Making Progress…
I’ve been trying to work on the car more and more, however, it’s been becoming increasingly difficult and frustrating for 2 reasons. 1 – I have to drive all the way down to my friends house to work on it (because I’m parking it in his garage), and 2 – the weather has been scorching and unbearable. It would be awesome if I had my own garage to work from, but you work with what you got right?
Despite these challenges, I have to admit I am content with the progress thus far. My only gripe is that I’m spending more money than I would like. Hopefully it’ll all be worth it.
Here’s a list of things that have been done:
- Headlights have been replaced with regular halogen lights (headlight motor that was JB Welded is holding up nicely!)
- Coolant flushed (I used a 2.5 gallon drinking water jug as a coolant pan. I suggest punching a inlet hole on the side of the jug, furthest away from the drain plug near the top, this way it fits nicely underneath the car and you’re also able to store it upright without it spilling out.)
- Oil change (I had to buy a oil filter remover because the previous one was/is difficult to remove due to it’s location.)
- Spark plugs were changed (replaced with NGK BKR6E – copper set, gapped to 0.032.)
- Dash VIN was replaced (I had to remove the entire dash to do this – PITA! A friend told me it’s a lot easier if you unbolt/lower the steering column. I learned that after I finished.)
- Registration started (Since it became a salvaged title – I needed smog, VIN verification, and light/brake inspection completed. I still need a smog check, but got the VIN cleared at the DMV – phew! and the headlight/taillight/brake inspection completed for $95 – I didn’t know this was that expensive.)
- Compression test (came out decent: 137, 148, 144, 129)
- Got an unbroken window control panel, battery tie down, and HVAC control panel from a friend.
- Replaced the rack/pinion (This was an exhausting job. Some pointers, be sure to use the correct wrench sizes for the fluid lines, 17mm & 19mm if I’m not mistaken – don’t strip the bolts, and use anti-seize. You will have to jack the front end up high enough to remove the rack/pinion and also remove your front tires to loosen the tie rods. I picked one up from Valley Auto Parts in La Puente for $150 + $50 core charge for your old unit. Be sure to use ATF not power steering fluid. I haven’t turned the car on after this, but I did fill the reservoir and no leaks so far – hopefully I have power steering now.)
- Installed a DIY sunroof cover (I’ll have a new post for this with more details.)
- Installed a fan shroud (However, I don’t think I bought the correct one – probably for the KA motor, because it doesn’t fit. I had to carve out half of the shroud to have the fan clear. So I will have to find the correct one.)
- Attempted a boost leak test (I used a simple 2inch pvc cap, 2inch-to-3inch rubber coupler, and tire valve stem to make my own. I tried to use a bike pump, but wasn’t able to generate enough pressure – which may mean I have some major leaks somewhere.)
I’m going to try and get the AC fixed as well. Although I haven’t driven the car too much, it looks like the coolant/oil lines may not be leaking *fingers crossed*!!!
I also purchased a few used parts to be added soon:
- B&M Oil Cooler
- Earthing grounding kit
- Defi Water Temp gauge (will need to buy the control unit)
Which leaves only a few more things to finish before I can start driving sideways! I still need to complete the smog check, get the bent rim repaired and get some new tires (I have a friend at Falken who can hopefully hook some up), get a welded differential (cheaper alternative vs. an aftermarket LSD), install my stereo, do a thorough cleaning, then I should be ready to go. Making great progress!
