KingOfSpades' "Build Thread

[31N007]

She started an update will come soon. Got a few gifts and such to show and ill post all together. Runs 100% except for a possible oil leak. Ill have to check once I get back from up north. Leaving around 4ish today happy new year folks. Hope you didnt get too twatted and are all enjoying yourselves.

May be waiting till April to drive her. More time to clean her up inside and out. Ill ha e to tinker with a few things but she's gonna get TLC

 

[31N007]

There's a small oil leak by my pinch weld in the lower oil pan... Gawddamnit. Ill have to see what I can do about it, maybe just seal that up real good, or I may have to pry it open to stick some sealant in there.

A more comprehensive update will come soon I just wanted to start her up to see if she was still okay. And I tried to take a video too. I couldn't hold still cause its so freaking cold!!!

 

[Bastian]

Do you have experience with bondo and all or is it so light you dont even need to worry about that?

Sorry I just saw this hahaha

I personally have no experience with bondo, but I have a friend who did extensive rust repair on his old Volvo 240 who should be able to help me

 

[31N007]

my aunt and uncle on my mom's side used to have one of those. god are those things massive!!!

almost like inception how you responded to that post in this thread. unless it's actually in this thread and i'm just that out of it...

now for my big (ish) update

I got a set of Morimoto Mini H1s for a christmas present and couldn't wait to get them in. It just so happened that my friend invited me up north so I didn't manage to get them in till today. They're 35 watt, 5000K bulbs. In the pictures, they look a little blue. That may be cause I got the Graphite shroud but I like how they look. Not like those smurf lights in cars that I see driving around- a mate of mine somewhat included...

<iframe src="https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=50C06A9C62DCD437&resid=50C06A9C62DCD437%21836&authkey=AN5vXwLKjsrt_ZM" width="320" height="240" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Blurry, but you get the point. I was trying to figure out why they wouldn't light and it turns out I needed to connect the fuse to the battery, not the body -_-

I need tp pick up a female H4 pigtail at some point though- my current rig isn't going to fair well when she actually gets road time- I'm okay as of right now though.

<iframe src="https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=50C06A9C62DCD437&resid=50C06A9C62DCD437%21832&authkey=ACjy5UIyhmjWKig" width="320" height="240" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

I may end up painting the reflector and other shiny bits in the future- it depends on how I feel. For now, I'm more than happy with the current setup.

<iframe src="https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=50C06A9C62DCD437&resid=50C06A9C62DCD437%21835&authkey=ACfCftea7ZVv3zk" width="240" height="320" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

when I start driving her, if I get flashed a bunch of times, I'll most likely paing the bowls. I need to do a better job of sealing them up too- i didn't really use any resealing glue but as I said, no need to worry too soon as I'm not going to be driving her any time soon.

Little things

I haven't recieved my cargo cover yet... Idk if the snail mail is just taking its time or what. I can't wait to get that in too. Then I can stick all of my junk in the boot

Other than that, that's about it. I'm still happy with how she drives. I revved her up to 4.5ish K today. That's the highest I've gone in all of owning her!

Also, I now realize what everyone means when they say that the VICS butterflys make tons of noise at startup! I can live with it though- they don't bother me so much as they just drown out the stereo a little...

That's all for now folks!

 

[Bastian]

my aunt and uncle on my mom's side used to have one of those. god are those things massive!!!

almost like inception how you responded to that post in this thread. unless it's actually in this thread and i'm just that out of it...

Nope, post #40 in your thread here (stash)

Projectors look nice (2thumbs)

 

[31N007]

well then! i really am out of it! and it's not as if i have many posts to look through!

And cheers on the compliment mate! I'm hoping to get a good headlight restoration kit as they are a little worse for wear as of this moment...

 

[31N007]

Sorry in advance for the massive wall of text to come. I'm kinda in the mood to type and I don't want to do my math homework at this current point in time...

I've done a lot and not a lot at the same time. Here's what I've done in the past month or so:

Drove her around- yeah yeah, I'm a tinker. I need to get her insured which will hopefully happen w/in this coming month (March).
Got a flashing CEL which I couldn't figure out the real reason. I was driving her in the wet weather and she bogged down. I high tailed her back home and took the batt out cause I couldn't bear to see the flashing CEL any more.
I think I fixed that by cleaning off the coils. I took her out this evening and she bogged down a little but I'm not sure if that was because I let off the clutch too quickly???
I got the CEL back but I'm relatively sure it's cause of a faulty TPS which I'll check the code again and if it's the P0123, I'll get on the TPS.
Fixed the retro- the driver's side shroud fell off and I needed to open up the headlamp and fix that. I should probably get and clear the lenses off really good but that's going to come when the weather gets nicer or when she FINALLY gets insured...
Other than that, I've let her sit peacefully in the garage.

When I drove her around this evening, I checked the coolant and all, the fluid was a little high- I have just enough coolant in the overflow to where it's above the FILL marker. When I looked at it after my drive, it was above the FILL level about an inch. It's nowhere near the top but I'm wondering if this is normal as the coolant expands?

The oil level is still good- I only have 130 miles on the rebuild so I don't know if the motor is still burning oil. I'll have to wait and see. There is a gassy smell when I take the oil cap off but I'm sure a little bit of blowby is to be expected.

I did let two friends drive her and they said she runs nicely- not sure if they were saying it to make me happy but I love her, even if there are a few flaws here and there.

I'll take pictures on the next warm day when I get done washing and waxing her. The winter driving hasn't left her very shiny.

 

[31N007]

April 8. Thats when I'll have my baby insured! Its only been 6 freaking months!!!!!

 

[31N007]

I'm going to lose it...

Brakes need doing (justifiable)
Clutch may need replacing (justifiable
Tires need replacing (justifiable)

It sucks though, cause I didn't do it yet, and now I get to do this all at once.

I guess it'll be worth it. I don't wanna do my brakes, just don't want to.

I'll try and get new tires soon. The reviews said theyre good in the snow so that should be a bonus.

The clutch, I want to do, and then I can get and do my motor mounts as well, but I'm scared I might cock something up. Any suggestions guys? I just dislike having others work on my car. I've pretty much worked on it since I've owned it.

The clutch I think is going cause, it'll worm fine for a while, then after maybe 35 minutes it'll get really stiff and won't go into vear w/o forcing the shifter. I'm more hoping its the bushings, but that doesn't seem right. Maybe there's a leak in the system? How could i rule out any issues?

My mate says i should put it up for sale. Only reason i say no is 1) i bought the damned thing, i feel proud. I'm not about to let it go to s*** due to my negligence. 2) i don't have any interest in other cars. The P5 catches my fancy. Only thing id think of doing is buying a Miata for the summer. But that's going to be when i have more money and am able to afford upkeep on two cars. I'm lucky i have a 40 hr job this summer (internship) so i can pay for the parts. I'm going to pester my dad into paying for the bodywork, seeing as he said he'd help me buy the car. Instead, i get "3k as a graduation present toward my car," which is sort of bearing around the bush that he didn't do s*** really. I can count my blessings though, some people have it worse off.


Either way, enough rants. I'll post pics soon. Bought her a present, waiting on it to get delivered

 

[Jackie chan]

The clutch, I want to do, and then I can get and do my motor mounts as well, but I'm scared I might cock something up. Any suggestions guys? I just dislike having others work on my car. I've pretty much worked on it since I've owned it.

The clutch I think is going cause, it'll worm fine for a while, then after maybe 35 minutes it'll get really stiff and won't go into vear w/o forcing the shifter. I'm more hoping its the bushings, but that doesn't seem right. Maybe there's a leak in the system? How could i rule out any issues?

Tranny fluid? I had some problems getting into gear when warm last summer, I decided I should probably change the fluid and It fixed it right up. If you haven't already, Redline MTL FTW.

 

[31N007]

Ill look into that. Need to try and find where I fill it :S I think it's more the clutch though, but ill for sure change the fluid. I went and parked it yesterday, perfectly fine, then saw I could select the gear easily. To test if it was something to do w/ the clutch or maybe the low fluid, I let my foot off the clutch ever so slightly and tried putting it into gear- same issue as before. It only happens intermittently though. Could that lead to clutch?

I take it I just drain the fluid and fill new stuff up. Do I bleed the system too? (you can tell I'm new at this)

Or is there a separate fluid that runs through the clutch line (I don't know what it is or where its stored)

 

[Jackie chan]

You don't need to bleed the tranny, lol. Just drain the fluid and then fill it back up to the fill hole. When a little comes out, you'll know you're good. Should take a little less than three quarts.

The clutch is on the same reservoir as the brakes. You could bleed the clutch and It will probably help.

Having a worn clutch wouldn't make it difficult to get into gear. But having a worn slave cylinder, low fluid, "expandy" clutch line, poorly adjusted clutch pedal, and a couple of other things would.

 

[31N007]

Would the fact that I loosened a bleeder valve on a brake have effected the clutch? I was screwing around and loosened it not knowing I'd let fluid out. Perhaps that could have let some air into the system? Or is that in no way tied into the clutch system? I may call corksport up tomorrow and see if they can add a stainless steel clutch line to the order I placed. If they can, I'll bleed the system and see if it helps. I may try adjusting the pedal tonight just to see. I can justify a $20 line if tonight helps too.

 

[tweety2300]

When clutches go they slip. Many other cheaper things to look into before doing a clutch replacement.

I will say I would much rather do a 20 minute brake job than a 4-6 hour clutch job. I've been procrastinating doing the one on the 323 for a reason

And yes it can effect it. When my caliper leaked it got horrible sometimes. Now i still have the same problem you do but it's not nearly as bad as before. There's multiple things you can do to upgrade and figure out your issue at the same time. Bronze oil shifter bushings, ss braided clutch line, gear oil change, or even a brake fluid flush may help

 

[Jackie chan]

CS Clutch line is great. I've got one, and i love it. Gained a little more feel and firmness.

Bleed your brakes and clutch. Grab some brake fluid and a buddy, shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.
Don't go adjusting your pedal until you know that you need to.

 

[31N007]

Okey. Yeah, I looked at the pedal to see what id change to adjust it, couldn't find what the heck to do. Ohwell, like you said, probably better that way!

I called up and added the SS clutch line and front and rear motor mount to my order. Ships Wednesday

And yeah, based off what you and tweety have been saying, start easy. No point going balls to the wall just yet. I'll ask my mate if he can help or hell, I can ask my mom. The perks of having a mom who's not prissy I guess. Her first car was an MG Midget

 

[31N007]

http://sdrv.ms/16HPmy8

Went ahead and installed the RSB. I can feel a difference and I know it's not a placebo. In taking panels off to get to the mounts, I found this out...

http://sdrv.ms/12TZMJL

I can live with it though... As sad as I am to say this, I think I'll be lucky to get through college with this car. I know I only have myself to blame, but I treat her badly. I'm going to make an effort to treat her right though. The PO didn't do a great job, but that doesn't mean I can't start...

http://sdrv.ms/10Z6hNI

I got myself a Nexus 7 as a grad present to myself and ordered a bluetooth OBDII adapter... I know, probably not the wisest thing to spend on, but if I drive with the "good mileage" setup I have, maybe I'll treat her well... Mind me asking, for those of you who actually read my rants, how many miles you can get out of a tank??? I get 260 consistently... I don't really keep track of mileage, but I know that I go from where the needle is above full to when the light goes on and drive for around 5-10 miles with it on... I don't think it's horrible, but I'm wondering were I stack up with the rest of you guys. (I think that's one long run-on sentence, but ohwell!)

Aaaaand, I need to install these...

http://sdrv.ms/17jGosV

I'll see if I can get that done this weekend... I tried to get the front insert installed a week ago but proceeded to round off one of my bolts instead -_- I did get the other one loose, but obviously I tightened it back up in order to drive it.

What are preferences as far as rotors and pads go for the rear brakes on these things??? My fronts are fine, its the back that hasn't been touched in what seems like years (overstatement, but they're bad) I badly need to do them though, so any advice would be appreciated...

Also, on help how does one change out a clutch line? I know I'll end up losing a lot of fluid, so a bucket would be smart, and ned (brake?) fluid too??? I feel odd putting that there but I never really knew the two systems ran off the same stuff

Sorry in hindsight for posting links as opposed to embedding the images. I started out doing that differently and didn't feel like changing that... Hopefully you can still access them okay.

 

[tweety2300]

With motor mounts you need a 6 point socket, 12 point will strip it

It won't be that much if the ss line goes from clutch master to slave. Mine dripped a few times when I unhooked the hard line going from clutch master to slave and that was it

Before you even start the brake replacement make sure you can adjust your calipers since they seize up so easily. Next time I do mine it will be msp rears since stock sucks but I would suggest brembo blank rotors and hawk hps pads

 

[31N007]

Yeah, I think I used a spanner (crescent wrench?) and it ended up getting rounded that way... It was open ended. The second one I did, I used the wrench where its closed all around. I'm crap with tool names.

Thanks for the heads up on that. Now, if I go and change it, I know I'll need to bleed the system. Do I just go and do the brakes or is the a bleeder nipple by the clutch?

I figured as much about the stock brakes. I almost picked up a Mazda 6 to take those brakes and try and part out the stock stuff but it was already sold. I'll get some good brake grease and do the slides really well. I know my drivers side rear ebrake cable seized up so I haven't got an ebrake that side. My pass one is okay, but I'd rather have both brakes working... I'll see about pads for the front as well. They're dragging slightly though, so is that an adjustment issue on my part? I know the rotor is ever so slightly warped, but its not nearly as bad as my moms Jeep. The thing lurks when you have your foot constantly on the brake.

I think I bit off more than I can chew with this one. I'm just mad at myself for jumping into the first car I saw. If I didn't put 5k into this, I would be able to put 10k down on a nicer car. I'll just see where this one gets me. Its better that its slow and also better that I'm not going to LTU college ($$$) cause now I can take a 40mph constant road to the new college I'm going to (UofM Dearborn) and I don't need to worry about the highway and my car shitting on me as badly...

Next car I'm going to be more careful about. And treat way nicer from the get-go.

 

[31N007]

Got a few updates soon to come. Clutch line is in and it shifts more smoothly now. I still need to put my motor mounts in... Will get to that in a few days. I got some time before the 11th (Mazda meet). Other than that, not much to report. Will post pics of updates as they come/are installed.