Roadmonster.org

Just added a fourth page:

RoadMonster Photos

Check it out!

Roadmonster.org is really growing!

This site was established on December 13, 2009.

We added a hit counter on January 1, 2010.

Since January 1st, we’ve had well over 22,000 hits.

That’s over 11,000 a month!

Not too shabby for a brand new website!

When I deleted my CarDomain page, it had 300,000 hits…

…and was averaging only 7000-8000 hits per month at it’s highest.

So…

This site has MUCH more potential than I had originally anticipated.

Some other noteworthy facts:

-There are now three pages with well over 200 posts.

-We now have 25 categories.

-The links have grown.  I’ve got MANY good vendors and informational sites listed for your convenience.

-The Part Numbers List has grown as well.  If there are any part numbers that you need, or that you’d like to add, just leave a message.

-We recently added a spam filter to keep the posts legitimate.  This will not affect your ability to post a message.

As you may know…

…I am on the hunt for my next project car.

That’s why I added the third page.

Anyhow…

That does not mean that the RoadMonster is done by any means.

I’ve got a lot of work to do this spring.

The car is once again having A LOT of work done to her.

Also, I have one or two MAJOR changes planned down the road.

Finally, I am still going through my GM literature collection and will be posting up more articles soon.

Stay tuned and thanks for visiting!

-Stewart

p.s.  If you are not familiar with the RoadMonster…

…click on the modifications category first.

I think the posts there represent the car pretty well.

Here is a scan of the minty fresh Buick Lineup Dealership Brochure from my 1994 Buick Dealer Advertising Planner.

The 1994 Buick Brochure is a whopping 80 pages thick.

It covers the entire 1994 Buick Lineup.

Every model and all the features, options, colors, etc.

The Roadmaster Section alone is 14 pages.

Here is the Roadmaster section of this brochure.

There is a lot of information on both the 1994 Buick Roadmaster Sedan & 1994 Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon, and lots of beautiful pictures.

Click on each image for a full size picture.

I hope you find this information useful.

-Stewart

The belt line trim on the 1992-1996 Buick Roadmaster Sedans is comprised of three different parts:

1) The Polished Stainless Steel Trim Base (1992-1994 Sedans) or Chrome Plated Plastic Trim Base (1995-1996 Sedans).

This is the wide chrome trim that completely encircles the car.

2) The silver painted plastic trim.

This is attached to the Stainless or Chrome Trim Base mentioned above.

3) The flexible plastic “chrome” trim on the top of the bumpers.

This is a thin chromed plastic strip on the top of both bumpers.

As my car is a 1994, I’ve got the polished stainless steel trim.

I just spent several days hand polishing this stainless steel, and it is in perfect shape.

The flexible plastic chromed trim on the top of the front and rear bumpers usually turns yellow and fades with age.

I’ve got a fix for this documented on my Restoration & Help page.

This post covers how I am going to restore the plastic painted portion of the belt line trim on my car.

I should mention that I have also covered how to properly reattach this silver painted plastic trim, as it has a tendency to loosen up and eventually fall off if not corrected.

See my Restoration & Help page for this information.

The painted plastic belt line trim on these cars can be problematic.

With age, it fades.

If the car is not garaged and is exposed to the elements all the time, this plastic trim can break down and erode.

This painted trim is also prone to scrapes and stains.

The silver painted trim on my car is in excellent shape for it’s age.

However, it does have some stains, it’s faded, and there are a couple of small areas where the rubber trim has just started to erode.

On the two pics above, you can see the edge of the plastic painted trim where I touched it up with silver paint.  The plastic started to erode there, and I stopped it, but it still needs proper attention.

I am doing the trim restoration myself.

Here is what I am going to use to re-paint the plastic portion of the trim:

Dupli-Color Bumper Coating.

When painting plastics, you need a special paint.  Specifically it needs to have a flex-agent in it so the paint doesn’t flake off if and when the plastic is flexed or bent.  Also, paint for plastics usually has adhesion promoters specifically formulated for plastics.

Here is what Dupli-Color says about their product:

“Dupli-Color® Flexible Bumper Coating renews and protects weathered or discolored bumpers, moldings and rub strips. This tough protective coating offers superior adhesion to thermoplastic rubber and polyurethane bumpers.”

Available Colors:

FB 105 Black
FB 106 Gray
FB 107 Tan
FB 108 Medium Silver
FB 109 Dark Charcoal

I am going to use either the Medium Silver or Dark Charcoal.

Not sure yet which one.

The belt line trim was originally much darker than it is now.

When I removed the front bumper over-riders, I saw how dark the original color was.  I just don’t know if I want to paint it the color it has now become, or take it back to the darker original color.

To repair the erosion at the ends of the trim near the rear license plate, I’ll be using this:

Bondo Bumper Repair Kit.

Basically, this is flexible urethane glue.

I’ll fill and finish the eroded spots with this, and then paint the trim with the Dupli-Color Bumper Coating.

The RoadMonster is having a lot of work done right now.

I am currently collecting all the parts and supplies I need for several different projects on the car.

I’ve got to get this trim all restored and repainted by May.

Stay tuned for pics of the whole process…

The upgrades to the RoadMonster continue…

The RM is once again being upgraded before the show season…

These modifications will also get me to the track this year.

As I am focusing on the chassis, transmission, and rear end…
…I want to upgrade the drive-line.

The upgrades I am currently working on will handle ANY modifications that I do to the car down the road…

…and I’ve got 1 or 2 big mods planned before I consider the RM “done”.

Here is a pic of the what the new Denny’s Drive Shaft will look like:

Since the car is going to be having major surgery…

…might as well do some more upgrades.

Here is Denny’s description:

“Complete 1330 series 3.5 inch 6061-T6 Aluminum Driveshaft with 27 spline automatic transmission slip yoke and u-joints to connect to the stock 8.5 inch 10 bolt 3R S44 pinion yoke.

Built with 3.5 inch 6061-T6 aluminum tubing this driveshaft is stronger than stock and is high speed balanced and tested to be sure it will perform smoothly in your Impala SS.

Great item to cure the typical stock driveshaft vibrations that occur after a gear change.”

I made some calls today, and after speaking to different vendors, I am back at Denny’s where I started.

Might as well as just get the best and be done with it.

A Denny’s Chrome Moly Pinion Yoke is also going in:

Denny’s description:

“This is one of the very best ways to upgrade your stock Chevy or GM Corporate 8.5 inch 10 bolt pinion yoke.  With this 8.5 inch 10 bolt GM 3R series CHROME MOLY pinion yoke with u-bolt set, pinion nut and washer you can still use your existing driveshaft, u-joint and pinion seal.  The GM 3R series original equipment pinion yoke utilizes a strap and bolt design to hold the u-joint in place and the yoke is of a cast material.   Our 3R CHROME MOLY pinion yoke for the 8.5 inch 10 bolt is a u-bolt design and eliminates the possibility of yoke and/or strap failure.  Inexpensive upgrade for any high performance application.”

Again, this pinion yoke is overkill right now, but will be necessary down the road…

Denny’s Driveshafts

The chassis & drive-line should be complete by this May.

I’ll have the undercarriage completely coated and detailed.

The entire chassis, frame, and under-body will be a nice-looking, durable, textured satin black finish.

ALL the bolt-ons are RED powdercoat:

-Tubular Transmission Cross Member

-Upper and Lower UMI Performance Rear Control Arms.

-Metco Drive Shaft Safety Loop.

-Front & Rear Sway Bars.

The rest of the undercarriage will be silver:

-Exhaust System.

-Denny’s Drive Shaft.

-Hughes Finned Aluminum Trans Pan.

That’s it.

The entire undercarriage will be Black, Red, and Silver.

Then the chassis will be “show worthy” in my opinion.

That said, I am making it so the car is still “road worthy”…

I like the fact that the car was one of the few to actually DRIVE to the Salem Roadster Show.

She’ll NEVER be a trailer queen, and my wife and I still plan on a coast to coast road trip in the RoadMonster…

Everything I do needs to look good AND be durable.

Stay tuned, as I plan to have LOTS AND LOTS of photos documenting the chassis & drive-line revisions.

Thanks for looking!

-Stewart

I am using this product on several areas on the RoadMonster:

Under the hood / engine bay, on the chassis, and even in the interior.

This stuff has an amazing finish.

It looks like black wrinkle powdercoat.

What is even more amazing is how easy this finish is to touch up, with excellent results.

Once I get the parts that I am having made back from the fabrication shop, I’ll document the process from bare metal to coated part.

Regarding the chassis…

…let’s just say that I plan on adding mirrors to the car show display.

On the interior parts…

…I am going to use the Duplicolor coating and then change the color to match the rest of the interior with Medium Gray Duplicolor Vinyl “Dye”.

I’ll document that modification as well.

Stay tuned…

Another part that will be installed soon…

This red powdercoated Metco Driveshaft Safety Loop.

This is a really nice part custom made for the 1994-1996 GM B-Bodies.

Stay tuned for pics of the installation…

I’ve got quite a few things to get done before the show season officially starts.

-Stewart

I’ve got a bunch of parts stored away to install.

This Hughes Performance Finned Aluminum Transmission Pan is one of them…

This Hughes Performance Transmission Pan is a thing of beauty.

The cooling fins dissipate heat, and the construction of this trans pan will actually add strength to the transmission case.

This pan comes with the filter, pan gasket, and magnetic drain plug.

The Hughes Pans come in three depths for the 4L60E:  Deep, Standard, and a Shallow model for Corvettes and Camaros.

I’ve got the shallow model, as the RoadMonster rides pretty low…

I bought the trans pan at Oregon Performance Transmission.

See their eBay store here:

Oregon Performance Transmission

I’ve purchased several items from OPT, and I highly recommend their products and customer service.

Hopefully, I’ll have this trans pan, and a few other parts installed over the next month.

Stay tuned for more info…

-Stewart

Love it or hate it, we’ve got a lot of plastic in our lives.

Cleaning plastic parts is different than cleaning glass, metal, or painted surfaces.

A perfect example of this is the gauge cluster lens on any car you own.

Is yours scratched?

The scratches come from improper cleaning, dirt, dust, other contaminants, and just plain age and use.

Windex is bad for cleaning plastics, but that’s what most people will clean a gauge cluster lens with…

Maybe you own a convertible with a plastic rear window(s).

Has the window dulled and yellowed?

Eventually, they all do, if not properly cared for.

Windex should never be used on plastic convertible windows.

There are really good products out there for cleaning and polishing plastics.

Here are my favorites:

Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze #17 Clear Plastic Cleaner…

…and #10 Clear Plastic Polish.

Use the #17 Cleaner to clean the plastic part.

Follow up with the #10 Plastic Polish.

If you take your time, and follow the package directions, your plastic part will look like new.

And remember, keep the Windex away from your clear plastic parts!

Maybe you have heard of RMI-25.

Maybe not.

RMI-25 is a cooling system treatment.

The diesel truck guys have used RMI-25 for years.

This stuff is amazing!

I use it in all of my vehicles, and the cooling systems on all of them are clean and efficient.

I have found that RMI-25 works as advertised.

RMI-25 cleans the cooling system while you drive.  It removes rust, scale, and other contaminants and keeps it suspended in the coolant.  RMI-25 also lubricates the water pump seals and thermostats.  RMI-25 prevents rust, cavitation erosion, electrolysis, and pitting of the cooling system and it’s components.

RMI-25 does a lot more too.

I buy RMI-25 at QMI of Missouri.

See their link below for more information.

QMI of Missouri

8oz treats a five gallon coolant system.

The 1990′s B-Bodies are notorious for losing heater efficiency due to the heater core getting clogged up with crud.  Use RMI-25 and it’ll clean the cooling system, including the heater core.  Best of all, you don’t need to flush the coolant afterward.

Your heater will be hot, and your car will run cool.

RMI-25 is not a sponsor of mine.

It’s just an excellent product that I use and trust…

…and I thought I’d pass it along.

Maybe this guy should have used RMI-25…