I have a bit of free time at the moment, so I thought I'd get this thread started. Purchased a 2002 3.8L about a month ago, and have started the process of restoring her/getting the routine maintenance up to date. The PO didn't have any maintenance records on the vehicle, and hadn't done a great job of keeping the car interior/exterior clean or complete.
I bought the car with the following known problems:
valve cover leaks
driver side window motor/window mount broken
missing front lip on the body kit
cruise control non-functional
various interior pieces missing/broken
some clear coat peeling
broken turn signal light, front bumper (also illegal equipment)
incomplete sound system (one speaker and an older head unit)
cracked tail lights (working though)

I've discovered the following issues in the subsequent month
dented oil pan
current or ground issue in the electrical system (intermittent)

In that month I've also addressed the following issues:
Valve cover leaks are fixed
Illegal/broken turn signals replaced with new legal aftermarket signals
Replaced stock headlights with European style chrome ones
Replaced missing heater **** and door speaker covers from the local scrapyard
Started to work through my list of vehicle maintenance needed, oil change and radiator flush & fill are complete at this point.
Minor interior color change (gold 35th anniversary logo & rear bow-tie)
Extensive interior and exterior cleaning, exterior wax
Leather Seat and Wheel covers

By Sunday next week, I hope to have the following completed:
Window issue fixed, electrical issue resolved, broken rearview mirror replaced (part is in the mail-couldn't find any at the scrapyards, but e-bay had one for $32).

Next couple items after that will be:
Tune up-planning to go with the MSD 8.5 plug wires and a set of NGK Iridium plugs.
Aftermarket stereo, including new head unit and replacement speakers for the standard ones that were originally in the car. Nothing too crazy, probably a Kenwood deck and Pioneer speaker set.

I'll see about getting some additional pictures out here eventually, although I'm not much of a photographer, I usually leave that stuff to my lady. So far I'm fairly pleased with the vehicle, and what I'll be looking to do once I get it back in good mechanical/interior shape is to make a few changes to see if I can't get the MPG up there a little further (and if I get a few more horses in the process, I can't complain.)

 

looking forward to watching this, welcome to the forum.

 

Sure sounds like your on top of it. Of course the oil change is important, the coolant flush is very important also. If the car has not been maintained the cooling system can damage your motor. You may want to borrow a pressure tester and make sure the system holds pressure. If the intake gasket has not been replaced yet it will need it soon. Catching the intake gasket early can be the differents between needing a new motor or needing a new intake gasket.

If you have no records I would do fuel filter ASAP and plugs and wires right behind. People seem to run plug wires until there is a problem. That can cause coil packs and Modules to be damaged and you will not get any advanced notice.

Note there is NO way to look at plug wire and see if they are any good. The safe life for a wire is about 6 years. There is a test but the cost of the test would be more then the wires besides you want to know where you are for future maintenance.

BTW: pictures are a must! Lets see those before and after shots.

 

Welcome aboard.

 

[QUOTE=Gorn;643720] If the intake gasket has not been replaced yet it will need it soon. QUOTE]

That's a good thought, and wasn't on my list, although plugs/wires/fuel filter all are as well as a transmission fluid change and perhaps a new thermostat as well.

Speaking of air intakes, whats the general consensus on the throttle body spacers for 4th gens (like the helix power tower, I believe is one of them)? There's a great deal of conflicting info on the net-so far I'm leaning toward not spending the money as the idea doesn't seem terribly logical-anyone had success with one of these?

 

None of them work with any of the 4th gens. The concept works on some motors but speeding up the air going into the intake helps only when the air has no more turns to make. Even on motor that they work with there is not a lot of gain.

 

So here are a few pictures of the initial issues. First off, the most major ascetic issue is this front end damage:


Also note the broken (and illegal equipment) turn signal above.

On to the interior-here's how the driver side door looked

The dirt you can see on the right gives an idea of the original cleanliness of the car-and this area wasn't too bad compared to the carpet behind the driver's seat in particular.

The dash:

Fan control missing, looks like the 35th anniversary logo was colored with a Sharpie. On the plus side, the customized silver looks pretty good in most of the places on the dash, and me being an Oakland Raiders fan I found it pretty appealing.

Behind the head unit, we see that there is a grand total of one speaker actually hooked into the unit. I believe the PO swapped the stereo that was in this car into his truck.


Cracked rearview mirror:

My wife really liked this as she believes it is bad luck. It was replaced last weekend with a fully functional one from a 2000 Z28.

Also found that the electrical issue I was having with the car was once again a bad ignition relay. Not sure if it was just a bad replacement, or if running the AC overloaded it. Either way, I replaced the non OEM made in China one with an OEM that is made in Mexico....take your pick which is better, I guess. We'll see if the issue recurs or not, I've got a spare in the console if it does.
Took her by the self serve car wash this weekend and soaked the engine with degreaser and cleaned up the engine bay a bit. Didn't dedicate enough time to get at everything, but did remove a pretty good amount of oil and dirt. PO lived in an area where there were a lot of dirt roads, so there's a pretty good layer of dust in the engine compartment. Also wiped down the hatch and cleaned up the doors.
The non functional driver's side window is next up, along with the wires and plugs (which must be ordered as I can't find them in the local shops). I've got to work this weekend, so likely won't be a great deal of progress for the next couple of weeks. I'll see about getting a few more pictures taken at some point.

 

Well, I have the driver's side window fixed now. I apparently should have opened the door panel before I bought the car, as the driver side window was being held in place by two wooden boards. Motor was missing and the armature was bent, so had to replace both of those. That made this little work item the most expensive on the vehicle so far.
Nice to have this fixed as it prevents me from having to set the window every time I closed the door (having the window sit loose it had to be the right spot or it would leak if it rained.)
Also dropped by the local shop for a radiator pressure test, it held steady at 15, which I believe is an acceptable range.
Still need to order the plugs and wires, although it seems that this may be slightly delayed, as it sounds like my wife's Discovery II is acting up at the moment. So I'll probably need to figure out what is going on there before I continue with this item (plus I'm on day 3 of a lovely 12 day stretch between my two employers, during the majority of which I will not be at home-I imagine what time I do get at home will be spent on the Disco.)
Anyway, next on the list are the NGK plugs, MSD wires, and a Fram fuel filter. Maybe I'll have time to get the fuel filter this weekend and slap that in, but it may be a couple weeks until I get any more real progress made on this.

 

I haven't seen them before, they are some nice looking rims!
Update-I found where they were mentioned in the thread with the pic, unfortunately they're a bit expensive for my plans, but still sweet looking wheels!

 

For several of the items that I need to finish out my maintenance list. New thermostat, spare K&N oil filters, thermostat & differential gasket, plugs, wires, driver's side fender, etc. Have the fuel filter already.
I'm planning to use the Mobile 1 synthetic ATF fluid for the transmission fluid change and Mobile 1 75/90 gear fluid for the differential with the Lucas oil additives. I assume those should both work well for this vehicle. Once that's done I think the major maintenance items will all be addressed.
Haven't had any other progress on the car other than a wash & wax, new windshield wipers & a set of Kraaco floor mats.