SuKi

So I think that I rushed the time to finish the headlights yesterday. I believedid not let them dry completely. All four had what looked like finger print marks and I think that was from the rough handling while not completely dry. The bottom right taillight I take care of by sanding down with 120, 800, 1500, and then 2000. It feathered really nicely and only on close inspection looking for an imperfection do you see it. I of course see it immediately, but I'm happy with the way they turned out. I went ahead and through some wax on top. They are super deep and glossy, exactly what I wanted. I'll go back and do a nice polish and rewax after I get the side markers and reflectors done. That won't be until next weekend though. Well here they are, and with a better camera than my phone. You can also see the leftover adhesive from the badges I removed. That came off today too. And of course my lazy supervisor who watched me work had to come check out the finished product.

SuKi

RJ_RS_SS_350

Looks good!

And go easy on the supervisor, they just want to be near us, and they're with us for just a short while.

SuKi

After the lights I thought I'd try my hand at a brake job. I've been having some shuddering feedback during hard braking. I also have been reading on here that pad replacement of 2-1 front-rear is normal, thoughts?

I went to the back first, and had a look at the shoes. They looked alright, just super dirty, plenty of pad left. I sprayed them down with brake cleaner, the inside of the drum as well. And I adjusted the "auto-adjustment". To be honest, I didn't even know you could adjust the rear brakes until i saw it on the forum and the problems we have. I adjusted until the wheel only got a 1/2 to 3/4 turn with the wheel on with a light push and 3 to 4 clicks on the parking brake to engagement. When finishing the rear I went for a drive, and there was noticeable difference in regular and hard braking, still a lot of vibration though.

On the front I replaced pads and rotors with the PowerStop Z26 kit. I was slightly hesitant, but I figured if I did completely ruin the brake system, I've got an extra vehicle for the moment. All went well though. I meant to get a picture of the rotor on (oops). After I finished I broke the pads in per the manufacturer and they are great. No vibration and I seem to be stopping shorter. It could be the pads, rotors, shoes, or a combination of all three. I know that the rotors are more for show than anything else, but they do look good behind the wheel. I don't have any pictures after completion, I didn't think about it before I went to break the pads in and had to get to a family emergency, but I'll post tomorrow, it's night here.

BTW, I really need to get a floor jack And I keep my compressor in my shed out back due to storage reasons; wish I would have brought it to the carport today

Also found this in the rear!

Thanks for looking and reading as my HHR begins her transformation.

SuKi

donbrew

The rear brakes are deceptive. Mine looked fine, but after I replaced them it was like a new car. I think it has more to do with glazing that with wear.

Other places to look for vibration upon braking: LCA bushings, shocks & struts, bearings.

I don't know why they thought those rubber/plastic spring isolators wouldn't wear.

Oldblue

Yes the rear shoes will cause a shake, when they do, replace the shoes!

SuKi

Here's a pic of the front wheel. The covers are still off. I'll be prepping and painting this week and probably next week. I'm also going to spray the rim black again so that when someone looks closely, they'll still be able to tell it's a cover, but at least it will match. Calipers and drums after that, hopefully in the next few weeks.

SuKi

SuKi

So I got my grille set in today. I installed the top one. At first I tried to install it with the plastic back cover still on. I had to modify it to get the grille to sit right, but there was still red showing through and it looked cheap. So I installed it with nothing behind it, it sits nice, the line at the top of the grille protrudes farther than the hood, but I'll take care of that this weekend. I also plan on painting the inside lip of the hood so you don't see red when looking at the grille. Any suggestions on whether to go with flat, semi gloss, or gloss? I'm leaning towards a flat, but I'm curious to know what others have done. I still have some searching to do through the forum to see possible solutions.

Oh, BTW, I'm planning on using Rustoleum touch-up paint for my wheel covers to color match with car, so that's on hold for two months waiting for the spray paint to ship. I love some things about Guam.

Thanks for looking, SuKi

SuKi

I got my Depo headlights installed today. I put in a pair of LED bulbs. After adjusting the light in the housing, they aren't bad. I know that's a whole other topic, but for me and my purposes, the LED bulb in a housing made for a different light is just fine. I do have a set of 3" projectors on the way in case the bulbs were not satisfactory, but that isn't needed, and may be another project down the road.
With the bumper off, I also changed out the amber side markers with smoked ones with a white LED as well as installed the lower matching grille.
Don't judge me by my paintjob on my bumper, a body shop four years ago flew under my radar a bit with their insurance paint job. It'll get fixed as soon as I commit to chopping off the humps.

Oldblue

Nice job! I don't know if that jack is holding up the HHR but, I don't believe there anything to jack on there!

firemangeorge

Jacked up on the engine cradle ? If so, not a good choice of jacking spots.