So I decided to make a worklog, because it seems that in the past month, and ever since I got my car, it seems, its my new life. I'm obsessed
![Freak :freak:](./images/smilies/freak.gif)
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
I'm relatively poor, so I like DIY. I'm also still in school, so my time is a little limited. Oh and I work for a Mazda shop, so I have access to a complete workshop. (car washes every week
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I'm working on speedo rings at school, because I have two hours daily to play with stuff like routers and mills... I tried really hard today but all I came up with was a peice of 2024 aluminum with a 8cm dia. hole in it. The program refused to run all four toolpaths. Tomorrow! Theres a thread on that, so I won't bother reposting.
So far, I haven't done much to my baby.
![Image](http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/4895/sspx0387qf1.jpg)
![Image](http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2364/sspx0381pi7.jpg)
When I got her, she was not in prime shape. The body was dented all over. Dents like when you open your door onto something pointy, kinda like hail, but in weird spots. I've not yet decided what to do about that. The fender had a pretty serious bash in it. I took it off and tried to bend it back out with a rubber mallet and a 1x4 piece of lumber worked okay. Hood is rusty, and there is a mark on the passenger fender where some dork let the block heater cord whip around in the wind for probably a very long time. Its all worn though, and I'm not sure what to do about it.
![Image](http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/4120/sspx0374uy4.jpg)
Semi-fixed fender
![Image](http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5177/sspx0377sl5.jpg)
Rusty hood
![Image](http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1163/sspx0378sw3.jpg)
Heater cord mark
![Image](http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7175/sspx0379dg2.jpg)
One of a million dents. okay, maybe 20
Cleaned out fenders, that was pretty nasty in there. probably lost a whole 4lbs though
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
I installed some 6x9's I had lying around into the cargo tray. I like how it looks. I think I might install some LED's underneath so they glow through the red cone. Ricer? Maybe. But I think it would be cool
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
I go biking with my brother, so I need to take the cargo tray out to fit in our two bikes, I needed an easy way to plug and unplug the speaks in the cargo tray, so I pulled apart a VCR and used the RCA connectors. They unplug nicely, and are rather discreet. I like them. (Just a thought... my car only cost 2x more than my bike...
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
![Image](http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8049/sspx0380ar1.jpg)
Cargo tray 6x9's
![Image](http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6274/sspx0382gx8.jpg)
RCA connectors
![Image](http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/4425/sspx0383jj2.jpg)
Subs, and I WILL tie those wires back eventually. (also, I supported the tray but screwing some crown moulding underneath. They have a tendancy to break down the middle.)
When I first got her, she ran with greyish smoke, and really rough. She'd stall at stop lights with brakes, rear defog, and lights on. Brought it into my mechanic, and he ran a compression test, anywhere between 40 and 120. Running on two pistons! it was pretty rough.... So, before I found this site, and everything awesome on here, I made an uneducated decision and paid 300 bucks for a new SOHC. About 170 for a new clutch kit too. That all works prime, now. It runs nice, the clutch feels good, shifts smooth (minus not liking going into reverse sometimes, but I understand thats normal.)
So, I have no excuse to go BPT. Even then, my mechanic had a spare BP lying in a rusted out protege in his back yard... oh well. wait till my SOHC dies... maybe help it along... mouahaha...
![Twisted Evil :twisted:](./images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif)
I broke a bolt holding the engine and tranny together.. another stupid noob mistake. (He said make them as tight as I could... but I didn't realize I had it counter threaded...) But its one on the bottom, and it holds together fine. I might be able to pull it out still if theres a a bit sticking out of the tranny.
I think thats it, really. I drove off of a seriously steep driveway in the city and it broke the bottom lip of the bumper.. not the GS lip, but the bottommost part of the RS bumper.. its not bad, cracked, not broken. I'll repair it from behind I think, or cover it with a GS lip
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
I picked up the wrap around spoiler from a junk yard for 20 bucks. Its red, but I've primed it already, I just need paint. I also got a hood for 30, with just a little bit of rust. I'll sand blast it and maybe patch it a bit. The hood is green (We almost couldn't fit the hood in the hatch, I was terrified I would have to drive home with a green hood... but we rolled down the pass. window, put one point out there, and the other point out the hatch, and tied it down. Cold trip home.) I'm still looking for a fender.
I think thats about it, for now. In the future, I want to do a bunch of little things like the cone intake, pick up one of the 60mm TB's, polish/sandblast the head/injector... Just make her look nice under the hood
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Well, I think THATS it, now....
Gosh I love her.....
And sorry for the super long post. I know some of you don't like reading so much
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)