FAQ

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Heater Vent Strobe Lights: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=26&p=104#p104

Interior Painting: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=26&p=105#p105

Change Dash Light Color: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=26&p=104#p106

Remove Automatic Shifter Knob: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=26&p=107#p107

Remove Manual Shifter Knob: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=26&p=107#p108

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Heater Vent Strobe Lights:
Originally posted by megaveo610.
Start by indentifying and knowing your strobe light system. Usually, strobe lights run down into a control module...usually black and has a dial to adjust the speed of the strobes. You'll want to put this in a convinient location somehat close to the strobes (in this case the heater vents). I found the glove compartment a great place.

1. Start by detaching the lower parts of the dash next to the stereo.

2. You'll see 4 gold colored bolts holding ur stereo/cubby to ur dash, remove them(for anyone who installed their own deck, this is all familiar).

3. Take out your stereo/cubby and remove the wiring harness and antenna wires to completely remove from dash.

4. You will see a screw on each side of the bottom of the black liner that has the clock on the top. Remove them...and start removing the whole black part (its all snap-in stuff so becareful when removing).

5. Disconnect the hazard light wiring harness.

6. Take notice to the metal frame that is INSIDE the dash...this is what you'll use to ground ur components.

7. I used a relay switch, so take some auto wire, crimp on an O-ring, remove one of the gold bolts that is screwed into the metal (10mm size) and screw the o ring downand leave the other end of this ground dangling as this will be used to ground the swich (illuminated rocker switch).

8. Pop ur glove box and peer through your opened dash towards your glove box...you should see the inside of your glove box...use this to route your strobe lights through...and leave the control modul in the glove box. Place the lights in the two openings of the black piping (air ducts).

9. Time to find a power source...theres probably a million in there, but choose wisely, some only carry power if another component is used...so I would use your stereo power wire (should be yellow and was disconnected form ur stereo a few steps before.

10 Splice into this wire with your automotive wire and wire it up to where your rocker switch will go (I put mine next to the hazard lights in one of those circles when you remove the whole black part of the dash..you can get in behind and take out the circle...leaving a hole to place a switch).

11. Now, your control module should have two other wires coming out of it...black and red. Red is power, black is ground. We'll start by grounding the module the same way we did the switch. Run the ground wire form the module through the same route you did the strobe lights to the metal frame and crimp an o ring on...and ground like you did with the rocker.

12. Now, run the power wire up to the switch(This will be known as signal, or product) through the same way u did with the modules ground and strobe lights.

13. Now, your rocker switch will have three prongs (if its an illuminated switch). One for ground, one for power (battery or power source), and one for signal or product (whatever it is your installing, in this case, strobe lights) there will be a diagram on which prong is which, and attach your leads to the switch as so.

14. If you have connected all leads to the switch, turn the switch ON and if u did this correctly, ur strobes should light up, along with your rocker switch!

15. Now, place the black part back onto the dash sliding it in level to the dash clip it back in, and look at alll those wires. Tape some wire ties etc. and make it look nice, keep in mind your deck is going in that big hole and filling most of it up.

16. Put the stereo back in...screw in all the screws and double check your strobes.

17. Once your dash is all back together, you can now switch them on via the switch...pop your glove box to control the tempo of the strobes, and enjoy and hopefully you'll get as many compliments on this as i have.

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Interior Painting:
Originally posted by whiteraven.
Here's a little something I'll bring over from my J-body Forum, since it applies to any plastic interior part, in any car.
This How-to is to get that smooth "fiberglassed" look on any plastic interior part.
How To Repaint Your Car's Interior
This how-to is step-by-step guide on how I repainted the interior of my car. I spent lots of times on forums and researching before I began this project, and I hope that this tutorial will save others time and money.

I. Overview - The Process
Now, there are many different ways that you can go about this process, depending on time, money and what your goals are. Some want the stock look, but in a different color. Others want a smooth glossy finish that looks fiberglassed. It's all up to you. I wanted the glossy-fiberglass look, and that is what the pictures in this tutorial are geared towards. But I have also listed instructions on how to repaint is you just want a color change. Basically, you will prep (sand, clean), prime (prime, sand), and paint (paint, sand, clearcoat).

A few things to remember - It is much harder to fix problems the further along you get. It is much easier/cheaper to fix problems in earlier steps. The more time you spend on each step, the better the outcome will be. Please take your time... you will be happy you did as the end result is directly related to your attention to detail.

I'm not sure exactly how much this cost. Once I completely finish I will post up my cost. I'm also not sure how long this takes, as I work on it when I can, and you must allow time for drying. My estimate is several weeks to do all the pieces correctly. This is the process I used to repaint my interior. I had great success, but I suggest that you use this as a guideline and take suggestions from others, as I am no expert.

II. Tools and Materials
There are several materials that you will need to repaint your interior:
Palm Sander (optional)
Extension Cord (optional)
Sandpaper (60, 100, 150, 220, 320, 400, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000)
Dish soap
Sponge
Rubbing Alcohol
Terry Towels
High-Build Primer
Paint
Clear Coat
3M Rubbing Compound
3M Shine Restorer
Wax Remover
Automotive Wax
Palm Sander- Although this is not a necessity, it will save you lots of time on the places that you can use it. I would suggest a palm sander like shown below, which can use square sheets of paper. It uses a back and forth sanding motion. Another type of sander is an orbital, which uses rounded sheets and uses a circular motion. You do not want to use an orbital sander.

Extension Cord
If you are using a palm sander, you will probably want an extension cord to give you more space and less restriction.

Sandpaper
Required to either "scuff-up" your pieces before painting, or to remove the texture if you are going for the smooth look. Sandpaper has different grits, so you will want a variety of grits, from course to smooth. I suggest 60, 100, 150, 220, 320 for prep, 800, 1000, 1500 & 2000 for painting.

Primer
Primer will be applied after sanding and before painting to ensure that the paint will stick. I used Dupli-Color Filler Primer. It uses a high-build formula to fill in scratches. You can get it for about $4 a can from your local Wal-Mart, AutoZone ect.

Paint
Once again I chose to use Dupli-Color Truck, Van & SUV paint. It is about $5.00 and it can also be purchased at Wal-Mart, Auto-Zone ect.

Clear Coat
I also chose Dupli-Color for the Cleat Coat. The cost is about $5.0

Sponge & Dish soap, Alcohol
Any type of sponge/dish soap will do. This will be used to clean before priming/painting.

Terry Towels & 3M Rubbing Compound
I bought a 3 pack of Terry Towels for $1.76 from Wal-Mart. The rubbing compound was $6.00 at Wal-Mart. This will be used to fill in small scratches before we clear coat the pieces that we have painted.

3M Shine Restorer
This will be used to buff our pieces once they are finish. It fills in small scratches, and really gives the piece a glossy look. It was $8.96 at Wal*Mart.


Automotive Wax
As with the exterior, this will be used to protect your pieces once they are done. You should be able to use whatever type of wax you use on your exterior.

III. Sanding
At this point, you must decide if you would simply like to do a color change and keep the texture. If you want to keep the texture, please skip this step. If you want it smooth and glossy, like fiberglass, continue on.

To begin, I first used a course sandpaper of 60 grit. Many other people started with 100 grit, but I like to use 60 to make sure that all of the dings and texture come out. This is the easiest time to remove imperfections, so make sure you spend time to get everything else. Once you are satisfied, sand the area with 100 grit, then 150, 220 and 320. At this point, the surface should be smooth, with no major scratches. If there are some, this is the time to remove them.

(The start of me sanding.)

(Before with texture)

(After sanding)

IV. Cleaning
This step is very important. In a tub or whatever, clean the pieces thoroughly with soap and water. Make sure to get into the corners and places where dust could hide. Dry the pieces, then clean them with the rubbing alcohol and allow them to dry. This step will ensure that the primer/paint sticks to the pieces.
(Pieces after cleaning and ready for priming)

V. Priming
If you would like to keep the texture, you can use a regular sandable primer. If you are going for the glossy look, you will use a high build primer. It will fill in any scratches and imperfections, thus resulting in a smooth finish.
When priming, and painting for that matter, they key is light coats. Many light coats will allow the paint/primer to build up, and will not cause drips or runs. This is what you want to do. First, cover the area where you will be painting with newspaper or plastic to protect things from over spray.

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Changing Dash Board Light Color:
This is for 04-06 aveo sedans and 04-08 aveo5. You can use whatever color bulbs you want regular or LED. They are 194 bulbs. You will need 5 per cluster.
Unscrew the 2 screws below the top of the dome.
Remove the gauge bezel.
There are 5 screws that hold each cluster, 3 on top and 1 on each side. Unscrew them.
Your gauge cluster is free. pull it out a little bit and turn it to the side. You do not have to unplug it.
You can now access the 5 bulb holders and replace them with your new colored bulbs.
Put it all back together and enjoy!

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Remove Automatic Shifter Knob:
Unscrew the chrome metal trim piece under the shifter knob and remove it. After that with a lot of force pull upward until it comes off.

[WOLFMAN AK907]

Remove Manual Shifter Knob:
Pop your shifter boot off at the bottom and unscrew the shifter assembly. Pull the Lever and the knob out and take your boot off. Put the knob and lever in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and then grab it with a rag. The shifter knob will come right off. Do the same thing to put the stock one back on later if you wish.