The Project Pad

Cool, planning doing the same to my 4kq.

Question, is it ok to have the driveshaft flex like that?

Preston, you are my inspiration. I am about to do the same thing. How rusty were your subframes, how did you refinish them?

audibeans wrote:Cool, planning doing the same to my 4kq.

Question, is it ok to have the driveshaft flex like that?

As I lowered it there was no binding anywhere and the boots were not stretching. I could be wrong though. I was going to disconnect it but I had the hubs and struts out and the tranny is out so I had trouble holding the shaft in place while I took out the bolts that connect the shaft to the diff. So I just left it in.

brinskan wrote:Preston, you are my inspiration. I am about to do the same thing. How rusty were your subframes, how did you refinish them?

My front subframe was bent and I ended up replacing it. I paid $100 bucks from Todd Candey for a 'remanufactured' one. He had removed the bushings and prepped and painted it. For the rear I took a wire wheel to it and used lots of brake cleaner. I used my mapp torch to melt the bushings out and some industrial rust oleum to paint it. Seemed to work out pretty good.

looks new!

pro_mtn_biker wrote:I paid $100 bucks from Todd Candey for a 'remanufactured' one. He had removed the bushings and prepped and painted it.

Don't even get me started...So I take it he's still around the Detroit area.

The rubber boot has some decent stretch to it, and you didn't have the prop shaft too far extreme on it's angles. I wouldn't want to run one with that much angle, but for what you are doing, I don't see a problem. Those bolts (allens on your car?) are a PITA even WITH everything in place. :x

cuatrokoop wrote:

pro_mtn_biker wrote:I paid $100 bucks from Todd Candey for a 'remanufactured' one. He had removed the bushings and prepped and painted it.

Don't even get me started...So I take it he's still around the Detroit area.

The rubber boot has some decent stretch to it, and you didn't have the prop shaft too far extreme on it's angles. I wouldn't want to run one with that much angle, but for what you are doing, I don't see a problem. Those bolts (allens on your car?) are a PITA even WITH everything in place. :x

Yah, Todd is still around in the Detroit area. I've heard some stories but the subframe I got was in good shape and a reasonable price so I'll leave things at that.

I got 3 of the allen bolts out using strap wrenches on the flange of the shaft but eventually just gave up. Next time I loosen or tighten will be with the ebrake on!

We actually hit the cap heads on the 5kq with PB Blaster, then a propane torch. When that didn't work (can you say round-out?) we got out a set of the curved-jaw vise grips and carefully worked them loose. It did work, and since the e-brake on the 5kq doesn't work so well, my dad and a mechanic friend bear-hugged the rear wheels while the trans was in 5th with both diffs locked. PITA. For sure. At least we had the car up on a 2-post. Although the "driveline" lift may have been easier, looks like a Hunter alignment rack but minus all the goodies. Then we could have used the weight of the car to keep things from rotating...

Oh, the cap heads on the 5kq had loctite on them...

When that didn't work (can you say round-out?) we got out a set of the curved-jaw vise grips and carefully worked them loose.

It may sound kind of dumb, but when I'm trying to undo those drivshaft flange bolts, I use BOTH the curved vise-grips AND the ratchet Allen key bit at the same time.

The plan there is that either method may not undo the bolt, but doing both methods at the same time should given enough torque to undo them OK.


To avoid the problem of the drive-shaft turning, I ran the front of the car up on ramps (with car in gear, parking brake on, and tires on the ground blocked), then undid all of the bolts that I could get to (maybe half of them). Then I jacked up one rear wheel and turned it so the drive-shaft turned until I could get at the other bolts, and dropped the wheel down again. Worked ok..

That, or one of these works well too:

http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jht ... Prod100322

Time for some updates. Picked up some s2 hubs and a quick steering rack. Have also been doing lots of cleaning as I wait for more parts.

5 Lugs will be coming out to replace the bearings


Engine bay is finally grime free


Rocker panels gone and some temp paint to prevent rust and my trusty assistant who mainly just eats whatever I drop on the ground.


Struts about ready to send off for the KW variant 3 setup


Trans is so fresh and so clean

A package arrived yesterday

Need to get some new wheel bearings so I can press the S2 hubs in and this car might actually roll again!

were did u purchase these beautiful pieces of art

www.034motorsport.com

Sam

Nice P!

i want v3's sooooo bad! So, tell me about the where and what's of the clutch type rear diff. i knew that's what Christian's CQ had......why and where is it sourced, what does it take to run it in the B3 or CQ? Nice work cleaning.....all looks so new! 8)

If I remember right its from Stasis. I won't be running one to start because of budget limitations. I do plan however to put one in some day. Maybe if I start blowing up driveline components. From talking to Javad the diff is not bolt in. You need to fab custom mounts, etc.

Some more progress today. Hit the sound deadening material with dry ice. If you let it sit for 10 mins and then go crazy pounding with a hammer it all comes up pretty fast. You create a lot of gas when you pound which makes it a bit hard to see what you are pounding. Used an 8lb block on the drivers side. I think a couple more blocks tomorrow for the passenger side, dash area and rear seat should take the rest out. The vertical walls prove to be more challenging.





Also got the trans in to test fit things. I want to remove some of the firewall and check into a tilton floor mount pedal assembly which may require pushing the firewall out towards the trans mount.

Sexy suspension, Preston. I have a V3 set on order, but when they come in, Javad is going to be holding them for ransom until I can pay for them. I need to look into selling redundant bodily organs--preferably those from other people.

Jonathan wrote:Sexy suspension, Preston. I have a V3 set on order, but when they come in, Javad is going to be holding them for ransom until I can pay for them. I need to look into selling redundant bodily organs--preferably those from other people.

I ended up going V2 so I could actually have the suspension. I had trouble justifying the V3 for the price. Separate rebound and compression damping is nice but I figured I can find other places to make the car faster for less money.

pro_mtn_biker wrote:I ended up going V2 so I could actually have the suspension. I had trouble justifying the V3 for the price. Separate rebound and compression damping is nice but I figured I can find other places to make the car faster for less money.

Yup. My original plan was V1. Then I found out that KW doesn't make V1 for early cars. So, I decided on V2. Then I found out KW doesn't make V2 for early cars. So, I decided on V3. Stupid KW.

About the dry ice, I always use a heat gun and a good scraper. It takes more time to get the lining out, but it doesn't require going back over the floor with a hammer and dolly for two hours to get all the hammer dings out.

Jonathan wrote:About the dry ice, I always use a heat gun and a good scraper. It takes more time to get the lining out, but it doesn't require going back over the floor with a hammer and dolly for two hours to get all the hammer dings out.

Its a racecar, dings are ok on the floor :wink:

Cant wait for the V3's to come back for my coupe

What's the turn around time been for these?

RSCoupe wrote:What's the turn around time been for these?

6 weeks.