Calan
DSM Wiseman
- 7,251
- 362
- Jan 16, 2007
-
OKC,
Oklahoma
I got a lot accomplished with the car this weekend but before we get to that, there was one more thing I forgot to mention in the last entry.
Since I live out in the country, I decided I could use some driving lights. The stockers are long gone, and wouldn't work anyway since I'm using the factory locations for a CAI and oil cooler. What I ended up getting was a pair of mini halogens from Wal-Mart for about $25. These things are insanely bright, and take up very little space.
I mounted them just below the bumper, on a pair of custom welded brackets that stick through the front lip.
View attachment 1848 View attachment 1849
They are wired into the stock fog lamp wires up front, but I used an illuminated rocker from a parts store since my factory switch wasn't latching. It was just the right size to fit in the factory switch locaton, but I had to hack the original switch housing and slightly sand the orange trim ring for a "factory" fit. I also changed the wiring so that the lights will come on independently from the high-beams.
View attachment 1851
Ok...back to the current project.
I got the fuel tank and shield cleaned up and painted, and the filler tubes were blasted and painted as well. I also replaced all of the rubber hoses and clamps.
View attachment 1861 View attachment 1862
View attachment 1850
After removing the diff and getting the sub-frame cleaned up, I noticed that a couple of the rings that hold the elliptical bolts in place were broken and bent out, causing problems with the way the bolts seated. A few welds fixed that up, and then it was time for paint. (I also blasted and coated the hardware).
View attachment 1859 View attachment 1860
The rear diff was a total mess, and it took hours to get cleaned and prepped for paint. After sealing it up really well, I blasted it and then wiped it down with paint thinner. I then pulled the cover for additional work, and inspected the gears and the inside of the housing for any wear or stray beads.
View attachment 1854 View attachment 1855
Once the cover was thoroughly cleaned and blasted, I bolted it back up to the housing using some RTV. After a couple of new seals were pressed in, the diff was ready to be mounted back on the subframe. (The cover bolts were all blasted and clear-coated).
View attachment 1856 View attachment 1857
In between cleaning, blasting, and painting parts and hardware, I also started working on the underside of the car. What a MESS! I dropped all the brake and fuel lines for cleaning and paint, and tossed the line mounting clips and exhaust hangers into the "parts to blast" bucket. The first pic below shows the underside of the car after the first few passes at cleaning it, before the lines were dropped.
View attachment 1864 View attachment 1852
Once everything was nice and clean, I painted the entire underside with my old standby, Duplicolor low-gloss black. The brake and fuel lines were cleaned with a scotch pad and then painted with a medium gray, and all of the clips and hardware were blasted and then either painted or clear-coated for protection. Below are a few pics after everything was complete (The red color is my generator reflecting off the paint due to the bright sunlight in my garage).
View attachment 1869 View attachment 1870
View attachment 1871 View attachment 1863
Finally, the sub-frame went back together (including a new RM sway bar), and was ready to lift back into the car.
View attachment 1858
That should do it for now. In the next entry I'll talk a little bit about how I refinished some of the fasteners, and continue with hanging the suspension.
Stay tuned!
Since I live out in the country, I decided I could use some driving lights. The stockers are long gone, and wouldn't work anyway since I'm using the factory locations for a CAI and oil cooler. What I ended up getting was a pair of mini halogens from Wal-Mart for about $25. These things are insanely bright, and take up very little space.
I mounted them just below the bumper, on a pair of custom welded brackets that stick through the front lip.
View attachment 1848 View attachment 1849
They are wired into the stock fog lamp wires up front, but I used an illuminated rocker from a parts store since my factory switch wasn't latching. It was just the right size to fit in the factory switch locaton, but I had to hack the original switch housing and slightly sand the orange trim ring for a "factory" fit. I also changed the wiring so that the lights will come on independently from the high-beams.
View attachment 1851
Ok...back to the current project.
I got the fuel tank and shield cleaned up and painted, and the filler tubes were blasted and painted as well. I also replaced all of the rubber hoses and clamps.
View attachment 1861 View attachment 1862
View attachment 1850
After removing the diff and getting the sub-frame cleaned up, I noticed that a couple of the rings that hold the elliptical bolts in place were broken and bent out, causing problems with the way the bolts seated. A few welds fixed that up, and then it was time for paint. (I also blasted and coated the hardware).
View attachment 1859 View attachment 1860
The rear diff was a total mess, and it took hours to get cleaned and prepped for paint. After sealing it up really well, I blasted it and then wiped it down with paint thinner. I then pulled the cover for additional work, and inspected the gears and the inside of the housing for any wear or stray beads.
View attachment 1854 View attachment 1855
Once the cover was thoroughly cleaned and blasted, I bolted it back up to the housing using some RTV. After a couple of new seals were pressed in, the diff was ready to be mounted back on the subframe. (The cover bolts were all blasted and clear-coated).
View attachment 1856 View attachment 1857
In between cleaning, blasting, and painting parts and hardware, I also started working on the underside of the car. What a MESS! I dropped all the brake and fuel lines for cleaning and paint, and tossed the line mounting clips and exhaust hangers into the "parts to blast" bucket. The first pic below shows the underside of the car after the first few passes at cleaning it, before the lines were dropped.
View attachment 1864 View attachment 1852
Once everything was nice and clean, I painted the entire underside with my old standby, Duplicolor low-gloss black. The brake and fuel lines were cleaned with a scotch pad and then painted with a medium gray, and all of the clips and hardware were blasted and then either painted or clear-coated for protection. Below are a few pics after everything was complete (The red color is my generator reflecting off the paint due to the bright sunlight in my garage).
View attachment 1869 View attachment 1870
View attachment 1871 View attachment 1863
Finally, the sub-frame went back together (including a new RM sway bar), and was ready to lift back into the car.
View attachment 1858
That should do it for now. In the next entry I'll talk a little bit about how I refinished some of the fasteners, and continue with hanging the suspension.
Stay tuned!