my low budget dream car build

[chrisbalich]

Good morning, friends and frienemies!

I was off all weekend AND the weather was nice. I can't tell you the last time that happened at all, much less when it didn't involve burning vacation days.

SATURDAY
I got up early-ish and washed the car before heading to Cars n Coffee at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.



I parked and two of my friends found me. (Kole in the Hachiroku and Jay in the Chebby)


A local photog that I didn't know snapped this pic of my jalopy at CnC.


After Cars n Coffee, Derrick and Lance invited me along with them to another gtg at MotorDistrict. As it was on my way home, I happily obliged.
Lance in the 997, Derrick in the 981



Eventually, I had to go home and Derrick sniped a candid shot of me sitting at a stoplight.


Once home, I had some lunch and we met some friends for ice cream. Every Saturday of the summer, the hotrod & streetrod guys around our area cruise and park on the town square in Noblesville. It's pretty cool. There are definitely regulars, but every now and then there are some gems that come out of hiding. This 440 Coronet had me feeling some kind of way. Then, I found myself behind him when we left. Really puts into scale how big muscle cars are for only being ~10 years older than my 911. I could have, quite literally, driven under the rear of this car with almost no contact to his bumper.



SUNDAY
Breakfast and then errands and then I worked on my honey-do list until the early afternoon.
As this fall/winter draws ever nearer, I am becoming hyper-aware that my time to get things done ahead of paint is falling away rapidly. The car was due for an oil change (2800 miles and five weeks since last change) so I knocked off all the valve covers, checked the torque on the headstuds, re-set valve lash, buttoned it all back up, and installed fresh VR1.

The only thing that was remotely picture-worthy was the small amount of clearancing required to get the lower (turbo) covers off the engine without moving/removing the headers.
I had to do both covers in the same spot. I did not repaint the covers as I'm lazy and don't particularly care.


Once it was all buttoned up, I fired it up and it ran like normal.
I did manage to forget to grease all the PB bushings. That was a little frustrating to remember right after I got out of the shower. I'll get that done Wednesday or Thursday.
Kelly has plans for us tonight as it's the 18th anniversary of our first date.
And I have a package being delivered tomorrow that will occupy tomorrow evening. (not car-related)

Be well, my friends.

[chrisbalich]

Well I've been lazy all week and haven't touched the car aside from driving it and tinkering with the EFI.
I tried engaging the EGO compensation, but my VE map isn't quite close enough yet. So I've turned it back off while I tinker.
The car idles, and returns to idle, well once it's up to temp. But the time between cold start and hot it hunts for idle. I'm making small adjustments and I think I'm on the path.
It rained yesterday, so I was running the wipers and lights and it was pissed even once up to temp. I made some adjustments and it seems to be much happier.
Incremental progress is still progress.
Incremental progress is still progress.
Incremental progress is still progress.
Incremental progress is still progress.
Incremental progress is still progress.
Incremental progress is still progress.

Moving on!
I went to bed last night ~2145. Alarm was set for 0528.
This morning at 0528 I was on another planet. The alarm almost brought me back to Earth...almost.
I snoozed until 0545. That alarm got me from bed to the bathroom, but I would not have been able to cogently answer many questions. #sleepinsleepin #iykyk
I shower and dress and make my way to the kitchen. Still hazy, but the shapes have clear edges now instead of fuzzy ones. I fill my two Yetis with ice & water and head to the garage. Push the car out, fire it up, close the big door, exit the little door, jump in, and I'm on the way to work. It's ~0615.
Traffic is average for Saturday, so I'm speeding but not setting the world on fire. I get to the ramp from IN37 to I69 (nice) and the GD driver's mirror 'ejecto-seato, cuz' -es itself right off the car. What the hell.

(car at work with no mirror)


I check my remaining two mirrors, and savagely rip the car from the passing lane (left) to the right shoulder. Full stop, 4-way blinkers on, car off, parking brake set, jam car into 1st, do yoga to check over my left shoulder (no mirror), and I'm out of the car and crossing the HIGHWAY on foot. I jog back to the mirror and find it and the base gasket sitting on the shoulder. Check up-range, and I dart back across to the relative safety of the shoulder. As I'm making my way back to the car, I inspect the mirror. Glass is intact. Mirror base intact. Mirror shell is intact. Nothing rattles. The pegs that secure the mirror are intact. It's quite literally a-ok, save some scrapes in the plastic shell of the mirror. Somewhere in the 100-200 yards I walked, I managed to step in poop. I do my best to scrape the poop off my shoe on the jersey-barrier (K-wall?). That gets the bulk, but I'm not getting inside my forking 911 with hella poop stuck to my shoe. No way. I take the shoe off and whilst balancing on the other foot, beat the shoe against the top, back edge of the jersey-barrier sending little bits of poo asunder. Thankfully, they went over the wall and not back towards me. This gets four of the remaining five percent of the poo. I magically pull a paper towel from my hoodie pocket like Mary-freakin-Poppins and carefully wipe the shoe to purge what remaining poo I can. I AM STILL BALANCING ON ONE FOOT ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. The poo-towel was folded in on itself and carefully tucked away (not in my pocket) and I got back in the car. The mirror is on the passenger seat with my laptop. I get the car fired up, steering wheel back on, and I'm back doing yoga checking over my left shoulder. (still no mirror) I see an opening and pin it. I got to work with no [additional] drama. I even managed to get to work on time...albeit not by much. I'll borrow a 4mm allen key and get the mirror back on before I leave.

Some takeaways from this morning's events.

1. These 3d printed Pegaroo bases are tougher than I gave them credit for.
2. I didn't tighten them enough as I was afraid I'd break them. This is clearly untrue.
3. You have to be a real...jerk...to poop on the side of the highway. IDC if it was goose poop or dog poop or fox poop or person poop. Stop pooping on the road. Dang.

Here's some pics of the carnage, and lack of carnage.





I can't recall the last time I had a Saturday that felt this much like a Monday.
I hope you all have a less eventful weekend.

[Jonny042]

It's this sort of comedy gold that keeps me coming back! Great update.

[jpnovak]

Mental picture of one foot, scraping poo, holding a mirror. Priceless.

[AG81]

Extremely entertaining........... as the mirror falls off I'm wondering what your thinking?

[chrisbalich]

Jonny & Jamie,
I’m glad I can share some of fun.

Originally Posted by AG81

Extremely entertaining........... as the mirror falls off I'm wondering what your thinking? Is it "what was that" and then check your mirror for a view that isn't there ???

Full disclosure, as soon as it moved, my eyes snapped over to it and I got to watch it roll past my arm and then into what I assumed was oblivion.
The exact thought went along the lines of, “Oh you’ve got to be forking kidding me.”

[Trackrash]

Pelican seriously needs a like button.

Great story.

[ToySnakePMC]

Originally Posted by Trackrash

Pelican seriously needs a like button.

Great story.

And I’ll second your motion for request. I laughed out loud on this post which should be nominated for Pelican Post of the Month. For those old enough, the writings of Peter Egan come to mind. I was worried the mirror was going to be reported MIA. Excited about upcoming roof project that will be reported by Chris like no other one can put into such words.

[MikeD930]

Your mirror survived really well! Thanks for sharing your funny story.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by ToySnakePMC

And I’ll second your motion for request. I laughed out loud on this post which should be nominated for Pelican Post of the Month. For those old enough, the writings of Peter Egan come to mind. I was worried the mirror was going to be reported MIA. Excited about upcoming roof project that will be reported by Chris like no other one can put into such words.

Hopefully the roof is attached better than the mirror!

[LJ851]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

Hopefully the roof is attached better than the mirror!

That’s the truth.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by LJ851

That’s the truth.

That mirror attachment is certainly odd, never really liked it. But Chris, how on earth did it loosen enough to fall right off?!!

If you drilled a small hole in the posts you could maybe add a bit of safety wire from one post, into the door, and back out again to the other post, just enough to hold it and save you from another poopy roadside adventure.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Trackrash

Pelican seriously needs a like button.

Great story.

Originally Posted by MikeD930

Your mirror survived really well! Thanks for sharing your funny story.

Thank you.
I find that actively seeking out the levity in adversity prevents it from crushing me.
The world is hard enough and my car is escape. If this project catches up the difficulties of day-to-day life, I'm doing it wrong.

Originally Posted by ToySnakePMC

And I’ll second your motion for request. I laughed out loud on this post which should be nominated for Pelican Post of the Month. For those old enough, the writings of Peter Egan come to mind. I was worried the mirror was going to be reported MIA. Excited about upcoming roof project that will be reported by Chris like no other one can put into such words.

I took the comparison to Mr. Egan as an outstanding compliment. Thank you.
I am also looking forward (albeit with blood-chilling dread) to the roof replacement.

Originally Posted by Jonny042

Hopefully the roof is attached better than the mirror!

LOL

Originally Posted by Jonny042

That mirror attachment is certainly odd, never really liked it. But Chris, how on earth did it loosen enough to fall right off?!!

If you drilled a small hole in the posts you could maybe add a bit of safety wire from one post, into the door, and back out again to the other post, just enough to hold it and save you from another poopy roadside adventure.

I'll explain how it came to eject itself in today's update. It's really quite silly.
I did (and still do) consider a tether just in case a mirror decides it 'needs a little space' while driving. I'm mostly considering my options for a tether that isn't heavy and won't rust, rattle, or bind while it [hopefully eternally] rests inside the door/mirror. The mirror is light enough that a cotton string will support the weight, but doesn't anchor nicely to the door or mirror. A small braided stainless cable packages and anchors better, but will be more likely to make noise. Need more time to devise a suitable solution.

Proper Monday update coming soon.

[merlinfe]

I hate using zip ties on wiring so I try to use mil-spec aviation wire lace as much as possible. This stuff is really strong and has a few other uses if you use your imagination. Here is an example (no affiliation):


https://skygeek.com/military-specification-a-a-52081-c-5-black-lacing-cord.html

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

That mirror attachment is certainly odd, never really liked it. But Chris, how on earth did it loosen enough to fall right off?!!

If you drilled a small hole in the posts you could maybe add a bit of safety wire from one post, into the door, and back out again to the other post, just enough to hold it and save you from another poopy roadside adventure.

I should clarify, here, that I REALLY LIKE the mirror bases you have and they are a great product.

I don't care for the factory mirror attachment mechanism which they've emulated.

After thinking more about the tether I'm going to say a tiny drill bit, two tiny holes, and 6 or 8 inches of fishing line would be the ticket.

[Showdown]

C’mon Jonny- fishing line!?

Kevlar string or go home

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by Showdown

C’mon Jonny- fishing line!?

Kevlar string or go home

I googled it...... oh wow!!! I had no idea. Or any idea what I'd use it for but I think I may need to order some.

[chrisbalich]

Haloo, Monday!

It finally [properly] rained this weekend...and rained so much yesterday that the river is way up and we're calling insurance today to talk about how wet my basement got. And my yard will undoubtedly shoot up a foot today. All of that aside, the weekend was still reasonably productive.

I worked Saturday. Once I finally broke free I made my way home where I had to immediately change clothes and head to a graduation party for the young lady who lives across the street. After working and socializing, I was glad to finish the day with some light dinner and couch-time with Kelly. I know, the peak of drama. I can't keep E! from beating on my door trying to film a reality series.

SUNDAY
The part you all look forward to the most...when I'm not in an engine-building crisis and posting every 20 hours.
Slept in until after 0800 for the first time in forever. A very rapid shower was had and we made it to breakfast after our self-imposed 0900 cut-off. (The churchies mob all the breakfast places in the area starting at 0900 and I cannot abide people who are rude to restaurant staff. It's best that we get in and out while the world is still quiet. This also serves to avoid open conflict with large groups of people who are dressed up and talking down to their servers.)
I digress.

After breakfast, we were homeward bound. I wandered around the house for a little bit before getting together a game plan and finally changing clothes and heading to the garage.

I still hadn't fully cleared the fog from sleeping in, so opted to start with a simple task...swapping the window winders.
Old URO winder. Note the knob is absent and the drag marks in my black tweed from my knuckles dragging as I lift/lower the window.


Remember when I mentioned I was in a fog?
Yeah, I failed to take a picture of the new winder in situ.
Here's where it gets fun. When I moved over to Kelly's side, I was reminded that the spindle the winder fixes to has no usable threads. I texted Tweet to confirm what I already knew to be true. The whole assembly was destined for the bin. As luck would have it, when I purchased window regs, I bought a pair. I never swapped the offside window lift as it already had the correct regulator. (It had some totally 80s manual-to-power conversion garbage stuck in there so I ripped all that out and stuck a winder on it and VOILA! it worked.) So the other offside reg was hung from a hook in the garage and remained there for years until yesterday.
Some two hours elapsed and this happened.


In this poorly captured image, you can [almost] see the new billet winder from Actungkraft. These winders are crafted in such a way that they move the knob away from the panel so you don't drag your knuckles all over the place. They also feel excellent in the hand.

You'd think I'd move on to my next planned project, but I had visions of my door mirror flying off the car again so I thought it prudent to sort that out. So off came that newly installed window winder, then the upper trim bit, then the panel itself. This was all so I could see inside and confirm what I guessed to be true. The dog (hook?) on the mirror base was not hooking over the doubler plate installed to reinforce the doorskin.
Note the witness mark on the dog/hook/ear in this sorta fuzzy pic.


If you look closely at that last pic, you'll probably also see the crack that I cracked by over-tightening this thing trying to get it to stay on the door for the drive home Saturday. :grumbleemoji:

Here's some more pics of the forkery I managed after the mirror survived a great tumble at 70mph.



Not being one to quit, I decided to fix it. So I drilled a hole in the peg that went all the way to just below the surface of the outermost surface of the base. I did this by feel. Literally held it in my left hand with my thumb over where I expected the bit to break through, and went slowly until I could feel the drill bit. I managed to do this without punching through the surface. I then screwed in a small screw and using that same thumb technology managed to not punch that through either.
Aforementioned screw-reinforced peg/leg


Once reinforced and the doubler plate removed, the mirror is rock solid without the use of a 1/2" impact wrench to tighten it.

I have been in contact with Chern (Pegaroo Racing) and we discussed how the doubler has caused this problem for others. He is sending me a new base, free of charge...from Australia. I am extremely happy with the level of service I've received throughout this purchase. Chern has been great to deal with. I only reached out to share what happened so he wouldn't be blindsided later and possibly update the instructions. I did not ask for a replacement, much less a free replacement. 10/10, do recommend.

You'd think after all those words, and those few miserable pictures that I'm done. Alas, I am not.

Some time ago, I purchased the Ultimate Shift Rod Bushing from the admirable JPNovak. It's been sitting on a shelf in the garage, in plain view, since I received it. To say it's been mocking my laziness might be an overstatement...but not by much. Yesterday, I rectified that.
Get a good look at the new bushing next to the 'old' bushing, because I sure as heck didn't take any more pics. :facepalm:


While I had the shifter out of the car, I [also finally] shortened the shifter. This is 15-18mm cut right off the end. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it's huge. The new shorter height means I no longer mash my phone on the Rennline phone holder when shifting into third. It also means I don't occasionally hit my hand on the wheel shifting in the 1-2 plane. (yes, I have large hands)


That concluded yesterday's activities.
I was wrapping up the shifter when Kelly advised, "Honey, the basement flooded."
"Yours or ours?"
*stern glare* "Ours."
"Well crap. I'm almost done. I'll be down in a minute."

That about brings this tale full-circle.

Here's a glamour shot from this morning showing just how hard my car is to see in certain light. It also illustrates why I so strongly considered Rubystone for the paint color.


~CB

[Glenfield]

Chris, apologies if I missed this but how have you liked/dislikes the move from ITBs to the single throttle setup? I am all over your thread but there’s a small chance that I missed one of your trips to the garage or the keyboard

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

Chris, apologies if I missed this but how have you liked/dislikes the move from ITBs to the single throttle setup? I am all over your thread but there’s a small chance that I missed one of your trips to the garage or the keyboard

I like it a lot. Much easier to tune and live with day-to-day. The only struggle I've had with it is learning to control the IACV. It's not as sweet to look at, and it doesn't make the same sweet induction noise. But I can start it by reaching through the door whether it's hot or cold and that is just awesome.

Originally Posted by merlinfe

I hate using zip ties on wiring so I try to use mil-spec aviation wire lace as much as possible. This stuff is really strong and has a few other uses if you use your imagination. Here is an example (no affiliation):


https://skygeek.com/military-specification-a-a-52081-c-5-black-lacing-cord.html

Oh buddy. IDK what I need that for yet, but I reckon I need some.

Originally Posted by Jonny042

I should clarify, here, that I REALLY LIKE the mirror bases you have and they are a great product.

I don't care for the factory mirror attachment mechanism which they've emulated.

After thinking more about the tether I'm going to say a tiny drill bit, two tiny holes, and 6 or 8 inches of fishing line would be the ticket.

Fishing line is exactly my level of tech. But I think some of this weapons grade shoelace or kevlar string may be in order for this task.

Originally Posted by Showdown

C’mon Jonny- fishing line!?

Kevlar string or go home

You guys are bringing the heat today with these exotic shoe laces.

Originally Posted by Jonny042

I googled it...... oh wow!!! I had no idea. Or any idea what I'd use it for but I think I may need to order some.

Same, my friend. Same.