I finially got around to finishing and installing a SS script on the
front grill. I got the emblem off ebay and added the red sticker. I
carefully drilled the emblem and epoxied two 6-32 brass studs that I
made from a screw. I cut a small plate out of .025 aluminum to match
the two studs and sandwiched the plastic mesh grill between the badge
and backing plate. I would rather have placed it on the intercooler
grill but it is a much bigger project to place it there, maybe latter.
I also got a small raised SS emblem that the Monte Carlo uses on the
trunk and put it on the dash.
I need to get a stubby antenna now as well as a set of Weathertech
window visors. I've also switched to regular 87 octane gasoline the
last 3 tankfuls and I haven't realized any drop in performance or fuel
economy. 28+ mpg two tanks ago and 30+ mpg on the last one.
This has been a great car thus far at over 4K miles and a real blast
to drive.

Took the Cruck out for a spin today, checked the reception too, seems
fine.
Chicago always has bad reception, where I`m at anyway, lots of high
buildings blocking signals.

I`ve noticed the car rubs somewhere in the wheelwell or maybe even
bottoms out on the downside of intersections here in Chi-Town.
Of course if I drive real slow it`s not as evident, but when the light
is green and I have to go around a car that`s making a left turn or if
the road crown is really high, I bottom out.
I guess I could just slo-poke...NOT

The Cobalt/Ecotec meet Apr. 19, has been relocated to Germains Chev.
about 4mi. from the original park site.
More room (supposedly) should hold the expected 90-100 rides.

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony Miller" <admil06@...> wrote:
>
> I use XM almost exclusively, or CD`s, I think I accidently hit a
button
> on the steering wheel and found myself on a FM station, then I had
to
> figure out how to get back, so I have no idea how the reception is
on
> FM with the stubby, I`m see the next time I drive.
> I have AVS brand, in-channel type.
> I like them but the more expensive brand covers the little window
on
> the back door. But they (AVS) have a lifetime warranty, which I
already
> had to use once (I hope my life isn`t up).
> I think the one on the rear drivers door got cracked (on the 1LT)
in a
> brushless carwash last (06) winter, it was too cold to hand wash
so I
> took the easy way out, I wanted a clean car....
> Anyway it got a crack in the corner, I contacted AVS about a
> replacement piece, "Oh no, we don`t break up sets to send a
> replacement, I`ll send you a whole new set, front and rear", WOW!!!
> But I knew the S/S was coming out, and I also knew I was gonna get
one,
> PLAIN AND SIMPLE, no matter what my wife said... so I didn`t put
the
> new set on the 06, I put them aside and they`re just where I knew
they
> would be, on my S/S!!!
>
Thanks for the information. I'll probably go with the weathertech
again and I'll await your antenna evaluation.

I use XM almost exclusively, or CD`s, I think I accidently hit a button
on the steering wheel and found myself on a FM station, then I had to
figure out how to get back, so I have no idea how the reception is on
FM with the stubby, I`m see the next time I drive.
I have AVS brand, in-channel type.
I like them but the more expensive brand covers the little window on
the back door. But they (AVS) have a lifetime warranty, which I already
had to use once (I hope my life isn`t up).
I think the one on the rear drivers door got cracked (on the 1LT) in a
brushless carwash last (06) winter, it was too cold to hand wash so I
took the easy way out, I wanted a clean car....
Anyway it got a crack in the corner, I contacted AVS about a
replacement piece, "Oh no, we don`t break up sets to send a
replacement, I`ll send you a whole new set, front and rear", WOW!!!
But I knew the S/S was coming out, and I also knew I was gonna get one,
PLAIN AND SIMPLE, no matter what my wife said... so I didn`t put the
new set on the 06, I put them aside and they`re just where I knew they
would be, on my S/S!!!

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony Miller" <admil06@...> wrote:
>
> Went out on a limb and bought a stubby antenna for the "Beautiful
One",

How did the "stubby" effect the reception of the radio? I've thought
about changing out the "wild hair" antenna but an apprecible change to
the quality of the radio is not a trade that I'm willing to do.
What vent visors did you go with? I have the German made ones on my
2000 dually and they have been great but they are about 2-3 times the
cost of the domestic ones. With the heat and rain here in the sub
tropics they are a needed accessory.

The Cruck aka "The Beautiful One" got it`s first official Bath (hand
Wash).
It was somehow easier than washing the 1LT, the grill was smoother and
the lower grill was easier than the opening on the other ride.
The Running boards were less troublesome because the area is sloped and
painted vs a rubber pad.
The rims were super easy, much less area to work , I sure like washing
my S/S, but still not as much as I like driving it.

Went out on a limb and bought a stubby antenna for the "Beautiful One",
it`s almost the first mod [ification] that I`ve done.
  The other things weren`t what I`d call MODS. Let`s see...
(1) Painted the muffler black.
(2) White Pearl Met. pin-stripe.
(3) Paint the HHR on the rear hatch white.
(4) Install vent shades on all opening windows.
(5) Put black bow-tie overlays on the grill and hatch.
(6) Transfer the Light-n-sight device from the 1LT.
(7) Debadge the GM chicklets on the lower fenders.
(8) Remove all dealer stickers.
(9) Install eyelids (vinyl) on the headlights.
(10) Soon I`ll apply the clear bra on the hood and maybe bumper.

That`s about it... see only a couple changes/mods and a couple were
transfers over from the 1LT.

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "John Gilbertson II" <offy22@...> wrote:
>
> I eclipsed the 3,000 mile mark last weekend. It got pretty filthy as
> there was a good deal of rain last weekend so it needs a good
> scrubbin'. The speed of the turbo is nice but the handling is what
> makes the car's drivability stand out for me. The steering wheel has
a
> great feeling and it has very quick and firm steering behind it. The
> little black SS scoots through the corners and sweeps very firmly and
> flat. It also makes a better and more predictable corner exit with
the
> TC on. I could easily have doubled the present milage and more if I
> didn't discipline myself. With the exception of my hot rod it is the
> most enjoyable car that I've owned since my Corvette that I bought
> when I got out of the service.
>
I can only add that the HHR S/S is all I imagined it would be, I love
mine.

I eclipsed the 3,000 mile mark last weekend. It got pretty filthy as
there was a good deal of rain last weekend so it needs a good
scrubbin'. The speed of the turbo is nice but the handling is what
makes the car's drivability stand out for me. The steering wheel has a
great feeling and it has very quick and firm steering behind it. The
little black SS scoots through the corners and sweeps very firmly and
flat. It also makes a better and more predictable corner exit with the
TC on. I could easily have doubled the present milage and more if I
didn't discipline myself. With the exception of my hot rod it is the
most enjoyable car that I've owned since my Corvette that I bought
when I got out of the service.

I`m starting to see a theme here, let me guess... You like Black Veh.??
The Red S/S`s really blend in well.
I just went out and affixed the White (painted) HHR letters on the
hatch, (what do we call the rear door anyway?), the previous endevour
was with vinyl. It was already peeling up on the corners... but it was
worth a try.
I have vinyl overlays on the bowties, had no trouble with them on my
1LT for over a year.
Hey by the way..., Check the calender, I posted a couple events, one in
April, another in May.
Just some things I ran across while surfing.

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony Miller" <admil06@...> wrote:
>
> Seems as though you can post now... good.
> I probably would go with a red or black although I bet yellow would
> really stand out.
> Working on my white HHR letters now, took the original ones off last
> night and cleaned the area, gonna put the white ones on soon.
> Hey, I just thought about it, I did a couple HHR scale models last
> year, check out the photo area.
>
Nice job on the models. I've added some black toys to my album, one is
of a sprint car model that I have (I did not make it but bought it
from an older gentleman that hand made it in the 60' or 70's).
You are making the stock HHR emblems to match the SS? My son makes
stickers and I can get you some white reflective material like the SS
has that you could cut and match and put on the chrome letters to
closer match the SS's. Let me know

Seems as though you can post now... good.
I probably would go with a red or mlack although I bet yellow would
really stand out.
Working on my white HHR letters now, took the original ones off last
night and cleaned the area, gonna put the white ones on soon.
Hey, I just thought about it, I did a couple HHR scale models last
year, check out the photo area.

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony Miller" <admil06@...> wrote:
>
> So how difficult is it to paint the brake pads(housing)?
> Although I like the look, I haven`t really thought about it in
detail,
> like what color, how much prep-trouble to do the job... chime in.
>
It's a piece of cake. Duplicolor makes both spray and brush kits in
several colors. I choose the brush on so masking and overspray issues
could be avoided. They provide everything needed to do the job
including cleaner. The fronts have held up fine but the rears have an
issue with adhesion. I need to redo the back and use a wire brush or
something to break the glaze of the original finish as I have some
flaking. It is easy to touch up though and I have over 3/4 of the
paint left. It takes more time to jack up the car and take the wheels
off than the actual painting. I know that you chose white as a
highlite color with your black SS but that would be a tuff color to
keep up. Git 'er done!

So how difficult is it to paint the brake pads(housing)?
Although I like the look, I haven`t really thought about it in detail,
like what color, how much prep-trouble to do the job... chime in.

Bare with me guys if posting doesn`t work out.. I`m trying to figure it
out myself.

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "John Gilbertson II" <offy22@...>
wrote:
>
> It appears that we could use another poster to the group so I'll
> step up. I have over 2,700 miles on my black SS automatic that I
> first got in mid January. It was produced on Jan. 2 but apparently
> the workers were not hung over as so far it has been trouble free.
I
> bought it 60 miles from home where I found it in a dealer showroom
> through a web search. It was very close to what I was going to
> special order and there was a 1K customer loyality bonus that I was
> able to use by getting it before the month was over. It is a great
> little car to drive. The turbo is pretty quick but the handling is
> really great (for a front drive vehicle). The milage is not very
far
> from what the Scion xB that I traded in got and there is no other
> comparison between the two. It has so far been only driven no more
> than 60 miles from home in any direction and is averaging 27+ MPG
> with a 28+ average speed. That is an accumulation on the DIC since
> it was cleared at a little less than 100 miles. The only
> modifications have been minor cosmetic changes. I painted the
> calipers red and changed the SS badges to red also, blacked out the
> gold bowties with black stickers and spray painted the exaust
> cannister with flat black bar-b-que paint. I will be adding another
> red SS emblem to the front grill soon but it needs a little
> modification that I haven't had time to do yet.
>
Welcome to the site...
Oddly enough, I too, just this past weekend, painted my muffler black
with bbq pit paint, I did so after seeing my rearend shots (pix) and
remembered that I was supposed to do that.
I`d done it to my 1LT and was putting it off.
I`m in the process of painting a set of HHR`s for the trunk/hatch
white so that the BLK-WHT theme is consistant. I did a Pearl White
met. pin-stripe to sorta break-up the body a little. Almost too much
blk.
I have the grey/blk interior, I did want the red/blk, but I really
wanted the S/S most of all...

--- In HHR-SS@yahoogroups.com, "John Gilbertson II" <offy22@...>
wrote:
>
> It appears that we could use another poster to the group so I'll
> step up. I have over 2,700 miles on my black SS automatic that I
> first got in mid January. It was produced on Jan. 2 but apparently
> the workers were not hung over as so far it has been trouble free.
I
> bought it 60 miles from home where I found it in a dealer showroom
> through a web search. It was very close to what I was going to
> special order and there was a 1K customer loyality bonus that I was
> able to use by getting it before the month was over. It is a great
> little car to drive. The turbo is pretty quick but the handling is
> really great (for a front drive vehicle). The milage is not very
far
> from what the Scion xB that I traded in got and there is no other
> comparison between the two. It has so far been only driven no more
> than 60 miles from home in any direction and is averaging 27+ MPG
> with a 28+ average speed. That is an accumulation on the DIC since
> it was cleared at a little less than 100 miles. The only
> modifications have been minor cosmetic changes. I painted the
> calipers red and changed the SS badges to red also, blacked out the
> gold bowties with black stickers and spray painted the exaust
> cannister with flat black bar-b-que paint. I will be adding another
> red SS emblem to the front grill soon but it needs a little
> modification that I haven't had time to do yet.
>
Welcome to the site...
Oddly enough, I too, just this past weekend, painted my muffler black
with bbq pit paint, I did so after seeing my rearend shots (pix) and
remembered that I was supposed to do that.
I`d done it to my 1LT and was putting it off.
I`m in the process of painting a set of HHR`s for the trunk/hatch
white so that the BLK-WHT theme is consistant. I did a Pearl White
met. pin-stripe to sorta break-up the body a little. Almost too much
blk.
I have the grey/blk interior, I did want the red/blk, but I really
wanted the S/S most of all...

It appears that we could use another poster to the group so I'll
step up. I have over 2,700 miles on my black SS automatic that I
first got in mid January. It was produced on Jan. 2 but apparently
the workers were not hung over as so far it has been trouble free. I
bought it 60 miles from home where I found it in a dealer showroom
through a web search. It was very close to what I was going to
special order and there was a 1K customer loyality bonus that I was
able to use by getting it before the month was over. It is a great
little car to drive. The turbo is pretty quick but the handling is
really great (for a front drive vehicle). The milage is not very far
from what the Scion xB that I traded in got and there is no other
comparison between the two. It has so far been only driven no more
than 60 miles from home in any direction and is averaging 27+ MPG
with a 28+ average speed. That is an accumulation on the DIC since
it was cleared at a little less than 100 miles. The only
modifications have been minor cosmetic changes. I painted the
calipers red and changed the SS badges to red also, blacked out the
gold bowties with black stickers and spray painted the exaust
cannister with flat black bar-b-que paint. I will be adding another
red SS emblem to the front grill soon but it needs a little
modification that I haven't had time to do yet.

The Wife and I took a litte road trip today. Went almost as far today
as the ride previously had miles. Approx. 400mi..
Went to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, IN.
It was a blast, they have (I guess) the largest collection of rare veh.
under one roof, and they also had (what I wanted to see) the "Worlds
Fastest Production Car" a 2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, capable of doing
253.8mph. See pix in gallery...
Get this... at top speed, it gets 2.1 mpg and will run the 26 gal. tank
dry in 12 minutes. City it gets 5.82mpg.
Anyway it was a fun trip, I let my wife drive the majority of the way
there, The fact that we got lost is no fault of mine...
She got a chance to really experience the boosting capabilities,
passing at will. (a big grin each time)
I pretty much cruised back home, checking out the gas mpg for future
reference.
At 70mph, I was getting 28mpg avg.. It flutuated with the terrain,
whether positive or negative boost, of course it was higher in the (-).

The Beautiful One aka The Cruck, was selected "Ride of the Month"
(February 2008) on the Turbo & High Tech Performance Magazine website.
I frequent the site, I had subscribed to the paper form a couple years
back.
Always interesting articles and tips.

I past the 500mi. break-in period milestone at some point yesterday...
Amazingly no lights came on or any indications from the ride that said
plateau had been reached.
No performance changes of note either.
(I guess I can stop baby-ing it now)

My wife had the S/S yesterday, running errands, solo.
I asked her, how she liked the drive?
"Well, I got on the freeway, just to go to the next exit, got there and
thought, hey why don`t I go a little further (down the road)... so I
got back on the freeway, WOW, it just took off, next thing I knew, I
was doing 85mph and was gettin` nervous. I never even thought I was
accelerating."
With a BIG grin on her face, I knew she was glad WE got the S/S.

I love my (our) S/S

My HHR S/S is just too fast for words.(well maybe one...Wicked)
I took it for a spin today, 100mi. or so on the highway.
Man, it will go and do what ever I want when I want it to.
All I needed was a five-finger gap, zip, I`m gone.
Many owners have said that the manual is faster, but I didn`t have to
down-shift, just press the gas. It was SWEEEET.
When I got home, it took me a while to come down from the adrinalin
rush. This car could be bad for your heart...

Got my new clear Bra set (top and bottom) today.
I had a set on my first HHR, but it went with the trade-in.
I like the clear vinyl bra because it`s almost invisible, and once I
installed it, I didn`t get anymore hood dings (chips).
I had a couple before installation, and that made my mind up when I was
on the fence. (I`d had a black leather/vinyl(?) bra previously on
another car, and it faded the hood and it had to come off in bad
weather.) The bra covered the dings but they were still noticable on
close inspection.
I plan to (when weather permits)  put this set on before any damage is
done. Rocks, gravel, road debris, all create hazards that even if you
try to avoid them, the guy in front of you throws it back at you.
That`s one reason I hate being behind anyone... no matter what they`re
driving.

I`ve read a lot of articles about the HHR S/S.
Before and after my purchase.
I love my S/S. It`s an automatic, and I don`t have any problems living
with that fact.
Most articles say that the TRUE driver would opt for the manual, I
don`t argue with that contention, but GM predicts that 70% of the S/S`s
sold would be automatics.
I prefer the auto  because I`ve had a manual before and decided I`d
never buy another. Besides, my wife never got the hang of it, and she
will be driving the S/S on occasion.
The hp of the auto is also something debated vs manual.
I think 235hp is plenty for a little retro-rod, and I don`t think I
would ever forsee when I would need 25 more horses to get down the road.
Although it was tuned on a race track,(Nurinburgring), I probably won`t
be doing any of that type stuff in my ride.
I just want a little something to pass when I want.

There will be an Ecotech meet in Columbus, Ohio
Date: April 19, 2008
Location: Sharon Woods Park
Time: 1pm-?
A welcome has been extended to HHR owners, particularly S/S owners...
They would love to get a look at our UNIQUE Rides!!!

There are two(2) reasons why this group is under the EXOTIC catagory.
(1) I didn`t think it fell under any other cat. desciption.
(2) The definition of EXOTIC is; Striking and Unusual.

  The HHR S/S is certainly a striking vehicle, and compared to the LS,
1LT, 2LT, Panel and Rear window deleted version, the S/S is definately
unusual.

I`d like to welcome all HHR S/S owners to this site.
I hope we can have fun discussing our new rides and will have plenty of
members on this site.
I forsee a day when we will have meets and we can compare and gloat
over, our UNIQUE vehicles.

Again Welcome
  I`m Black Beauty aka The Cruck