Now that my '91 DeVille is in decent mechanical shape, I'm gradually fixing up the cosmetics . The original hood ornament was a bit faded, so I found a NOS one on eBay. Check out the difference:

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P2120002.jpg

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P2120001.jpg

I swapped out the mounting hardware with the original so it's still wired to the horn and will blast if anybody messes with it.

Since the old once is still decent, especially compared to a hole in the hood, I've listed it on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=8059921189&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT).

The next emblem that needs replacing is the trunk lock cover. Does anybody know if it's bolted in place or rivited? How hard is it to replace?

That's great, now fix those paint chips! LOL... Hey...how exactly do you hook up the horn to blast when the hood ornament is tugged on? Capital idea!

I think the trunk one is riveted on from the back. I've never tried it, but if you have the riveting stuff, it shouldn't be all that bad.

That's great, now fix those paint chips! LOL. Hey...how exactly do you hook up the horn to blast when the hood ornament is tugged on? Capital idea!

Well, after 15 years and 213,000 miles, you're bound to have a few paint chips. Actually, I'm surprised at how nicely it cleans up. Other than a couple of areas, the car still has a nice shine to it.

As for the hoodie alarm, I thought it was OEM, but others here have told me that it was a dealer installed option. There are two electrical connectors on an enclosure around the spring that allows the hood ornament to bend. Bend it too much, and the electrical connectors, well, connect, setting off the horn.

My friend's son thought it was a hoot (literally) when they came to visit last summer. We even shot a short movie of David setting it off. Watch the video (http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/David_with_Cruella.mov).

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If I had known this is what friends are for, I would have signed up as an enemy! — Ethel Mertz

http://www.gdwriter.com/images/ethel.jpg

Hmm yeah sounds simple enough. Probably just need to make a second horn circuit independent of the original one...just a question of power source...or if the relays are that simple. Would it be ok to just run the circuit to the battery instead?

Here's a picture of the setup:

http://gdwriter.com/cruella/hoodie_alarm.jpg

The two wires run under the hood pad and come out near the fuse and relay panel by the firewall. Not sure about where the wiring goes from there. I had blown the 20-amp fuse on it when taking it apart to put the new hood ornament on. Put in a new fuse, and all was well.
__________________
If I had known this is what friends are for, I would have signed up as an enemy! — Ethel Mertz

http://www.gdwriter.com/images/ethel.jpg

Hmm ok cool thanks for the picture. Maybe I can just get the part if it was an option...

Wow thats a big difference!

The best part is my old hood ornament sold for more than twice what I paid for the new one. God bless eBay.

So now I've replaced the trunk lock emblem and the wheel center caps. Rather than try to un-rivit and re-rivit the entire assembly, a friend suggested using dental floss to remove the just the plastic part of the emblem. For my purposes, it worked fine. Some of the reflective material behind the emblem peeled away, and I broke off a small corner (but re-glued it; can you tell?), but it still looks better than the old emblem, which had lost almost all of its color:

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P5010001.jpg

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P5010002.jpg

Here's the old wheel center cap (I have the set listed on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=8061105109&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT)):

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P4280001.jpg

They're in decent shape; I just happened to prefer the wreath and crest in color, so I got these:

http://www.gdwriter.com/cruella/P5020003.jpg

The outer edges are shinier than I would like; they must have come off chrome wheels. But overall, I'm happy with the new look.
__________________
If I had known this is what friends are for, I would have signed up as an enemy! — Ethel Mertz

http://www.gdwriter.com/images/ethel.jpg