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What Did You Do With Your SSR Today?

1M views 15K replies 567 participants last post by  Stlhotrod 
Sun Visors

I picked up my sun visors from a local upholstery shop. Gone are the WARNING messages that were emblazoned on them. The shop used a solvent to remove the imprinting and they now have a nice, clean, plain black surface. Eliminating the visual distraction of those WARNINGS makes the interior look cleaner.

-John :yellow:
 
Simple Engineering Exhaust Tips

Added Mike's exhaust tips today at a local muffler shop. Top quality product, beautiful shine, and the gents at the shop mentioned how well built they are. I think they fill the rear fascia perfectly. Thanks, Mike!
 

Attachments

Springfield Prep

Got the turkey baster out and did the clutch fluid "swap" to prepare for the trip from NY to Springfield. Might help; can't hurt.

Jolly John
:yellow:
 
Remember to replace that before thanksgiving. :seeya
Yes, sir. I keep "my" turkey baster in the tool box and use it on the SSR for clutch fluid. Judy's baster stays in the kitchen for turkey duty!

-Jolly John. :yellow:
 
I continued using "quarantine time" to get my newly acquired SSR ready for road trips by adding some of the Simple Engineering items that improve reliability. Kudos to Mike Moro for getting the parts shipped during these turbulent times! I replaced the OEM lower radiator brace, fan, rear crossmember, and air dam with the S.E. upgrades.

What do Forum members typically do with the OEM parts taken off? I started making room on a shelf in the garage, but it's so unlikely that I will ever need them. Are they of any value to anyone?

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Wheel Spoke Auto part Mechanical fan Automotive wheel system
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I had a tire mounted to use with the Simple Engineering Spare Tire Kit that I installed yesterday. "No contact" COVID-19 service at the local tire shop, as they took the rim out of my car, mounted the tire, and then placed it in the trunk of the car. Charged my credit card by phone!

For those of you considering the Spare Tire Kit, if I can install it, anyone can! I lifted the R with a floor jack, (added jack stands), removed the rear wheel, and followed Mike Moro's detailed instructions. The only "physical" part was lifting the battery and its carrier into place in its cradle, and that was made easier with the floor jack. The spare under the car is NOT noticeable from the rear, and the full bed of the truck is now available to use on long road trips. SE's kit includes all the tools needed to change a tire on the road, even the jack, and it all fits perfectly in the black canvas carrying bag that comes with the kit.

Great peace of mind on rural roads or cross-country travels!

Mr Met (John)

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Used this rainy afternoon to refresh the clutch fluid using the "syringe method". It's nice and clear now, and well worth the stiff knee from all the clutch pedal pumping. Added a new clutch reservoir cap from Simple Engineering to eliminate the weeping from the original cap.

Time for a cold one now.

Mr. Met (John)

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Product Material property Liquid Plastic Bottle
 
After reviewing this Forum for ways to restore door and window seals, I purchased the "Gummi Pflege Stift" product that several members recommended. I applied it to the door and window seals last night using a microfiber cloth, (the dauber top on the bottle seemed too clumsy to reach the small crevices). This morning the seals seem MUCH softer and more pliable, and seem to have relaxed quite a bit from the compressed state they were in. The prior owner took good care of this low mileage SSR, but it spent nearly all its life garaged with the top up, so I'm hoping that treating the seals and leaving the top down will help the seals breathe and expand a bit. So far, so good, but time will tell.

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Product Violet Purple Deodorant Home fragrance
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I changed the knob on my recently installed Core Shifter. I purchased a 2.25 inch knob, which is about the same size as the OEM knob, and feels better in the hand to me than the smaller knob that came with the Core Shifter. I chose a white knob with blue markings as I like that look with the Pac Blue interior features. Please see below for pics of the new knob, OEM knob, and original Core Shifter knob.

Games Ball Ball Font Pétanque
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I finally ventured out to have the Simple Engineering exhaust tips installed. The tips are another SE product of outstanding quality, and the tech at the local exhaust shop raved about them. They fill the exhaust outlet space well, and they sound great to me. Thank you, Mike!

-John

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Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Auto part Vehicle door
 
Removed the "GM" front fender emblems that Chevrolet added to SSRs in 2006. Masked off the area, applied some GooGone, used fishing line to remove the emblem, and washed/waxed that area. To my eye, it looks better without that tag at the bottom of the fenders.

Gave her a wash and wax to finish off the day.

-John

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I replaced the radiator hoses, heater hoses, thermostat, and coolant tank today. No issues, just preventive maintenance. The original hoses on my 06 SSR did their best to remain attached, but it's done. The pre-assembled Simple Engineering heater hose set makes swapping out those hoses really easy, and it's joyful to be able to check coolant level with a tank that age hasn't rendered opaque. Next project - front and rear shocks.

-John

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Replaced the original front and rear shocks of my 2006 SSR with the Bilstein "Sport" shock absorbers from Simple Engineering. The new shocks provide a great balance between performance and comfort. Highly recommended!

-John

Yellow Auto part Vehicle Wheel
Coil spring Suspension part Auto part Suspension Shock absorber
 
Amazon guy delivered the Jaco digital tire gage that I read about here. Great gage, so easy to read, and VERY accurate. Adjusted the tire pressures on the R, and then my lovely wife’s SUV and my truck. Just in time for upcoming trips to NY and Boston In the truck.

Thank you @Auggie Doggie for sharing the info about the gage.

-John

Hose Technology Cable Electronic device Plumbing
 
Thanks just closed the deal on a pac blue FPR with 3ss chrome package. Owned by PacBlue So blessed we saw it for sale
Guess we’ll be blues brothers in late sept/ early October when he returns to Florida
Let the simple engineering upgrades begin
Parts sitting in mr cart there ready to push the button. Then need to sell our 03 redline red with matching trailer.
Congratulations on the new PAC BLUE SSR!

-John
 
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We took a leisurely ride through some back roads in Central PA to enjoy today's beautiful Fall weather. The SSR I purchased in March with 2,244 miles now has 7,354 miles, so we have enjoyed 5000+ miles of Permagrin cruises within PA during the Pandemic!

-John

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I installed the newly programmed PCM received back from PCMforless.com's after a mail order tune. She's a much better running SSR now, with the factory throttle delay removed and the fan temps adjusted to @Dicktator specs. It was well worth a few days of down time last week to have the tuning done since COVID is killing car shows and the opportunity to have Jeremy do a live tune at an SSR gathering.

The beautiful weather in Central PA allowed plenty of top-down cruising time with the updated PCM. We hit all the two-lanes within a 50-mile radius of Enola PA, and there are still plenty of colorful leaves to view. Here are a few pics that Judy grabbed from the shotgun seat.

-John

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Road Sky Windshield Road trip Asphalt
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Is there info in @Dicktator library about fan temps?( we have mikes newest fan with shroud AND his front pusher fan.)
Hello @Trygodfirst. @Dicktator mentions suggested fan speeds for tuners in several of his posts. I have pasted an example of one of these posts below.

-John

"Have to be set/changed by licensed Tuner (Corvette), EPA Law will not allow Dealer to change fan settings.

Suggest:
Low Speed Setting: 192
High Speed Setting: 210

Dicktator
 
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