Monday, November 18, 2013

1986 MX72 Cressida Wagon Build "Joby" Part 8

10/31/13
I forgot to mention that Gearbox Magazine, a small online digital car mag, liked my build and decided to feature this thing.
Check it out!
http://gearboxmagazine.com/jordan-robinson-boxy-roxy-cressida/


11/3/13
Shocks came in! 
Today I spent a solid 5 hours over at Mitchell's house figuring out how to fab up a bracket to let me use the Celica-Supra seats. We ended up getting the driver's seat in and its sah-weet!

It's weird that the wagon has a better drivers' seat than the MR2. I still need to sort out the seatbelt situation, since I don't like how it's currently mounted (probably going to use an MR2 part if I can get one), and I also need to get the little pump-bulb thing hooked up so I can have functional lumbar support. ALSO I need to look into brown aerosol fabric paint/dye so I can brown-ify the red seat to sorta match the rest of the interior.


11/4/13
T3 front suspension components are on the way. Camber plates, bearing upper hats, weld-on coilovers (with 400lb/in springs), and RCA's.

I also thought I'd make an official mod list for the car so far:
Engine/drivetrain -
MA70 W58 transmission swap
-MA60 clutch MC
-MA70 clutch SC
-MX73 flywheel
-Custom one-piece driveshaft
-DriftMotion braided steel clutch line
-ARP flywheel bolts
-AE86 clutch pedal
-MA70 speedo cable
-MA70 shifter/shift boot
ARP 7M-GTE head studs
Rabid Chimp intake w/ K&N filter
EGR delete
Mocal thermostatic oil filter sandwich plate
AE86 GTS oil cooler
Fuel pulse damper delete

Suspension/chassis:
TechoToyTuning heim joint adjustable panhard rod
Celica-Supra P-type wheels (14x7, -Cool with 195/70R14 tires

Interior:
MA60 Celica-Supra P-Type driver's seat
Cheap-o water temp gauge

Soon to come:
T3 front suspension overhaul
-weld-on coilovers with 400lb/in springs
-RCA's
-camber plates
-bearing upper hats
Short stroke front strut conversion
-cut/shorten/reweld front housings
-SW20 rear KYB AGX shocks
Camaro KYB AGX shocks in the rear
Cut rear springs until I can find something better

In the future:
MA60 P-type passenger seat
Aftermarket steering wheel
Better rear spring solution
Complete exhaust overhaul
-RabidChimp header into 2.5" piping
-Magnaflow high-flow cat
-Magnaflow resonator
-Magnaflow muffler
195/60R14 tires
Fender roll + more low
Rear wheel spacers
Tint
T3 steering knuckles


11/6/13
Badge from a 70's Celica. 





11/10/13
Friday night I picked up this thing.



It's a 7M-GE OBX header for an MA70 Supra. The header itself should bolt on after a little grinding at the notch on the flange, but I think the downpipe will require some custom work, including adding the proper O2 sensor bung. No biggie, since the car will eventually be getting a custom exhaust anyway. I plan on cleaning up this piece, painting it, and wrapping it.
And before everybody get all "merr OBX is teh suxxorz merr", for the 5MGE you can pretty much do OBX or Pacesetter since that's all that's available. And this was $75. No complaints here.

Today I got under the rear and took some measurements to start figuring out a rear spring solution
This is with weight on the axle, just up on ramps.
9" spring height
5" diameter at the top where it meets the chassis
4" diameter at the bottom where it meets the axle
Want to lower around 2" - 2.5" and be MUCH much stiffer
Shock absorber length 16"

I also fixed the little squeeze ball thing for the inflatable lumbar support on the Supra seat. The bulb came from a friend who works for a company that sells used medical parts. He found it sitting in a warehouse somewhere and just gave it to me (free.99 for the win), and I happened to have a proper-sized hose laying around. 





It even stows under the seat for a pretty clean install. And it works great!


11/11/13
Took a spring out, measured it for real, and took it over to a friend's house to see if the bottom would fit on his spare AE86 axle. It doesn't. AE86 parts are out. I'm probably gonna grab some Volvo 5" diameter adjustable perches that should bolt up to the bumpstop mount on the chassis and work from there with some universal springs. Inexpensive and effective.


11/12/13
It's so beautiful.......should have....sent.....a poet......


11/18/13
So the stock Cressida seatbelt receiver is attached to the seat, whereas the Celica-Supra receiver is not. When I put the Supra seat in, I had to use an elongated bolt and sort of ghetto mount the Cressida receiver on a less-than-ideal spot on the Supra seat that was using a smaller bolt on an un-reinforced part of the seat frame. This also put the receiver at a very awkward angle that made it difficult to use.

Luckily, there is a large 14mm bolt that holds the seat slide guide rail to the transmission tunnel that would be perfect for mounting a receiver to. And AW11 MR2's use a chassis mounted receiver that's pretty long. So I posted a WTB ad on MR2OC and got a hold of a guy parting out a rare tan interior AW11 and got one of the receivers for like $12 or something. It works flawlessly and looks like it came from the factory that way




The only real mod I had to do was jumper the seatbelt warning light plug since the MR2 doesn't have one.




Now to get another receiver for when I do the other side......

Thursday, October 31, 2013

1986 MX72 Cressida Wagon Build "Joby" Part 7

8/25/13
I got everything buttoned up on the motor and it runs sooooooo smooth (my clutch-activated neutral safety bypass works perfectly). I just gotta sort out a medium-sized coolant leak from where the heater hose connects to the top/back of the head and it will be awesome. Both front rotors have been replaced, along with all the hub bearings and such. I'm still waiting on calipers and brake lines, should be here tomorrow. Tomorrow I need to order new caliper slide pin boots at work.

Power steering will need to be bled as well. I also noticed that the passenger front window will go down but not up. I tested the motor by itself and it works, so it must be something in a switch. I ALSO need to get a trim-removal tool so I can get into my rear hatch handle and get the key lock to work. Right now I can only unlock it electronically. So basically once I get my brakes done up front I can move on to the rear axle, then the driveshaft can go in and I can take it for a spin! WOO HOO!


8/26/13


I made very little progress tonight. The torn steering rack boot has been replaced, but in the process the threads on my outer tie rod end were completely mangled so I have one of those coming from Advance tomorrow. I THINK my coolant leak is fixed but I'm not 100% on that, time will tell. Tomorrow my calipers/lines/master cylinder should come in. After that, the front will be back on the ground and I'll move on to the rear end seals.

As for the future of the rear end, I have been doing research into axle/diff codes and whatnot and I THINK if I took out the internal gear-bits out of a MA60 Celica-Supra it SHOULD bolt into my axle and give me an LSD. I know the ring and pinion are the same, but I'm not sure about the axle splines and such. So I'll be hopping over to CAP early Saturday morning and pulling the diff out of the P-type they have over there just for shiggles.


8/27/13
New calipers and brake lines fit up to the new rotors and pads to complete the front brakes......
 .....along with a new master cylinder.
 Now we move on to the rear brakes. Drums. Yuck.
My workspace this evening, complete with mosquito lamp to keep the biters at bay.
 I got the axle out, the rear brakes completely disassembled, the back plate off, the axle oil seal out, only to find that I forgot to order new seals. *facepalm* Looks like I'll be ordering those tomorrow. I was able to get the backing plate put on with new shoes and a new wheel cylinder. Not a big deal about the seals, as the axles have to be out of the diff for me to pull the "third member" (as the 4Runner guys call it) to replace the big diff housing gasket. While it's out I may take it somewhere to have the backlash checked and what not since I have NO idea how to do that mess.

I also checked my VIN Plate. Looks like the EPC at work was wrong, I have an E-series diff (7.1"), not an F-series (7.5") so the MA60 diff will NOT swap 


9/2/13
I was in a big hurry today so I only took one pic. Basically today between 3:00 and 9:00 I did the following:
-remove right axle shaft
-replace right drum brakes
-replace both axle oil seals
-re-install both axle shafts with fresh end plate gaskets
-drain diff oil, replace drain bolt/gasket
-remove diff, replace oil seal, replace diff
-refill diff, replace fill bolt/gasket (Amsoil gear oil)
-drain transmission, replace drain bolt/gasket
-refill transmission (Redline MT90)
-install shifter
-replace rear brake softline
-install new custom driveshaft
-re-bench bleed brake master cylinder
-bleed all brakes
-reinstall wheels

As you can see, I was busy. Here's a pic of my super awesome open diff while it was out
It now runs and drives very well, but there are a few issues I need to address soon.
-replace radiator hose(s) since they are a tad drippy
-replace or rebuild starter since it's kinda spotty when it actually wants to work properly
-it hesitates when you give it lots of throttle. Not sure what that could be, maybe TPS? It has all new ignition, so I'm not sure what's up.
-front right window needs to be diag'd, goes down but not up, but the motor works fine when you apply power directly to it.
-needs rear wiper blades
-needs proper coolant temp gauge. The stock one reads in the middle all the time.

But the important thing is that it runs and drives! WOO HOO!


9/9/13
I've put about 150 miles on the car so far and it's been pretty solid. I put in a cheap-o autozone mechanical water temp gauge just to make sure I'm not overheating and I'm not. There are still a few issues that need to be addressed:
-window still doesn't work
-shift boot/center console needs to be properly put together
-pedals need adjusting
-whenever the rear suspension is compressed a bit (bump or lots of people in the car), the now-oversized front u-joint on the driveshaft lightly contacts the dust shield on the transmission, looks like the black thing in this picture I found on google:


 So I think I may trim that skirt thing a little bit.

Other than that the car doesn't have any real issues. I do have a list of things I'd like to do to it in the future, here they are in rough order of expense/effort:
-buy cassette tape to headphone jack adapter so I can listen to my iPod through the awesome 1993-spec aftermarket Pioneer stereo
-plumb in a power steering cooler using either a PS cooler I have yet to acquire from a car in the junkyard OR using the stock AE86 oil cooler I have as a PS cooler
-plumb in an engine oil cooler using either the aforementioned AE86 cooler or using another cooler from probably the junkyard in conjunction with an Earl's Performance oil filter sandwich w/build in thermostat
-finish restoring/polishing the P-Type wheels, get tires, put them on the car
-cut springs a bit until I can afford coilovers
-electric radiator fan conversion
-modify my Celi-Supra seat rails to fit/dye seats to match/fix lumbar ball pump thing/install
-complete suspension overhaul with T3 shortened front coilover housings, BC racing rear AE86 coilovers (really adjustable shock perches and adjustable length shocks, not actually "coil-over"), custom T3 panhard bar, custom length T3 axle links, probably T3 steering arms as well for quicker steering


9/14/13
Compiling a list of options for future low...

Front:
A) Cut springs, stock shocks - free, but hate my life
B) Remove spring perches, cut/shorten/weld housings with SW20 MR2 rear KYB AGX shock inserts and T3 weld-on kit and camber plates - $610 + welding costs, $420 without camber plates

Rear:
A) Cut springs, Camaro KYB AGX rear shocks, custom T3 panhard bar - $350, but hate my life
B) Custom springs, Camaro KYB AGX rear shocks, custom T3 panhard bar - $???
C) Megan Racing/BC Racing AE86 rear "coilover" (adjustable spring seats, 8k springs, adjustable length shocks), custom T3 panhard bar - around $650
D) everything from option C, plus all T3 adjustable heim joint links and traction brackets - $1100 ish

I'm thinking B for the front without camber plates for now, and either B or C for the rear


9/17/13
Got word from T3 that a panhard rod would run me $145 and I just have to send them measurements and they will make me a nice heim joint adjustable one.
Megan Racing rear AE86 bits would run around $500 (not sure if shipped or not)
BC Racing rear AE86 bits would run around $660 shipped

I think I may just do cut springs with KYB AGX Camaro shocks on the rear. I'll still probably be doing T3 coilovers/shortened housings/MR2 shocks on the front, but it's all going to have to wait since it's pretty expensive to do everything.


9/19/13
Ordered a Mocal oil filter sandwich plate with built-in thermostat. 
It has two 1/2" BSP fittings, so I got 1/2" BSP to -8AN adapters, and two -8AN to 3/8" hose barb fittings that match the 3/8" barbs on the AE86 oil cooler. ALSO, the bracketry on the cooler almost perfectly lines up with the bolts for the hood latch vertical support piece, so mounting it should be a breeze. Still working on how a power steering cooler will fit, but we will see.

I also have new radiator hoses waiting to go in, and I'll probably be getting new belts tomorrow. Every time I start the car from cold, it squeals really loud for about 20 seconds or so.


9/22/13
RabidChimp intake pipe installed! It's purdey
I also started measuring the panhard rod, but the chassis side bolt is stuck and won't slide out, So I can't measure it's diameter. I think what I'll end up doing is ordering a new bolt from work, measuring that, then cutting out the old one. Here are the measurements:
Bolt center to bolt center (rod length): 29 1/4"
Axle-side end width: 1 3/8"
Axle-side hole size: 13/16"
Chassis-side end width: 1 3/8"
Chassis-side hole size: ????

Oh, and new radiator hoses are in, and new belts are on the way.


9/24/13
Om nom nom nom.....
 Just gotta get some 3/8" oil hose, mount up the AE86 cooler, and it should be ready to go.


9/25/13
Oil cooler is installed!

The AE86 cooler is ALMOST a direct bolt-in to the vertical hood latch support bracket. All you have to do in terms of modification is trim the upper oil cooler bracket like so:
Then it bolts right in!

 It's a pretty tight fit around the filter, but it works. That little stub of hose on the bottom there is covering the end of the long alternator mounting bolt so the hoses don't rub on it.


9/29/13
Had a photoshoot with Felicia Noelle Photography.


10/6/13
Removed the panhard rod to get the measurements to send to T3. The chassis side mount bolt was fused to the metal bushing sleeve, so I had to cut it out.
I also finished refurbishing my P-Type wheels!



And just as a reminder, this is what they looked like when I got them (on the left)


10/7/13
Supra wheels are on the car with tires mounted. Pics will come once I get the T3 panhard rod in and have the car back on the ground.

10/8/13
Ordered the panhard rod today. No idea when it will be here, but it can't be soon enough. Also, I found this picture on the interwebs (NOT MY CAR):

That's pretty much EXACTLY the stance I want on mine! So seckseh.

She's still up on jackstands, but here's what the wheels look like on the car


10/15/13
Oppo Sticker!

Techno Toy Tuning custom panhard bar came in and it's gorgeous! Also it fits perfectly!

Here it is installed (set to factory length at the moment, given that it's still stock height)

Now I can lower it all I want and still have a centered axle. Also drove the car for the first time with the P-Type wheels on it. I'm running the stock 195/70/14's, which, when on the stock 5.5" wide snowflakes had lots of mushroom in the side wall, but now on the 7" wide P-Types it has a bit of stretch to it. It seriously feels like it has stiffer suspension on it. It rides firmer, is much more responsive to steering, and seems like it handles way better.
Pics of the car on P-Types will come tomorrow


10/16/13
It's off the jack stands and on the P-Types!




10/21/13
Belts re-tightened. New hood struts installed so now it actually stays open without the rebar ghetto prop. Also it's leaking fuel from around the pulsation dampener, so I need to figure out what to do about that.

I was actually looking for a 7M bolt, but they are discontinued, and there aren't any 7M-powered cars in any local junk yards.


10/29/13
Got some banjo bolts from Mitchell's box of spare hardware. Harbor freight is out of their copper crush washer multi-packs till they get their shipment on Thursday, so I'll pick that up then. I also posted on CelicaSupra asking how to adapt A6 Supra seats to the X7 Cressi, and I got this super helpful response:
TransAmBandit wrote:I had another photo I took somewhere.


First off lets paint this photo in your head. If you're sitting in the seat, The front left bolt hole closest to the driver's side lines up no problem. The other front bolt, near the shifter needs to have a bracket with a hole welded to the seat rail. So you can bolt in that side.

The two rears are easy. You get a piece of steel, run it straight across the factory bolt holes, mark where the holes are. Drill it out. Then bolt that to the floor, tack weld the two seat brackets onto the piece of steel. Then finalize the welding.

I did mine pretty quick. cause it was cold. And I eye balled the bracket closest to the shifter console. It's very easy. A lot of people made this too difficult when they would plan it. However, this didnt hit me until a member here with a white X7 posted his photos. So I give him credit for enlightening me. lol


So hopefully I can grab some steel this week and if Ju has the time to weld maybe get some new fancy seats put in this weekend.


10/30/13
Made my first order in piecing together suspension: MR2 rear shock inserts and Camaro rear shocks (both KYB AGX). My goal is to have this car lowered by 200DoD. Things left to order in the coming weeks:
T3 weld-on front coilovers
T3 camber plate bearing upper spring hats
T3 front camber plates
T3 front RCA's

Still not 100% sure on a rear spring solution. I really just need to get under the car and start measuring stuff. I have a couple options for adjustable spring perches, but I may end up going with just universal springs in a rate I want.


10/31/13
Leaky leaky leaky!
 Hefty hefty hefty!

As you can see I replaced the FPD with a banjo bolt (thanks Mitchell). Hopefully this gets rid of the fuel leak.
I also bought some steel to make seat brackets to mount the Supra seats and some welding wire for Mitchell in exchange for using his welder