10/26/12: Got started on the new build today! First off, about the donor. Big thanks to Kieran Gobey for turning us on to this car on Akron CL. 1988 IS, 250k miles. Car is unbelievably rust free and straight for its mileage in the Midwest. Also came with 2 motors (one is a 60k miler). Tiny bit of surface rust, but everything you'd expect to be rusted is clean. Paid $1300!! Only one problem--it has pinstriping EVERYWHERE! Must be 3 miles of the stuff.
The plan: get the car stripped, to McMahan for the cage, and reinstall the motor and suspension from the old car.
Big thanks to John Van Houten for finding a super clean car!
On to the pics!
I built an E36 a few years ago and I was shocked at how MUCH less wiring there is in these cars. Little critters were living in the backseat. Hidden treasures included: about a dollar in change, a BNIB Maxell cassette tape circa 1997, 3 pepsi cans, 1 coke can, a Montero spare tire cover, and . . .
A prison shank:
John and I get everything out in a half day. I did the easy stuff and he did the fiddly stuff. Still need to get the sound deadening out (leaving the trunk in for now) and the unnecessary wiring.
Planning to get it to McMahan in a couple of weeks. Standard stuff--X bars on the doors, rears landed on the spring perches.
11/1/12: Spent a few hours removing the sound deadening. Again, an easier task than in the E36. As before, used the heatgun/scraper method with great results. Leaving the stuff in the trunk for now. Need to get back in there with the stinky stuff and clean up the adhesive.
Should be heading out for the cage in two weeks!
Pics:
Update 11/17/12:
Final preparations for cage.
Got the third brake light back in:
Getting the sunroof cartrige out. JVH's fancy spot weld driller wasn't getting the job done (difficult to find the buggers), so cutoff wheel comes out. Probably took as long to get this done as all the steps up to this point!
New lid in:
Wanted to get more wiring out before the cage, but just running out of time. I'll have something to do in the cold months, I guess. Gonna try on the seat this week so we can tell McMahan where to put stuff and then off to OH next Sat.
The plan: get the car stripped, to McMahan for the cage, and reinstall the motor and suspension from the old car.
Big thanks to John Van Houten for finding a super clean car!
On to the pics!
I built an E36 a few years ago and I was shocked at how MUCH less wiring there is in these cars. Little critters were living in the backseat. Hidden treasures included: about a dollar in change, a BNIB Maxell cassette tape circa 1997, 3 pepsi cans, 1 coke can, a Montero spare tire cover, and . . .
A prison shank:
John and I get everything out in a half day. I did the easy stuff and he did the fiddly stuff. Still need to get the sound deadening out (leaving the trunk in for now) and the unnecessary wiring.
Planning to get it to McMahan in a couple of weeks. Standard stuff--X bars on the doors, rears landed on the spring perches.
11/1/12: Spent a few hours removing the sound deadening. Again, an easier task than in the E36. As before, used the heatgun/scraper method with great results. Leaving the stuff in the trunk for now. Need to get back in there with the stinky stuff and clean up the adhesive.
Should be heading out for the cage in two weeks!
Pics:
Update 11/17/12:
Final preparations for cage.
Got the third brake light back in:
Getting the sunroof cartrige out. JVH's fancy spot weld driller wasn't getting the job done (difficult to find the buggers), so cutoff wheel comes out. Probably took as long to get this done as all the steps up to this point!
New lid in:
Wanted to get more wiring out before the cage, but just running out of time. I'll have something to do in the cold months, I guess. Gonna try on the seat this week so we can tell McMahan where to put stuff and then off to OH next Sat.
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