White.Lightning's Build Journal
#61
I spent most of the day on Saturday replacing the brake lines. I got an early start and basically flared one end of the tubing at the ABS block, bent it into place to snake around the engine/exhaust, and worked my way to the rear. It was definitely a PITA with the engine/exhaust/trans in the car, but the install was fairly clean. Of course, with all of those components removed, you could do a cleaner install. I got both lines bent and then re-installed the heat shields. Note: I ran two lines to mimic the factory setup. I didn't want to chance running one single line and tee-ing it, and have the ABS not function properly.
My friend came over after lunch and helped me bleed the brakes. I ended up stripping a front caliper bleeder screw so we made a quick trip to Pep Boys and got a replacement. I used a store bought penetrating lubricant that didn't seem to help any. I read online somewhere to try a homemade penetrating lubricant that is 50% power steering fluid and 50% acetone. I put some of that on the front bleeder screws and I firmly believe it helped. The homemade penetrating lubricant was eating away at corrosion. It wasn't like the part was melting, but you could see it working. Haha.
We did the old fashioned two man bleeding method and the brakes were flushed/bled quickly. I had a firm pedal and no leaks. I was a happy camper. The car was still on jack stands so I decided to clean the inner wheel barrels since they are commonly overlooked. I also cleaned the lug holes and took some simple green to the lug nuts to clean them up. I finally got the wheels back on and cleaned up. At this point it was almost 10pm, and I was beat.
Here are some pictures from that day.....
Tools/Parts/Etc that were used:
Flare wrenches, tubing bender(s), bubble flare tool, tubing cutter, 3/16" brake tubing, various flare nuts, brake fluid, brakleen, penetrating lubricant
And a before shot, to remember what they looked like...
My friend came over after lunch and helped me bleed the brakes. I ended up stripping a front caliper bleeder screw so we made a quick trip to Pep Boys and got a replacement. I used a store bought penetrating lubricant that didn't seem to help any. I read online somewhere to try a homemade penetrating lubricant that is 50% power steering fluid and 50% acetone. I put some of that on the front bleeder screws and I firmly believe it helped. The homemade penetrating lubricant was eating away at corrosion. It wasn't like the part was melting, but you could see it working. Haha.
We did the old fashioned two man bleeding method and the brakes were flushed/bled quickly. I had a firm pedal and no leaks. I was a happy camper. The car was still on jack stands so I decided to clean the inner wheel barrels since they are commonly overlooked. I also cleaned the lug holes and took some simple green to the lug nuts to clean them up. I finally got the wheels back on and cleaned up. At this point it was almost 10pm, and I was beat.
Here are some pictures from that day.....
Tools/Parts/Etc that were used:
Flare wrenches, tubing bender(s), bubble flare tool, tubing cutter, 3/16" brake tubing, various flare nuts, brake fluid, brakleen, penetrating lubricant
And a before shot, to remember what they looked like...
#64
Update time!!!
Well, I finally found some time to work on the car this past weekend. I had a couple of things that I had to attend to. One day after pulling the car out, I noticed there was a puddle on the garage floor that was green in color. I immediately thought antifreeze, but after getting under the car I found this.....
Turns out the A/C hose was leaking. Typically PAG compressor oil is clear, and then turns orange when the freon reacts with it. This was from some dye that was put in the system when I had a slow leak a year or so ago. After getting the old hose out, I cleaned it off for inspection. There were 3-4 small slices/tears in the hose itself....
I got the replacement hose installed, I had a spare go figure, and my friend charged the system last night. He works at a body shop and they have the machine to pull vacuum on the system and then recharge it. A/C works great now!
The second project was a leaky rear differential cover. It has been seeping for a while now. Before buying my house I used to work on my car in the street in front of my parents house since their driveway was slanted. Between working outside, and working in sub-par conditions, you can imagine some jobs were 'rushed'. I think the differential RTV job was one of them a couple of years ago.....
You can see where it was seeping out the bottom of the cover. The bolts were all rusty as well from years of sitting outside in the elements. I took a wire wheel on the bench grinder and cleaned the hardware up. Then I painted them flat black. I used simple green, engine degreaser and a wire brush to clean the cover itself. New fluid was put in and no more leaks! Here is the final result....
As a side note. I think the gear oil breaks down the RTV over time. My case was partly due to a sloppy install the first time, but I've read that it can break down standard (orange/red) RTV. I used this stuff per a recommendation from Dave (Mightymouse)....
That's all for now. My next mission is to work on the tune some. I have tip-in stumble and the car wants to die when I crank the A/C on. When I get around to doing that I will post my results and maybe a screen shot or two.
Well, I finally found some time to work on the car this past weekend. I had a couple of things that I had to attend to. One day after pulling the car out, I noticed there was a puddle on the garage floor that was green in color. I immediately thought antifreeze, but after getting under the car I found this.....
Turns out the A/C hose was leaking. Typically PAG compressor oil is clear, and then turns orange when the freon reacts with it. This was from some dye that was put in the system when I had a slow leak a year or so ago. After getting the old hose out, I cleaned it off for inspection. There were 3-4 small slices/tears in the hose itself....
I got the replacement hose installed, I had a spare go figure, and my friend charged the system last night. He works at a body shop and they have the machine to pull vacuum on the system and then recharge it. A/C works great now!
The second project was a leaky rear differential cover. It has been seeping for a while now. Before buying my house I used to work on my car in the street in front of my parents house since their driveway was slanted. Between working outside, and working in sub-par conditions, you can imagine some jobs were 'rushed'. I think the differential RTV job was one of them a couple of years ago.....
You can see where it was seeping out the bottom of the cover. The bolts were all rusty as well from years of sitting outside in the elements. I took a wire wheel on the bench grinder and cleaned the hardware up. Then I painted them flat black. I used simple green, engine degreaser and a wire brush to clean the cover itself. New fluid was put in and no more leaks! Here is the final result....
As a side note. I think the gear oil breaks down the RTV over time. My case was partly due to a sloppy install the first time, but I've read that it can break down standard (orange/red) RTV. I used this stuff per a recommendation from Dave (Mightymouse)....
That's all for now. My next mission is to work on the tune some. I have tip-in stumble and the car wants to die when I crank the A/C on. When I get around to doing that I will post my results and maybe a screen shot or two.
Last edited by White.Lightning; 08-27-2013 at 08:52 AM.
#68
Haha! It's funny you say that. I've been thinking over the past month or two how I want to put the car down over winter and go to town on the under body and suspension pieces. I'd remove the rear, trans, exhaust, front spindles/a-arms, etc. and clean/paint everything including the under body. It'd be a mess and take forever, but the end result would look great. I wanted to paint just about everything a semi gloss black after I remove any rust.
-The exhaust could be cleaned up/polished
-Paint rear
-Paint suspension goodies
-Clean trans real good (check clutch condition while in there)
-Paint the under body
-The exhaust could be cleaned up/polished
-Paint rear
-Paint suspension goodies
-Clean trans real good (check clutch condition while in there)
-Paint the under body
#70
What's up man?!? Are you still hitting those Monday night meets in Edgmont? We'll have to cruise one night. I want to check the TBSS out.
Car has been idle lately. We have been very busy with family stuff- sisters' newborn baby, baby showers for 3 others, wedding preparations, house repairs, etc. It never ends.
In the near future I have a couple small projects I want to tackle......
-Remove rear end, spray paint it black and clean/paint other items under there (heat shield, etc)
-Re-wrap headliner in black or tan suede
-Obtain perforated tan vinyl that matches my seat color and sew in a replacement bottom piece
Other than that, I just want to cruise it while its still kind of warm out. Hit me up sometime and we'll cruise.
Car has been idle lately. We have been very busy with family stuff- sisters' newborn baby, baby showers for 3 others, wedding preparations, house repairs, etc. It never ends.
In the near future I have a couple small projects I want to tackle......
-Remove rear end, spray paint it black and clean/paint other items under there (heat shield, etc)
-Re-wrap headliner in black or tan suede
-Obtain perforated tan vinyl that matches my seat color and sew in a replacement bottom piece
Other than that, I just want to cruise it while its still kind of warm out. Hit me up sometime and we'll cruise.
#73
Sounds good man, I was hitting it up every Monday but haven't the pass few weeks. Just been too busy. I wanna hit up cecil county one Wednesday night to see what my tbss runs since the last go around with mods. We gotta meet up and cruise in the future before it gets too cold out.
#76
Hey guys. I haven't bought tires in a long time. The tires I'm currently running are cracking pretty bad where the sidewall meets the tread area. I bought them back in April 2008.
I'm currently running the following:
BFG KDW2
255/40ZR18 95Y fronts
295/35ZR18 99Y rears
I don't know what tires are good now a days. I'd like something that has good grip for the rears, but not a drag radial that I cannot drive the car in the rain. As far as the fronts are considered, I guess anything would do? Also, I wouldn't want to spend more than $300/tire if possible.
Let me know what your recommendations are. I was looking on Summit, TireRack, DiscountTireDirect and saw a few options. Thoughts???
I'm currently running the following:
BFG KDW2
255/40ZR18 95Y fronts
295/35ZR18 99Y rears
I don't know what tires are good now a days. I'd like something that has good grip for the rears, but not a drag radial that I cannot drive the car in the rain. As far as the fronts are considered, I guess anything would do? Also, I wouldn't want to spend more than $300/tire if possible.
Let me know what your recommendations are. I was looking on Summit, TireRack, DiscountTireDirect and saw a few options. Thoughts???
#79
https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-ti...een-while.html