My Fuse Box Relocation and Cleanup Project - Part 8

[turbosax2]

The wiring has been put on hold for awhile. I figure I need the engine assembled to do some of the wiring, then I'll have to have the engine back in the car to do the majority of the wiring. Progress has still been slow since cleaning parts takes me forever. I'm happy to say that every part is now thoroughly cleaned and ready to blast My hookup with a blast cabinet keeps backing out on me so the blasting has been pushed back weeks, but I hope to blast some things on Tuesday. I also need to get some things welded, but my hookup on that has been busy so I'm waiting patiently.


I cleaned the engine and painted the block. I used a combination of aircraft stripper, Permatex rust dissolver, Permatex gasket remover, and a super heavy duty wire wheel that attached to my angle grinder to prep the block and get it down to bare metal. First, I taped everything off with painters tape and newspaper, then I put 3 coats of Dupicolor gray engine primer and 3 coats of Dupicolor semi-gloss black engine paint. It turned out really nice but the next time around I'll probably go with a satin or matte black. I still have to clean up the rust on the front of the engine (it appeared after I hosed off the block to clean off the chemicals). BTW, Permatex gasket remover worked amazingly for cleaning up all the scum in the intake and exhaust ports on the head - that stuff is the sh*t! The trick is to let it sit at least 1/2 hour - the directions on the can only tell you 10-15 min. These are the only pictures I have, the rest are on my brothers computer.

I ported my throttle body elbow to 60mm using a Harbor Freight die grinder and some bits that were meant for steel. They worked great though. Then I polished the whole thing with an 80 grit flapwheel on my dremel, an extra fine cross buff on my die grinder, and hand polished with Mother's mag and aluminum polish. I thought it turned out very good for my first port and polish job.

I ported my oil relief valve (since I'm eliminating the balance shafts) with my dremel and a small attachment. I tried to port as far as I could while still allowing the piston room to seal. Then, I cleaned the part thoroughly afterward to clean off all metal shavings.

I disassembled my T25 so I can polish the turbine housing and media blast the compressor housing. When I finally got it apart I found the heatshield on the turbine side was damaged. I also noticed my stock exhaust manifold had a few minor cracks in it. So yesterday I bought my friends T25 and exhaust manifold for $25. I still have to take his apart to make sure it's ok but I'll probably be using his center section with my compressor and turbine housings.

Quick update on the lining I sprayed in the front fenders. I used 3M professional rubberized undercoating. Since I sprayed that, I have washed the car once. There are spots that are starting to fade on the lining now, they're like little white spots. Also, whenever the weather is hot the lining gets "tacky". I made sure I prepped the surface in there very well. I guess it could have been my mistake, but I suspect the 3M stuff is junk. When the car runs again I will drive for awhile with the 3M stuff on to see how it holds up but I will likely try a different product at some point.