The way i see it leaving the rims as they are just makes it more of a sleeper as bland as they are. As far as regular street tires go, i should be needing them soon. I have some tread left but at the rate the car already spins the tires they won't last long. Can i go any larger/wider than the 225/60/16 stock tire size? Drag radials would be nice but i won't have the money for them until maybe after the car is fully modded and tuned. The couple things I'm hung up on currently, which aren't big issues are how i should run my intake. It seems everyone runs 4" to the fender well or behind the headlight with everything from pvc to zzp tubing to aluminum piping. Personally i feel as tho the pvc doesn't look good and the same for the zzp tubing. I like the look of aluminum intake tubing. But what would you suggest? Id like to hear the supercharger a little better, my buddy actually had a cone filter lying around that happened to fit the throttle body perfectly so i attached the filter right to it. Definatly made the supercharger sound cooler, but seems like to much hot air floating around it. And along with the exhaust mods, i plan on swapping out the stock muffler, i want to keep it quieter but have a decent tone at idle and unerload. Ive seen dynomax, walker, magna flow and some others mentioned. Any opinion on what would sound/flow well? Also is the piping to the muffler 2.5"? Earlier today i did the dog bone flip of the rubber insert, was pretty easy. didn't really get to test how it felt due to the snow today and not being able to get on the gas at all, i did notice the vibration under idle mostly that some report getting. Anyway the car is really in sweet shape for what i got it for. Wouldn't even guess it had the miles it has. Interior is mint besides cracks on drivers seat. Body has no damage, some areas that were keyed but otherwise nice. Couldn't have asked for a better car for the price. And boy was i surprised at how it pulled when i first drove it. Immediately caught the bug to want to mod it.
High Mileage Regal Gs, Worth Modding???
- Thread starter eskimo619
- Start date
murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
guys have gone bigger on tires , I cant comment on that only stock size including dr's on my w bodies. My LS1 cars i have gotten out the BFH but like my w bodies stock appearing.
Lots of great intake ideas out there ,over the years i have done 4" zzp wrapped in reflective foam sourced from boat motorbox insulation with rubber insert plastic roof flashing to isolate fenderwell opening cold air supply ( my favorite) , 4" pvc painted black ( home depot intake) owned thrasher & slp intakes off cars i parted out, gutted 99+ airbox , then theres the small rubbermaid trash can cut out to fit like a thrasher intake with your cone filter inside of it and lined with reflectix to keep away heat soak , open to both fenderwell cold air and headlight area cold air ( never done it but like it) also seen headlight cutout in "curb" light area with intake through it and at the regal madnees gathering they even made an intake out of a gatorade bottle for a guy that didnt have one lol . I would stay away from metal intake components due to attracting/holding heat , and theres some good flow test articles out there supporting the advantage of 4" over 3.5" (leave only the tb as the restriction instead of making the whole intake into one )
there will be no decent tone with a fwd 3800 with unequal length exhaust due to transverse install , if it gets louder it will sound worse ,smaller pulleys and loud intakes sound good coming at you but nothing will sound good going away IMO.
The flipped dog bones are most noticeable coming off idle as the first bit of energy moves the car forward instead of compressing the pleated rubber on a stock oriented mount.
I parted & scrapped a silver 02 GS that was rust free ( bought it from a scrapper that had cut every stitch of copper witring out of car and busted a lot of stuff doing it , blown engine car was darn nice it was heading to scrap next day but I diverted it lol ) i still have almost all bolt on body panels in nice shape in silver 55 min from Mass border on 95 if you want to replace any of the keyed panels , I will treat you right....
I'll probably end up buying same size replacement tires just so i have something with good tread and then look into some dr.'s after i have all the mods in place.
As for intake i actually found someone on the regales forum selling a thrasher cold air intake that has my attention. We've emailed a few times and looks like he wants $100 for it. Seems pretty reasonable considering there like $225 new. I know price doesn't make it better but seems like its a good intake. I may go that route instead of making my own.
As for the exhaust i may just leave the stock muffler in place, i really don't want it any louder and as you stated they don't usually sound good anyway. A cam does sound nice tho.
I was thinking about getting the poly mounts but not sure if thats something i should get after other suspension components or not. I was looking into the shorter dog bones, seems like they get good reviews and the price isn't bad even with the poly mounts added. Any opinion on those?
Luckily the parts of the car that are keyed aren't deep into the paint, theres actually the word B**ch on the trunk lid but only noticeable up close and from certain angles, should buff out or maybe i'll wet sand and buff. And down the passenger side got keyed but also looks like it can be buffed out. But if i need any body parts i'll defiantly keep you in mind.
Last question for now, i had ordered some replacement spark plug wires before i decided to mod the car. They were cheaper but seem alright. Im now considering returning them and possibly buying a set of zzp wires. Are they worth it? The 10.3mm or the 10.5mm. Im buying the autolite 104 plugs. Figure might as well spend a little extra for better wires if there that much better.
As for intake i actually found someone on the regales forum selling a thrasher cold air intake that has my attention. We've emailed a few times and looks like he wants $100 for it. Seems pretty reasonable considering there like $225 new. I know price doesn't make it better but seems like its a good intake. I may go that route instead of making my own.
As for the exhaust i may just leave the stock muffler in place, i really don't want it any louder and as you stated they don't usually sound good anyway. A cam does sound nice tho.
I was thinking about getting the poly mounts but not sure if thats something i should get after other suspension components or not. I was looking into the shorter dog bones, seems like they get good reviews and the price isn't bad even with the poly mounts added. Any opinion on those?
Luckily the parts of the car that are keyed aren't deep into the paint, theres actually the word B**ch on the trunk lid but only noticeable up close and from certain angles, should buff out or maybe i'll wet sand and buff. And down the passenger side got keyed but also looks like it can be buffed out. But if i need any body parts i'll defiantly keep you in mind.
Last question for now, i had ordered some replacement spark plug wires before i decided to mod the car. They were cheaper but seem alright. Im now considering returning them and possibly buying a set of zzp wires. Are they worth it? The 10.3mm or the 10.5mm. Im buying the autolite 104 plugs. Figure might as well spend a little extra for better wires if there that much better.
murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
Yes I saw the thrasher listed - believe i sold it to him about a year ago lol it is a good intake as far asperformance , good flow , good heat barrier also.
I have sold some poly mounts from demods but never run them on the road , many complain of vibration , makes sense as they are stiffer they will transfer more vibration , never ran shorter dog bones either.
My most recent LS1 Z I bought this fall was keyed and I was able to eliminate or bury most everything by wet sanding & buffing along with a little sharpie work previous to buffing , the 1/4 had the word "whore" scratched in it and the car is black so its now known as the black whore lol. funny parrallel to your car there.
Wires i have sold off many sets of MSD , Taylor etc... from demods , myself i run the stock GM wire sets zzp carrys them for under $40 at the power level your shooting for they will be plenty for you. on the same subject stick with factory supercharged coils they are more powerful than the MSD's which are identical voltage to non supercharged 3800 coils. I am my own worst enemy on this as i have a couple sets of the msd coils around but never seem to sell them , maybe because i always disclose they are weaker than stock, oh well....
as for your tires/dr's dilemna if you plan to hit a street night at NED in the early spring pay my entry to run one of my f bodies and Ill bring you down a set of torque starts with hoosier QTP's to use for the evening...
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So i think i'll end up getting the thrasher intake if all goes well. As far as the poly mounts go i guess i'll think about it when the time comes that the car is modded, the shorter dog bones look like they might do good too, reviews seem solid and what the site states they do seems like a benefit. Since there cheap i may buy them and try them out.
Im not going to worry about the paint issues till it gets warmer out, the car isn't registered yet anyway but i should have it on the road this month.
Im going to return the spark plug wires i bought since there probably going to be less quality than stock and id rather not have an issue with them. I looked on zzp site and didn't see the stock replacement gm wires you mentioned, just the 10.3mm and 10.5mm. Could you send me a link if possible for them? And i had read about the stock coils being more than sufficient for higher power, i planned to leave those alone. Only reason I'm swapping the plug wires is because I'm pretty sure as is the previous owner they may be the original stock wires which would now have 189,000 miles lol. The spark plugs might also be stock as well, I'm surprised they don't have any issues. But i will be going with the autolite 104's.
Also are these cars known to have loud fuel pumps? If thats the noise im hearing once the car is started. Loud high pitched noise starts right when the car is started. Just want to know if thats normal or if its a sign its on its way out. It also might be the stock pump from new.
I may have to take you up on that offer, i do plan at some point hitting the strip, would be a shame to mod the car up and not see what it can do. Ive actually never run a car down the drag strip so I'm sure i won't do to well. Im more of a street bike guy usually but don't currently have a bike. Sold my 2000 Kawasaki ninja zx12r which had about 175hp at the wheel, i have no problem with speed. But have always wanted to go to the drag. Im sure we could set something up down the road.
Im hoping within the next few weeks i'll have my taxes in and can start buying parts. Besides the intake might have to buy everything new unless a friend of a friend manages to find some leftover parts he has from his old supercharged 3800. I priced everything out at about $650 for just about everything i want brand new. Not to bad especially since the car was only $350. Man i can't wait to see the changes it makes.
Im not going to worry about the paint issues till it gets warmer out, the car isn't registered yet anyway but i should have it on the road this month.
Im going to return the spark plug wires i bought since there probably going to be less quality than stock and id rather not have an issue with them. I looked on zzp site and didn't see the stock replacement gm wires you mentioned, just the 10.3mm and 10.5mm. Could you send me a link if possible for them? And i had read about the stock coils being more than sufficient for higher power, i planned to leave those alone. Only reason I'm swapping the plug wires is because I'm pretty sure as is the previous owner they may be the original stock wires which would now have 189,000 miles lol. The spark plugs might also be stock as well, I'm surprised they don't have any issues. But i will be going with the autolite 104's.
Also are these cars known to have loud fuel pumps? If thats the noise im hearing once the car is started. Loud high pitched noise starts right when the car is started. Just want to know if thats normal or if its a sign its on its way out. It also might be the stock pump from new.
I may have to take you up on that offer, i do plan at some point hitting the strip, would be a shame to mod the car up and not see what it can do. Ive actually never run a car down the drag strip so I'm sure i won't do to well. Im more of a street bike guy usually but don't currently have a bike. Sold my 2000 Kawasaki ninja zx12r which had about 175hp at the wheel, i have no problem with speed. But have always wanted to go to the drag. Im sure we could set something up down the road.
Im hoping within the next few weeks i'll have my taxes in and can start buying parts. Besides the intake might have to buy everything new unless a friend of a friend manages to find some leftover parts he has from his old supercharged 3800. I priced everything out at about $650 for just about everything i want brand new. Not to bad especially since the car was only $350. Man i can't wait to see the changes it makes.
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murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
I guess zzp has stopped carrying them since i last bought a set of wires ( havent had a w body to the track in a few years) intense racing does still list them but you may find them for less if you check all the other 3800 sites as well as rock auto gm parts direct etc.. but heres the intense link: http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2...t_Code=GMH-SWS&Category_Code=3800_Electronics
see if a new fuel filter quiets the pump...
jpratt , yes they are different voltage I forget the color codes as i have kind of shifted towards ls1 f bodies the last few years but you can identify them by the color on the underside if sc or na once you know which color is which
see if a new fuel filter quiets the pump...
jpratt , yes they are different voltage I forget the color codes as i have kind of shifted towards ls1 f bodies the last few years but you can identify them by the color on the underside if sc or na once you know which color is which
So buying the stock replacements would be better than spending an extra $5 on the zzp 10.3mm plug wires?
A zzp fuel filter is on the list of parts I'm hoping to buy soon. Also my gas gauge acts up a bit sometimes as well, doesn't always show the same on the needle even when not driving it for a few days. I'll start it up and it will be at e with the light on even tho i know theres about a quarter tank but it will move up to the correct level after driving.
It actually looks like my parts list is going to be costing a little more than i originally planned. Looks like everything total will be around $800 for modifications. Let me get your opinion on my list and if I'm spending too much for what my goal is, or if this will best my goal or if theres a better route.
zzp stainless front powerlog
zzp ceramic coated crossover pipe
zzp 3" cat less down pipe
(with necessary gaskets)
autolite 104 spark plugs
180 thermostat
Stock gm replacement plug wires
zzp high flow fuel filter
custom cai/fenderwell intake with cone k&n filter/or the trasher intake we talked about
zzp 1.0 pcm to start, won't have money for a good tuner yet
Modular pulley system with a 3.4 pulley is the plan
I think thats all i had on my list. Price works out to around $800 give or take with taxes and shipping. Almost all brand new from zzp. Im hoping to get a few used parts from a buddy but if not this is what i'll be spending. If thats the case i'll be about $625 roughly into the car purchase and basic maintenance plus this $800 in mods putting me at around $1400 total. Still seems like a really good price for what the car will be and its condition, but it is turning into more of an investment than originally planned.
A zzp fuel filter is on the list of parts I'm hoping to buy soon. Also my gas gauge acts up a bit sometimes as well, doesn't always show the same on the needle even when not driving it for a few days. I'll start it up and it will be at e with the light on even tho i know theres about a quarter tank but it will move up to the correct level after driving.
It actually looks like my parts list is going to be costing a little more than i originally planned. Looks like everything total will be around $800 for modifications. Let me get your opinion on my list and if I'm spending too much for what my goal is, or if this will best my goal or if theres a better route.
zzp stainless front powerlog
zzp ceramic coated crossover pipe
zzp 3" cat less down pipe
(with necessary gaskets)
autolite 104 spark plugs
180 thermostat
Stock gm replacement plug wires
zzp high flow fuel filter
custom cai/fenderwell intake with cone k&n filter/or the trasher intake we talked about
zzp 1.0 pcm to start, won't have money for a good tuner yet
Modular pulley system with a 3.4 pulley is the plan
I think thats all i had on my list. Price works out to around $800 give or take with taxes and shipping. Almost all brand new from zzp. Im hoping to get a few used parts from a buddy but if not this is what i'll be spending. If thats the case i'll be about $625 roughly into the car purchase and basic maintenance plus this $800 in mods putting me at around $1400 total. Still seems like a really good price for what the car will be and its condition, but it is turning into more of an investment than originally planned.
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murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
I dont have any personal exp. with the zzp 10.3's they may be the best thing since sliced bread but yesterday when I was looking on their site for you for the stock wires I did read something about how the new zzp wires were addressing all the issues the previous ones had - thats the nice thing with gm/oem wires you know they will be good for 100k , or 200k lol
gas guage is normal , will correct itself within a few minutes driving , worse if parked on any type of incline...
almost anyone into L67's will tell you to go straight for headers as you can find them for less than the stainless plog/ported rear/3" downpipe and they will eliminate more KR . I had a gs that i went the plog/zzp ported rear/3" catless stainless dp route with much success ( KR was a bitch but got good et's) so i wont bash it at least your going stainless , mild steel lasted just over a year for me before all the primaries had cracks at the welds , replaced with SS ok after that.
Actually I just saw my old zzp stainless dp , its under my buddys porch and needs a new flex welded in it ( made it 120,000 miles +) I can ask what he wants for it ?? or you could post in the wanted section on the local forum for 3800's www.nepontiac.org used to be a very active forum but kinda dead now especially mid winter but you might be surprised at the used parts that come out of the woodwork when someone has cash in hand , the dp is owned by a member there.... mostly Mass members a few nh a few ct and very few maine.
Your list is very sound , glad your going MPS its really the only way to fly - in my experience you wont run a 3.4 pulley without a lot of KR with a plog/dp setup at sea level ish DA's and more so when its cool or cold, other areas with warmer temps and higher elevations dont have the same issues pulleying down we have here in the northeast, truthfully a 3.5 wont be much easier either but not many people seem to want to start any other way including me back when i started with a 3.5 and went on to chase kr through a lot of supporting mods
On my plog/zzp rear/3" dp car i ran 3.35 , 3.4 , 3.5 , 3.6 & 3.8 pulleys depending on race fuel , pump fuel , DA , etc... pump fuel even the 3.5 was dicey on the zzp 1.0 pcm I started with , after getting hp tuners and doing full ve & maf tuning 3.5 was ok but never was able to run a 3.4 without KR unless on race fuel , my list of supporting mods ended up quite lengthy on that car to get to 13.5 but cracking 13's wasnt that hard - your list is capable of getting it in the 13's but i would suggest starting on the 3.5 if it has no kr when you scan it then drop to the 3.4
So looks like ill go with the stock replacements considering if these are stock on the car now its made it to almost 200k.
Your right on with how the gas gauge is, takes a few minutes to show correct level, and my driveway which is fairly sloped almost always makes it read empty with the light on. I wont worry about that anymore.
I have looked into headers quite a bit, definatly dont want to shell out $600+ on zzp headers or anything similar. Speed daddy seems like its used quite often and can be had for just under $200 on ebay. Would save close to $200 on the parts total going with headers, just seems like a lot more of a hassle. Ive read some its taken 4-5 hours and others 8 hours to install. And reviews online are a little iffy on the fitment. There are a lot of good reviews however. I guess the crossover pipe almost never fits without modifications. Do you have any opinion on the speed daddy headers? I found a couple threads and an install thread thats pretty details on regales forum but I'm not able to see the pictures. I signed up to be a member but it still won't let me post or look at pictures. But exhaust aside, everything else seems like the most common mods.
would you recomment a drilled or non drilled thermostat?
And last question for now, how would i go about scanning for kr? Ive read a lot about it and want to make sure its something i dont overlook.
Your right on with how the gas gauge is, takes a few minutes to show correct level, and my driveway which is fairly sloped almost always makes it read empty with the light on. I wont worry about that anymore.
I have looked into headers quite a bit, definatly dont want to shell out $600+ on zzp headers or anything similar. Speed daddy seems like its used quite often and can be had for just under $200 on ebay. Would save close to $200 on the parts total going with headers, just seems like a lot more of a hassle. Ive read some its taken 4-5 hours and others 8 hours to install. And reviews online are a little iffy on the fitment. There are a lot of good reviews however. I guess the crossover pipe almost never fits without modifications. Do you have any opinion on the speed daddy headers? I found a couple threads and an install thread thats pretty details on regales forum but I'm not able to see the pictures. I signed up to be a member but it still won't let me post or look at pictures. But exhaust aside, everything else seems like the most common mods.
would you recomment a drilled or non drilled thermostat?
And last question for now, how would i go about scanning for kr? Ive read a lot about it and want to make sure its something i dont overlook.
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murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
I havent ever used speed daddys , they have come to prominence the last few years (recurrent theme I am somewhat out of the loop since I am going on 3 years removed from doing any w body modding) I have used (or had) slp's , tog's , pacesetters. Used togs or slp's are what most modders that have done it multiple times look for, good quality/simple install usually $300 and change for good used ones from a demod.
I run drilled stat more because its what everyone was doing when I started modding them and the theory makes sense though I dont know if any measurable gain in et from it , the drilled hole ( do it yourself) will allow a constant trickle of coolant so when the t stat opens you dont get a rush of cool liquid into a hot engine/avoid thermal shocks. dont go below 180* or you will set codes.
Many ways to scan, I even see people mentioning doing it with smart phones now ( must use an obd2 plug in along with an app?) but traditionally the most basic is the LS1M palm pilot (pda based) no longer produced but I think theres one on the regal forum for sale now , usually under $100 that is what I started with , then you have auto tap scanner , or an aeroforce scanguage , next level would be a scanner/tuner suite such as hpt tuners or dhp which is no longer produced but they can be found used. What a lot of people dont realize is you can buy hp tuners scanner only for around $350 and later upgrade it to include tuning as it uses the same interface at which point you should be pretty well versed in using the interface to connect and the scanning portion of the suite which will be invaluable when stepping up to tuning. Beyond the basic shutting off codes , removing speed limiters & torque management etc... all your tuning changes should be based on what you are seeing in your scans , particularly data filtered through histograms.
If you join up on the local forum there may be someone close to you able to scan you after your install in exchange for beer and pizza lol but you should have your own so you can scan in different weather conditions.
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So i definatly have plenty of information to go on, so many different ways to go about it. The plan is to still hopefully mod the car, but theres still a chance i'll finish the regular maintenance and see if i can make a quick flip on it considering i'll be into it for a low investment. Just gotta see what happens through the next month.
murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
guy a few posts down in this thread http://www.regalgs.org/topic/56795-need-exhaust/ is entertaining selling his zzp ceramic coated plog , zzp ceramic coated crossover , zzp 3" downpipe , and zzp 3" catback , thought of you - dont know if he will split it up....
murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
sent him a PM
Buick Mark
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2001
Id pull the motor and trans NOW, and rebuild 'em both, its gonna happen anyway
Id pull the motor and trans NOW, and rebuild 'em both, its gonna happen anyway
What? Why? Plenty of 200k cars out there still being raced.
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murphinator
Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
exactly ^ the whole beauty of starting with such a cheap car is you can make it quick with very little invested , if it were to break then you can sell off the mods and get your money back scrapping it or fix it at that point.
This especially applies to the engine seen many modded ones still going strong with 250-300k on them , remember the series 2 is on wards 10 best engines of all time list due to its durability/simplicity- not to mention its usually the ones that have been opened up that fail dont open it up unless you have to is always the advice given by people in the know with series 2's .GM put these engines together very well with very robust parts
Hey guys, sorry i havnt been on lately, lots going on with work and the weather and whatnot. So i still havnt quite decided what to do with the car. Im still trying to find the time to finish up the basic maintanance and small fixes it needs. Just bought a new battery today. Hopefully be able to do the front hubs and get rid of what sounds like a bad bearing.
Besides that its good to go aside from 2 issues on the interior. The driver heated seat doesnt work, the switch does though. And the rear defroster doesnt work. The switch also works for this as well. And by works i mean lights up. Any ideas?
Im actually going tomorrow to pick up some rims and tires i decided to pull the trigger on. Im just not a fan of the plain looking rims it has. I found a set of 17" cadillac cts rims on craigslist with good tires for $260. 3 tires are at 85% tread and one is low at around 25% so ill have that one replaced. These rims are much better looking. I like them better and a potential buyer would like them better as well. The tire size is 225/50/17 i believe. Shouldnt have any issues right?
I have the title comming in the mail hopefully within a few weeks. If i dont have a buyer i will put it on the road and use it. Still iffy on modding it but i may get around to it. I do have a potential buyer who emailed me today, said if i do all the repairs he would give me $2500. Not a bad profit considering im only into the car for $620 without the rims and tires. Call it $900 with them. For that kind of profit i might have to let her go. If he falls through i get to keep it a little longer. Not that i mind since its so fun to drive. I also have a buddy who runs a detailing shop, im gonna have him give the body a good do over, buff, polish, wax etc... to really bring out the paint again and hoolpefully minimize the 2 areas that were keyed. Im really starting to think im not going to want to let it go.
Besides that its good to go aside from 2 issues on the interior. The driver heated seat doesnt work, the switch does though. And the rear defroster doesnt work. The switch also works for this as well. And by works i mean lights up. Any ideas?
Im actually going tomorrow to pick up some rims and tires i decided to pull the trigger on. Im just not a fan of the plain looking rims it has. I found a set of 17" cadillac cts rims on craigslist with good tires for $260. 3 tires are at 85% tread and one is low at around 25% so ill have that one replaced. These rims are much better looking. I like them better and a potential buyer would like them better as well. The tire size is 225/50/17 i believe. Shouldnt have any issues right?
I have the title comming in the mail hopefully within a few weeks. If i dont have a buyer i will put it on the road and use it. Still iffy on modding it but i may get around to it. I do have a potential buyer who emailed me today, said if i do all the repairs he would give me $2500. Not a bad profit considering im only into the car for $620 without the rims and tires. Call it $900 with them. For that kind of profit i might have to let her go. If he falls through i get to keep it a little longer. Not that i mind since its so fun to drive. I also have a buddy who runs a detailing shop, im gonna have him give the body a good do over, buff, polish, wax etc... to really bring out the paint again and hoolpefully minimize the 2 areas that were keyed. Im really starting to think im not going to want to let it go.
