Cars, Part III

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:06 am

That is much better than the one you brought down to my old place. Was that 2 Jeeps ago? Definitely some metal there to work with!

You know, I still love the design of the Cherokee...the only thing that would make it better (at least in some ways, in my mind) is if it had been body-on-frame, rather than uni-body. But I digress....

At any rate, if I wasn't obsessed with early 80's Chevrolet Blazers in military form (i.e. the M1009 CUCV), I'd be all over the Cherokee. It really balances off-road and on-road performance, capability and driver support. And it just looks good.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:26 am

Yeah, this is by far the best of all the Cherokees in terms of floor, except my second Cherokee, which someone had already welded up...but not well. My new floor pans should arrive early next week, and sometime around Halloween the guy my dad works with who restores Jeeps will weld them in for me: professional-quality work for $100, which I can't beat. I'm working on buying the front driveshaft between now and then - I'm having Tom Woods build a custom shaft for my lift height - and installing the transfer case linkage that's missing. [Figured out why I don't have TC linkage or a front driveshaft: the previous owner uninstalled them to put in upgraded TC linkage, and never put it back together.]

The Jeep Cherokee from pre-1984 was body on frame, and is super-easy to lift a long, long ways, because it's all leaf springs. I've given some serious thought to getting one, although obviously up here they're super-rare, and usually pretty expensive. [And leaf springs suck, but if I cared a whole lot about that, it's not at all impossible to convert them to springs and a four-link front and rear.]

Best of all, their front end slopes inward from the top, like an old BMW. What I'd really like to do to one is install the engine, door handles, antenna, seats, badges, et cetera from an 80s 5-series, change the shape of the rear window to match the 80s BMW wagons [or maybe have a Hoffmeister kink], and install a double kidney in the grill, and then tell BMW purists it's an 80s BMW X5.

Imagine, if BMW had built an SUV back when they still made cars solely for the German market. Mercedes has the G-Wagen, but BMW should have had the X5 back then, instead of now, when they just make cars for fat useless Americans to pose in.

paladin2019 · Post by **paladin2019** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 2:02 pm

UncleJoseph wrote:At any rate, if I wasn't obsessed with early 80's Chevrolet Blazers in military form (i.e. the M1009 CUCV),

As someone who's had to live out of one....

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:17 am

Well, there's something not everyone can honestly say: the floor of my car is in a pair of boxes on my porch.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:38 pm

Cutting the bad metal out with a plasma cutter.

And an air chisel.

Everything removed.

New pan welded in. It's about 90 percent complete now: we have to fabricate a new passenger seat front mount, then clean, caulk, and paint the underside [to fill the gaps between the old and new body panels and protect the fresh metal], and then put the interior back in. Should be slightly better than new.

It's taking a lot of willpower not to install overkill levels of sound-proofing while I've got everything apart, but I probably won't keep this Cherokee forever - I want a car you can remove the roof and doors of - and it'd be a big investment I wouldn't get returned on the back end. But it'd be sweet.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Jan 18, 2015 7:34 pm

Jesus shit. My daughter's been borrowing one of my parents' cars that they don't really need, and during some of our worse weather a few weeks ago, my daughter caught one of the rear wheels in some centerline slush, and it snap-oversteered and put her backward into a ditch. No damage to her, and only minor damage to the car, but as she's taking some college classes now - dual enrollment - she really needed the car fixed now, not whenever we could put together the time and money required to do it ourselves. So my parents coughed up the dough, but they had it done at a couple shops, rather than buying parts and having us install them.

The end result? A $800 repair bill for $330 in parts. I'm never taking my car to a shop again, except for bullshit I don't have the equipment for. They're getting 150% markup on parts, and then still charging us $75+ an hour for labor. I've got to get into the mechanic business!

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:29 pm

So I return to this thread every once and a while...nostalgia of sorts, I suppose. But every time I do, it makes me want to sell my Tundra and get another Audi. I'm getting close to being done with a major need for a truck. On the other hand, it's almost paid off and it is extremely capable. And for a truck, I do enjoy driving it. But I constantly go over to ebay or Auto Trader and cruise the used Audis. I'm really looking forward to not having a car payment for a while. But I'm also really missing the driving experience I had with my A6. I've found a few S6 examples that are "affordable" and in great shape/low miles. It would be financially stupid for me to buy another car when my truck is paid off (or even trade in my truck on a different car), but good god these newer Audis are awesome. I don't know if I have enough self control...

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 4:10 pm

We went ahead and pulled the trigger on an Audi for our family's stable. The much-beloved 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix my daughter had been driving was starting to ride a little strangely, and on inspection of the rear suspension - which mechanics had been in just weeks earlier, so thanks for not looking, dicks - I discovered the rear strut tower was rusting out, such that more than half the metal holding the rear wheels to the car was simply gone. [Welcome to Michigan, asshole!] We could, yes, cut out the towers and weld in new ones from a southern W-body, but...it's 15-year-old car with 254,000 miles, and while the powertrain is awesome still, and the HUD is a feature you can't get in our price range, it was time to make a change.

So my daughter found a 1997 Audi A4 quattro, with comparatively few miles [I can't remember how many just now], in good condition but with some minor body damage and a few minor repairs, for $1200. It'll need a new power steering pump, because it basically just has manual steering at the moment, but other than that, it's mechanically 100 percent. Someone backed into the previous owner, so the hood and front bumper cover took some damage, which the previous owner repaired with, like, house paint and drywall screws, so we'll want to undo all of that, but that's all cosmetic, not functional, and the rest of the car looks fucking amazing. [Arctic White FTW.]

The one problem we have: it's sloooooow. The 2000 Grand Prix GT had 195HP, weighed 3,396 lb, and had an automatic shift kit. The 1997 Audi A4 2.8 quattro has 172HP, weighs 3384 lb, and has a quattro system with more mechanical drag than the Grand Prix's dumb-simple FWD setup. The difference on paper isn't huge, but the difference on the ground is...notable. My daughter having learned to drive with her father, this is a real problem, and the 2.8 engine in the 1997 is basically unmodifiable: the ECU is not replaceable.

So for now, we're living with it, and she loves it, but the acceleration is just pathetic. I suspect we'll upgrade her to a different quattro with a different engine in the next year or two.

For my part, I'm still in the Cherokee, which has a number of exciting improvements and failures. The top hinge on the driver door, for example, has recently rusted out [Welcome to Michigan, asshole!], so I'm in the process of gathering the tools I'll need to cut the door off and build a new hinge. A trip to Uncle Joseph's house may be in order, since his tools outdo mine in some critical areas. But other than that, this being a southern Cherokee, there's almost no rust, and this thing fucking hauls. It's just terrifying to stomp on the accelerator in something like this, and just teleport, very very loudly, to wherever you were vaguely pointed.

I hope to finish restoring the Cherokee by fall, so I can sell it to some lucky son of a bitch, and go back to a car with no roof and doors for the winter, because being inside while you drive is for pussies. [Conversely, motorcycle riders would likely say being on four wheels while you're driving outside is for pussies, but I don't see them out all winter, so fuck off, tough guys.]

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:24 pm

Good god damn. I am really just extremely rough on audio equipment. Almost burned an amp for the fifth time. [I've killed two home amps now, blew a car amp, and nearly burned the Cherokee to the ground with my subwoofer amp; two of those were with the same song (Chemical Brothers - Piku).] A week or so ago, I got a strong burning smell in the car while playing El-P - Stay Down, and since that smell almost always means I've done something bass-oriented and stupid, I shut down the stereo to kill the remote amp lead to the subwoofers. Pulled everything apart, and the power cable was melted into the amp. The end of the cable is grey, powdery, fragile. Yes, my subwoofers turn metal into dust.

So yesterday, I pulled the entire system apart. I knew the problem had to be electrical, because it only happened under maximum stress, and wasn't temperature dependent. My power cable is of a size I can only describe as "overkill," and the amp itself grounds on a 0-gauge cable directly to the chassis, with one of these terminals, with the paint ground off to bare metal, so the amp wiring itself was unlikely to be the problem, but these kinds of thermal breakdowns typically only occur when there's a grounding problem. I backtracked to the battery, and sure enough, a previous owner had cut and replaced the ground strap, but had done so pretty badly. While the ground to engine was good, the ground to chassis was definitely weak.

So. I put another giant db Link ground terminal on the negative post of the battery, ground down to paint inside the engine bay, built a new 0-gauge ground strap, ground down the insides of the amp positive terminal to clean up all the melted insulation and corrosion, replaced the power cable, and generally refreshed all the everything. I'm getting much stronger response now, no heat on full power, and as an added bonus, my relay-modified headlights are stronger, as well (since I grounded them directly to chassis, too).

Seems like a lot of work for 80hz worth of frequencies, but when you've got Bassnectar at 45 on the head unit, the result is most definitely worth nearly setting the Jeep on fire. Again.

I'm going to take some interior pictures today, too, if I think about it, so I can show how the restoration is progressing. I'm a little worried I'm going to get too attached to its interim state and not want to put it all back together again.

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:52 pm

So you figured out those weird headlights then, eh?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:45 pm

I did! It took some work, but one day I had the front end out for something else - replacing the radiator, I guess - and it seemed stupid to waste the opportunity. It was dead simple to install, and it looks very tidy, and is grounded and powered pretty well. Unfortunately, the cheap-ass relays they give you with the kit ain't up to the task, so now when I turn on the high beams, the whole system shuts down and I have no headlights at all, unless I keep holding back on the high-beam switch, or turn the system off, wait, and then back on. Unsafe. So I've found the proper relays, and once I get those and replace the ones in the kit, I'll be golden.

Definitely a mod worth doing, on older cars without relay-driven headlights, but I wish I'd just built my own from the start. Finally borrowed a soldering gun so I can start doing this shit right.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:05 pm

Speaking of wiring, I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to wire my Harbor Freight inverter permanently in the truck. Of course, I know how to wire something to the battery, but the design of the inverter just confounds me. It is a 2000-Watt inverter with overload/short circuit protection. Tons of power for an inverter. But the inputs for the inverter have recessed screw terminals that would be more appropriate for an 18-gauge wire with a crimp-on spade terminal. Looks like it was designed for speaker wire! I have a 2-gauge power lead kit with ring terminals attached, but there is literally no way to connect those to the thumscrew terminals. The thumbscrews aren't long enough (or of sufficient diameter) for the thick ring terminals, and the way they're recessed into the plastic means they'd not make contact anyway. I have no idea who designed this dumbass thing, but I have to modify the inputs at the housing, use much longer screws and sleeve them so the large ring terminals will be in contact. Honestly, I'm worried that at full load, whatever components they used for the input terminals are horribly insufficient. I guess we'll see.

Too late to return it...bought it a year ago with a 2-year extended warranty. Even the manual says to use 5 or 7 gauge wire (does anyone make odd gauge wire?) depending on the application. But even with the smaller wire, they'd be way oversized with terminals to use on the inputs for this thing. I should have purchased a real inverter instead of this knock-off of a smaller one.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 6:20 pm

Assuming I'm looking at the right model, those do seem to be big-ass blocks of metal coming out of the inverter, which can be removed from the body with a couple philips screws, so maybe it can be as simple as pulling the blocks out and welding your own connector points onto them.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:38 pm

3278 wrote:Assuming I'm looking at the right model, those do seem to be big-ass blocks of metal coming out of the inverter, which can be removed from the body with a couple philips screws, so maybe it can be as simple as pulling the blocks out and welding your own connector points onto them.

I think I'll try cutting down the plastic shoulders on the terminal blocks with a dremel. At least that will leave the blocks exposed to whatever ring terminals I end up using. Frankly, though, this is probably the cheater method. The tumbscrews only seat maybe 1/4" with no terminals connected. Putting those large terminals on there may require finding new screws and/or welding/soldering.

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:09 pm

I think I'm done with car repair for a while. I replaced the oil in my nissan, and the engine blew up. I give up.

I do need to buy an engine for it now.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:57 am

Not that it really matters now, but did you do something wrong changing the oil?

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 6:08 pm

UncleJoseph wrote:Not that it really matters now, but did you do something wrong changing the oil?

Hell, I don't know Joe. I put a quart of Lucas in, which my uncle swore was suppoused to be good for it, and then 4 quarts of my regular penzoil high mileage in. And... well, it wasn't good.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Wed Oct 07, 2015 6:37 pm

Bonefish wrote: Hell, I don't know Joe. I put a quart of Lucas in, which my uncle swore was suppoused to be good for it, and then 4 quarts of my regular penzoil high mileage in. And... well, it wasn't good.

Seems odd that a bottle of Lucas would cause that withouth some additional underlying problems. I've personally never had any good luck with oil addidtives (fuel additives are a different story), but I've also never had an engine stop working because of an oil additive or bad oil change. My dad swears by MotorKote, I once used Slick 50 (never again), and there's a million other ones out there. I'll never use an oil additive again. Slick 50 made my car start harder (like, a lot harder). My cousin seized one of his engines by failing to put the drain plug back in (all the oil leaked out before he started it back up), but I doubt you did that here...would've been more evidence. I've also never been a fan of Penzoil, but I'm fairly certain that most modern oils are just fine. I try not to mix and match...Valvoline has served me well forever. But now I'm getting Quaker State at the under-car shop (they used to be a Valvoline Instant Oil Change, but are now owned by a local family). Prior to that, it's whatever the Toyota dealership put in my tundra. I only used Mobil 1 full synthetic in my Audi. But prior to any of those it was Valvoline all the way. Still, Penzoil should not have been even remotely related to your problem. Did you put a new filter in?

When you say "engine blew up," what specifically happened from start up until it quit?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:36 pm

Yeah, I don't do any additives, and that's on my 350,000+ mile vehicles. We use Mobil 1 in my daughter's Audi, and I use Valvoline MaxLife (just the blend in my Jeeps, but full synthetic in my old BMW). Fram Tough Guard oil filters for the Jeeps, and Mann filters for the Audi.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:37 pm

But I can't imagine the additive being Bone's problem, either. Loose drain plug?

Bonefish · Post by **Bonefish** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 5:36 pm

the whole complicated.

Basically, I think I had a short in my electrical system, causing my radiator fans to not kick into high speed. I was sicker than hell that day, so I was taking a nap in the passenger side front seat while a co worker was driving. Well, short story is that he didn't see the temperature going cray, and we over heated, the car shut off.

Then, my boss left me on the side of the road in Texas and went on to alabama. I was supposed to wait for the car to cool down(it's sitting in a field on a hundred degree texas day, when do ya think that would be), while I was sick and delirious.

I ended up driving it back to his house(about a 30 minute drive , normally). Over heated multiple times.

The local shade tree mechanics al lsort of agree it's the "lifters" whatever the hell those are. But, yeah, bad bidness.

Also, seems the oil pump doesn't work anymore.

I don't know, I haven't been able to pay on it lately, so the sales place is probably going to repossess it or something. Fuck texas.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Wed Oct 21, 2015 1:12 am

Oh, yeah, that'll do it. Probably not worth trying to swap a new engine into, either, I would guess, depending on how much the car's worth. Academic, really: if you can't pay the payments, you sure as hell can't pay for the repair.

There's a guy here at work that blew the engine on his Subaru Impreza - he didn't blow it, per se; it was probably bad before he bought it - and has had it rotting in his garage for a year while he drives shit cars and saves up for a new engine. Sucks.

3278 wrote:Unfortunately, the cheap-ass relays they give you with the kit ain't up to the task, so now when I turn on the high beams, the whole system shuts down and I have no headlights at all, unless I keep holding back on the high-beam switch, or turn the system off, wait, and then back on. Unsafe. So I've found the proper relays, and once I get those and replace the ones in the kit, I'll be golden.

This has gotten more exciting still. Now the headlights - high beams, low beams, either way - just spontaneously turn off. Sometimes they'll turn right back on if you turn the headlights off then on again, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes it's 10 or 20 seconds before you can get them to kick back on again.

So I bought a replacement for one of the relays, except the harness uses some janky weird relay style that isn't a standard Bosch, so I either have to shell out another 20 bucks on a pack of these weird relays, or rebuild the harness completely and use standard relays, which means shelling out 40 bucks in electrical tools and supplies.

Other shit I have to do:

Tap/chase the threads in my front diff yoke so I can install the front driveshaft
Rebuild and install the linkage that lets me turn 4x4 on
Finish cutting the doors off, because I haven't been able to use my driver door for several months, and I'm getting a little tired of getting out of the passenger door (though it's much easier if you just remove the passenger seat, which is also nice for rear legroom, I'm told).
Reinstall driver-side front fender [removed to cut door off]
Reinstall driver-side front turn signal [shook off while driving, 'cause it wasn't screwed into the fender, 'cause the fender done run off]
Install a new blower fan for the heater, because last winter not having one sometimes turned out to be super-dangerous; I don't have a problem with not having heat, because I don't have doors, but not having defrosters is a real problem

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Thu Oct 22, 2015 2:37 pm

3278 wrote:Other shit I have to do:
Tap/chase the threads in my front diff yoke so I can install the front driveshaft

Rebuild and install the linkage that lets me turn 4x4 on

Finish cutting the doors off, because I haven't been able to use my driver door for several months, and I'm getting a little tired of getting out of the passenger door (though it's much easier if you just remove the passenger seat, which is also nice for rear legroom, I'm told).

Reinstall driver-side front fender [removed to cut door off]

Reinstall driver-side front turn signal [shook off while driving, 'cause it wasn't screwed into the fender, 'cause the fender done run off]

Install a new blower fan for the heater, because last winter not having one sometimes turned out to be super-dangerous; I don't have a problem with not having heat, because I don't have doors, but not having defrosters is a real problem

If we just had a few more tools, a lift, a good garage/pole barn at our ready disposal, we could have all of this done in a day. I hate how we always end up spreading simple (or not-so-simple) repairs over several months!

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:59 pm

Bought all the supplies to rewire the headlight relays with high-quality automotive relays, including probably the next two or three years of soldering supplies, and a nice new temperature-controlled soldering iron and brass sponge and stand. Also bought the new blower motor.

Still need to buy a new Dremel flex shaft, and the bits and pieces I need for the TC linkage (which I'll probably purchase locally). Should have all the other parts and tools I need to finish this baby off for the winter.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:43 am

3278 wrote:So I bought a replacement for one of the relays, except the harness uses some janky weird relay style that isn't a standard Bosch, so I either have to shell out another 20 bucks on a pack of these weird relays, or rebuild the harness completely and use standard relays, which means shelling out 40 bucks in electrical tools and supplies.

Rewired the relay today. Took apart the old harness, and inside it is the connectors I need to wire to the Bosch-style relay. Just figured out which pins were which and plugged. Tomorrow, my heat shrink gets here, and I'll cover each connection individually, and then maybe paint it with liquid electrical tape to really weather-seal it.

3278 wrote:• Tap/chase the threads in my front diff yoke so I can install the front driveshaft

Bought new studs and straps for the front diff yoke u-joint, so that once we chase it, we have something to put in it.

3278 wrote:• Rebuild and install the linkage that lets me turn 4x4 on

Made a list of all the parts I'll need, which I'll pick up at lunch tomorrow. Installation will probably wait until I'm at Joseph's doing the front diff yoke.

3278 wrote:• Install a new blower fan for the heater, because last winter not having one sometimes turned out to be super-dangerous; I don't have a problem with not having heat, because I don't have doors, but not having defrosters is a real problem

New motor has arrived, but there's no sense building the new connector until my heat-shrink arrives tomorrow. I'll pull the old fan, bring it inside, and solder everything right on the bench, instead of under the hood. The benefits of having no mom in our house; our living room is our workshop. [And our front room. And our bedrooms. And our library. Sometimes our kitchen, too.]

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:44 pm

3278 wrote:Rewired the relay today. Took apart the old harness, and inside it is the connectors I need to wire to the Bosch-style relay. Just figured out which pins were which and plugged. Tomorrow, my heat shrink gets here, and I'll cover each connection individually, and then maybe paint it with liquid electrical tape to really weather-seal it.

Were you able to check the circuit and see how it performs in contrast to the faulty circuit?

3278 wrote:Bought new studs and straps for the front diff yoke u-joint, so that once we chase it, we have something to put in it.

Do you know the specific thread size? I have taps/dies, but want to make sure we have the correct size.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:16 pm

UncleJoseph wrote:Were you able to check the circuit and see how it performs in contrast to the faulty circuit?

Other than to double-check that it turns the lights on, no.

UncleJoseph wrote:Do you know the specific thread size? I have taps/dies, but want to make sure we have the correct size.

The bolt is a Spicer 231401, so it should be 1/4"-28. I haven't checked my taps yet, but I suspect yours are of much higher quality, anyway. [Mine were an impulse purchase at a discount tool store.

]

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:18 pm

3278 wrote: The bolt is a Spicer 231401, so it should be 1/4"-28. I haven't checked my taps yet, but I suspect yours are of much higher quality, anyway. [Mine were an impulse purchase at a discount tool store. ]

We probably have the same kind then!

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:41 pm

Fucking heat shrink won't arrive until Friday, but other than that, I now have all the parts to fix:
1. Headlights
2. Transfer case linkage
3. Front driveshaft
4. Turn signal
5. Heater fan
6. Fender

Not bad. That's everything but fixing the driver door, which is way less important. Should be 80 percent done this weekend, with the remaining 20 percent waiting until Joseph and I are in the same place at the same time. This should be a much easier winter than last year.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 7:43 pm

I've installed the relays for the high and low beams, and shrink-wrapped the connections to hopefully make them a little more weatherproof. I installed a new heater blower, but that's not the only problem with that system: much like the headlights, as the system ages and resistances increase, switches are damaged by the heat. A previous owner appears to have replaced a few parts, but the fan speed switch needs replaced badly. I've hotwired it so I can have a working fan, but to properly fix it, I'll need a 4-position slider switch, OE or something I modify. [edit: The proper fix would be to install a relay system just like the headlights, but it'd require four relays, and it all seems like too much complexity. If I have trouble again, I'll build a whole new electrical system and manually control the fan.]

But! I now have headlights and heat, so that's serious progress.

Just realized we don't just need to chase the threads on the front yoke: there's a stud broken off in there, which we'll need to get out first. If we can't, I'll just take it to a shop and have them drill it out and tap all four sets of threads, so the driveshaft installation will go smoothly.

sinsual · Post by **sinsual** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:38 pm

IF you can work with the yoke separate from the unit, set it in a deep pool of PB Blaster (rather than WD-40) overnight. Tap the yoke with a hammer periodically. Note I said tap, not play whack a mole. You're after a vibration that will help the PB Blaster to wick up the threads of the broken bolt.

Once you're ready to back the bolt out, if the yoke will allow it, start from the backside, using a sharp drill bit, start drilling the bolt on a slow speed. What you're hoping for is the bit to bite into the metal of the bolt and turn it while you're drilling. Since left handed drill bits are hard to find nowadays, being able to drill from the backside lets you use a standard right hand bit. Heating up the yoke before you start with a torch can also help. Since your drilling through the bolt, start with a small bit, then go up to the next size and keep going until you can fit an ez-out in place.

But I am sure you already knew all this and I am preaching to the choir.

Edited to Add:
Due to circumstances, we ended up with a '74 VW Superbeetle that was initially diagnosed with a clutch problem. I was smarter than that and suggested it was more than a clutch problem, that it needed a transmission too. The tech said officially, it needed a new clutch and a crankshaft main seal. Again, I was sceptical, the burnt oil didn't smell right to me and the tech kept insisting it was the contamination from the clutch disk material.

Official diagnosis once the engine was actually removed?
Bad transmission. Prior rebuild was done with ATF and not 80w gear lube. The lighter weight of the ATF compromised the input shaft main seal. Result, burnt synchros from too light a lube in the Arizona summer heat, failure of the input shaft main seal allowing ATF to leak onto the clutch disk. The transmission was not just rebuilt, but, they went through the hassle of upgrading to the transmission from the VW Bus, and then threw the whole thing away by cheaping out and using ATF.
Due to circumstances, I have to get a new pressure plate, as the one that was originally ordered does not actually work with this transmission. Since the error on the part order is technically mine, they will exchange it, but I have to pay return shipping...which is about the same price as the replacement. I already replaced the compromised input shaft seal, and installed a new throw out bearing.

This is going to end up being a "turn and burn" project. Obviously, as a '74, it needs more than just what is listed above. The brakes could use a rebuild, though they are not leaking, they have that very mushy factory Bug factor to them. Wife doesn't want me to put the money into it. Even though the motor is awesome (140psi +/- 5psi compression between the cylinders) there was a carb rebuild kit and a fresh fuel pump spare already in the car, both of which were quickly employed. Once it had fuel, the motor fired immediately, warmed up smoothly and idled smoothly. The body has minor dings and the paint is truly sun faded. It IS the original paint, but sadly, it is so badly oxidized, that you get down to the primer in no time just using rubbing compound by hand. There is a very little amount of surface rust in a couple of spots. Interior is all original, in poor condition. Not ripped or torn so much as just well sat in. I would love to keep it.

The 'Market' would probably pay between $4K and $5K for the car as is, I think putting about $1500 into it (Brakes, Maaco Paint where we do the prep, new upholstery covering) the car could easily jump to the $8500-10K range.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 1:11 am

That's a great project, Sin. Could be pretty lucrative. My dad wants to sell his '75 Beetle, but the heat exchangers are bad...tough sell up here in Michigan. Plus he swears up and down it's carbureted, but I think it's fuel injected. I can't find any heat exchangers for carbureted 75's. Other than the heat problems, 32 and I fixed just about everything else. Though, we still need to replace all the fuel breather hoses in the trunk. It's in great shape otherwise. My dad thinks it'll bring $4500...but if I can fix the heater, I think it'll bring a lot more.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:19 pm

sinsual wrote:IF you can work with the yoke separate from the unit...

My hope, if I can pull the yoke, is to totally replace it, but I've got to get an air impact [easy], a 1-1/4 inch socket, and a torque wrench good to 200 ft/lbs. But that's what I'd really like to do, as it would eliminate the problem and give me a chance to service the pinion seal.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:01 pm

Did it again. Just looking at the part from a physics perspective, I don't understand how this has happened. This will be the second double cardan joint I've replaced in a few years; I've replaced the rear pinion u-joint three times. So after I've gotten this double cardan repaired and the Jeep driveable, it's going to the shop so maybe the pros can figure out what's wrong with my driveline.

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:20 am

Maybe stop driving at 45 m.p.h. through the thickest, roughest territory you can find?

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:16 pm

45 mph...don't kid yourself. He's doing it at 60.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:51 pm

Now that I think about it, I skipped the part of the story where I sheared off all three passenger-side engine mount bolts, power-sliding into my driveway one night. Without realizing it. And then drove it like that for another couple weeks, 70+ on the expressway everyday, with half the engine resting on the distributor mount.

Lots of people asked me if that would change the way I drove. None of them were surprised to learn it wouldn't.

Bought the u-bolts and drill bits I'll need to convert the front pinion yoke, so I can install the front driveshaft again finally. Had Tom Woods build me a new custom rear driveshaft to match the front one they made me, which will arrive Tuesday; I'll install it Tuesday night at 1900 or so, and need to drive it to work at 0730 on Wednesday. It's just eight bolts, though: it'll kind of either work, or not.

Joseph and I will be putting in shims on the rear axle in a few weeks, so hopefully this will be the fix for all the driveline vibration problems, for good. If not...well, maybe a new transfer case? I have no problem just replacing one piece at a time until it's all brand new and built to my specs.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:25 am

Driveshaft in, no problems. Seems a little short - like, a quarter inch - compared to the old one, but Tom Woods doesn't make mistakes, and my measurements were pretty solid, so I'm reasonably confident. Brief test drive went fine, except the transfer case wanted to be between gears; definitely need to double-check the transfer case linkage, but I've returned it to its 2WD position, and all seems well for now. I've got to put 120 miles on tomorrow, so I should know if it's worked or not.

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:35 am

So.....did it work?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:52 am

1500 miles on the new shaft so far, and no problems. Still would like to shim the rear axle, but that takes time and money.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:17 pm

Hell, yes.

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:02 pm

You shooting an independent remake of Mad Max?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 5:10 pm

It's probably not surprising how much time I spend driving the Jeep in the wilderness, imagining I'm one of the last humans on Earth.

If Mad Max is what happens in Australia, what's the Canadian version? Polite Pete: Within the Timberline?

Bishop · Post by **Bishop** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:53 pm

"Mad Max: Dat fish dere done ate my worm eh."

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:13 pm

How much Jeep is too little Jeep?

Next step: remove hatch; remove rear side windows; install roll cage; remove roof.

Still debating whether or not to re-install the front fenders; it looks pretentious, produces a lot more spray in wet conditions, and doesn't allow me to install my side markers. You'd think that would pretty well end any debate, but...I sure do like having them off.

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:47 pm

I'd put the fender back on, but that's just me. And I'd finish the door mods ASAP so you at least have the option of throwing to doors on if you ever need to, not that you ever will after this. We still have to deal with that driveshaft yoke too...

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sat Jul 09, 2016 6:34 pm

Yeah, I'm torn between doing it right and just throwing the doors back on with bolts and dealing with it later, since I've only got three weeks, and the entire house needs packed up. I may just get them on there, no shims or anything, just enough to be doors, and then deal with it once I get up there. What I really need is a shop day down here, but you're booked up every weekend, I think, except for the ones I'm booked up on. Just not enough time for two people to do all the things we have to do in three weeks!

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 3:18 pm

If you end up staying in the lower peninsula a bit longer, we can squeeze in a shop day any time after August 1.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:04 pm

Now on my eighth year with the latest Cherokee. Six years since I had the doors on.

Two years since this happened.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:16 pm

DV8 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:18 am It seems like after the first four years of your car's technical lifespan have come and gone they seem to just become this massive money sink.

And this bullshit hot take has only gotten more hilarious with age.

Cars, Part III

Re:

Re: