[Shotimes] a few unrelated questions

[Ron Porter]

Personally, I would recommend 10w-30 on over-100K engines, as would man
other folks here. 5w-30 is OK for colder weather, but in warmer weather with
many 7K sifts, the 10w-30 offers a bit more protection.

Ford stereos, in general, suck on AM. Even my Ford buddies who get new
company cars every year have complained about this for years. It doesn't
seem to be antenna-related, but rather in the head unit itself. My current
car has an antenna in the rear window, and AM reception is far better than
any of my SHOs were.

You can try the repaint yourself, but you will need the flex agent in the
paint for it to work properly. Also, getting it to match could be tough. If
you rub it out carefully, it could very well come out "good enough". To get
it looking right on an 11-year-old car, the whole bumper will need to be
repainted.

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Aaron Lowe
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 10:01 AM
To: SHOtimes
Subject: [Shotimes] a few unrelated questions

There are a few questions I've been meaning to ask you knowledgeable 
folks.  Sometimes I can feel pretty intimidated around here, since I don't 
know a lot about auto repair, etc.  I hope these questions don't seem silly.

(1) What weight motor oil should I be using in my '93 SHO?  My Ford user's 
manual says that 5W-30 is recommended for all climates, but the last time I 
took the car to get the oil changed (at one of those quick lube places), 
the guy there told me that there was no way I should be putting anything 
but 10W-30 in it, due to the fact that there are 130k miles on the 
car.  They also always try to sell me the "high mileage" oil -- does anyone 
have an opinion about those?  Are they a gimmick, or a good idea?

(2) I listen to a lot of AM radio -- especially WLS out of Chicago -- but I 
am about 200 miles south of Chicago and can't pick it up very quickly in my 
SHO.  I could pick it up quite well in my last car (a VW Jetta), and can 
also get it fine at home using my stereo receiver and one of those AM loop 
antennas.  Can I possible replace the aerial on my sho in order to get 
better reception?  How do I go about doing it?  Is it something I can do 
myself, or should I have a mechanic do it?

(3) The only body damage on my SHO is an approximately 1 sq. ft. area on my 
left front bumper.  The car is all white and the bumper is white as well, 
but the scuffed up area has a little grey paint on it -- looks like either 
someone grazed up against the car, or vice versa.  The bumper is not dented 
at all, but the paint is partly scratched off.  It would be easy to buff 
out the scratches, but can I repaint this myself?  If so, what kind of 
paint can I use that will stick to the fiberglass?  Can it even be 
repainted, or does the whole bumper have to be replaced?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give!

Aaron
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