Back to Berettas after 15+ years

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Rettax3
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by Rettax3 »

Yay! Good um, 'tips' regarding quality 'TPS' :) . Glad it worked out well, and now you know the other components you checked along the way are healthy too. :good:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

Finally the weather is improving, and I had a few bucks to get a battery. The one that came with the car was dated '13 and it just wouldn't hold a charge.

picked up a die hard on Saturday and back on the road running great!

Hoping to put some miles on the car this week as long as the weather stays dry.

I sold my S10 Blazer after 19 years and bought my sister's '09 Vue for a DD, but it's just sitting until we get the title sorted.
Definitely lame compared to my blazer, but she sold it to me for trade -in so I couldn't pass it up.


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whiteretta
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by whiteretta »

Not big on Vue's, but can't beat paying next to nothing, haha. They like to eat suspension components, so make sure it's solid!

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk


1994 Chevy Beretta, mild 3500 swap.
https://youtube.com/@MurphRocks86?si=mpCQc0DnEitPx3Jg
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EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

whiteretta wrote:Not big on Vue's, but can't beat paying next to nothing, haha. They like to eat suspension components, so make sure it's solid!

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk
Totally missed this post. Yeah the Vue is a total soccer mom ride but it's actually pretty darn fast with the 3.6 high feature V6. I paid $2500, it gets me back and forth to work.

You're right about the suspension it's fine on the highway but when you are barely moving it has this annoying rattle that sounds like a strut mount. My sis had Monroe quick struts out on it about 15k ago.


EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

I haven't done much with the Beretta other than maintain it and drive it, it's up to 169k and still running great.
It's got a sound in the front end that I thought was a wheel bearing, but I'm starting to think it's one of the summitomo tires I put in. Disappointing, but you get what you pay for.

I successfully completed my first paint job this summer, sprayed the clear the day after my birthday, August 24th.

Now I keep looking at the Beretta thinking "you're next". I don't know though, it's an insane amount of work and stress, at least for me it was.
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Rettax3
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by Rettax3 »

Looks good, nice job on the paint. I am not a paint/body person in the slightest, so I am nodding and going 'um-hmm' at what you are saying. :D I have an idea of how much work we are looking at in those few photos, so I am properly impressed. I helped a friend paint his old GMC truck last year in a single-stage, and I think if we had spent another day wet-sanding more of it, he would have had a really beautiful paint job. As it is, he was satisfied and said, 'it is a truck, that looks fine.' I wanted to paint my '87 GTA last summer, but too much work to do on the house. Maybe this year I can shoot it and my GTU (same color white going on both cars), but I still need decals for the GTU. I plan on building a 'storage shed' capable of doubling as a spray-booth; I will add in filtered ventilation and heat-lamps to make it suitable for that.


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

Thank you, 1st time for paint/body for me as well. Lots of metal replaced on the car as well, but it's not Beretta related so I post a lot about it on mgexp.com

The storage shed booth sounds like a good plan. You have way too many projects going on to get in to that though! Lol


EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

I wish I had exciting things going on with my Beretta like many of you do, but nope, just driving it back and forth to work.
174k and she's running great. The ol 3T40 is still hanging in there. I was worried about it after we took it to Myrtle a couple years ago, I just let it warm up a bit before I get on it at all. If the temp is around 30 or less and you try to pull out in to traffic when it's just been started, it doesn't move at first and then it feels like someone ass-ends me and then it goes. Soo, I just don't do that!
The car sits outside which is not great for it, definitely is taking a toll on the dashboard/interior. The beretta will not be driven in the winter though, other than a day here and there when the road salt is plenty dry.
Now that my MG restoration is closer to completion hopefully I won't have the garage so cluttered up with parts for it, you have to have room to work, but as the parts start to go back on instead of coming off, some space is freeing up.


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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

Finally have finished the resto on my MG, so the Beretta gets to share the garage with it! The Beretta is still running great, just oil changes. The only thing I've done lately is the lower dog bone. It had a crappy Anchor one I had put on when I first bought it. It had about an inch of play in it, so I put the OEM one back on. I noticed that I've been driving it for years with the front bolt in the "M" hole instead of the "A". Oops! Or maybe it was like that already and I just repeated the mistake.
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Rettax3
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

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:wink: Yep, gotta watch out for those "A" holes. :ROFL: -Sorry, it is late, I had to do it! :oops:

Can't see much of it from that shot, but what I CAN see looks like a really clean little MG! Must feel pretty good to see so much effort turn into so much progress towards the end and finally turn a corner on it. I don't know if I ever do look at one of my cars and say, "Well, that is done.." Congrats! :good:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by woody90gtz »

Finished? Wow. That sounds amazing. I'm jealous. haha


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

Rettax3 wrote::wink: Yep, gotta watch out for those "A" holes. :ROFL: -Sorry, it is late, I had to do it! :oops:

Can't see much of it from that shot, but what I CAN see looks like a really clean little MG! Must feel pretty good to see so much effort turn into so much progress towards the end and finally turn a corner on it. I don't know if I ever do look at one of my cars and say, "Well, that is done.." Congrats! :good:
I didn't show much of the roadster since it's non-beretta, but thanks it's been a long time coming.
woody90gtz wrote:Finished? Wow. That sounds amazing. I'm jealous. haha
"Finished" was definitely a poor word choice. As soon as it was driveable the wifey had me remodeling the bathroom..
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Rettax3
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

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Well, we have an 'off topic' section, there really isn't a lot of traffic here that you would be disrupting, and this is your thread, so I would say you have plenty of options if you want to showcase the MG. I would live to see more of it and the work you put into it if you want to post it up -hey, it is VERY car-related, the few people who would p!$$ and moan about it being non-Beretta aren't really here much anymore, and they would complain if they were being hung by a new rope, so... :pardon:

I pre-empted such issues as bathroom remodeling, by doing those first. :wink: That freed me up to not worry about them later so I could line-up a couple of projects at a time... Might be why the T/A is still waiting with an empty engine-bay though... :roll: Yeah, I guess your way might be better! :lol:


1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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woody90gtz
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by woody90gtz »

I've actually got some bathroom remodeling to do myself...only been putting it off the 10yrs since we bought our house. haha And a Camaro...and another Beretta...


91 "SS" - WOT 3400/5spd - 13.29@101.6 - World's fastest N/A FWD Beretta
96 "T56" LS/6spd/8.8 RWD swap - 13.45@104.7 lol
GEARHEAD dezign youtube
EPfiffner
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Re: Back to Berettas after 15+ years

Post by EPfiffner »

I decided it was time to investigate the extreme vibration/shuddering that I've been experiencing which hasn't gotten any better..
I recently changed jobs so now my commute is all highway. This issue is worse at 70mph or so. Before I was pretty much country driving so it wasn't a big deal

Anyhow first I took the wheels and tires off and took them to get balanced. Same issue. I got the idea that it was something with the CV axles, and I found there to be some lateral (I think that's what it's called) play, which they shouldn't really have in my experience.

Ordered some closeout cardone axles from RA for $25 each, figured I could always put the originals back in..

Same issue. I moved the front dog bone back to the "M" bolt position where it had been for a long time, same issue.

The trans mount is OEM AFAIK, and looking in the engine compartment it appears that the drivetrain is slanted toward the driver's side when looking from the front.

I haven't messed with the mount yet because all you can get are the crappy anchor ones, and I can't get the center Allen cap screw in the mount to budge.

I still think it's a tire/wheel issue. The car came with 17" wheels that seem way too heavy for the suspension on that car, I sure wish I could've got the crosslaces with it. Plus I cheaped out with the Summitomo tires, so maybe one is bad.

This weekend I am going to risk my life by putting the 29 year old donut spare in one position at a time to see if I can eliminate one. I can get on and off the highway in 1 mile, so if it blows out my wife can get to me quick, lol
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