Hi!

[ares89]

I've been lookin around on here for some time while I waited to get my license(yes im a young one heh) and I thought now that I got the license I should hop on here and give an intro to my car. I was also wondering what all of you Alero vets have to suggest for cheap good lookin mods. On a very very small budget. Currently, I'm getting a new brakelight decal, the one my bro had on it has shredded. As to the pinstripe, its ripping off in places and I dont know if I should replace it or remove it entirely (all depends on if the sun faded the paint much or not..). I also have a new set of rims that go on it after the winter.

2001 Alero, my baby heh
has the 2.4L

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/2930/frontgc5.jpg

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2619/backuy7.jpg

[[ion] C2]

Hello. Clear your corners.

[ares89]

im thinking about doing that, but also with personal experience... i break stuff when i try doing stuff like that... heh

example: tried building a computer-fried it once before getting it right heh

[[ion] C2]

Haha, it's real easy though, and if you break parts, it don't matter because most of its not even visible. Plus we have a handy thing called superglue on our side.

[ares89]

any thoughts on the pinstripe?

i was also thinking of getting a Nittany Lion decal on the back window since im a Penn State student too..

[[ion] C2]

remove it entirely, no alero looks good with a pinstripe, all members on here agree (as far as I know lol) other than that clean ride, would love to see the nice rims

[ares89]

http://www.sportmaxwheel.com/sportmax_922.shtml# thats the rims i have...


and i was at autozone today checkin out the lights and sealant for the cleared corners. They said to use window-weld to reseal the lights..that sound right?

and if i remove the pinstripe is there gonna be color difference due to exposure and whatnot?

[[ion] C2]

i just used a clear silicone stuff, silicone II or something like that squeeze tube. the color should be the same, our cars don't get their color baked out much at all; i've taken off things on my car and the color is the same underneath (badges, front license plate cover, etc)

there's a How-To on this in the How-To forum, it's very informative and picture intensive

[ares89]

ok saw the how-to.. sounds simple enough

[doubleN0alero]

whats up man...where you from in Pittsburgh?

[ares89]

10ish miles northwest of the actual city... in a tiny city no ones ever heard of... was literally the smallest city in PA for like.. 20 years

[doubleN0alero]

whats it called?

[SCOlds]

Welcome, you have a beautiful car. Love the color, same as mine. IMO, ditch the third brake cover. It just looks sort of tacked on, if you know what I mean.

RD

[ares89]

the city i live in is Lower Burrell... same Zip code as New Kensington... that might let ya know.. heh..

the third brakelight cover was a $2 decal my bro got off the net and its shredded... Im not sure if i want to replace it with the same, replace with something diff or just remove it altogether... if i do replace it i want it to be paint color instead of that silver...

[doubleN0alero]

I know where Lower Burrell is, in fact I just drove through there a few weeks back and saw how run down it had gotten. I used to play chuch league softball up at the high school. Thats not that small, you wanna know small, visit saxonburg...there used to be a population sign at the welcome sign and it was exact. When I was in Iraq, the welcome sign said, "We support our troop" haha. I have friends that live over in Lower Burrell and an ex that teaches there as well....

[antichrysler]

you could always put speed holes in your car... they're free, and fun to install :D

[ares89]

what school does your ex teach at? who is she? i still go to the highschool... heh

and yeah the town is dyin... all our stores are gone... and theres jack here for amusement.. heh

[doubleN0alero]

To answer my own PM, I just checked...she works at Bon Air

[ares89]

well this just makes this place cooler.. having someone that has local ties heh

[cavaliers60]

Welcome to the site. Loose the pinstriping, clear the corners.

The rims look hot! Can't wait to see pics with them on. Another rather cheap mod would be putting Turn signals in your mirrors... I did that. Only cost me like $30 and about 2 hours installation time.

[ares89]

this is gonna sound totally A.D.D.ish.. but my car is really shiny and i never realized it...

[cavaliers60]

lol Mine tends to be that way after a good wash.

[ares89]

must be the 6 days of rain we've gotten with the nice wash 20 minutes before the first rain heh... never fails.. it rains right after i wash the car..

[adam337]

my car is covered in dust from gravel roads and it stills shines..it amazed me today

[billytheman1188]

Just some suggestions.....you should paint that overlay the same color as your car....that would look a lot better.

Second..... take off the "ALERO" and the "OLDSMOBILE" on your trunk.....it will look A LOT cleaner.

then in the future you should paint that black part on the inner part of the mirrors the same color as your car.

Im not trying to be a douche, just some advice:coolio:

Glad to see another alero owner come to the site!!!!

[ares89]

thats the look im trying to go for.. clean.. heh... im realizing now that i dont really want decals all over it.. just the one on the windshield and then theres my previous comment about the 3rd brakelight..

[Daytona]

Welcome aboard!

[ares89]

currently taking the pinstripe off.. its like... 90 out there so its comin off real easy.. but it seems that the farther from the front and back the more adhesive is left heh... whats the best stuff to take it off that ive prolly got layin around the house?

[billytheman1188]

currently taking the pinstripe off.. its like... 90 out there so its comin off real easy.. but it seems that the farther from the front and back the more adhesive is left heh... whats the best stuff to take it off that ive prolly got layin around the house?

got any "goo gone" laying around????

If not, you can try windex

[ares89]

no googone but god.. windex is gonna prove itself again as the miracle cleaner heh

[ares89]

as the sun goes down and the temps drop from 90 the striping isnt comin off anymore -_- gonna have to wait til tomorrow to get the rest off... entire passenger side is off.. half of the top stripe is off on the driver side... man i was hoping to get it all done tonight heh

[billytheman1188]

haha, that sucks. Im so glad my car didnt come with the ugly pinstripe

[ares89]

update...
took 3 days due to starting really late evening + rain.. but the pinstripes are gone.. heh.. friend bought me some pioneer speakers for the doors that i blew a couple weeks ago.. and those are goin in soon.. heh

[billytheman1188]

One of my rear speakers are blown a little bit....if i turn the bass in the speakers down i dont notice it due to my loud bass :-)

Eventually i will take my subs out and sell them, then just put some GOOD speakers in the back, but i heard its a pain in the ass. The front ones shouldnt be too bad though! good luck and let us know how they sound. How much were the speakers?

[MixtapeMessiah]

One of my rear speakers are blown a little bit....if i turn the bass in the speakers down i dont notice it due to my loud bass :-)

Eventually i will take my subs out and sell them, then just put some GOOD speakers in the back, but i heard its a pain in the ass. The front ones shouldnt be too bad though! good luck and let us know how they sound. How much were the speakers?

heh I blew all but one speaker before I sold her, funny cuz I ripped that person off hardcore lol

take off those door sills too, the adhesive will come off with goo gone and some muscle, and yea clear ur corners, get some rims and lower that ho

[2.2l Monster]

Welcome. vary nice looking car. Good luck with whatever mods you decide to do.

[ares89]

the speakers.. they were just cheap pioneer replacements.. i think they were $23 with my friends bestbuy discount heh..

mixtape i do have rims.. but they arent goin on yet.. after winter.. corners are getting cleared soon.. and the lowering? eh... dunno if i want that heh

as for the third brakelight... should i take off the decal and keep it off.. or get it redone in the color of the paint?

[TheMeaningOfLife]

Hey welcome aboard! For that brake light cover get a black one off ebay, they blend in but look awesome at night.

You say "heh" alot to. :lol: no biggie tho.

[ares89]

i do say heh alot.. comes from AIM and being a chat junkie.. as for the brake light cover...theres a shop in town that does alot of vinyl work so i can get me one really cheap

[TheMeaningOfLife]

Yeap, thos evinyl places can be alof of help!

[ares89]

update: door speakers replaced(lookin toward back speakers soon..), new rims are on, pinstripe is off, next tuesday if its not raining the vinyl on the 3rd brake light is getting replaced

corners prolly wont get cleared til after winter... and car insurance blows like no other...

[lonnie]

pics, and doesn't take long to clear corners just a few hrs for the first and like 20 min for the second. GET ER DONE

[ares89]

planning on getting new pics tonight after work of the lights on... maybe i'll throw the underbody LEDs on heh... next time i wash it i'll get pics of it shiny and not covered in dust from the backroads i take to the local Penn State branch...

[ares89]

ok.. looks like im clearing the corners this weekend and was wondering if anyone knew if the non-amber looking lights were available at Walmart... seeing as my mum works at wallyworld and her best friend there does the stocking in the mini mechanic shop thing they have. Just to make sure i have it right.. i need 2 amber-lighting bulbs 194s if i remember right and a tube of silicon? any polish for the chrome/shiny stuff behind the lights? (sorry for lack of good terms in this one, have had no sleep and im goin out of my mind :) )

[steve-o]

well, just don't touch the chrome part and you'll be alright, I heard of people stripping the chrome off by trying to clean it, If any thing, just use a dry cloth.

[ares89]

i have to do something with the chrome because when the guy drilled for the LEDs in the headlights he never did anything about getting rid of the debris from the drilling.. so its all dusty lookin in one of the compartments..

[ares89]

well.. i started clearing my corners today... and to say the least.. my cars gonna be half cleared for a couple days ... took forever to do the one.. theres silicone everywhere and i have a million wonderful blisters haha... the oven trick is pretty awesome and i wish i remembered to do it at the very beginning it would prolly have saved me 1/2 the time..

[01silveralero]

omg not another alero with cleared corners :(

[ares89]

and wonderful... didnt use enough silicone and now i see myself some wonderful condensation in my lights... rip them open, towel them down again, and reseal with 30 times the silicone i assume is the fix?

[steve-o]

fill the gap completly where it connects together, and then once its all together, run a bead along the outside and wipe it down with your finger. Thats what i did anyways, but I used clear silicone.

[ares89]

i used clear silicone too... RTV i stuff i think...

[jayson_waltz]

use a ton a silicone, its cheap. I wasted more from the stuff that squeezed out than i actually used. As for the condensation, it might just be the type of silicone you used. The first time i had my lights apart and back together, moisture kept getting in the lights b\c as the silicone dried it pulled in moisture and it was hot outside. i just kept the black covers off the back of the lights for about a week and problem solved. Now the second time i did it (to put led's in) there was no moisture build up at all.
And to polish the chrome, i used Artco hood and windsheild polish and a terry cloth. Makes it shine like crazy.

[Oldsnut]

If you reheat the silicone when putting it back together you should not need to use any silicone. I have never had any kind of condensation. This is not a hard project, but you guys make it painful sometimes.

[ares89]

i always said i'd screw it up... i took out some silicone.. but i replaced most of it.. i just thought i had put enough... but i guess i didnt..

[ares89]

ok i keep stuff related to my idiocy in this place and im curious other than removing pinstripe and clearing corners is there any other really cheap things that can be done, engine or appearance wise?

[lonnie]

You could mesh the front grill. Change you gauges, and lighting. Belive it or not you could get a set of racing style rims. Where are those pics? Then we could really let you know something. I didn't go all the way through this thread, but do you have an aftermarket system already? That's just something else you could do. Install some more electronics, crap like that.

[ares89]

i keep intending to get new pics up but im waiting for a washjob on my car that im always too damned lazy/tired to do.. work highschool and college kick my ass pretty hard heh