I decided to finally chronicle the progress of my car in one thread. The progress may get slow as most builds do but I hope to keep it steady.
The Car
One 1987 NA auto. I purchased this car in March 07. It didnt run and was sitting on four dry-rotted flat tires. The guy didnt even remember the last time it ran. Somewhere between 2-5 years were his words. I spent about 1/2 hour looking it over. The car, for the most part, was all there. So after negotiating it to $600 I paid the man and was off to get my trailer.
The next day I brought a battery and a 100A main fuse to replace the fusible link that was melted in the fuse box. Also repaired the ground cables and added new terminal ends to all the cables. Motor spins over nicley but still wont fire up. After determining the fuel pump was bad I was off to get a stock replacement. As soon as I get that all back together it fires right up. As I let it warm up to determine any other problems it starts making a horrible squeal from the engine compartment. I lean into the engine area to determine where it is coming from just in time to witness many sparks flying from the back of the alternator. The rear bearing had failed and was coming out of the case.
Day three gets a brand new alternator, a hood latch and brace and outer passenger door handle. After installing all these goodies. I am able to take it to the tire shop and get new tires. This allowed me to find other items that needed immediate attention and replacement. By the end of April I had replaced lower control arms and outer tie rod ends. Replaced brake pads and rotors all the way around. Replaced trans filter and fluid. Changed rear end oil and engine oil. Flush coolant system and replace thermostat. Basically catching up on all the maintenance and wear items on the car.
June saw the replacement of the dash and other interior parts. That was when I discovered the crank pulley and crank to be worn and basically useless. After pulling the motor it was October before I put a crank kit in just to drive the car. To date I have just been enjoying the car and planning what I will do with the car in the future.
The Plan
Ultimately I would like to make a strong streetable car. Looking for somewhere between 400 - 500 RWHP. It will no longer be a NA car when completed. With some good luck I may be able to have a turbo motor installed and running very strong. Right now I am gathering more parts to build a solid base motor with.
At this point in time so far I have a complete 7M-GTE with CT26. Was told it was pulled from a running car but overheated at times. I figure it should be a good canidate for a rebuild. I will start disassembly once it gets a little warmer outside.
The Car
One 1987 NA auto. I purchased this car in March 07. It didnt run and was sitting on four dry-rotted flat tires. The guy didnt even remember the last time it ran. Somewhere between 2-5 years were his words. I spent about 1/2 hour looking it over. The car, for the most part, was all there. So after negotiating it to $600 I paid the man and was off to get my trailer.
The next day I brought a battery and a 100A main fuse to replace the fusible link that was melted in the fuse box. Also repaired the ground cables and added new terminal ends to all the cables. Motor spins over nicley but still wont fire up. After determining the fuel pump was bad I was off to get a stock replacement. As soon as I get that all back together it fires right up. As I let it warm up to determine any other problems it starts making a horrible squeal from the engine compartment. I lean into the engine area to determine where it is coming from just in time to witness many sparks flying from the back of the alternator. The rear bearing had failed and was coming out of the case.
Day three gets a brand new alternator, a hood latch and brace and outer passenger door handle. After installing all these goodies. I am able to take it to the tire shop and get new tires. This allowed me to find other items that needed immediate attention and replacement. By the end of April I had replaced lower control arms and outer tie rod ends. Replaced brake pads and rotors all the way around. Replaced trans filter and fluid. Changed rear end oil and engine oil. Flush coolant system and replace thermostat. Basically catching up on all the maintenance and wear items on the car.
June saw the replacement of the dash and other interior parts. That was when I discovered the crank pulley and crank to be worn and basically useless. After pulling the motor it was October before I put a crank kit in just to drive the car. To date I have just been enjoying the car and planning what I will do with the car in the future.
The Plan
Ultimately I would like to make a strong streetable car. Looking for somewhere between 400 - 500 RWHP. It will no longer be a NA car when completed. With some good luck I may be able to have a turbo motor installed and running very strong. Right now I am gathering more parts to build a solid base motor with.
At this point in time so far I have a complete 7M-GTE with CT26. Was told it was pulled from a running car but overheated at times. I figure it should be a good canidate for a rebuild. I will start disassembly once it gets a little warmer outside.
