Where there's a will, there's a way

So I "finished" my wagon about this time last year. 5.3 turbo/4l80e combo. Had a lot of fun for a year but the car was running low 11s and needed a cage. Was just going to put one in but then it dawned on me. There is a lot of stuff that needs addressed on the frame and body that I won't be able to do with a cage in!

So the snowball has started rolling. Going to be addressing a lot of things like rust inhibiting, frame strengthening, notch, etc etc.
All I have is a single car garage and can't store either part of the car outside (I rent and ya know, landlords).
So I built a dolly with the mission of being able to store both in my limited amount of space. It was more of a PITA than I expected. But happy with the result!

And oh man are these wagon bodies heavy on the rear. Center of gravity is not where you would expect it

Long time since I started this thread but it's been a busy summer. Figured I would update on how everything has gone.

Did some frame repair on my left rear horn. As all wagon owners know, replacements are almost nonexistent and donor cars are few and far between. Thankfully it wasn't TOO bad, so I used what little fab skills I have and repaired it with some 1/8 in steel.




Coated the frame with POR 15. First time using the stuff and was very impressed. Goes on well and dries hard.


Got the body back on the frame with new Poly bushings. Then turned my attention to the front and rear suspension. New stock replacement front uppers, new stock S10 lowers, double adjustable rear uppers and UMI non-adjustable rear lowers. Then of course new springs and shocks all around, as well as new bushings, bump stops. And finally S10 rotors finish out the front.
I reused my stock front sway bar, which much to my surprise is a lot beefier than research lead me to believe. For a plain jane, sparsely optioned car, it has a 1 1/8 in diameter bar. Probably should have measured that before I ordered bushings for a 15/16 bar lol.



No pictures but did get all new steering components (aside from gearbox) installed as well. Next item is to upgrade to an Astro steering shaft, then start getting ready for floor board replacment. Bought an abandoned 4 door Malibu that will be donating the floor to the cause.

Hope to keep up with the updates through the winter. Looking forward to the speed parts portion of the upgrades.