I’m a scavenger and such a simple man. I find stuff from the junkyard I like, I buy on the cheap cheap and put them on my car. Then profit?
For the record, it damn near touched 50 degrees a few days ago and just like that, temps plummeted in the Midwest with a windchill that made my hands and face go numb today.
That aside, I wander junkyards from time to time to see what’s good in the hood. Well imagine my surprise when I see a top trim 1998 Chevy Cavalier Z24 convertible that met it’s demise...same color as my lowest base model.
Without hesitation I rip off it’s face and take it’s sweet sweet strut tower brace.
As you can see, my car distinctly lacks a steel brace connecting the towers; Run of the mill cavaliers never got them, there was never a need despite the fact these j-bodys have all the rigidity of a half cooked spaghetti noodle.
Now you cut off the top and now we’re talking turkey, hence why the convertibles are the only ones that came with them from the factory.
I’ve driven Cavalier Convertibles over train tracks before, you’ll feel the chassis twisting in realtime with all the rigidness of a seasoned gymnast...pretty surreal really.
The brace cost me $10 and took all of 3 minutes to put on. It just follows the firewall contours so well unlike some straight barred ones you can get from the aftermarket for much, much more.
The face transplant begins in earnest. I can not get over the sheer simplicity of these things.
The Z24 kit comes with clear turning lenses stock but that ain’t me. I’ve never understood the appeal for clear turning lenses, I’m team amber to the core. So my originals are swapped in.
Viola! Another quick and easy upgrade in the books for this little project of mine.
I’ve always been a fan of the 2003-05 sunfire side mouldings. I also happen to have a non-running 2003 Sunfire. I’m sure you can see where this is going. I work outside in the elements, so it’ll have to wait until the weather warms up to above freezing.
Upgrading to a 12" Wilwood brake kit with 4 piston aluminum calipers outside during a snowstorm back in the day, fun times lol!