24v 3.0 Duster progress log

[Shadow24]

i was using advance auto "new" axles for breaks 2 & 3. I am now back to oem saginaws from the j-yard so i hope not to break any more. We'll see weds for sure.

The "new" axles kept breaking in the same spot too... right before the outer CV joint on both sides. The 2nd drivers side axle looks comprable to a saginaw but the first one had a smaller axle shaft.

The passenger side axle was a solid axle and smaller than the oem saginaw. I think that the newest drivers side MIGHT be up to par and thats what put the load on the right side causing it to snap. (not that id trust eather "new" axle any more lol)

[Shadow24]

Well, i survived mechanically last night. 3 passes with no major breaks. Although the snapping of 3 axles has murdered the preload in the OBX (i can spin one side with the other on the ground) that was starting to go anyways. I only got 10 points though as i supposedly redlit by not moving on the line waiting for my tree to count down (14.5 vs a 18.3, almost a 4 second wait...) At least the points leaders all got knocked out in round 2. Sadly im in 9th at the moment with 81 points and the leader is at 173, so i have 6 more races to catch up.

Hopefully next weekend i can rip the OBX out and re-fresh the preload on it as its not too fun with random pulling right or left on part throttle.

I'll also be on the lookout for getting another 3.0 saginaw drivers side axle so i have a complete spare set...just in case.

with the over 90* temps, i managed a 14.569 on my first pass spinning a bit, a 14.697 on the 2nd pass and the 3rd one was bogus (15.844 with a 3+ second 60') due to the staging system issue...they didn't re-run my round as "they didn't find anything wrong with the system" but at least one of the "big dawg" racers had the same issue i did. At least i'll be able to get in free next week...

[Shadow24]

Well, did OK at the races on weds...got eliminated by .0098 of a second in the 2nd round. Pedaled when i should have run it out *shrug* oh well. Im still 9th in points but positions 3-9 are all separated by a max of 33 points and with 5 more races... anything is possible.

Also set a new PR by a couple hundreths and also broke into the 1.9s for 60'. Ill post vids when i get a chance.


RT________60'_____1/8 ET____1/8 mph____1000'____1/4 ET___1/4 mph
0.058_____2.005____9.124 ____74.93______11.933____14.308___94.75

0.072_____2.031____9.133____75.15______11.939____1 4.313___94.80

0.078_____1.994____9.109____75.48______11.928____1 4.413___88.13 (Round 1, dialed 14.35 )

0.116_____2.084____9.327____74.08______12.161____1 4.559___87.93 (Round 2, pedaled and lost by .0098)

0.056_____2.062____9.228____75.57______12.047____1 4.422___95.49

[Vigo]

Woo 1.9 60! I envy you that!

[Shadow24]

lol, only by .006 sec Im still working on balancing tire pressure and burnout time to get a good grip on the launch at 6000rpm.

I have to pull my OBX and fix the preload as i think im losing a little on the launch when it tries to torque-steer on me.

I found a link to Josh's 14.2 shadow's cardomain page over on TD...i thought his car and motor was more stock than that...i guess I'm doing pretty well for a full interior stock 24v motor car. Not sure if I'll match or break 14.2 N/A though...might need to work on the tune and the launch a bit more. Wish i could afford a good dyno tuning session to hash out the top end power more.

[Shadow24]

Well, sad news today...Lucy is dying faster lately. The cancer that started back in CT is finally starting to have a noticeable detrimental effect.

The windshield has shifted and started leaking on the upper left corner and while the fender heights are identical, the left frame is 1/2" lower. There is also worsening rust and now a hole in the drivers floorboard near the ebrake exit.

I fear the cancer has drained too much away rom Lucy for her to continue much longer. I believe she'll survive the winter and maybe a few months past that before she fades into a crumbling shadow of her former self... with only a 14.308 @94.75 as a memory.


So...anyone have a P-body that is in decent rust free-ish shape? its transplant time!

[Vigo]

Are you really set on doing another Pbody?

[Shadow24]

Probably, but not 100%... the 2 body styles i like the most are the P-body and the last gen daytonas.

Only thing with the daytonas is IIRC they are a couple hundred pounds heavier than the P-bodies. but i may be able to live with that plus it would look similar to my wife's RX-7.

[Vigo]

There were some trim levels of the 2g daytonas that were only like 2800 lbs.. but that is still at least 1-200 lbs heavier than the lightest stock pbody.

[Shadow24]

Ok, i know its been almost a year since i updated this thread....BUT the car is back under the knife.


In summary, I had a PR of a 14.3XX at ~94mph with the old car (3000lbs w/ driver) and averaged high 20s to 30mpg daily driving. I think that equates to about 200whp-ish. Unfortunately the New England Salt took its toll on the car, the rear quarters and front frame were rusting out badly. The car was starting to sag at the front A pillar causing door and windshield issues. It was time to retire the original chassis.



I kept my eyes out and looked at a few P-body's and daytona's but nothing came up locally within my price range that wasn't as bad or worse that what I already had. I got a tip about a decent shadow down in VA for $500. Knightmoves (aka bobby lippens) volunteered to check out the car and take some pics for me before making a call on the car. It turned out to be a decent option as it had hardly ANY rust on it at all. Supposedly had a busted motor and a recently replaced crap-o-matic slush-box, but was a solid chassis. After considering the other options I had, I jumped on the car. A big kudos to knightmoves for the assistance rendered on the retrieval trip (even though it cost him a foot.... ).





Once i got the car back to the in-laws in OH, it was time for a deeper inspection. Originally a dark green v6 slush-box and it was Maaco'd (or some other cheap painting method) gloss black. I kinda like the gloss black and am probably going to touch up the paint until i can CORRECTLY get it painted gloss black. One nice feature it did have, is what appears to be a factory glass sunroof. Underside was near mint, couldn't find any real rust anywhere. Odometer read 100K-ish, so not too bad. Seller said trans was replaced then timing belt broke. I had no need for the motor so that went to NMW2006 for his build and the trans will probably end up as aluminum stock if my father-in-law gets his aluminum casting hobby started.





Finally got to start on the chassis switch this weekend (pulled the motor and associated bits from both cars a couple weeks ago). Pulled the auto K-frame out and am planning on swapping the 5sp K-frame from the old chassis to the new car as it is in decent shape. Also spend Monday stripping out all the wires to the PCM in the engine bay to do a PROPER wiring of the MS this time. Body harness only and MS wiring. Sure helps my father-in-law is an EE and LIKES to do wiring . should be a nicely stock looking engine bay when we are done...







Also looking at fixing up the AC so it actually works on the car. Probably going to use hydraulic couplings to make the two sets of lines together (did the same on the HP side of the PS with good results), just need to find a way to keep the fill valves in the lines somehow... Sorta have to add the AC compressor back to switch the belt routing around to better facilitate the supercharger. Hopefully I'll get the pieces for that made up so when i can afford the rest of the parts (only need an intercooler) I can get boosted. Also will be adding a WOT cutout on the AC clutch circuit so when WOT is hit, the AC clutch disengages (or maybe anything over 80% TPS...)

We are also planning on running 3/8" feed and 5/16" return aluminum fuel lines (using ALUMINUM isolator brackets, not steel ones). Will be using the stock pump for now, but may have to go with a walbro 255 once boosted. Also may have to make some adapters to the fuel rail for the larger feed lines. I have upgraded to 3000GT VR4 fuel rails and FPR so that should be OK for what i have planned.


BTW, I have a 92 v6 5sp and a 94 v6 auto PCMs, 1 94 v6 TCM and 1, possibly 2 option dash's with tachometers for sale

[Shadow24]

mmmm....shiny.....



5/16 and 3/8 stainless fuel lines, clamps and fuel filter. No more rusted fuel lines! and enough flow for what i plan (i hope!)

probably going to do SS brake hard and flex lines as well. Also picked up some POR15 and undercoat to add to the rust prevention. Do it once, do it right this time. Hopefully this will be a 10yr+ DD car when im done.

[Shadow24]

more goodies! CuNifer brake line (copper nickel alloy) and a Misimoto intercooler 31x11x3 (scored for $100 off of CL)

[Shadow24]

Amazing what $5 in quarters and 15 minutes at the diy carwash can do for a oildirt caked k-frame!

[Shadow24]

got a little more done today. finished up working on the K-frame, A arms and sway bar. 1 coat POR-15 and 2 coats Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Unfortunately, probably wont get much more done on the chassis until springtime. Hoping to get more work on the motor done though: cams, valve springs, new valves and valve stem seals in by spare heads to swap onto my motor. Also want to check on the clutch and make sure all's ok there. possibly get the S/C mount and such fabbed up as well.
POR-15, ready for chassis black


first coat satin black

2nd coat semi-dry

[Shadow24]

got the k-frame and front suspension assembled enough to roll her outside for the winter...

[Shadow24]

Massive update!

As I haven't updated this thread in almost 2 years...here is the current progress to date. If it isn't apparent, I moved from Ohio in May of 2012 to the Metro-Boston area for a better job. Unfortunately this has put a slowdown on the work to complete Lucy 2.0 until lately. I have been riding my motorcycle in to Boston for work every day but that won't be feasible through the winter. The hope is to have Lucy back on the road in time for the bad weather. There aren't a lot of things left on the "major" list to do: Finish wiring the MS, fill the brake, coolant and oil systems, and finish re-assembly of the front suspension. Other than that, it should be OK to go through the requisite inspections and whatnot to get registered in MA.

May 4, 2012
I got 90% of the engine bay scuffed up. Hoping to primer it tomorrow and color it sunday. Also POR-15'd the fuel filler tube to stave off rust. Lastly, just about got the 5-speed peddle-box swapped in. just need to get it aligned with the brake booster and tighten it up!







May 5, 2012
actually got the primer laid down today. would have done the color too but had to attend a wedding. Should be able to spray the color tomorrow after lighly hitting the primer with some steel wool.

Air dryer and hose run from compressor







Ready for papering





papered







First coat of primer






2nd coat of primer



May 6, 2012
got the color laid down. looks pretty good for TMAAW (Two monkeys and a wrench)! Also POR-15'd the fuel tank and figured out how to put the GSS340 fuel pump in the stock hanger. Should be able to start re-assembly this afternoon.

First coat of black





2nd coat of black







POR-15'd fuel tank





Fuel pump






May 6, 2012 - Part 2
Finished reassembly of the fuel tank and got the fuel lines pre-bent for installation tomorrow.





ready to bend lines





first line done - 3/8" feed





both lines done 5/16" return





May 8, 2012
Regarding the pump install, there were 4 nubs that i ground down on the actual part that clips to the pump. I'm only using the reservoir filter and the strainer on the pump as the direct pump sock wouldn't fit in the reservoir and the one from the old pump didn't fit the new pump. and yes, they are SS fuel lines.

Well, here's the update for the last two days: got the fuel lines, fuel filter tank and fill tube fully installed. Also replaced EVERY solid brake line in the whole car with copper-nickel alloy brake lines and brass fittings. Also added the 1" master cylinder for the eventual 4-wheel disc swap.

Since I was working on the brakes, i put new shoes on the rear and will be putting new pads on the front as well. I NEVER trust PO brake pads any more and its cheap insurance.

Completed the shifter cable setup for the 5-sp transmission and got the peddle box bolted in. Also got the power steering hoses ready for the install.

On the docket for tomorrow - stab the engine in, get the A/C adaption done, and start on the wiring and tidying up...hopefully with ant luck, should be good to go by Thursday.

Fuel lines installed





Fuel tank and filler







Fuel filter installed







Brake line differences - top is OEM, bottom is CuNiFer







Installed brake lines








Holes ready for shifter cables

[cordes]

Bump for more pics.

[Shadow24]

Thanks Cordes!

And the update continues...

Engine bay ready for motor





May 9, 2012
got a fair bit done today. motor's in, axles and front brakes are done, A/C components are at a shop for modification and the fuel system is done (except for 2 clamps I need). Hopefully I can finish the physical re-assembly and get the wiring done tomorrow. If not, I'll have to shoot for physically complete and finish the wiring once me are in Massachusetts...

Motor installed. Fastest I've ever stabbed the motor into Lucy. Total time was about 30-45 minutes





Look ma, no more distributor! (OEM block-off from a newer 3.0 in a Montero that uses a DIS system)





The easy (and cheap) way to mod the better fuel rails...tap the rails for direct 3/8" feed! no 5/16" restriction anymore. only restriction is on the return at the FPR, at least until I can either afford a good AFPR or figure out how to mod an OEM fitting FPR.









Lastly, I spaced the AC bracket off with washers as the mounting hole I used originally was an AC mount hole. Also modified the sensor bracket so the belt should clear it when returning to the OEM routing.



May 21, 2012
Update: In boston, but the car is not driveable. Got it assembled, but ran out of time to finish the re-wire. I'll hopefully be working on the re-wire on weekends as I have to travel to my Parents place from Boston (2-hr drive) to work on the car until I find a place to live out here. I did get the dash panel made and painted with Chassis black this weekend. Hopefully I can start wiring soon!

Hacked out





"precision" bent tabs (i.e. a board and a rubber hammer)





painted



May 27, 2012
Another update! Got the dash wired up and almost completely installed. Tied everything into the body harness and wires run for the 3 sensors not in the harness (oil press/temp and oil warning light).


Got replaced as solderer...the better half put me to shame soldering





dash panel wiring pretty much ready for install





So, which wire goes where?





Connected and pretty much installed (still need to put a few retaining screws in)




May 28, 2012
got more of the wiring done. Wired the A-pillar gauges to the same sources/grounds as the dash gauges. this SHOULD eliminate any voltage differences on source or ground planes. Also wired up most of the gauge sensors. Using a sandwich adapter for the 3 oil based sensors.

sandwich adapter





Completed dash/A-pillar



June 1, 2012
Update: got the modded A/C parts! everything looks good and worked on the install a bit. Its a little tight, but i think I can make it work OK Also need to find a name for the new car...

new A/C pump on old lines



A/C pump bolted in



top view




Can just clear the header...at least the header bleeds heat fairly quickly...



Had to hack off the passenger radiator mounting stud and the lower passenger fan mount as well to get just enough clearance



A/C lines WILL clear the pully, just have to tie them back a bit...not sure how to keep the lines from abrading on the lower radiator support though...

[cordes]

Bump again for another update.

[Shadow24]

September 15, 2012


so actually got to working on my MS mount plans. I'll be ditching the console bin and cup holders (boo...no cup holders anymore) and made up an aluminum panel to mount the MS, relay board and knock sense unit to. In order to accommodate the wiring and such, I hacked the bottom off the SRS module bracket and used the 4 studs where it would have attached to mount the legs of my plate. Also painted the top with chassis black to keep reflection down.


Next is to mount and wire up the MS, Knock sense and relay board so I can finish the engine wiring!


Hacked off SRS mount



plate and brackets (not bad for a dremel, drill and rubber mallet )



mocked up



painted



September 29, 2012


did a bit more work on the MS mounting and wiring. Its starting to come together





September 28, 2013
I actually got to spend time and finish the interior wiring of the MS, knocksenseMS, LC-1 and dash connections, only thing left is the manifold line to the MS. I did it better this time so aside from the MS, relay board and such in that "pocket" of the center console, you'd never know it was Megasquirted. I may still create a cover for that area to keep it even more stealth... Now I just have to remember where all the rest of the engine bay wiring went...
















September 30, 2013
Got some more wiring done in the engine bay. Ensured the starter relay was wired up OK, re-used the Fan and A/C clutch relays, re-purposed the fuel pump relay to act as an A/C cutout at WOT, and removed the ASD relay. Took a bit of time wiring them in order to make sure that everything was wired correctly (I hope). Soon I should be able to stick the battery in soon and start testing outputs and whatnot.


Unfortunately I need to get a new alternator though. The one I had was in a tote sitting on the passenger seat and apparently the sunroof leaks a little...needless to say the alternator is rusted and locked up pretty good. Time to find one from the junkyard or something. Also need to see about getting a replacement seal or figuring out where the leak is...


I also figure I can run without the A/C system charged up until the spring by just ensuring the clutch won't engage. That will allow me to run a normal serpentine belt rather than the odd off-size one I had previously.


October 13, 2013
Got a little more work done. Wrapped and re-installed the right side front lighting wiring. ran into a stopping point as I have to re-figure out the EDIS mounting and coil mounts. As I have A/C hoses back in the car, my original coil mount plate won't work. At least it's some progress. Hopefully I can put the battery in and see how it works out.


I also picked up a serial Bluetooth module so I can use MSdroid on the car once it's back up and running. Took a little, but was able to get it programmed to the right baud rate for MS. I still have to see if I need to switch two pins on the module to ensure a plug-and-play communications with the MS.