LOL I can't find a pic of a neon pink one at the moment, sorry. That's all i've got
$2008 GRM Challenge – Turbo AWD Mercury Tracer LTS
- Thread starter kcbhiw
- Start date
LOL I can't find a pic of a neon pink one at the moment, sorry. That's all i've got
swiz cheeze
Member
- :
- 1994 mazda miata
Hmm...the WRC look might be kinda cool. I'll have to find someone to photoshop something onto the car.
Sorry Joseph, yellow is definately out.
gtx rally colors?
at the challenge? I'm sure it'd be familiar to at least a couple judges
I actually kinda like that scheme, what with the 323GTX mechanicals
Hmm...the WRC look might be kinda cool. I'll have to find someone to photoshop something onto the car.
Sorry Joseph, yellow is definately out.
I don't care what color it is. I don't care if it wins or losses. You sir, kick ass and are a credit to men everywhere.
I nominate you for the polyorchid of the year award!
Thanks! I really appreciate the support
.Joseph, the 323 rallier scheme may work too....maybe update the colors a touch.
swiz cheeze
Member
- :
- 1994 mazda miata
yea they do look like they came out of the 80's. but, seriously I think it would look good with blue on it somewhere.
Blue and silver, both metallic, are significant considerations in the plan. Red is good some where too. I've always liked the combo. I dunno.....
Regardless, photogenic is a huge plus.
swiz cheeze
Member
- :
- 1994 mazda miata
metallic's would definitely make it pop.
And the GTX that's in pieces. And the P5. And the work truck.
But those are too expensive to be Challenge vehicles.
The GTX is going away soon. I can't wait to get it out of here as it is doing nothing more than taking up space now.
We have a winner!
After fooling around for so long in an attempt to figure out what to do with the front right suspension and axle issue, I finally came to a solution. The answer was found in simply extending the length of the control arm. I'd been hesitant to try this method as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to maintain the trueness of the arm with the tools I have on hand. In the end, I cut the control arm about 2 behind the ball joint and inserted about 1 of material. When fitting the modified arm, it fit perfectly and allowed the proper amount of play in the CV. Whew.
In previous attempts, I tried to dismantle the axle so that I could have a new center shaft fabricated, but I wasn't able to separate it completely. Furthermore, using a spare control arm, I cut out the ball joint with a hole saw and moved it further out via a piece of 1/4 steel plate. However, during welding, I cooked the nylon liner that supports the actual ball. Doh. I wasn't aware that a liner existed. You learn something every day.
Anyway, I'm glad this portion is behind me. The only big hurdle remaining is the drive shaft. I hope to have a solution for that soon.
After fooling around for so long in an attempt to figure out what to do with the front right suspension and axle issue, I finally came to a solution. The answer was found in simply extending the length of the control arm. I'd been hesitant to try this method as I was worried that I wouldn't be able to maintain the trueness of the arm with the tools I have on hand. In the end, I cut the control arm about 2 behind the ball joint and inserted about 1 of material. When fitting the modified arm, it fit perfectly and allowed the proper amount of play in the CV. Whew.
In previous attempts, I tried to dismantle the axle so that I could have a new center shaft fabricated, but I wasn't able to separate it completely. Furthermore, using a spare control arm, I cut out the ball joint with a hole saw and moved it further out via a piece of 1/4 steel plate. However, during welding, I cooked the nylon liner that supports the actual ball. Doh. I wasn't aware that a liner existed. You learn something every day.
Anyway, I'm glad this portion is behind me. The only big hurdle remaining is the drive shaft. I hope to have a solution for that soon.
Attachments
A Few Minor Adjustments
While assembling the rear struts to the knuckles, a significant amount of force was required to push them inward and allow them to mate with the knuckle. This concerned me as it places undue lateral stress on the strut rods and will induce accelerated wear.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out the angle (I don't know the correct term unfortunately) at which the Protege5 top hats direct the struts is much more pronounced than that of the Tracer's. To correct the issue and orient the strut angle to more closely match that of the Tracer's, I cut about two thirds of the way around the perimeter of the raised area on the P5's top hats. I then applied force to adjust the angle and re-welded the cut. I suck at descriptions tonight so just look at the pictures.
While assembling the rear struts to the knuckles, a significant amount of force was required to push them inward and allow them to mate with the knuckle. This concerned me as it places undue lateral stress on the strut rods and will induce accelerated wear.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out the angle (I don't know the correct term unfortunately) at which the Protege5 top hats direct the struts is much more pronounced than that of the Tracer's. To correct the issue and orient the strut angle to more closely match that of the Tracer's, I cut about two thirds of the way around the perimeter of the raised area on the P5's top hats. I then applied force to adjust the angle and re-welded the cut. I suck at descriptions tonight so just look at the pictures
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