When I said, "I've sold Clanky" What I meant is, "Someone else is driving it but I'm still fixing it."
So no good SuperK story is worth telling without a bit of misfortune.
I have a very long list of projects and responsibilities I need to complete. All ranging from cleaning/remodeling/landscaping around the home to scrapping/parting/selling cars and car parts. Sundays are set to be my "super productive" days. I was feeling pretty excited that Saturday night to knock some of these things out.
Until sunday morning arrived. I get a text from the current owner which reads, "I f***ed up, please call me"
Conversation went like this:
"I went to a concert in Atlanta (120 miles away) and on the way back I saw a BMW and FRS racing. So I joined in and beat them. Then my car started making a loud noise so I parked it and had someone pick me up."
"Did you record a video of the noise?"
"No, I didn't have space on the phone."
"Can you describe the noise?"
"It was kind of loud."
"Was it constant, was it noisy on idle? Was it a tick or a clack? was it only while it was rolling or when it was still?"
"I think so."
Well that was helpful. I told him it could be something simple or his engine could be, "blowed up" by his description he gave me.
I call Uhaul and reserve a tow dolly for pickup asap. Unfortunately the only tow dolly available was 15 miles the opposite direction, and his car was 90 miles away.
As we get closer, he gets more nervous. "I keep on feeling that you're going to start the car and you are going to make this unhappy look, which is going to tell me I'm screwed"
"Maybe," I say to console him.
We get to the car and first thing I do is pop the hood and then start it. The moment I start it, I purse my lips for a moment and then say, "You're screwed."
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/BGF0s_S2f7U
It seemed he waited too long (5000 miles) for an oil change on cheap wal mart oil, while running it close to redline for far too long on 5th gear. The connecting rod bearing has left the building. Seemingly.
So I give him his options on the way up, from a cheap, used engine to drop in, to a full rebuild, to a proper imported ZE with 10.1 comp pistons and KL31 cams.
Liking the idea of extra power, I start looking for a ZE from some importers.
So a couple weeks later I found this hideous MX-6 down in Atlanta for 500 bucks, and to my great pleasure, the picture of the engine bay reflects... A ZE!
I get another tow dolly and run down to pick it up. They've got some extra hands to help push it up on the tow dolly so I set the dolly up. I'm guiding the guy behind the wheel (to line it up with the dolly) and three are pushing from the back. It goes up, up up!....
... AND OVER
So we get it jacked up and on some blocks:
And push it back on the tow dolly.
I drop it off at the guy's (mom's) house. Oh here's the truck I bought recently:
only to find I have NO WAY to get in the car anymore. The kid had shaved the door handles and the door popper doesn't work. So he put a wire on the trunk latch to prevent the trunk from closing, then crawled in a and opened the door from the inside. Well... THE TRUNK CLOSED.
The rear end already had some damage so I said what the heck.
I didn't want to break any glass or what not and risk making a mess, so I pried the trunk lid up a bit enough to get a wrench on the upper latch bolts, unbolted the latch itself then crawled in and opened up the car.
So here they set, ready for a transplant:
and some additional pictures of how the car currently sits:
