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Toe Plates
Typically your first trip after replacing all your steering components would be to the alignment shop. Being that I had already spent my ramen budget on car parts, I wan't to keen on that idea. Since toe settings are responsible for most accelerated tire wire I found a solution to keep that in check.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b...0/IMG00108.jpg Toe Plates. I got the idea from my roomate who was an engineering student and intern for a race team. They use them all the time (a much nice version than what I created for $8 at harbor freight) to set toe during qualifying and such. The concept is simple, line the plates up parallel to the face of the wheel (I used the bungie cord to keep it snug) https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G...d/IMG00116.jpg Then measure the distance between the front edges of the plates and the back edges. If the distance between the front edge(s) is greater than distance between the rears then you have toe out. If the opposite is true you have toe in. |
10AE lend me your parts!
In the search for replacement parts I hit up a junk yard in Tallahassee, and made a bittersweet discovery...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S...tin+10AE+1.jpg Its a 10th Anniversary Edition. I later found out I knew the guy who owned it and he had gotten into some legal trouble so it sat in impound for weeks before being towed to the yard :sad: http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...0ad320full.jpg http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...rsary20ad1.jpg Ok, enough nostalgia....Determined not to let such rare pieces go to waste I pretty much stripped it bare. Windows, hatch, dash, interior, LSD, axles, sub-frame etc. Unfortunately the engine and emblems were already gone...oh well Bringing home the goods https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P...1218091655.jpg Little elbow grease and a lot of wire wheel action... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A...k/PC160437.JPG MUCH better https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n...7/PC160440.JPG Stored away waiting for a couple goodies https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u...5/PC160467.JPG |
Now is where the real work begins...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...7/PC160446.JPG Step one: remove my once beautiful Greddy exhaust :sad: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a...5/PC160450.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n...7/PC160451.JPG Step two: attempt to loosen a ton of greasy stubborn botls https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-F...7/PC160454.JPG https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9...7/PC160460.JPG Notice the nice line of axle grease that my busted half shaft saw fit to decorate my undercariage with. Notice that although old the boot is not actually leaking. the grease is coming from the flange where the half shaft bolts to the output shaft on the diff... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...7/PC160459.JPG Time to let the PB Blaster put in some work... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...7/IMG00268.jpg |
Back to work.
For the record, rear tension rods are NOT strong enough to use as a brace while you break loose the nuts on your axle nuts. But it had already been bent and re-straightened once so it was on the "replace" list regardless. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...7/PC180471.JPG Marking the drive shaft flange orientation https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...7/PC180477.JPG Free at last! https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O...7/PC180482.JPG Oh, what a surprise....Broken front diff mounts are a VERY common problem due largely to the ingenious design which includes relies on the shear strength of a rubber block to combat the pitch and dive of the drive shaft and nose of the diff wanting to go in opposite directions under acceleration /deceleration. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U...7/PC180484.JPG Diff was yanked and sent off to be freshened up with new seals and have the wear on the clutch plates inspected. See that cap next to the driver side axle? apparently when I was run off the road it put enough force on the axle to drive it into the cup, displacing enough grease/air to force the cap out of the backside. Since the axle was bolted to the flange it couldn't fall out so it simply allowed axle grease to be flung all over the place.....good to know. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d...7/IMG00306.jpg |
And this is why its great to have friend's w/ awesome gf's who are willing to use oven cleaner for something other than its intedned purpose...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M...219091340a.jpg https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w...7/IMG00285.jpg |
While they were cleaning up I took the time to clean up and wrap the Racing Beat downpipe I picked up for the low, couldn't wait to get rid of this stock POS.
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4357110_n.jpg RB DP as delivered https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x...7/IMG00286.jpg Sanded, ceramic painted, wrapped https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-H...7/IMG00304.jpg A little silicon spray for good measure https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0...7/IMG00305.jpg |
While I had half the car apart already I decided to remedy the oh so annoying coolant passage o-rings that I'd put off for months:
Turbo off https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B...7/IMG00289.jpg LIM off, lets see what we're workin with.... https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r...7/IMG00291.jpg And here is the cause of all this strife.....Classy https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...7/IMG00292.jpg Better https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--...7/IMG00297.jpg More awfulness https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y...7/IMG00294.jpg Better, not show quality, but no one well ever see this once its together https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V...7/IMG00296.jpg New gasket, new o-rings and enough RTV to ensure I won't be doing this again https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m...7/IMG00303.jpg What I DID have to do though was find some oil meter pump lines, since the ones going to the LIM were broken off during the course of this repair....one more thing on the list. |
Quote:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...4/IMG_0398.jpg |
Makes me sick to see a 10AE in the junkyard, especially for that reason. Well I hate to see ANY rotary in the junkyard, but one so rare makes it even worse.
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Since I had to order the OMP lines from somewhere I returned focus to the original problem(s) suspension. Some goodies arrived from MMR:
Camber adjustment links for the rear. Since I'm using these I had to retain the stock rear control arm bushings...one less thing to buy. Next to the stock link https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-v...7/IMG00310.jpg Delrin rear diff mounts https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C...7/IMG00314.jpg Diff back from the shop, new output shaft seals, new pinion seal, new mazdazpeed front diff mount https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n...7/P1060806.JPG Everything mocked up getting ready for install https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-W...7/IMG00346.jpg Hoisted into its new home https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--...106002310a.jpg |
It was then time to address the half shafts.
this was the driver side shaft where the end cap was forced out...who ordered the pudding? https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X...7/P1080809.JPG Step One: dissasembly There is a circular retaining clip just under the inside lip of the cup. Simply pry that out with a pick or screwdriver... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-b...5/P1080808.JPG and the shaft should slide right out , and drop nasty greasy balls in your lap....or onto your prepared work surface. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6...7/P1080812.JPG Step Two: Cleaning I don't know the best substance to clean off old axle grease in 20 degree weather, but I know what it ISN'T....Acetone. That's all my buddy had, but I ended up resorting to dish soap and a pile of paper towels. Step Three: Reassembly Now that everything is clean, time to dirty up again with fresh grease. I went with the heaviest synthetic import specific grease I could find at the parts store, I think it was made by valvoline. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_...7/P1080816.JPG Don't forget to re-install the retaining clip https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...7/P1080820.JPG This was my "solution" for that end cap that was forced out (because i couldn't source another cup and couldn't afford a new axle). The mating surface was coated with RTV, in retrospect perhaps jb weld would have been a better option....time will tell. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--...7/IMG00361.jpg (Optional) Step Four: Prep/ProtectionA little paint never hurt anybody... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--...7/IMG00363.jpg |
Since once strut was already blown on the GC/tociko blue setup (and they don't go that low anyway) I was in the market for another suspension solution. I seriously considered keeping the GC's (especially since I got such a deal on them) but by the time I bought a full set of struts, and camber plates or RB lowering strut mounts I would have been way over budget.
Fortunately I found another great deal on a set of brand new coilovers. Apparently they were a gift from someone's GF who mistakenly got FC coils for an FD, but before they could be returned, the relationship went sour (perhaps because of...?). I sold the GC setup and was only out of pocket a a couple hundred bucks. K-Sport Control Pros 8kg/6kg https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B...o/s1007/12+-+1 I know the Control Pro's are pretty basic, but they are better than stockish struts and they provide camber adjustment. When my driving ability and the rest of the car exceed their capability they will be replaced, but until then I couldn't be happier Front https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1...7/IMG00376.jpg Rear https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...7/IMG00368.jpg https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I...7/IMG00377.jpg |
Now that she was no longer dangerous to drive, it was time to address the cosmetic aspects. First was the mirror, but as I went to install it I realized it didn't make sense to install a good mirror on a bad door, so of to the yard again...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...7/IMG00351.jpg Found this little gem, 87 sport with complete aero package woot! But the reason I came... https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x...7/IMG00353.jpg Probably one of the worst colors to sand to bare metal in direct sunlight, so hard to tell when you're finished, :lol: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0...7/IMG00387.jpg Wire wheel got old, and I got smart. Aircraft Stripper FTW! https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-q...7/IMG00389.jpg Silver insides would annoy me https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i...7/IMG00391.jpg Since the new door was manual and mine are power I had to swap out all the guts....fun https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8...7/IMG00394.jpg Once the inside was dry, time to paint the outside. Note: the inside was sprayed with primer and then given a coat of rustoleum gloss black, the outside however is coated in chalk board paint. The workspace https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S...7/IMG00399.jpg And the finished product... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l...7/DSC00023.JPG I decided not to put the molding on for a number of reasons. 1) My S4 molding was destroyed by the nascar antics of the ford explorer 2) I plan to convert to S5 exterior anyway so its hard to justify buying s4 molding 3) Not sure how well the paint would stick to plastic especially flexible plastic 4) My door is a dammit chalk board! I doubt a trim piece will keep me from winning the concours de elegance :rofl: |
Riding around like this (open downpipe) got load pretty quick.....and pretty annoying a little while after that.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N...5/DSC00025.JPG Enter another amazing deal, a buddy of mine sold his T2 but kept the RB exhaust because the buyer couldn't afford both. He packed it up and stored it but never actively tried to sell it. Fast forward a few years.....I happen to mention I'm in the market and he "thinks he may have a turbo-back FC exhaust he'll sell me for $250"....ok. Well turns out he lost the midpipe so I got it for $200....even better! https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c...5/DSC00032.JPG Of course not having a mid-pipe did present a small problem, but nothing that couldn't be solved with this. Borla XR-1 3in inlet 3in outlet . https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u...7/DSC00027.JPG As I don't weld it was off to the local muffler shop to bring it all together https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2...7/DSC00047.JPG https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A...7/DSC00049.JPG Stock turbo outlet --> 3" downpipe --> 3" Borla XR-1 --> Ypipe --> Dual 2.5" Racing Beat cannisters https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p...7/DSC00050.JPG Actually turned out to be a bit more quiet than I was expecting/hoping for...oh well stealth status. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I...5/DSC00045.JPG |
Once the exhaust was squared away it was time to turn to the intake. The stock turbo inlet duct was full of cracks and beyond repair so I picked up the Corksport aluminum TID. Pretty well made piece. My only gripe was that they didn't have any black couplers at the time that I orded so i ended up with red...oh well.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z...3/DSC00152.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y...3/DSC00153.JPG |
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