metaruss

I got the 225/50 HR15 Kumho ECSTA 711s mounted on a half-decent set of 15×6.5″ crabs.  The balance is not great, but boy can this thng handle now.

Didn’t come close to making it for SDAC.  Oh well.

Took the CSX to Ohio for SDAC15.  There was no way that my work schedule would let me finish it in time (it’s not even close).  Had an awesome time as always, except for the nasty hangover on the last day (oops).  The car did OK, though I couldn’t break into the 14s at all this year.  It just doesn’t feel right at the top end and the boost always drops way off.  With the wastegate disconnected, it can barely keep 15psi when I wind it all the way up.  I tried wiring the wastegate shut, but that didn’t help either.  At low engine speeds, it’ll crank out 20psi with no trouble.  Not sure what the deal is, but I do think it needs a bigger turbo.  I have that TU S60 with the .48 A/R housing and clipped turbine.  The Daytona’s engine has been collecting better toys since I got the turbo, so maybe it should get a true Super 60 instead.  It may be that I have the (modified) Talon BOV in the bottom hose and at high engine speeds, the IC starts backing up and the pressure in the lower hose goes insanely high and pushes the valve open.  I may try to remove the BOV and see what happens.

The Daytona’s been under the knife again.  The fenders and doors are off.  Sanded the doors and the new hood from Dave.  Totally stripped the weird peeling/flaking paint off of the fenders, only to find a gallon of bondo on the passenger side.  I’m not even going to bother with it.  The driver’s side is in good condition, though.  I hate body work.

Heard a strange scraping sound as I pulled into the driveway.  It was part of the rusted, twisted hulk that was my radiator core support.  Time to drive the CSX for a while.

All put back together and back on the road so that I can put the Daytona down for a while. I cobbled-together a small guage cluster and mounted it under the center console.  It has the fual pressure, oil pressure, and the new oil temperature guages.  It’s basically a Radio Shack 8″ x 5.5″ x 3″ ABS project case.  The guages are angled towards the driver with those Auto Meter inserts.  It doesn’t look great, but its servicable.

The radiator core support is coming apart again…almost have the CSX done.

The rusty areas of the floor pans are prepped for POR-15.  Most of it is surface rust, but it is starting to pit and flake in a few spots, so it is a good time to address them.  I also noticed a crack in the firewall, but I don’t really have time to deal with it now.  If/when I ever pull this motor for a rebuild, I’ll patch up the firewall properly.

Well, I have the oil pan back in.  I dropped it to fix a leak and went ahead and welded a temp sensor bung, side baffles, and some reinforcements on the bottom after banging out all the dents.  It was then stripped and painted with POR-15.  I also cleaned and painted the control arms and radiator/IC brackets.  The control arm bushing on the passenger side was walking out of the arm, so I purchased new poly bushings for it again.  I don’t think it was properly lubricated, so it shouldn’t happen again.  I also got the radiator recored, which has been in dire need since I bought the car.