What have you done to your car today?

[aragonz]

Changed batteries on my 16 year old Nissan.

 

[Punknoodle]

Anyone got any tips on removing windscreen wiper arms? Paints going on all mine so I figured I'd pop them off and give them a respray.

Plastic cover came off, nut came off, but can't get the damn arm off the spindle. Tried penetrating fluid, tried leverage, the car starts rocking on the suspension I've put so much force into it.

I can't offer any suggestions past what you have tried or are going to try already. That puller idea is what I would do. Once you get them off and paint them, just make sure you put some copper compound on them when you put them back on so it doesn't happen again!

 

[Slash]

Moved it onto a 4-post so it can be aligned. Some how whoever fixed the steering wheel messed up the gearbox so it's upside down. Gotta fix that tomorrow. Bought and hour job.

 

[nobuffalo]

Anyone got any tips on removing windscreen wiper arms? Paints going on all mine so I figured I'd pop them off and give them a respray.

You gotta seesaw them off, much like a steering wheel. Grab it about 6in away from the bolt and work it in and out, parallel to the bolt. Always works for me.

 

[Slick Rick]

Anyone got any tips on removing windscreen wiper arms? Paints going on all mine so I figured I'd pop them off and give them a respray.

Plastic cover came off, nut came off, but can't get the damn arm off the spindle. Tried penetrating fluid, tried leverage, the car starts rocking on the suspension I've put so much force into it.

dude use this

Im sure you can picture how it works but one end goes underneath the wiper arm and as you screw the screw it will push up against the spindle lifting the arm up!!
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_173425_langId_-1_categoryId_255216

I used it on the rear of my Almera when I did the 'wiper mod'

 

[ExigeEvan]

Have you tried this?

One end on the stud, one on the bottom of the wiper arm. Worked for me.

I take it all back, I used something similar (My dad bough it labelled a "water pump wrench) and it came off almost first time.

Thanks guys.

 

[Thatman]

I painted things...like the doors and the exhaust tip.

 

[Slash]

Started aligning the truck today. Almost done, should be done tomorrow. Ran into a few issues today but wasn't too bad. Nothing we can't work out in a little bits time. After that it's just time to flip the wheel over and then it's all done. FINALLY.

 

[CyborgGT]

Finally got around to painting my shaved valve cover after riding around bare-metal for a while. Turned out alright. Brakes arrived (Brembo slotted and Hawk HPS pads), waiting til tomorrow to buy an impact gun and run to the junkyard for hubs - for some reason I'm missing two bolts on one side . Gonna bring everything with me to the yard, then off to a shop to get it all pressed together (hub-over-rotor FTL) and from there it should be a quick bolt-on procedure. A Spoon-style front lip is on order, though I haven't gotten a tracking number from jdm****.com so I don't know when it'll arrive. Then I should - fingers crossed - be able to go straight to saving up to buy some wheels & tires in about a month and a half. 16" Rota Slipstreams are the plan, but before you beat me up I can't get the real Spoon SW388s until I go 5-lug so they're only temporary. I just really want something to hold me until that huge project comes along (which should be accompanied by Spoon calipers, lol).

I must say, it's been a pretty productive year for my project car so far!

 

[Keef]

So this afternoon I realized that buddy of mine has his Airframe & Powerplant maintenance certification and is therefore trained in laying carbon fiber. This is an interesting prospect...

 

[Eric.]

You gotta seesaw them off, much like a steering wheel. Grab it about 6in away from the bolt and work it in and out, parallel to the bolt. Always works for me.

You got a steering wheel off with brute force? Maybe it was removed once before. Had to get a wheel puller for mine and it sounded like I broke something when it popped off the column.

 

[nobuffalo]

You got a steering wheel off with brute force? Maybe it was removed once before. Had to get a wheel puller for mine and it sounded like I broke something when it popped off the column.

Nah man, just strong is all. I'm skinny as all hell but what muscle I do have works pretty good. Try building, carrying, and breaking down a 5-6 piece stack ladder by yourself, it'll tuffen' you right up.

You just gotta give it hell. I'm most certain the miata's steering wheel had never been off before and I got it off by hand, it's scary when they do pop off though.

 

[Perfect Balance]

You got a steering wheel off with brute force? Maybe it was removed once before. Had to get a wheel puller for mine and it sounded like I broke something when it popped off the column.

I do it all the time. Like he said, you just rock it back and forth and eventually it comes loose. Frequently I'll have the nut that holds it on by a few threads so I don't hit myself in the face when it goes.

 

[nobuffalo]

Frequently I'll have the nut that holds it on by a few threads so I don't hit myself in the face when it goes.

That's one of those extremely obvious things that I think of doing everytime after the fact, then forget about it the next time.

 

[Keef]

Kinda like when you're hammering a bolt out and ruin the threads because you forgot to leave the nut on.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Typically you don't "hammer a bolt out" if it's seized enough to ruin the threads.


FINALLY got the rest of my parts for my 323! Got it almost completely back together minus the few things I left apart because I'm missing bolts or some fabrication is required. Feels good man.

 

[Keef]

Typically you don't "hammer a bolt out" if it's seized enough to ruin the threads.

Talking about McStrut bolts, for example.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Talking about McStrut bolts, for example.

Those bolts usually come out with a little tap that isn't hard enough to mess things up, or they're pointy on the end so you don't screw up the threads. I think you're doing it wrong.

 

[DJones]

Those bolts usually come out with a little tap that isn't hard enough to mess things up, or they're pointy on the end so you don't screw up the threads. I think you're doing it wrong.

So what you're saying is you need to find the Perfect Balance? Ba duh chss

 

[CyborgGT]

Pic of the valve cover. I painted the spark plug cover black this morning, but it needs re-doing. I think it looks kinda mean!

*EDIT*

My new lights too! Sooooo loving the projectors! ^

 

[Eric.]

Got some stuff from the junkyard over a month ago. Rear storage console lid, glovebox lid, glovebox insides, and the "premium" radio for the MR2 with cassette. All for $10. Put the lid on and the radio today as well as remounted my Momo wheel to what should be the center of the steering rack. Hoping to get it aligned in the next couple days.

Radio:

 

[JacoJa]

I love the original radio/tape player! ^^

I've been pimp'n-up my Sera a bit lately. I replaced the old after-market speakers with some newer ones. The previous speakers were falling apart (tweeters didn't work, front-left was not working), so it all sounds very nice now. I also bought a double DIN sat-nav unit off ebay. Based on looks alone, I think it looks quite nice... And suits the rest of the cars' dash (this was my main decision to buy it). In terms of functionality and user-friendliness, it's rubbish. At least it gives me the option to control my iPod through the buttons/screen on the system. 👍

The wheels have also been completely restored! Before, they were bent and had many curb scratches all around the rim, and the paint looked very flat. It's nice to have circular wheels again. Bought four new tyres, too!

And lastly, I bought a brand-new set of tail lights. One of the last Sera tail lights produced by Toyota, as they begin to stop production on many Sera parts.

 

[homeforsummer]

I recorded a quick vid from my car today - got a new GoPro, and wanted to test it out. Vid is nothing special, just a few minutes of a quick drive in the country.

​

I've been pimp'n-up my Sera a bit lately.

I'd forgotten you had a Sera. I've often thought it's a pity they didn't have digital instruments... the Sera sort of deserves to be more high-tech than Toyota made it. That satnav screen definitely helps 👍

With unlimited time and money I'd be trying to swap the 1st-gen Prius drivetrain into one so I could whizz about town silently in EV mode for even greater impact when the doors open, and I'd swap the dials for the digital set in the 1st-gen Yaris. Would have the technology to match the looks then.

Also, I imagine if the Prius had been launched with looks like the Sera, it wouldn't get half the amount of hate it does!

 

[JacoJa]

I'd forgotten you had a Sera. I've often thought it's a pity they didn't have digital instruments... the Sera sort of deserves to be more high-tech than Toyota made it. That satnav screen definitely helps 👍

With unlimited time and money I'd be trying to swap the 1st-gen Prius drivetrain into one so I could whizz about town silently in EV mode for even greater impact when the doors open, and I'd swap the dials for the digital set in the 1st-gen Yaris. Would have the technology to match the looks then.

Also, I imagine if the Prius had been launched with looks like the Sera, it wouldn't get half the amount of hate it does!

lol, I'd love to have digital instruments on the dash from an original Yaris. They look awesome... I learnt to drive in one of those when I was training to get my licence. The only thing stopping me is figuring out how to install a digital speedo like that into the dash of the Sera, and make it look properly inbuilt. Getting the instruments to work would also be too complicated for my tiny human brain. Yeah, it is strange how Toyota didn't do a digital-dash for the Sera. Even Celicas and supras from the Mid-80's came with digital speedos...

It would be awesome to convert it to a Hybrid, too. I actually met a guy in Perth who converted his Sera to an Electric vehicle (it's on Youtube)... It looked incredibly awesome! Though it did cost A LOT of time and money. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd do all of the things you mentioned in your post. Our ideas are on the same wavelength. 👍

I love your GoPro, too. Would be awesome to use for Go-karting.

 

[homeforsummer]

I actually met a guy in Perth who converted his Sera to an Electric vehicle (it's on Youtube)... It looked incredibly awesome!

Heh, nice one. I think it was one of those vehicles that was released too soon - though at the same time, I don't think many makers would take such a risk now.

And yeah, I can't imagine it's simple swapping the gauges from a Yaris, but it'd definitely look cool.

Our ideas are on the same wavelength. 👍

Great minds think alike!

I love your GoPro, too. Would be awesome to use for Go-karting.

Yeah, I think a lot of people use them in go-karting. You can stick them to helmets, or buy head-bands, so they're quite good for a 1st-person view. Good picture from it, I just need to experiment a bit with getting the best views.

 

[CyborgGT]

Hmm, I've been wanting to get a camera, as often as I'm messing around in the canyons around here. That video turned out pretty nice.

My new lip. Lightly sanded and sprayed with DupliColor trim paint. It's a replica of the lip that Spoon made for the Civics of the era. And finally good shot of my new lights. I'm hoping to get wheels in a couple months to finish off the main points of the aesthetics (for now).

 

[Punknoodle]

You know, when you first wrote about those projectors I thought it sounded a bit wanky, but looking at them, they actually look pretty good, coupled with those fog centres 👍
Whats the light output like? And what are those things on the far side of the bumper?

 

[PureAwesomeness]

Switched the wiring on my steptronic shifter so now you pull to shift up and push to shift down. Feels much more instinctive to me.

 

[Doog]

Accord

I think this is the first modified Honda from the early nineties that I've seen that doesn't look like a ricer. Nice job! I like it. 👍

 

[Perfect Balance]

I think this is the first modified Honda from the early nineties that I've seen that doesn't look like a ricer. Nice job! I like it. 👍

Obviously you haven't looked very hard if you think a stock looking Accord with a lip is "the first modified Honda you've seen that doesn't look riced out."