Today's diary entry: I managed to find the key to the door locks, so I decided to put the lock cylinders back in the car, but first I had to freshen them up a bit. They looked like sh*t and were covered in crud, so I cleaned them first with some brake parts cleaner, inside and out. They were a bit sticky before this, but after I cleaned them they were freed up. Next, I sanded the faces with 1,000 grit followed by 2,000 grit paper to remove scratches. After that, I put some Mother's Mag Wheel Polish on the faces and used a cloth buff on my drill to buff them out to an almost perfect shine! The final step was to grease them with white lithium grease as that is what I found on one of them, so I figured it was factory. I installed them with new lock cylinder gaskets and they work great! I also took the time to figure out what was wrong with the vacuum system for the HVAC controls. I checked the engine vacuum, then the input to the accumulator, output to the accumulator, and then the switch. It turns out the seals in the vacuum switch on the main switch panel was bad and leaking. I put one of my other controls on it, and problem solved. It all works now. I still have to put new foam on one of the doors though as it does not quite seal off the floor register when it should. The final thing I did was test the Alpine CD player I have, and test the sub box for a proper fit. The CD player works great, and the box fits perfectly where I wanted it. I also found that a set of 5x7 or 5x8 (I forget which-they were in a 97 Altima) Kenwood speakers I have will work for the rear deck locations. There is a little extra space left over, but that should be easy enough to seal when I do the sound deadener.
I am now almost at an impasse. I need to replace the upper hinge on the driver's door as it squeaks like an old house on an episode of Scooby Doo, and no amount of lubrication seems to make it any better. That means I need to paint it, so I need to do it and the mirrors together. I guess that means I need to do that on Monday since the spot I need to store the front sheet metal when I take it apart is the same place I will be spraying the paint (a screened in front porch). It is easier to change the hinge with the front clip removed, so it is the logical time to do it. I am actually coming close to where I will need to buy the sound deadening and window tint soon.
That is the last stuff I will do before I finally put the interior back in and can call it as done as it will be with the automatic transmission. The 5 speed will bring with it a different rearend, bigger brakes, revised front suspension geometry (that may come sooner though...), a custom transmission crossmember, new dual exhaust with stainless tailpipes, a road race style oil pan, a black bucket seat interior with a custom console and maybe some new headers.. I will probably hold off on all that until fall though, as it is getting to the point where it will be too hot to do the work. By the end of May, I won't want to tackle any more major projects and will instead concentrate on driving the car and gathering parts.
I am now almost at an impasse. I need to replace the upper hinge on the driver's door as it squeaks like an old house on an episode of Scooby Doo, and no amount of lubrication seems to make it any better. That means I need to paint it, so I need to do it and the mirrors together. I guess that means I need to do that on Monday since the spot I need to store the front sheet metal when I take it apart is the same place I will be spraying the paint (a screened in front porch). It is easier to change the hinge with the front clip removed, so it is the logical time to do it. I am actually coming close to where I will need to buy the sound deadening and window tint soon.
That is the last stuff I will do before I finally put the interior back in and can call it as done as it will be with the automatic transmission. The 5 speed will bring with it a different rearend, bigger brakes, revised front suspension geometry (that may come sooner though...), a custom transmission crossmember, new dual exhaust with stainless tailpipes, a road race style oil pan, a black bucket seat interior with a custom console and maybe some new headers.. I will probably hold off on all that until fall though, as it is getting to the point where it will be too hot to do the work. By the end of May, I won't want to tackle any more major projects and will instead concentrate on driving the car and gathering parts.
