Just bought my DMC and have 142 questions (long)

["stevepeck1" <stevepeck1@xxxx>]

Anyone with a bit of time out there? I would greatly appreciate your 
looking over the list below and advising on any or all subjects. I 
am an utter newbie, but a good mechanic. In some cases I don't even 
know what questions to ask...

If you prefer not ro reply to the list, please reply directly to 
stevepeck1@xxxxx Thanks so very much for your review of this...


Under hood/front:
Carpet starting to droop in two sections ( what is a good choice for 
contact cement?)
Tool bag has two empty pockets. There is a jack, ratchet wrench and 
spark plug tool, all rusty.
Original gas cap is changed. The car uses the non-locking model, 
since there is no hood flap.
The horn is weak sounding. Can these be repaired with a little 
tinkering?
How can I tell if the recalls have been done?
Ball joint boots are gone. Should I replace the joints if they show 
no looseness, or is there a re-boot available?
The hood does not have any real pop-up action when the release is 
pulled. What am I missing here?

Brakes:
Brake rotors need to be turned, or alternatively, is there an 
inexpensive aftermarket rotor available?
In the first MILE that I owned the car, the rear brake cylinder 
froze. I pried it back open, but it could use some attention. Is 
there a recommended procedure? Are special tools required?
The parking brake works, but if the rubber handle cover is used, the 
brake handle will not fully settle to the bottom of travel. What am 
I missing here? Is there an adjustment procedure?


Exterior, general:
The right front corner antenna mast is a bit kinked. I could buy a 
basic replacement, but is there an exact replacement?
Window black rubber seals and "wipe strips?" Who has the best prices 
for replacements? The Previous Owner has smeared them with rubber 
sealant?
What type of adhesive sealant holds in the rear quarter windows? Is 
this a tough job?

Electrical:
The right hand turn signal occasionally goes double-speed, which 
indicates to me that a bulb is intermittent, or it has a bad ground.  
Any experience with this?
What is the proper battery size?
The fuse box has been replaced, I assume because of the original's 
propensity to melt.  
Who has a diagram of the '81 relays? The PO "rigged" the ones on 
this car.
How can I tell if the relays have been upgraded? A relay on the far 
right of the car above the battery has been jumpered. Fuel pump?
Can the rheostat for the dash lights be rebuilt/repaired?
The Cig lighter and clock don't work. I assume that they are on the 
same circuit.
How can I get my hands on an electrical diagram.
The right-side mirror has no up/down adjustment. Any likely culprit 
or testing procedure?
Headlights (damp inside)
Defogger switch is trashed.

Doors:
Gas struts are pretty well hosed. Who has the best-priced 
replacements?
My window registers (lifts) are toast. The motors are good. Who 
sells replacement gearing? I can't pay $300 per side for new motors?

Interior:
I need a shift boot, as it is cut from engaging reverse.
Is there a good way to re-bend slightly warped fiberboard interior 
panels? The tops of the doors are a bit warped, and the rear panel 
has bent down quite a bit. Can they be moistened, re-bent and dried 
to restore them??
Are the interior door panel retaining barbs and clips universal-fit?
The headlight switch takes a few presses to convince it to stay 
engaged. Can this me repaired, or should I just shut up and pay the 
$48 for the switch? Who else has those switches for less?
Need the elastic cord replaced for the cargo net.
The dash "pod" is showing some age, but might be re-coatable, 
somehow. Also, the dash has a crack on the right, through the 
speaker, and the glove box door has a chip in the corner. Who does 
that kind of stuff?
The trim strip around the pod needs replacement or proper 
reattachment. It's drooping.
This is a weird one: I need two of the little press-in brass inserts 
that go into the ignition switch cover at the base of the steering 
wheel. Two are in there, and two are gone?
The ignition switch and door key are different. The door key is the 
big-head, shorter lighted key, and the ignition is smaller-headed, 
but longer. Can either the door or ignition locks be disassembled 
and re-worked to operate the car with one key?
Who sells the original key blanks? Anybody?
Needs new visors
I need all the door seals and gaskets. Is the profile of any of 
these available at JC Whitney or another (<$300/side) source?
Is there a steering wheel recovering kit available?
The left turn signal does not return after turning. Is there a fix 
for this?
The interior vinyl strips under the door seal are a bit stretched out.
Please tell me about interior rear view mirror replacement options.  
This one is in bad shape.


Under dash / dash:
A whitish box at the base of the column appears to house the lambda-
counter. The electrical has been bypassed, I assume from someone's 
having kicked it loose. Is this a big deal?
There is a buzzer panel up in there that appears un-secured. How is 
this secured?
The column base "gudgeon" is loose against the firewall. I have seen 
these somewhere in an improved model? Is this a difficult fix?

Engine bay:
The car may have once been bumped dead center in the rear, as the 
engine cover hatch takes some oomph to close, and the latch/release 
has been removed. Also, there is an obvious void of an inch behind 
the bumper skin. Is the bumper skin easy to remove so that the steel 
portion may be pulled back out?
The timing cover seals leak like pigs. How tough is this job?
Needs a crankcase vent hose
Need most new labels
Needs a cover for the relays and plugs inside the engine 
compartment. Who keeps this part?

HVAC:
Is there anything to worry about with an R134a conversion?
The center AC selector pops out if not held in to turn. Seems 
slightly stiff. Can the works be lubricated?
Where is the filter/dryer/sight glass?


I am very glad YOU got to the bottom of this page. Thanks for your 
thoughts and time.