8.30.2008 || for sale ||

Well that's it. My fun with Deus Emergo is pretty much over. I'm put together a fairly detailed sale page intended to answer most of the questions that may be asked, aside from assessing the dings in person.

Jump at the bottom of this post.

Deus Emergo was a short but sweet relationship. As this was my second car project, I did everything right the first time around. I can attribute the successes to my first love,  Deus Irae which was an LT1 Trans Am. Man that was a nightmare, but the experience was helpful.

I hope whoever ends up with Deus Emergo finishes it up right and most of all enjoy it as I have. It will be missed. [rd]

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8.28.2008 || sit & spin ||

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7.7.2008 || sea foam'd and capped bird ||

I've used Sea Foam in all my cars since Deus Irae with awesome results! Yesterday I had about 1/2 pint of Sea Foam laying around and decided to throw it into my gas and a little into the carburetor but ended up putting it all into the gas tank.

Today I went to Wal-Mart and bought another pint and put 1/3 into the carb. I figure the car is almost 28 years old and there is probably a lot of gunk built up in it. I was right. Deus blew out heavy white smoke for a good 3-4 minutes.  But the results were astounding as usual. Sea Foam cleared out all the crap and Deus is breathing better and has a much smoother idle. And the motor seems more lopish with a nice standing vibration. The car (despite being a 305) feels much more powerful! Sea Foam is by far the best $6 investment you can make for an old car. I highly recommend it! And I can't wait to throw some into the crankcase prior to my next oil change. I'm sure the throttle response will jump up too.

I did a little visual mod to the center caps on my new/old Enkei wheels. I had these old 3rd gen center cap emblems laying around that I was initially going to use on my old 4th Gen. I know they aren't exactly gen appropriate, but IMO they are the best designed Firebird logo of any generation and that's all I care about. Also, since I only have 3 of the 4 center caps, I put these caps on the front wheels only for symetry's sake. I'll do a small write up about it in the mods section soon enough. Real simple stuff. [rd]


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7.1.2008 || the motif ||

I browsed around for old 2nd Gen Firebird pics and ran across this beauty:

I don't know who it belongs to, but it is simply stunning! Minus the side exhaust, this is the basic design I want to incorporate into Deus Emergo. It so much reminds me of my previous 4th generation Firebird Trans Am, Deus Irae:

I think I want to keep the similar color scheme.

BTW, I managed to throw on the new front wheels today:

Looks pretty good! But I'm not all that impressed with the fronts. I prefer the big lambo-type bores that the rears have. As it stands now, the front wheels seem to be 14x8 with 245/60 tires (I didn't notice they were 14" at first). The rears are 15x8 with 235/60 tires. The fronts are about a half-inch shorter in diameter. You'll notice they're dirtier because I kept the same tires from the salvage yard, white letter BFGs. seem to have a decent amount of tread left. When they go, I'll put on 235/60/14s. And that should give a slight rake to the stance which I think is cool!

On a different note, the front wheels were bolted down way too tight. It took me stand/jumping on the lug wrench to pry half of them loose. I hate it when shops use air impact wrenches when they bolt the wheels down and especially on old rallys. Those things 250+ft/lbs of torque eating away at the bores. I always made a practice of hand tightening my wheels. It takes more time and effort but it's far less likely to cause damage.

Prior to the wheel install, this morning I took one of the new front wheels to Pep Boys. The valve stem was cracked at the cap and leaked when I stuck a guage in so it had to be fixed. My experience with Pep Boys was awful! What should have been a simple 10-20 minute job took an hour and a half.

After dropping off the wheel, Grandfather and I went to a quick breakfast and returned 30 minutes later and they hadn't even started on it yet. And there's damned employees outside shootin the shit and having some smokes! After staring at my wheel for another 15 minutes, I went in prepared to cancel, but the manager headed me off and sent a worker onto it right away. What's worse is that I told them not to use the stick-on weights - I wanted the tap-ins, but they ignored or forgot my request. $23 dollars almost wasted, but at least it's fixed and rolls true. I just won't ever go to Pep Boys for service again. Oh, and what's worse is that the "tech" forgot to put my Enkei center cap back on, so later in the day I had to drive back and pick it up. Grrr....

So what am I going to do with the stock Rally II wheels? Well, I need to get rid of them somehow. My grandfather's poor Town and Country is currently filled with a hood and Rallys. Not cool. And there's no bites on Craigslist for the hood thus far. I'll make another ad tomorrow including the hood and wheels. Hopefully someone else will need them... soon. [rd]
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6.30.2008 || wheels'n'deals ||

Oh, where do I even begin?

The car has been progressing slowly. Normally, I keep a strict journal of every detail/change that I do. But there isn't much to really talk about - Just some small things.

Earlier in the month I finally got fed up with looking at the chewed metal side mouldings and I yanked them out which was not a great idea. I found instead of the modern glued on rubber moulding, the metal ones happen to be  riveted in. So now we got rivet holes and protrusions on both sides of Deus. Sigh. I just hope whomever the future body shop I hire to do the work (or even my cheap self) can fix this. Otherwise another option would be to cover them up with the modern rubber moulding. Maybe.

Last week I picked up a Formula hood for $100 and a 50 mile drive to and from Concord, CA. The owner, Kenny had it on his 79 Formula 305 which he had built up to beyond smogable a state. He said he sold the car, but kept the driveline which he installed in his 50s C10. Don't have to worry about smog there.

In anycase, the hood fits... sorta. It bolts up just fine, but it's slightly unformed on the drivers side where it's popped up about a half inch. No big deal at this point. I know Deus Emergo is far from show quality (don't think it will ever be) but it's something I'll throw onto the to do list before paint and bodywork. I did sand off the minimal surface rust sloppily spray some black primer on to protect it. Had to do it quick because rain was in the forcast... in fricken June no less.

BTW The stock hood is for sale on craigslist for the cheap price of $50.

At the same time I picked up the primer, I also picked up a K&N filter (pt. # E1500). I only got at because it was $5 off with a special from Kragen selling at $40. I've read on some forums that the 305 isn't ideal for modification, one thing that hinders it's potential is breathing. My past experiences with K&N filters have always been good, but never moreso than on this mostly stock 305 of mine.  It's got more kick in WOT and doesn't really bog anymore. It makes me wonder how it would react to an open element filter, which of course is not smog legal in Cali.

Earlier this morning I went over to Victory Auto to get some help with fitting the Z06 chair I had gotten for free. When we put in the black leather chair it looked great! However it definitely won't bolt up to the stock mounts. So JoJo (mechanic friend who works there) suggested we make a frame. We took some exact measurements and he surmised getting some 1" by 1" steel bars/rods for the buildup. Okay... Now I just have to figure out where to get them.

During lunch at IHOP with Grandfather I got the anxious feeling of checking out pick'n'pull for parts and hopefully to trade in the stock hood, but mostly to browse.
On the drive down there I got to thinking about new hood and how to make the louvers/scoops functional. It wouldn't make any sense to just drill some holes, no it would have to flow somewhere necessary. And it hit me, I can make pseudo open element using the stock air cleaner. I should only drill some (many) holes in the air lid. And I should buy another lid to modify and keep my stocker clean to change out in case I get pulled over and the police suspect foul play. Quick fix!

And so another air cleaner lid, I did buy along with:

Some new (old) wheels! Perusing the Pick'n'Pull salvage yard I walked by a gutted TPI camaro with a set of these old Enkei wheels with rubber still on them. They're 15" with 245/60 in front and 235/60 in back. The rears were curb rashed and needed new tires but the fronts where pretty straight with good rubber. Nonethess I had to have them.

Problem #1: I didn't bring a wheel lug wrench with me. Luckily home is only 5-10 minutes away. So grandfather and I quickly went and got it.

Problem #2: The car was suspended in the air via some wheels/tires used as jack stands. So the mounted wheels would spin freely as I try to unbolt the lugs. The easy fix would be pull the emergency brake and it didn't work. I looked in the engine bay, lo and behold the master cylinder was missing some vital hoses. A quick step on the brake pedal sent some fluid flying out of the engine bay. Not gonna work.

I almost gave up, in fact my Grandfather said I should give up or go get a impact wrench, but the ingenuity bulb lit up in me. I need leverage/support to muscle the lug nuts off. The car is being held up by wheels. So I went and got a wheel to use to prop up the mounted wheel and with some effort to keep it in place I was able to successfully unbolt each wheel. It took a good 20-30 minutes but I did it. My Grandfather was amazed and even used the word "stubborn." Which is in some cases definitely true.

The best part about it was the price, $160!! At the end of the month (or towards my birthday) I was going to get some truck rock-crawler steelies for the same price  plus another $80 for shipping and without tires. I was so happy getting these that I went ahead and bought some newer (used) tires for the rears at Roman's Tires for $80. The drawback is that they didn't exactly have the width I needed, 235/60 as opposed to 245/60 (255/50 prefered) and they weren't matching brands. But I figured, what the hell! They're cheap enough! They won't fill out as much as I'd want, so what - I just have to be careful not to curb them.

I know, the fronts (with 245/60) are going to be about a half inch wider in diameter than the rears and fill out better. But at a glance you really wouldn't notice. Again, no big deal.

After about a half hour of resting in the late afternoon I went ahead and mounted the rear tires. I was concerned about the backspace, but I found that they're actually 3.25"-3.50" as opposed to the stock wheels have 4" backspace. With wider tires to boot, the wheels fill out the fenderwell just nicely.

Tomorrow morning I mount the fronts.

For now... I'm happy! [rd]

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6.6.2008 || the price of fun ||

Addressing the gas situation was going to happen sooner or later. I haven't minded the increase as much as most. Car enthusiasts generally don't. Besides, as opposed to other people, my commutes aren't more than a dozen miles or so daily - If I even decide to go anywhere.

That being said, I've heard that oil has gone up to 150$ per barrel. The national average in the US is now indefinitely over 4$ per gallon of gas. And here in the SF Bay Area in California we're probably going to be seeing 4.75$ for basic 87 octane within the next week, if not tomorrow.

My last car, Deus Irae of which I really loved and admired was sold because: 1) I was still paying off the bank. 2) the 91 octane that it required was not helping to pay off the bank. And so I got Deus Emergo, a 305ci., 87 octane drinking V8 to compensate.

And now, regular unleaded (87) has increased in price to the same level as 91 was a few months ago. My eyes are tearing from seeing my wallet burn up. These days It seems like I have to pay 10$ just to start the damn car!

I love driving. Some (or even most) people drive to get somewhere - Of course I do to, but I also enjoy the experience along the way. Because of  the fuel sitation, driving is now something I really have to gauge between need and interest.

I'm not really about to blame anyone. Sure, you can blame the big companies for greed or whatnot - But honestly, I think it's progress catching up to the US. We've been used to driving for almost a hundred years. The rest of the world who are just as rapidly increasing in population are now becoming more mobilized.

So we, that is, everyone in the world, just have to learn to share. [rd]

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5.31.2008 || exhausting vid ||

Finally did it! It took awhile to break-in my chops on Sony Vegas, but I'm very happy and proud of the final product. I hope you enjoy! [rd]


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5.31.2008 || to flush or not to flush ||

Brought Deus over to my friends at Victory Auto (in Santa Clara) today with the intent on doing a coolant flush because I don't know where to recycle coolant. Upon pulling the cap off the rad, we noticed a lot of corossion and gunk build up - It is afterall a 28 year old radiator. So we canceled the flush and I'll have to order a new rad.

In the meantime we tightened up the loose A/C belt because it screeched when the clutched engaged at highway speed or 2300+rpms. Very annoying. Also replaced the alternator belt which needed it.

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5.30.2008 || Global PoS ||

The other day I picked up a Nextar GPS model P3 from Kragen. It was $150 big ones, but included a $50 rebate. What can I say? I was having one of the spur of the moment curiousity fits that causes me to impulse buy. The cost in the end is a third of the price of a decent TomTom or Garmin etc. Let's see what this thing can do.

Long story short I ended up taking it back. Doing research on the net, including reading reviews and checking out Nextar's official support site I was persuaded to give it up do to little or no support, it's inability to have it's maps updated (There were places on there that no longer exist) and it's inability to replace the battery once used up. It may be cheap at first, but in the long run it's going to end as $100 brick. Not to mention accuracy was correct about 50% of the time. Most destinations, including my own apartment were hundreds of feet off.

I did enjoy it tho, or at least the handiness or having a GPS. It synchronized with the satellite and gave me the correct time and even told me my speed - Forget about the Caddy or Vette HUD,  this I thought was a lot cooler!

I would almost want to keep the Nextar P3 for those reasons. But the straw that broke the camels back was that even tho I detoured, the Nextar lead me straight into "ignition off for gas consumption" traffic. Oh, well.

On a brighter note, when I brought it back I picked up some Rhino Ramps instead and also contemplated getting an old Klaxon (GAH-OOOH-GUH!) horn.
Was very tempted and will definitely do in future.

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5.24.2008 || funds-a-mental ||

Wholy crap! I just checked the good old credit card summary and I was shocked.
I definitely have to watch what I'm spending. The money (or lack there of) that was to be used for paint and body work sort of disappeared with the repairs. This is going to put a damper on some near future plans.

At this point, I'll try and do as much body work as I can with the help of a friend and just lay on some black primer. Then perhaps by the end of the year, I should hopefully have scraped enough funds together for paint.

It's okay tho, because I'll have ample time to do some design work and play around with a bunch of ideas I have.

For now I have a choice of either getting new wheels or an alarm system, and the alarm is cheaper because I would also have to factor in tires. Hmm...
If anything, I'll get some wheel paint and try to restore the Rally IIs.

Maybe I should try playing some lottery. Heheh [rd]

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5.23.2008 || wheel should I? ||

I'm beside myself debating on whether I should immediately get some new wheels on D.E. or not to.

The issues:
1. The car visually is no where close to being finshed and it might look just plain stupid to get some half-way decent shoes on it. On the other hand, the new shoes might help divert attention away from the banged up body.
2. The Rally IIs are pretty cool, I whoheartdely admit. But they're old tech considering the lug centric bores. Overtighten them and they expand, undertighten them you'll risk missalignment which leads to very badness. Also have to consider that the bores around most of the RIIs are starting to rust up and I frankly don't feel so safe with them - Along with the fact they are only 7" across.
3.  The cost of brand new wheels (and tires) can have a wide range. Should I get some cheaper, yet decent/functional ones for now, just to feel safe or blow it on real high quality, set and forget wheels?

Of course I also have to consider that I'm living on EDD and credit cards. HAHA!! I pride myself on self control... Okay at least managing & spending smart. However, I can also be a real fool. Hmm....

In other news worthiness I tracked down a freeware program called:
Free Video to Flash Converter   (pretty straight forward name)
which does just what it says, including generating html code for use on your site.
Did I mention that it's free? Well I d/led it quickly before sleep last night and converted a .mov file which shrunk from 22mb to 4mb. Awesome! I'm sure I'll be using this program often.

I know just what to start on - D.E.'s before and after exhaust clips!
Now I just have to find a decent movie editor on my cheapo budget.

Yup - Willing to spend money on the car, but willing to drought the interweb of it's free flowing resources. [rd]

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5.22.2008 || exhale ||

Did a small write up and put together a flash gallery of the exhaust upgrade. I'm starting to get the hang of the Motion Artist program.  It's not bad for the price I paid, but is limited in some aspects. You get what you pay for.

I also have before and after movie clips of the exhaust, but I need to find a decent freeware program to either convert them to flash or other codec with small file size. I don't think anyone would want to download 30+megs for a 30 second clip.

D.E. sat today. I took grandfather's Town & Country out to get some lunch and gas and blasted the Speed Racer soundtack. His stock stereo is pretty damn good. Well at least 10x better than the ancient 70s style centerdash and rear driverside only speakers in Deus. But that will change eventually.

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5.21.09 || wet, glued and sorta screwed ||

Yesterday brought about replacing the rad hose, krazy gluing the keygrab back onto the ignition key lock assembly and recycling the old a/c compressor.

And after doing the rad hose, I found the coolant to be absolutely filthy. So now I have to do a coolant flush. That's the thing about used cars, you tend to inherit the problems of the previous owner. But then, if the car didn't have any problems, I'd likely not be so interested. What can I say, I like to keep busy and I willingly accept the responsiblity.

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5.20.09 || what's in a name? ||

First of all, I am a fan of GM's  F-body platform which includes the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird in various trims. This is my second F-body as I previously owned a 4th Gen. Trans Am. Most of the info on "Deus Irae" can be found on my old cardomain.

Fast forward to right now. I've finally gotten around to working on this portion of the site. I apologize to the thousands (rather, two) people that are looking forward to this. I've been busy trying to find a job, taking care of grandfather and working on Deus Emergo (and lulling) - But we're here now!

Deus Emergo? What the hell does that mean?


In the ancient language of Latin, "Deus" (or dei) translates to "god" whereas "Irae" translates to wrath. It's sort of a wordplay on a part in a Requiem Mass called the "Dies Irae" of which I was listening to Mozart's version while driving the Trans Am. "Dies Irae" translates to "day of wrath/anger" - Hence "Deus Irae" equates to "god of wrath" or my interpretation: "wrath of god."

Got it? gee, I sure hope I do.

That all being said "Emergo" translates to "rising." Hence "Deus Emergo" or "rising god."

But why "rising god?"

Easy. Deus Irae was a 4th generation Firebird Trans Am, whereas Deus Emergo is a 2nd Generation Firebird and also.... really visually (and some mechanically) in need of repair.

So I plan on raising this car to a more respectable point of godliness.

Why refer to the car as a deity?

I never understood why people have to apply gender to their genderless unliving _insert object_. When people refer to delicate objects they say "You better treat her a lady." And different people might interpret that saying in different ways. Sure , from the mid 20th-21st century, it might be plausable. But historically speaking... I probably wouldn't want to treat D.E. in that sense.

Deities or gods are generally treated with respect, with the exception of different cultures and religions in competition with each other. Nevertheless each god is respected and I'd like to treat D.E. just as well.

Are you nuts!?

Pistachio!! [rd]