[A . Spruce]

My suspicion is that the additional 3 sockets probably aren’t all that necessary, just depends on the sizes of them. 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, and their equivalent metric are the most common sizes, anything smaller is rarely, if ever, going to be used. Anything larger puts you firmly into 3/8 drive territory.

Now, if you find yourself working on microscopic things, like computers, small appliances, etc., then maybe a couple smaller sockets might come in handy for those occasions. If it were me, I’d skip them now and add them later if necessary.
A small adjustable wrench or pliers will handle those tiny things.

[A . Spruce]

To clarify, no, I don’t expect a 16 year old vehicle to be without it’s quirks and noises.

My main concern, assuming it’s lifter related, is that I want to avoid damaging the cam or anything else.

[A . Spruce]

I’m no mechanic, not by a long shot, but the short list I can think of would be:
1 – Fuel system from tank to intake manifold. Old fuel varish, rust, plugged lines, fouled carburetor/throttle body/injectors
2 – Brakes – fouled lines, caliper pistons, wheel cylinders, crusty/deteriorated hoses, master cylinder
3 – Electrical – from typical corrosion to rodent damage.

As for the car being worth the repairs, check out Craigslist, NADA, Kelly Bluebook, etc., for similar year and apportioned vehicles vs the cost of repair. California also has bullshite registration laws that if the vehicle wasn’t put into non-op registration when taken off the road, then trying to reregister it now could be an expensive nightmare.

Tally up the cost of repair/registration against a currently roadworthy example and you will have your answer as to whether or not it’s worth your time, expense, or hassles to undertake this project.

[A . Spruce]

I would agree. I found during my years in construction that it’s better to buy than rent, for a number of reasons, first and foremost is the quality and condition of the tool, quality new trumps used/rental any day of the week!

Secondly, how many times will the tool be used, usually, if you’d rent a tool more than 2 or 3 times, you will have paid the purchase price for said tool. In addition, if you owned the tool, would you use it more often and/or find more uses for it because you’ve now got it at your disposal? If the answer is yes to either of these, then purchasing is the better way to go.

Thirdly, depending on the tool in question, you can often buy one, either new or used, then sell it when you’re done at or near what you paid for it, thus getting to use the tool for free. An added benefit here is that you’re under no time constraints, such as with a rental tool, so you can work at your pace and/or deal with unforeseen circumstances where you will need the tool longer than expected at no additional cost. The key with this is buying a good quality tool to begin with. Buy a Harbor Freight tool and you’ll take a hit on the resale end, buy a good quality tool from a reputable brand and you’ll get every penny back when you resell it.

[A . Spruce]

While the seats were out, I decided to replace the existing bench seat that has really bad storage with a center console that has much better storage, cup holders and trays. Super easy thing to do, simply replace the center seat section with a console from the wreckers. What you may not know is that the entire dash skirt has to be replaced as well, because the console is part of the dash, so the panels are a tad different.
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Because I had to replace the dash skirt and was into it this deep already, I decided to tackle several dash squeaks that the mechanic neglected to deal with. I should say FORMER mechanic, because his quality of work ain’t what it used to be. I’ve been with him for 25 years and the past 5 or 7 years the work being done to the 02 Sierra hasn’t been to snuff, and he seriously missed the mark with the inspection and a few other things on the Suburban. Anyway, this is what I ended up with!
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Turns out the driver’s side clip was broken off, so with some Shoe Goo and reinforcement sticks, the clip is back in place and no more squeaks. I also rerouted and insulated several wires behind the stereo.
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After about 3 days worth of work, it was finally all back together. I’ve yet to get more “after” pix due to weather and lack of time. Over the past few weeks I’ve had my neighbor, a body man, taking care of the several larger dents and dings, as well as some deep scratches that compromised the paint. He’s almost done with that, then it will get cut/buffed, and a thorough waxing to protect everything. With that done, the next project will be restoring all the exterior plastics that are both dirty and weathered. Unfortunately, I’m fighting weather and time right now, so the exterior stuff is on hold.

Aside from the aesthetics, I’ve got to do brakes all around and front shocks and that should sum up the necessities for the time being. Oh, I pulled the rear passenger door panels to access door dings from behind, in doing so, I found some damage to the panels that I’ve also been repairing. Wrecker wanted $50 each for new panels, I’ve done the repairs for a $5 bottle of glue. Still need to get those back in place, but alas, the weather, the darned weather! 😆

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