Cimarrons

[Magician21]

I have a 1986 Cimarron. I have named it Sisyphus after the Greek titan that was condemned for all eternity to push a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down the other side. I gave it the name because it suits the car. Everytime something gets fixed, something else breaks. Finding parts and a mechanic willing to work on the car is getting more difficult by the month.

The seats are the most comfortable car seats I have ever been in. The handling is responsive, but slightly less power-assisted than newer cars. The engine is clearly fatigued - my mom's Elantra wagon gives it a good run for the money. I've been trying to figure out what to replace the 2.8L V6 with (J-body). The rumors are true - the car is essentially a Cavalier with leather and a digital instrument cluster. Based on that, I would think that a 3.1L V6 (from a later J-body) would fit. Does anyone know anything about this?

My reliable car is a 2003 Altima - the Caddy just wasn't reliable enough for me to keep my job, and use it as the primary vehicle. Overall, it's better than the Caddy, but mainly because everything works. The ABS brakes are nice, too

If I can't find the right parts for this car, then I will probably try to find a collector (good luck...) who will not strip it for parts or have it junked, and give me that in writing. It was my first car, and I have a soft spot for it.

Finally, somebody puts a Cimarron message in here!

[BeelzeBob]

Welcome aboard, Magician21! And thank you for signing up.. Sorry to hear about your trouble.. What kind of condition is the car in? Do you have any pictures? I like those little things. I don't know for sure - but I would bet that all you need are motor mounts to get that 3.1 fitting.. Someone who knows more will come into here and answer this more accurately...

[HotRodSaint]

Originally Posted by Magician21

Finally, somebody puts a Cimarron message in here!

Yeah, a Cimarron post!

[Magician21]

Originally Posted by Sal Collaziano

Welcome aboard, Magician21! And thank you for signing up.. Sorry to hear about your trouble.. What kind of condition is the car in? Do you have any pictures? I like those little things. I don't know for sure - but I would bet that all you need are motor mounts to get that 3.1 fitting.. Someone who knows more will come into here and answer this more accurately...

The short answer is that it can't be in great shape or I'd be driving it now Truthfully, the body can't be in that great of shape. I had to have sheet metal welded to the driver door to get it to pass inspection. I don't spend a lot of time under the car. I just got out of college in May, and was really swamped until that time. Now, I'm working on buying a house, and time is still sparse.

It's actually being towed to have the engine replaced and transmission rebuilt for the 2nd time on Friday. There aren't that many things that I haven't replaced in the car. There's a new (2000) exhaust system (stainless steel) on it, and it's been through like 3 alternators. I got all new OEM AC parts, Fuel Injectors, a replaced head gasket, brakes, power steering lines, power steering master cylinder... There is way too much that went into it from Feb 2000 to Feb 2003. My estimate is about $11K out of my pocket and into the car. I have a sneaking suspicion <sp?> that the engine is what overworked the alternator pulleys, causing them to bind up.

It would be nice to get the 3.1 into the car. That would be an awesome upgrade. Of course, even a rebuilt 2.8 (not fatigued with 140K miles on it) might make the car feel like new again. Hopefully somebody who knows will answer this before I start arguing with the mechanic

I don't have any photos at the moment. It does look identical to the car in the following picture (color, styling, etc):
http://members.tripodnet.nl/cadillac...tjes/85cim.jpg
Since that pic is of an 85 Cimarron, I would guess mine was an early model-year '86.

My uncle was the original owner of the car. However, he let it sit for way too long, and everything pretty much fell apart. Let this be a lesson to collectors - you still need to drive the car to keep it working!

[elwesso]

Welcome....... Thanks for signing up

I think you're our first cimarron owner!!!

[Ls1 Catera project]

Where I live their is only one of these Dino's we talking about here. All of them died out I guess just like Catera's are starting to die out. Once I drive my Catera with so much efford and so little time to have fun I really injoy driving that thing. If I do see Cimarron's I feel like it's kindo like my buddy collector that I should talk to. But problem is that most of the owners are none friendly and dont care about their cars. Thats prob what makes this whole thing kind of slow because we dont have strong comunity. But with time I guess I would be very happy Caddy owner which I already becoming but now more and more. I cant wait to see the CTS V come out and wip these Nissan Altima's, Maximas, Sentra Spec 5's, Q's, AMG's, M's and etc's...... Go Caddy I know you can do it.

So good luck with Cimarron.

Buy the way I was told that Cimarron's sometimes do some Auto X and do not bad times with with few fix up's. Maybe you should look into that strip that Cimarron out swap the engine and trany, get suspension, rims and tires, roll bar and few other etc's to qualify Auto X and race.

Why???? because some one should do it.

Ls1 Catera Project

[2dfx]

Popular engine swaps for J-bodys are as follows:

-3.1L MPFI (Straight drop in, I try to avoid the iron duke versions and get ones made after 1993)

-3.4L DOHC (Peppy engine used in Z34 Luminas)

-3.8L Buick V6 (Requires some fitting, but it'll make the car a sleeper!)