fixing a few things before a long road trip

[Sally]

So I wanted to update the radio and have a touch screen and Nav, so I changed out the stock radio and speakers for all aftermarket. Also pulled the seats to remove the 5 point belts. and vacuum under the seats.

Also anyone else have the problem of the door panel pulling off the door? I have tired to fix it a few times and can't seem to get them to sit flat.

I'm going to change the pads and rotors with some nice stuff over the napa stuff thats on it. Then going to change the fluids and get ready to take a trip for like a month or so.

Anything you would say to check or do before putting more then 1000 miles on your viper?

[slitherv10]

Bring an extra belt, oil, battery tender, small tool box, and make sure the jack and spare are good and all the tools are there. Tire sealant and puncture kit are always good as well.

[My98RT10]

With regards to your door panel: If you post a picture of it installed then I can compare it. I do have a very little gap but nothing that is really visible or bothers me. Guess that's kind of a legacy being a kit car of sorts...

[octopus]

I believe I saw your post on L4P when you bought the car. Congrats and there are a few other things you can check for peace of mind. Is your power steering pulley plastic? If so, CHANGE IT (IPSCO offers a very well build pulley and bracket combo). It will eventually self destruct and leave you stranded. You can also check your crank bolt/washer on the harmonic balancer to see if its loose. If its tight and you dont want to mess with it you should at least mark the bolt and washer on the balancer with a paint pen and check periodically for movement. Change the belt too while you're in there. Its really easy to swap out and if you're going on a 1000 mile trip it'll be worth the $30 for a belt.

Also research the clutch pedal "birdcage". Its a little cylindrical plastic piece that clips onto the clutch linkage to keel the pedal on. They're notorious for breaking and if it does you'll have no clutch. If you want to pick a few up I can look up where I bought mine from a while back. I believe they're $5 each. I picked up a couple spares to have. Hope this helps you out a bit.

All of these small items will help set you up for a much more reliable road trip. Oh, and post some more pics of the car! I've only seen a few on the other forum.

[LifeIsGood]

Maybe it depends on the year, but my 2001 has screws that hold the door panels on. This is one of the pictures from my Stereo System Replacement DIY, but you can see a small ring on the bottom of the door panel just below the stereo crossover (there's another one on the forward edge of my door panels)...

[C.J]

What year is your Viper?

[plumcrazy]

his is a 2001, its in his sig

[WDW MKR]

If the gap is focused at the rear of the door as shown in your pic, you probably have a bent "Christmas tree" fastener about halfway up the door towards the read edge of the panel that is either bent or stuck in the door. I fight this every time with my passenger door panel.

[Sally]

I believe I saw your post on L4P when you bought the car. Congrats and there are a few other things you can check for peace of mind. Is your power steering pulley plastic? If so, CHANGE IT (IPSCO offers a very well build pulley and bracket combo). It will eventually self destruct and leave you stranded. You can also check your crank bolt/washer on the harmonic balancer to see if its loose. If its tight and you dont want to mess with it you should at least mark the bolt and washer on the balancer with a paint pen and check periodically for movement. Change the belt too while you're in there. Its really easy to swap out and if you're going on a 1000 mile trip it'll be worth the $30 for a belt.

Also research the clutch pedal "birdcage". Its a little cylindrical plastic piece that clips onto the clutch linkage to keel the pedal on. They're notorious for breaking and if it does you'll have no clutch. If you want to pick a few up I can look up where I bought mine from a while back. I believe they're $5 each. I picked up a couple spares to have. Hope this helps you out a bit.

All of these small items will help set you up for a much more reliable road trip. Oh, and post some more pics of the car! I've only seen a few on the other forum.

Thanks man, I'll throw it up on the lift and fix that stuff.

- - - Updated - - -

If the gap is focused at the rear of the door as shown in your pic, you probably have a bent "Christmas tree" fastener about halfway up the door towards the read edge of the panel that is either bent or stuck in the door. I fight this every time with my passenger door panel.

I replaced them once from a set of ford ones I had, and they didn't fit that tight. So I'm going to get some different ones right now.

[Sally]

So used all the clips I have and none of them are tight.


Also should there be something in the hole the xmas tree goes in?

[Sally]

Maybe it depends on the year, but my 2001 has screws that hold the door panels on. This is one of the pictures from my Stereo System Replacement DIY, but you can see a small ring on the bottom of the door panel just below the stereo crossover (there's another one on the forward edge of my door panels)...

Yes I got both screws back in the door.

[Sally]

Ok so I got my radio wired up and didn't cut into any of the stock wires, I'm just wating for my new 16 pin to wire that in so it will be a plug and play.

Also got the 8pin to RCA cable hook up. But still no sound and don't know what the orange and black wire for the 8pin/rca cable is for, any help?

[Tom, F&L GoR]

I used a longest Christmas tree I could find, but tried various size tie wraps and other items to place in the hole first so the tree would be pinched enough. Your tree on the far right looks familiar...

[Sally]

So I hard wired my V1 in and got the radio all wired in making my own plug and play kit.

Now just waiting for my USB cig lighter thing so I can put that in. Then it will go on the lift to replace the brakes and belt and power steering pump.

Hoping to have everything ready to go by next weekend.

[Sally]

Got my new rotors.