138 replies to this topic

[DrKrazy]

Realized my front struts were still cranked up a bunch, backed them down to stock setting today. Helped with the camber, but didn't totally fix it. Started on getting the 100amp Alt installed and was almost done when my dremel died completely (mourning the loss of one of my favorite tools), and couldn't finish the last bit of grinding I needed to do. Put a few layers of window screen in the hole in the air intake, to help block out water/snow/gravel etc until I move the intake. Plus supposed to snow tonight/tomorrow and I'm driving PC to work tomorrow just for the fun of testing it in the snow.
Ok pictures of the new oil sending unit/gauge I promised (Remember I only did this because I accidently shorted the original one out and screwed up the gauge, wasn't just the sending unit):

With both installed:


Old one removed, and plug installed from the DL since it only had the idiot light sensor on it's oil pump. Will make fabbing the skid plate WAY easier.....


Picture of the where the new oil gauge sits, and the new CB:


Oh and quick picture of the driver's side flex-a-lite electric fan behind the Grille:

[Tin Soldier]

Aftermarket Oil Pressure Gauge/unit installed (which fits in the little hole on the oil pump so doesn't stick down like the original. Check & for the not sticking down oil sending unit! (will take pics tomorrow, before I block off the old sending unit with a plug from the DL, so everyone can see the difference in where the aftermarket and original ones sit).

What part did you use to do this? Is it electronic? I have a loyale that needs an oil pressure guage and I like how that one mounts up like that.

[DrKrazy]

It's electronic, and works great for being an ebay cheapy one. Plus screwed right in the smaller hole with 0 problems, 0 leaks.
I used one just like this one:
Oil Pressure Gauge/Sending unit

For all I know if your gauge still works, you might just be able to swap to this sending unit????

[kingbobdole]

any idea what the threads are anyone? Maybe I can get an adapter and move my sender up there.... looks safer

[BlindSight]

like the oil sender/gauge.....looks like it puts it in a much nicer place....really will help with making a much simpler skid plate that would essentially fit much more nicely.

[DrKrazy]

Not good with threads or I would tell ya Phil, WHEN we actually meet up I'll bring the old idiot light that used to screw in there so you can go to hardware store to compare and see if you can get an adapter for yours. It truly is a much safer/better place for it.

--Big Day For Project Cheap Today--
Indeed, and for me too I'm beat. Wanted to get all this done before the snow starts to fly here hopefully starting tonight!
Installed the new Master Cylinder
Flushed and bled the brake system with new fluid, and lots of it.
Installed new rear brake shoes (had them around), old ones were totally gone
Swapped in a good CV axle on the front

Went to go for a quick test drive...the damn steering extentsion falls off!!!! That really sucked but glad it did it in my driveway. So put that back on, and made sure to get it on good this time! Ok now let's go for a test drive, brakes are better...well still suck but don't have to pump them and sure the rears still need to adjust themselves. Had to cut the ride short because the damn engine started doing the TOD AGAIN!!!!! Getting extremely pissed at it now and am thinking it may just be time to suck it up and rebuild the other motor while I run some MMO/etc through this one until it actually dies. Anyways came back and said screw it going to finish all the work I can before it gets dark. So I also got my new Roof bars installed, with my spare tire mount from an XT all mounted up. I like it, just need to get an actual tire on my spare rim, some more lights for up there and add some bars going front to back to strap stuff too. But I'm out of money for at least until after the New Year so it's about as done as it's going to get for awhile. Here's a couple lame pics of the new roof rack thing...sorry was getting dark.

[Numbchux]

those cross bars look a bit long, you might want to trim them down, or you'll end up like this yutz

[DrKrazy]

Chux- the cross bars aren't really as long as they look, but yes they will eventually get about 3" trimmed off each side. Defintely after seeing your picture.....
Been driving PC as my daily driver for the last week during the -8 degree and snowy weather (since the RX still has it's summer shoes on). It's been doing great, running well...sucks in the snow really bad in FWD, but as soon as you throw it into 4WD it rocks!
Well it actually warmed up a bit today so I got to work on trying to fit the bull bar for an EA81 on PC. Turns out it wasn't that bad at all, I didn't have to modify the bull bar at all, just had to find a good place to bolt it up (around the old tow hooks) and make a couple of extensions to move it out a bit. And of course move my lights since they were in the way. Looks good, is on there solidly, though I will have my friend build me some thicker better extenstions for it until I get the custom bumpers made. Now I just need to pull it all back off and clean it up and give it a good new coat of paint. Pics as always....





The bolt-up and extensions I made (man I need a welder bad):

[DrKrazy]

Some better pics in the daylight and of course after I cleaned it up and re-painted it...Now it looks GOOD!

[Numbchux]

looks awesome man!! nice work!

[Jerry DeMoss]

PC is looking really good.I like the rack and your front bumper with the lights.Looks ready to tear it up.

Also thanks for keeping an eye out for me for cars.

[kingbobdole]

PC is looking really good.I like the rack and your front bumper with the lights.Looks ready to tear it up.

Also thanks for keeping an eye out for me for cars.

Jerry... you have a PM.....
BAH!!! You SOOO stole that off of Ebay didnt you!?!?!?!?!? I wanted it... damn slow rump roast dial up:grin:

[DrKrazy]

Jerry... you have a PM.....
BAH!!! You SOOO stole that off of Ebay didnt you!?!?!?!?!? I wanted it... damn slow rump roast dial up:grin:

Hehe well I kinda bid on it first...so thinking you just drove the price up on me ....haha seriously though if you want it when I get my custom bumpers built (hopefully next month) it's yours Phil, or we can just get you custom bumpers built from my friend here in town too...

By the way PC is dead again...another oil pump problem, lost almost all oil pressure and started TOD again like crazy. Just gonna have to dish out the cash for a brand new one.

[Jerry DeMoss]

I will definately let you know how it goes with the hatch.I really want to see PC sometime.I was wondering what could make your oil pump crap out like that? Seems fine one minute and then pow TOD! Was the oil pressure really high or really low before it started TOD?Good luck.

[DrKrazy]

I will definately let you know how it goes with the hatch.I really want to see PC sometime.I was wondering what could make your oil pump crap out like that? Seems fine one minute and then pow TOD! Was the oil pressure really high or really low before it started TOD?Good luck.

Pretty sure this last time was my fault, I used the used pump but should have been good oil pump outta of my parts car. But didn't use brand new seals, just the ones I had used to reseal the old one a week or two before that. In hindsight probably wasn't a good idea. Could go back in a reseal this one with new gaskets, but if I'm tearing it down again might as well use all new parts.

[DrKrazy]

PC got a brand new oil pump today, got the replacement front strut extentsions in, plus a few other minor things (put the snow wheels/tires on the RX, and tried to track down a small coolant leak on it). Took PC for a good drive to get the lifters to shut up which they did . Plus have better oil pressure now then what I have ever seen on this car, almost as good as the really tight low mileage engine in my RX (idle at 25-35psi, 3k rpm=65+, RX runs just a tad higher). Looks like I still have a slight camber issue, but will see after I put some more miles on it. Still better than what it was. Of course developed another weird problem where it would start idling up and down and throw a code for abnormal fuel injector response or something...never ends. At least it's back on the road and not ticking like an SOB. I WILL find time and a place to take it wheelin' in the next week. So expect some real off-road pics soon.

[DrKrazy]

Well drove it all day yesterday for our trips around for Christmas...even the wife drove it a bit . She loved it, besides the lack of power, and increased braking distance. So far the camber looks to be the exact same as with the old strut extensions :-\, and that's after about 150 miles. Anyways today started with me just putting on some seat covers my sister-in-law got the car (me for christmas) to cover up the old greasy seats. Ended up redoing some wiring for some relays and the next thing you know I'm installing a 2nd battery. Just one of those days where one thing leads to another which leads to another. Before I start I will say I know your not supposed to use 2 different kinds of batteries in this setup...some red/blue tops will come later.
Ok the price of this upgrade was FREE! Everything I used for it came from my parts car. Battery tray, battery, battery cables, hold downs...ok well the bolts I used to bolt the tray up didn't come from the parts car. Since I haven't relocated my air intake yet, I looked around and decided on an even better spot (see pics). Bolted the tray down through the side of the engine compartment, then used the original hold down and bolted that to my strut tower. Then used the other adjustable side to snug it all up. Works great and took me all of 30 mins to completely install and wire up. Still need to go pick up another 100amp GM alt since the first one wasn't the right setup, and then pick up 2 blue/red top optimas. Should take care of any power needs this car will ever use. Will need it for my future plans too.....
Pics:




Hope this thread hasn't gotten super old for everyone, thought it would be nice to chronicle a build-up on the board from start to .....do they ever get finished?

[mudduck]

Thats a good location for a second battery. Will the spare still fit in there with the second battery there? I want to add my 2 extra batterys when I get my new radio gear put together, and really don't want to mount them in the back of the car again.

[DrKrazy]

Pretty sure the original spare would still fit fine, it's sitting down on the frame rail if you want to call it that. Of course my 235/75R15 Spare has never had a chance of fitting there... that's why it's on the roof rack.

[soobmater]

nice work, it looks neat the way you mounted the tire on the roof bars. i like the front brushguard ish bumper. looks mean. nice work!!

[Phizinza]

Not bad for what you have spent on it. Concidering my Brumby/Brat has cost me:

$2800 car
$650 bullbar, rollbar and tonneau
$700 tyres
$200 clutch
and about $400 in other stuff
There all AUD$ of cause
Total $4750AUD ($4000USD) Its amazing how much of a price difference there is between Aus and USA. Not just the exchange rate either.

That figure makes me sad. But I'm not a bargin hunter, and I do like my ute

You have quite a beast there. But those other things, LSD, disks, ect, are going to bump up the total a bit huh? hmmm. There probably worth it.

[DrKrazy]

Not bad for what you have spent on it. Concidering my Brumby/Brat has cost me:

$2800 car
$650 bullbar, rollbar and tonneau
$700 tyres
$200 clutch
and about $400 in other stuff
There all AUD$ of cause
Total $4750AUD ($4000USD) Its amazing how much of a price difference there is between Aus and USA. Not just the exchange rate either.

That figure makes me sad. But I'm not a bargin hunter, and I do like my ute

You have quite a beast there. But those other things, LSD, disks, ect, are going to bump up the total a bit huh? hmmm. There probably worth it.

Heck our biggest difference is the price of the car..If I tried to get a Brat as nice as yours it would cost me 2-3k US also. So I would more than likely have tons more into it. As far as the LSD and Rear discs...I live in Colorado (so many old Subaru's here it's almost insane) and all I have to do is wait for the right Turbo parts car to show up, already passed on a few, but after the new year when I have some more cash I will pick one up for a few hundred. Oh yeah gotta get my other parts car out of here first, or the wife will go crazy. I'm sure by the time I'm in the range of calling it done I will have well over 3k into it. It's honestly dying for an EJ22 swap, which is yet another parts car sometime down the road, but more expensive parts car. It will defintely be Project Not-So-Cheap soon

[soobmater]

ya, very nice for how much you have put into it. hell, my car was only 900$.
then, i've put a lot of money into it.
i calculated it up, and i have spent at least 3,800 bucks. and i know i forgot a few things, like oil pump and stuff. lol

[Numbchux]

I added mine up....barely $2k, with a parts car that served as a daily driver for over a year



it helps I only paid $150 for this one when I got it! and the tires were free, and I got a steal on the lift/bumper...

[Jerry DeMoss]

I just got back from going over to Keiths house to look at PC.He even took me for a spin in the lifted roo.I really love that thing.Looks amazing and is even cooler to ride in.The pictures really don't do it justice.It really is bigger in person.Glad I was able to meet another person off the board in my area.Thanks again.