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  Almost Done...

  May 28, 2025

  Almost Done…

  Well, they say that Spring is almost here but you couldn’t sell me that idea by looking at the weather.  Because it’s been so cold and rainy, I’ve been a bit halfhearted at getting the GTO down off the blocks and prepped for the new driving season.  There’s the usual stuff like wiping down the underside of the car and performing a chassis lube job and oil change.  I also pull all four wheels to wipe down the brake calipers and suspension bits.  Then I clean the wheels and tires, and touchup the white outlined letters on the tires.  Once that’s done, I’ll get the car on the ground and then do the same wipe-down of everything within reach in the engine bay.  Next comes the top-side of the car.  The GTO gets a thorough wash followed by an application of speed detailer, along with ArmorAll on the vinyl top.  Then it’s on to waxing all the chrome bumpers and stainless-steel trim. 

  This year, there’s a small bit of additional work to do as (sound the trumpets) I finally have my radio back!  That’s right!  After waiting almost 13 months, it’s finally home.  It is (was) the original AM radio with a single speaker in the dash.  I sent it to Retro Radio Restorations, in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania for conversion, which would entail cleaning, servicing, and adding new digital AM/FM and Bluetooth modules. 

  Now I’ll have all those functions and the radio will still look the same.  Over last winter, I installed all new front and rear speakers plus a subwoofer in the trunk.  Now I get to finish connections to the radio. 

  Of course, the lower dash trim panel, ash tray, A/C duct work, and glove box must first come out before the radio can be reinstalled. Then I think I’ll reinstall the glove box door to create a temporary flat workspace so I can integrate the new radio wiring harness to the speaker wires I ran last year.  Then it all goes back together again.  With my iPhone paired to the radio via Bluetooth, I’ll have an almost Apple CarPlay-level of music access.  I have Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM apps and a proprietary app for my home file server music library already on my phone from which to choose.  I’ll follow-up when it’s finally up and running.

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