This week the part for the fuel filler neck came in, so we got the tank back in and are now changing out the valve cover gasket. After that we see if she runs on her own for the first time! Fingers crossed!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Week 16!?
Yes, it's been a while since I've posted, mainly because I've done no work on the car for nearly 4 and a half months...first due to financial issues, and second due to my first child being born earlier in the year! But at least now I have a co-driver. :)
So, to pick up, in the last week I've finally gotten around to doing some stuff, found some used tires to put on the car so it can be at least driven once it runs, the fuel pump is in, the car runs, and we did a full tune up with air filter/oil/oil filter/fuel filter/spark plugs/wires/trans filter/trans fluid. Almost ready to start driving!
Problems this week:
Minor-
Had to recharge battery after it sat with the car for months.
Used tires I found are mismatched.
Major-
Fuel filler neck is nearly completely rotted away, had to get another, had the choice of either modifying a universal one or ordering the actual one to fit the car, went ahead and ordered the actual, waiting for it to arrive.
So, to pick up, in the last week I've finally gotten around to doing some stuff, found some used tires to put on the car so it can be at least driven once it runs, the fuel pump is in, the car runs, and we did a full tune up with air filter/oil/oil filter/fuel filter/spark plugs/wires/trans filter/trans fluid. Almost ready to start driving!
Problems this week:
Minor-
Had to recharge battery after it sat with the car for months.
Used tires I found are mismatched.
Major-
Fuel filler neck is nearly completely rotted away, had to get another, had the choice of either modifying a universal one or ordering the actual one to fit the car, went ahead and ordered the actual, waiting for it to arrive.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Week 2
Well, this weekend I got the lock cylinder replaced, then put a battery and some oil in the car, then some seafoam in the gas tank to stabilize the old fuel, and then got a buddy to spray some starter fluid while I tried the ignition. The motor caught and ran fine, as long as there was starter fluid in the throttle body, but the fuel pump seems to be seized so she can't run on her own. So now we are looking into a fuel pump as well as some replacement tires so we can roll her around the shop.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Week 1
Several months ago I decided that I'd like to start rally driving as a hobby, after seeing an episode of British Top Gear where the hosts did rallycross for the price of taking up golf. So I did some research, and found texasrallysport.com, which is a community of amateur rally drivers that hold races at several tracks here in Texas with very low cost entry fees and requirements. So then I began looking for a car to use. I considered at first using my wife's car, but she quickly dismissed that, and my 02 Land Rover Discovery is anything but a sporty racing car, so I determined that I'd have to buy another purely for rallying.
So I worked out my budget, around $600, and started watching Craigslist, looking for something that would work. I looked for 3 months, and didn't really find anything. Then my brother offered to sell me his wife's old car, a 1992 Dodge Daytona base model, which he'd had sitting in his yard for nearly 10 years, for $300. I jumped at the chance, then decided to write a weekly blog as I return the car to working order, prep it for racing, and finally race it.
So, week one: The car is still in my brother's yard. He tells me that he originally parked it because the transmission started slipping and he couldn't afford to fix it. There is a decent sized oil leak somewhere in the engine bay. The ignition lock cylinder is frozen and won't turn at all with the key. The transmission won't go into neutral with the key unable to turn. All four tires are flat. And finally, the door requires an odd pull/kick/lift motion to open from the outside.
We did get the key to turn with application of a drill and some PB Blaster (I'm gonna replace the lock cylinder anyway) and the transmission into neutral, then dragged it up the street from my brother's house to my mechanic/friend's shop, where he and I will be working on it.
So I worked out my budget, around $600, and started watching Craigslist, looking for something that would work. I looked for 3 months, and didn't really find anything. Then my brother offered to sell me his wife's old car, a 1992 Dodge Daytona base model, which he'd had sitting in his yard for nearly 10 years, for $300. I jumped at the chance, then decided to write a weekly blog as I return the car to working order, prep it for racing, and finally race it.
So, week one: The car is still in my brother's yard. He tells me that he originally parked it because the transmission started slipping and he couldn't afford to fix it. There is a decent sized oil leak somewhere in the engine bay. The ignition lock cylinder is frozen and won't turn at all with the key. The transmission won't go into neutral with the key unable to turn. All four tires are flat. And finally, the door requires an odd pull/kick/lift motion to open from the outside.
We did get the key to turn with application of a drill and some PB Blaster (I'm gonna replace the lock cylinder anyway) and the transmission into neutral, then dragged it up the street from my brother's house to my mechanic/friend's shop, where he and I will be working on it.
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