Just wanted to share the tale of how I got my Jimmy. I had just been laid off from DHL in January and got my first payment of my severance package. I had a 95 Grand Am Gt since I was laid off in 2005 (heh, get laid off buy a car) Got both the GA and the Jimmy from ebay. Well the Grand Am was showing it's age. I had just replaced the LIM gasket for the second time. The alignment was never right and I had a couple rear ends the last year. It also had a constant electrical glitch that made the charging low. So it was time to replace it. I got the Jimmy and had to drive from Houston to austin to get it. It had been in an accident already. The right front fender was bent and the grill was gone. The hood was bent back. The radiator was trashed with the a/c condenser and the water pump needed to be replaced.

Well I picked up a used radiator and a water pump at Oreilleys. We got there about noon. I went to put the radiator in to find out the replacement didn't have the outlet for the heater line. So i decided to go into town (a 15 minute drive, the guy lived back in the boonies) and get the right one from Autozone. Well problem. He had left and the grand am fuel pump, which was giving out, decided to crap out. I had to wait 1/2 hour for it to finally start. Got it started finally and got the water pump. (did not turn the car off at autozone) Got the pump in and radiator hooked up. The fan was munched but held up enough to get it home. It only had one headlight and it was only held on by 1 bolt and a tie down. The headlight bulb was out though. So I got the truck running and ready to head out. Went to start the car. Sure enough it wouldn't. Had to wait another 1/2 of on and off cranking to get it to start. When it did we headed out. I drove the truck behind my wife driving the GA. It started to get dark. I was behind her because she had the headlights and we had a 200 mile drive. On a hunch I hit the lights. Nothing. Hit the high beams. HEY I got 1 light. but since the lens was jerry rigged on it didn't aim high. Truck actually drove OK though the front end was a mess (all ball joints were shot as well as the sway bar bushings and the idler arm.

Got it home. And the next day called the local pick a part place and scrapped the Grand am. the next day after that took the $$$ I got for the GA and spent it all on parts for the truck at the same pick a part lot. A week later I went back for some more parts and on a hunch went into the older model area and sure enough, there sat my old car. I know because it was white with a blue hood (from the last bump) but the guy trashed it hauling it out. Hood was mangled, tires flat and one door crunched. What the heck did he do. Well you can see my photo gallery as to what I have had to do to the truck but today got the last part. replaced broken seat belt latch in the back.

 

And then while up in NY the fan finally decided to give way. It sliced through the radiator and damaged part of the aluminum line on the oil cooling line. It was 2 degrees so I was able to limp it 5 miles without any problems and stopped at an advanced auto and replaced the radiator. The oil cooler only had a pinhole and I didnt' know for two days so I didn't replace it then. And it was so cold and the water pump was new so as long as I kept it up to speed and air flowing through the engine it stayed cool. I replaced that with the oil cooler line.

But it made it home fine and since replacing the fuel pressure regulator and piecing the air box back together it runs like a top now. Looks like I'm getting 22 mpg now also.