Yes, a part three! No shit, right?
I was at work the other night and a guy I work with mentioned that since he had gotten his 3rd DWI in 4 years or so, he had given his parents his Explorer. Since they had his SUV, they were going to give their Lumina away.
Instantly my ears perked up... Hey, wait a minute...

I pick the 98 Lumina up this afternoon.

lol...

Hun...you really should tell the rest of the story...makes it that much more fun.

Shael

Yeah, I just bought a new winter beater, an '84 BMW 318i... I was in dire need of an '84 318i parts car, this one came up (it's VERY rusty), but I may as well drive it for the rest of the winter before it gets stripped to fix my other one up.

Posted by bandi Yeah, I just bought a new winter beater, an '84 BMW 318i... I was in dire need of an '84 318i parts car, this one came up (it's VERY rusty), but I may as well drive it for the rest of the winter before it gets stripped to fix my other one up.

that's the thing, this Lumina is in very nice shape for 175,000 miles. it drives like a fucking Caddy.
The downside? It's needs a 'multi-function' switch (turn signal to you non-car types) because the outboard brake lights are tied into it. So, if you don't hold up (or down) a little on the turn signal switch when you brake, only the third brake light works. Also, it desperately needs a passenger side front tire. There is a serious, catastrophic belt separation happening up there.

Currently, the car is buried in my front yard while I was attempting to get it out of the line of fire of the snowplows. Eh, i didn't want to go to work anyway tonite.
10-15" of snow on the way...

Multi function switch huh? Those can be pricey. Around 400 for a silverado one. Have you tried spraying some WD40 down in there to loosen up the contacts? Or another trick is to hit the emergency flasher button a shit load of times violently. Sounds crazy I know but it works on certain vehicles.

By the way Hello everyone.....Im back after my medical leave of absence!

Posted by Bustedknuckle Multi function switch huh? Those can be pricey. Around 400 for a silverado one. Have you tried spraying some WD40 down in there to loosen up the contacts? Or another trick is to hit the emergency flasher button a shit load of times violently. Sounds crazy I know but it works on certain vehicles. By the way Hello everyone.....Im back after my medical leave of absence!

i priced the switch today through my GM parts guy. My cost is $100. It's a couple of hour job to change it out as that vintage Lumina has the old-style GM column.

i've actually got the whole brake light thing down... :oP

worse come to worse you could check the recor yards

I had a multi function switch go bad in my old Corolla. The car was owned by a lady with about 27 dogs, so there was hair everywhere. I went around a corner, and my turn signal wouldn't go out... then I noticed smoke coming out from the column.

I never did actually fix it right, I drove the car for another year, and just connected the wires under the dash whenever I signalled... you get used to these things!

well, so far the Lumina is turning out to be a pretty good car. I have figured out the brake light issue and that seems to be ok... the tire needs to be changed. I have a feeling that I am going to be moving along at 60 per and the tire is going to disintegrate and send me off into the puckerbrush. Other than that, this fucking car is a TANK in the snow. What is it about W and A-body GM's that make them so good? They are the BEST car I have ever driven in the snow, even better than my beloved Cavaliers!!!


Anyways... life continues.

Posted by Bustedknuckle By the way Hello everyone.....Im back after my medical leave of absence!

Welcome back!! Medical leave? you ok now?

Yeah I had a series of operations. I'm getting back to running on all 12 cylinders slow but sure. Have 2 more weeks off from work so I am going to go crazy I'm sure.

welcome back and good luck with the HHR... they're nice, but for some people it's that look that leaves them cold. By the by, HHR stands for Heritage High Roof... there, don;t you feel better for knowing that?

Had the Lumina on the lift for the first time this afternoon... this does not look like a car with 175,565 miles on it! The ebrake still works on this damn thing!! They never work on those damn W-bodies and this one works as if it had just rolled out of the showroom... Suspension is tight, brakes are still good... recently, the car had a waterpump installed and a new alternator. What is weird is that my Lumina has drum brakes in the rear... I thought that 4-wheel disc was one of the selling points for those cars 10 years ago..

Anyways, ironically, I helped push a 98 Lumina LTZ into another bay after my brother inspected the car. This LTZ had the buckets, console, instrument panel, wheels and front fascia that I wanted for my Lumina, plus it had a 3.8L V6 under the hood instead of the teeny tiny 3.1L mine has!

Anyways, life continues and the Lumina continues to make me smile.