snailmale
Member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2018
- Location
- SiO2 Mound
After years of being "the car guy" I decided to dive head first into the world of project cars. My cousin had an 850 when I was just a wee lad and my neighbor a 240DL 5MT so it was only a matter of time before I did a dumb thing like buy a scruffy <$2000 245 turbo older than myself and throw money (and parts!) at it. Did I also mention my father's brief foray into 140-series ownership? He hated it, so we can add rebelling against the parents to the list.
I work as a mechanical engineer and I don't quite have a project to hang my hat on. Just a lot of conceptual "well the CAD software said it works..." so I wanted a rolling portfolio of sorts, bonus points if it makes BOOST.
My goal is to have a rego'd running & driving car for weekend hiking trips and jaunts up along the Eastern Sierras since I am not ready to off-road my 2016 Miata nor can it haul a bike. I thought about doing a Jon Olsson-style roofbox, but that was already $1000 in bits & bobs and I didn't want to explain the inevitable accident to my insurance company (or the internet).
Also, Radwood in December and Rallycross school in February. Of course, this is all contingent on a few things I'll get into.
I hope this thread will exist as a way for me to get feedback, advice I can't be arsed to google because waiting ten seconds is too hard, and cry when things aren't working out.
Good:
Bad:
Questions/Notes/Observations
1.) I just started researching the cold start issue. Warm starts are a-OK.
2.) The rust issue: how much is too much? I have been spoiled by California where my ten-year-old Camry's fasteners came on & off with zero fuss except for that drain plug that received 10 ooga-boogas from a mechanic. I looked head-to-toe on a lift and there was no other rust than on the rear floor boards. Non-sunroof car.
3.) Can I just register it as PNO right off the bat if it doesn't pass the smog test? I figured that had to be an option since people buy project cars in California and do god-knows-what to them. I mostly just want to tinker with it on the weekends. This car smells cleaner than my old Acura Integra, a car that still passed its smog test so I'm not super concerned, especially since it looks like the previous owner just kept sending it to a shop. The state will scrap it for $1500 so I wouldn't be out much, but this is the last resort. I want this car to terrorize Highway 14 and SoCal until the literal heat death of the universe.
4.) I need to remember to let the oil cool off before killing the engine. I did a long highway drive at medium speed, drove gently for about two blocks, and shut it off with 30 seconds idle.
5.) Should I disconnect the two hard lines in front of the oil filter during an oil change? It was harder to take that off than it was to remove the drain plug. I think they got jostled a bit so they leak a little, but the oil was black, so it could have been splash back from the oil filter popping off.
6.) The front pads are toast! The MC still works as it should, firming up with the engine off and holding firm. But it takes something like twenty thousand miles for it to come to a complete stop. I had to time my escape from LA so I hit zero traffic on 405 and I-5.
7.) This is the first "project" car I have really attempted now that I am not a broke student, so there's a bit of a mental leap to make. I need to understand that, despite what the TV says I don't have to make it car show ready in three days - but I do have to pay for the parts that go on it, so there's that to consider. This project will have been "successful" if I can keep it running for another two years.
See the next post for the next mis-adventure!
I work as a mechanical engineer and I don't quite have a project to hang my hat on. Just a lot of conceptual "well the CAD software said it works..." so I wanted a rolling portfolio of sorts, bonus points if it makes BOOST.
- 1983
- Turbo motor
- 4MT + OD
- Black? vinyl interior
- Virgos all around
My goal is to have a rego'd running & driving car for weekend hiking trips and jaunts up along the Eastern Sierras since I am not ready to off-road my 2016 Miata nor can it haul a bike. I thought about doing a Jon Olsson-style roofbox, but that was already $1000 in bits & bobs and I didn't want to explain the inevitable accident to my insurance company (or the internet).
Also, Radwood in December and Rallycross school in February. Of course, this is all contingent on a few things I'll get into.
I hope this thread will exist as a way for me to get feedback, advice I can't be arsed to google because waiting ten seconds is too hard, and cry when things aren't working out.
Good:
- Panels are straight and gaps even.
- Power windows work, albeit slowly.
- Free surfboard rack!
- It makes boost and runs smooth.
- OD works, if harsh in engagement
- I got a nice chunk of the service history even if it stops off at 2005.
- It still wears current tags and passed smog under the last mechanic, who put on a new cat.
Bad:
- There is a chance this car won't pass smog. Previous owner made this clear to me and said he left it up to his mechanic at the former Zen Volvo to tune it.
- The interior and a lot of seals are tired. Previous owner did some light touchup work using fiberglass and it looks pretty good.
- It likes to stall during cold starts and you have to give it a bootful to keep it running.
- There's a pretty sizable hole in the right rear floorboard. Since this isn't a trophy-level car, I figured I would either see how much it would cost to get it patched up OR just use the ol' patch & rivets method. No rust elsewhere structural, it's pretty solid along the rockers.
- Clutch pedal has a hair too much travel before engagement for my liking, though it isn't slipping.
- Speedo cable is binding (stutters) and the boost pressure gauge & volt meter get a little excited.
Questions/Notes/Observations
1.) I just started researching the cold start issue. Warm starts are a-OK.
2.) The rust issue: how much is too much? I have been spoiled by California where my ten-year-old Camry's fasteners came on & off with zero fuss except for that drain plug that received 10 ooga-boogas from a mechanic. I looked head-to-toe on a lift and there was no other rust than on the rear floor boards. Non-sunroof car.
3.) Can I just register it as PNO right off the bat if it doesn't pass the smog test? I figured that had to be an option since people buy project cars in California and do god-knows-what to them. I mostly just want to tinker with it on the weekends. This car smells cleaner than my old Acura Integra, a car that still passed its smog test so I'm not super concerned, especially since it looks like the previous owner just kept sending it to a shop. The state will scrap it for $1500 so I wouldn't be out much, but this is the last resort. I want this car to terrorize Highway 14 and SoCal until the literal heat death of the universe.
4.) I need to remember to let the oil cool off before killing the engine. I did a long highway drive at medium speed, drove gently for about two blocks, and shut it off with 30 seconds idle.
5.) Should I disconnect the two hard lines in front of the oil filter during an oil change? It was harder to take that off than it was to remove the drain plug. I think they got jostled a bit so they leak a little, but the oil was black, so it could have been splash back from the oil filter popping off.
6.) The front pads are toast! The MC still works as it should, firming up with the engine off and holding firm. But it takes something like twenty thousand miles for it to come to a complete stop. I had to time my escape from LA so I hit zero traffic on 405 and I-5.
7.) This is the first "project" car I have really attempted now that I am not a broke student, so there's a bit of a mental leap to make. I need to understand that, despite what the TV says I don't have to make it car show ready in three days - but I do have to pay for the parts that go on it, so there's that to consider. This project will have been "successful" if I can keep it running for another two years.
See the next post for the next mis-adventure!
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