So i finally decided to replace my sticky cup holder that was driving me nuts with one i got from the junkyard about a year ago XD
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs199.ash2/46260_10150227039890184_675580183_14026846_4925809_n.jpg)
and i found all this insulation crap in there
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs159.ash2/41274_10150227039885184_675580183_14026845_2214708_n.jpg)
nice working cup holder!
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs319.snc4/41274_10150227039895184_675580183_14026847_7088841_n.jpg)
so....i've never gotten an alignment since i got my car because i was just going to get it aligned when i lowered my car and well if you've been following my worklog you might remember me getting brand new tires on july 9th last year (2009) well i do a lot of long distance driving between edmonton and calgary (300km ish apart) and well couple months ago i realized the rear tires were kinda worn down, but i didn't think too much of it and rotated them to the front.
if any of you guys remember i was away overseas for 5-6 months, and the car sat, so note that what you are about to see is roughly only 6-8 months of driving on brand new tires with bad allignment -_-
you can see the fabric starting to show
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs159.ash2/41274_10150227039900184_675580183_14026848_6981018_n.jpg)
i got really lucky because this is after the long drive so i was obviously clueless about the condition of my tire (even though i checked the pressure and everything before the drive
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
luckily where i drove was home and i have my winter set that consists of 2 winter tires and 2 all seasons, so i took the 2 all seasons and put them on the rear.
so needless to say i'm getting all the strut parts together and lowering my car and getting an alignment very very soon.
So the weekend in town was a great weekend for my car, i went to the junkyard to put up some stuff and i finally got a new rad support to replace the old one, just took a little bit of TLC to get the bolt holes to line up right
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41274_10150227039905184_675580183_14026849_2483094_n.jpg)
only damage left (besides everything probably being a little off XD)
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs193.ash2/45647_10150227045670184_675580183_14026901_3359405_n.jpg)
so while i was at the junkyard here i thought i would get the strut parts that i need but i thought the parts only came on the ZX2's (they come on all later escorts) so there was only one ZX2 which looked like it had been sitting somewhere for a while before it was taken to the junkyard, and for some dumb reason i didn't look at the km's on it because it was the only ZX2 there so i just pulled the parts in excitement that there was a ZX2 there, funny thing about that was that i wasn't sure if it was a ZX2 so me and my gf were looking all over the car for any indication of it being a ZX2, the door sills, owner's manual, paper work inside the car, and still couldn't find it so i said, "screw it" and started ripping apart the rear while my gf kept looking, and after i pulled off all the covers/plastics she said, "uhh....look up" i was facing the rear of the car and looked up at the rear window expecting to see a spider or something, but instead what i saw was 3 BIG a-- letters that spelt "2XZ" and went, "....for f*** sakes...." and kept wrenching on the car. XD (couldn't see from outside because it was covered with a layer of dirt from sitting so long)
Now i only have a $30 tool kit i got from canadian tire that i have to work will and i don't have a 17mm wrench or socket but i do have the imperial size socket that works and an adjustable monkey wrench which sucks hard (well all the tools in the tool kit do) now the 2 17mm bolts on the spindle must have never been removed before and because the car was sitting so long it was rusted to hell, so there was no way of taking it off with the tools that i had on hand so i sat there puzzled having no way to remove the strut to get the strut mount off and get the stopper seat that i need, so after a little while of me doing random things i noticed my gf was gone somewhere and she came back to me with some thing she made that had to be the most f'd up way of compressing a spring i have ever seen, and it worked and i got everything out without TOO much effort. By the end it started thundering hard and then rain and hail came down and raped me but i was pretty much done and took the parts i needed ran off to pay for the items and drive home.
This is the tool she made, its a hood latch and 2 spare tire hooks (she actually made another one that worked better with a bracket that had 2 holes closer together that she took from a throttle body but i got no pictures because it was raining)
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs393.snc4/45647_10150227045685184_675580183_14026904_2383313_n.jpg)
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs393.snc4/45647_10150227045680184_675580183_14026903_236510_n.jpg)
And how i got it out after compressing the spring. (had to pull out fender)
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs193.ash2/45647_10150227045675184_675580183_14026902_3682019_n.jpg)
Also when i was in the ZX2 taking apart the rear to get to the strut mounts, there was a baby seat hook that i took off and pocketed in curiosity to see if it would fit the mx3 because i remembered reading about how the one for the mx-3 is rare and has a special thread or something, and well.... it does fit!!! (info in these 2 links http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... ok#p559314" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... +seat+hook" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
this is what it looks like (note i took it from a ZX2, i don't know if one from any later escort works, i assume they would, i'll try if i find one)
![Image](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs393.snc4/45647_10150227045690184_675580183_14026905_2154509_n.jpg)