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by slowbird780 » Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:44 am

Drzundel that is one sharp hawk you got there

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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by DrZundel » Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:32 pm

slowbird780 wrote:Drzundel that is one sharp hawk you got there
Thanks! Unfortunately I may have to sell it this summer.

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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by slowbird780 » Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:27 am

DrZundel wrote:
slowbird780 wrote:Drzundel that is one sharp hawk you got there
Thanks! Unfortunately I may have to sell it this summer.
That is sad :cry:

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Re: What did you do to your 'Hawk today?

Post by 02 red hawk » Mon Jul 07, 2014 6:16 pm

I took delivery of my 4th set of chrome firehawk wheels. :D

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