84import's Zenki Levin

[84import]

Hey guys,
I've probably owned this for a couple months now, I've been smashing out the work it needs in all my spare time as it's pretty rough (10 year plan lol).

Bits that I know:

Imported GT Apex (not much JDM stuff left as it was stripped a few owners ago)
Bigport 4age
Apexi SAFC (dunno what it does at the moment)
ARC panel filter box
Extractors that are covered in welds
JDM T50 with TRD short shifter
Factory replacement clutch
Digital dash
Factory intank fuel pump in an ADM tank
DIY weld on style front coilovers? Not too sure
ADM front end I've been told
Drum rear diff unknown ratio
Mismatched 50% complete interior

Supposedly I'm doing an era slidey pants build but I'm just doing whatever feels right when I work on it at the moment, first aim is to make it safe, second aim make it stop and handle.
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[84import]

When I first bought the car, it came with a new radiator to replace the old one that was full of holes. Once the new rad was in and coolant system up to pressure it was apparent that the exhaust was a little steamy lol. I also should've checked the taillights as I learnt a couple days later that when the blown lamp sensor fails the brake and tail lights stop working.
It also had a badly slipping clutch under load which I noticed on the test drive before I bought it. It ended up having the factory clutch still in it
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37135&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802218
This photo was taken around the corner from the guys house I picked it up from, waiting for my mate to notice that the efi fuse I'd checked in a rush was actually blown. I later chased the wiring and pulled out all the redundant stuff (loose positive wires everywhere), yet still had a problem with blowing the efi fuse every time I went round a corner or went over bumps.
One afternoon showing a workmate at lunch time how it when (despite blown head gasket and slipping clutch), I blew the fuse and when I quickly replaced it blew it again in a matter of turning the key. After being flat towed back to work and pulling apart the panels under the dash cluster I found the bolt was missing from the ignition barrel and when it touched the steering column it threw a fat blue spark. After I replaced the bolt that should've been in there I stopped breaking down on the side of the road. Somewhat...
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After that day I drove it home and got started with repairs. I pulled the head off, machined it at work, lapped the valves in on my dining room table and reassembled it on the engine.
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The engine is very tired as I'm not surprised, number three copped a fair bit of water and had a rough texture on the cylinder surface. Its a bit smokey under load which I don't mind, I plan to pull this engine out sometime late 2017 or early 2018 and set to building it and replacing it with a smallport or something for the time being. Any advice on how to go about this would be much appreciated.
You can see in this picture the blowout between 3, 4 and a water gallery.
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While I had the head off I also pulled the gearbox out, machined the flywheel and installed a new throwout bearing, spigot bearing, clutch plate and pressure plate (clutchpro factory replacement organic type).
Before I even started thinking about running the engine for the first time, I had to sort out thermos. The best I had were the pair that came with the new radiator, so I quickly made a shroud which isn't very good but they work. In a bit of a rush I put them on an isolated circuit with a switch on the dash with no relay, so they'll run all the time if I'm not careful. I'll soon fix these as the shroud is not doing anything and the wiring/circuit is not reliable.
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It has a battery clamp now which I still need to finish. I drove it home from the sellers house with a whole packet of cable ties holding the thing in.
My most challenging effort will be getting rid of those overfenders and going back to factory lines. The quarters have been hacked up for wheel clearance under the fenders, so the plan is to straighten them up as much as possible while doing rust repairs, and fit ae82 guard flares to get a somewhat factory look.
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37143&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802236http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37137&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802223http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37141&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802232http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37139&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802227
This is a cardboard template of what the ae82 flare would look like. I copied it in cardboard to test it before I went cutting steel.
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37142&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1482802235
In terms of suspension I haven't really touched it but I'm excited for some parts coming from AJPS in late January which should get my diff suspended properly and clean up my front struts a bit.
I've probably missed heaps but that what I'm up to. To give a time frame I've had it since the 6th of November. Pretty happy with how it's coming along, not so happy I jumped into the most unreliable poorly put together car I've ever owned but I aim to make it nice again.

[84import]

So I've made a bit of progress on cleaning up the quarters on the 86 :yeah:
Here are the guards I started with:
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I cut them based on the cardboard templates I used above.
Mock up:
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Trimmed and riveted into place
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Beating up infill pieces. I had a Ford Ranger drivers door that I got the rough shape from.
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Both sides almost finished, I have a bit more welding to do before finishing.
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Fitment:
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It had no springs in while I was doing this lol
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I ran out of wire this arvo and I could only get a 4.5kg spool, so I quickly rewound my 1kg spool.
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Previous owners drawing lol, one of the many on this car
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[bazz84]

Good work

[84import]

Thanks mate :D

[Matt]

Repairs are coming along nicely. good to see it being fixed properly rather than using a kg of bog

[84import]

Thanks Matt, it did end up with quite a bit of bog in it but it's a temporary measure until I can afford a shell to unpick the quarters from, among other bits that need replacement.

[bazz84]

Yeah get the car running and enjoy it. Then acquire the parts for a proper rebuild. If you want till you have all the parts and money to do a mint job you'll waste years waiting