What have you done to your car today?

[misnblu]

About once per summer I take off every wheel and clean both sides of them. Everyone who knows that I do that thinks I'm crazy.

I do the same but more often than just once a year.
To me a car isn't clean unless the car is clean in the wheel wells, the complete rims, engine compartment, and clean overall.
Nothing abnormal about that and keeps the brake dust from destroying the rim over time.

 

[Eric.]

Yeah. I can get most of the visible dirt off mine while they are mounted, but a thick line forms on the edge of the "barrel" and I can only get it between the spokes, so that bugs me. And then you can see the difference between where I'm able to get to some parts and not others.

 

[CyborgGT]

Finally got my first ticket, yay! $85 and 1 point for going 42 in a 30. Probably because I lied and said I thought the limit was 35... there's a short S-turn where it lowers to 30. By the time he caught up to me and pulled me over I was in the high 40s where the limit had gone back up to 35, but he didn't seem to notice. My driver wing mirror was also missing and for some reason my current insurance card disappeared, but he let me off on those (had previous, month-old card on me) and lowered the penalty on the speeding.

Sad thing is, I saw him sitting there and didn't bother to slow. Traffic's always moving at 35-40 through there. I'm just glad he wasn't there this morning, when I was running late for work and left the turn doing almost 60!

 

[misnblu]

Radar detector for the win.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Lesson 1 in car batteries.
Don't accidentally leave your interior light on for 24 hours.

Lesson 2 in car batteries.
Don't do a "quick-job" and just slip the battery cables onto the terminals. Luckily this was quickly remedied by popping my bonnet and tightening using the adjustable spanner I still had in my car.

 

[CyborgGT]

I'm wanting to get an Escort but I really don't need a detector. It was my own stupidity that landed the ticket. Like I said, I saw him but didn't bother slowing. I have a habit of testing cops, taking off quite noticeably faster than the rest of traffic when sitting next to one at a light (I've got a Magnaflow muffler, it's not quiet under anything more than 1/4 throttle). A couple times I've had good reason thinking I'm being followed, so I dodge through holes in traffic and signal for turns at the very last second to shake them. On an example of the latter, the cop was ahead of me, had passed through an intersection before I got there, so I signalled left, then he flipped a quick U-ey and gunned it down the road I turned onto. Him being just too far ahead to continue the 'pursuit,' I turned onto a sidestreet.

I can hardly wait for the attention I'll be getting once my car actually looks like a tuner.

 

[Omnis]

So today I was filling up my car at the pump. Half way through the fill-up, it decided to stop taking gasoline. So I had a cataract of fuel dump out all over the place. I usually have to keep pressing the trigger on the nozzle as the pump shuts off every third of a gallon. It's really freaking annoying and now it looks like today's episode was the straw that broke the Accent's back. Can't wait for that freaking turbo Sonata and 5.0 Mustang to get here.

So now my whole rear tire is orange/green and I probably won't have any clearcoat left in the morning. But that's okay because half the car is bondo anyway. I just hope it doesn't fireball with me in it.

 

[Philly]

I washed it. The towels I used are full of fail. So now I have a leopard-print car.

 

[Rykon Zero]

I worked on my brother's Jeep.

He was cutting a line to the radiator, thinking it was he engine cooling hose that was leaking.

He cut the wrong one.

He cut the transmission coolant line. Now we're out of a little more money.

 

[Duke]

I punched out the locating pins and biased all the strut bolts to get as much negative camber as possible at the front end of the BMW, and reset the toe. First event of the season this Sunday!

 

[misnblu]

I punched out the locating pins and biased all the strut bolts to get as much negative camber as possible at the front end of the BMW, and reset the toe. First event of the season this Sunday!

So you slotted the struts?

I changed engine mounts on the Cavy today and got away from the aftermarket mount I've been using for a few years.
The aftermarket mount wore out and I decided that I'd go back with stock and an insert which served me well for years without any issues like the last two aftermarket mounts I've owned.

I finally found the right diameter belt for the alternator since I had to change up the AEM underdrive pulley back to stock.
I was having to constantly rev the car past 1500 rpm just to get it to start to charge so decided to go back with factory size. I do plan on changing it again but for a stock sized aluminum pulley which is being machined as we type.

 

[Joey D]

Got the car aligned and had the broken rear sway bar fixed. Drives soooo much better.

 

[Eric.]

What caused the rear sway to break?

 

[Joey D]

What caused the rear sway to break?

Me being a hoon.

 

[misnblu]

Me being a hoon.

How in the world do you actually break a swaybar?

 

[Eric.]

Well I got the Civic fixed today. The dealer's bodyshop did a good job fixing some paint and aligning my fender so it wouldn't hit the door anymore. Blended perfectly from what I've seen.

 

[misnblu]

Well I got the Civic fixed today. The dealer's bodyshop did a good job fixing some paint and aligning my fender so it wouldn't hit the door anymore. Blended perfectly from what I've seen.

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[Eric.]

Then I guess it didn't. I'm feeling very lazy today.

They did a pretty nice job washing it too, though water collects in the mirror and the base of the mirror, and will run down the side of the car for hours after its washed. So it does have a line on each side from that. I'll just touch it up later.

 

[Joey D]

How in the world do you actually break a swaybar?

Beats me, my guess is BMW can't design one to save their soul. However it happened I'm sure it's my fault because it keeps happening.

 

[Eric.]

Is it the actual swaybar breaking? May as well invest $150 in a good aftermarket one.

 

[Joey D]

Well the bushings and mountings to be exact, mostly the bushings. If it does it again I'm getting an Alta bar with poly bushings.

 

[Eric.]

Ah. I know Corsport sells a stronger endlink set for my car if you run an aftermarket one because it can break the factory ones. I think I need a bigger rear sway as my next handling upgrade.

 

[Duke]

So you slotted the struts?

No, because that would take me out of stock class. But at the top of the struts there is a pin that goes through a hole in the strut tower to keep the top in the spec location. But for accident repair, those pins can be drilled out to allow for adjusting a slightly-tweaked unibody. I just took advantage of all the factory tolerances. Every little bit helps, though I'd love about another degree and a half negative.

 

[misnblu]

No, because that would take me out of stock class. But at the top of the struts there is a pin that goes through a hole in the strut tower to keep the top in the spec location. But for accident repair, those pins can be drilled out to allow for adjusting a slightly-tweaked unibody. I just took advantage of all the factory tolerances. Every little bit helps, though I'd love about another degree and a half negative.

Got it.
Nothing like playing with the rules to your advantage which goes on in all kinds of motorsport.
Good luck with your venture. 👍

More progress and lots of pictures.
First, I had to decide where I wanted to install the battery switch and had only a few options, none that I liked but I've got to have something functional.
Apparently functional and looking good don't have similarities but it'll work.
Here's where I decided on locating the switch after lots of trial and error along with alot of visualization of the final product.

I know it's not going to strike everyone fancy here but bear with me. This is the only location that I could find without having to modify the rear bumper support and still have the switch visible from anywhere in the rear of the car.
Here's a few more pics on the just reinstalled bumper. Even though I can't change the outcome of it's location, let me hear your thoughts.

The wiring was pretty easy from here and just a matter of making sure that there was enough wire to work with and that it was as secure as possible.
I thing both were accomplished.
More pics below.

More pictures of the finished product with the last pictures showing the caps to help keep some of the weather out of the connections.

So now all that is left is to drop the tank, install the battery box into the cabin, reinstall the tank and finish up the wiring with the 'blu getting some electricity for the first time in months of sitting with no juice.
Then the exhaust will be fitted and if needed, work on doing some measurements to get it driveable and running. I may have to drive it with an open exhaust for a few days but that'll at least get me motivated to have the exhaust finished with a complete axle back setup and cruising the streets.

That's what I did yesterday.

 

[Slick Rick]

Hmmm interesting, so whats the purpose of this switch?

 

[misnblu]

Hmmm interesting, so whats the purpose of this switch?

Battery relocation to meet NHRA/ IHRA and hopefully SCCA requirements for engine shutoff.
I'm just about finished with it and getting ready to complete the exhaust.

 

[CyborgGT]

Went to the Denver auto show yesterday and talked to a guy about SCCA events in Colorado. Once I get a coupe and at least do what I want to the suspension and brakes I'm going to get into PDX and hopefully time trials at a few tracks in the state.

This morning my speedo died and the check engine light came on, so I checked for codes. Vehicle speed sensor needs replacing. When I got home from work I sat in park for a minute and noticed it was idling at maybe 400, pulsing down to about 200rpm and threatening to die. I already have a list of 16 things I want to restore on the car before I want to sell it (I'll probably narrow it down further so it's not at too much of a loss) and now this. However, it didn't happen again after I dis- and re-connected the ECU and TCU (had to do both to get at the TCU to inspect its internals) and took it for a test drive around the block. Gassing it once brought the speedo back as well.

EDIT - low idle came back after warming up. Timing check in the morning.

 

[CyborgGT]

Does anyone else have character limits when typing on their PS3?

Anyway, I finally got time to put the new thermostat in today. With the speed sensor issue, it's likely just the broken connector, it doesn't click locked. Back to the junkyard to rob another Accord.

Oh, and I replaced my missing driver wing mirror with a teal unit last week. I'm going to paint them both black.

 

[Jim Prower]

Battery relocation to meet NHRA/ IHRA and hopefully SCCA requirements for engine shutoff.
I'm just about finished with it and getting ready to complete the exhaust.

Huh. Kinda like the kill switch hoop the MTRA requires to approve a Monster Truck.

Got Bosch ICONs for the windshield. I have a J-hook conversion kit from previous Bosch blades, so they fit up well.

Oh, yes, and a sticker. I'll try and get a pic of that soon. :3

 

[misnblu]

I want to see the sticker. lol

I'm still working on the battery relocation by modifying the battery box for larger holes for the positive and negative wires. The stock holes are for the normal wire that most use but since I'm using 2/0, needed to modify the box.

I've also made a bracket to hold the Braille battery in the overly large battery box and looks pretty good for a quick fab up of the bracket.
I've still got another 10 to 15 hours needed to finish up the project and hopefully have the car back up and running in a few short weeks.