It has been many moons but, rest assured, although a bit of a sanity break was taken I have been making progress. No pics this time, not much to really show. If I can figure out a way to get a decent video maybe I'll do a walk-around or something but it's a pretty low priority.
In no particular order:
-I got the above pictured switch panel installed, works decently but is a bit haphazard. Not much to say about this, it went about like you'd expect. Rev 2 is in the works, probably a project for this upcoming week, the plan is to put the fuses and relays in the old HVAC control bay and have the switches between the seats. That may come in Rev 3, though, as I'm on a timeline and the quick solution is to make a slightly more secure version of what I have.
-I got 'er cranking and mostly running happily. My exhaust bolts were either loose from the trans rebuild or at some point loosened, tightening those helped noticeably. The base VE table had to be bumped up about 33% to prevent lean backfiring, this was the single biggest correction. After not even thinking about it for a long wile I finally replaced the el cheapo IAC valve with a Summit model, kicking myself for waiting this long. With the stamped casing model that was included on the <$100 amazon special throttle body the intake shrieked like a dying banshee below 8% throttle, loud enough that it nearly overpowered the engine. The unmetered air getting in was also throwing my AFRs way out of wack, making it difficult to progress. The Summit model needs just a hair of help from the adjustment screw to settle into a gentle hiss of fast moving air in the intake tube, 2 thumbs up for quality parts.
-I did some light, general tidying. It's easier to want to work on a project that looks like it's ready to drive if you just fix that thing than it is one that's acting as a dirty storage locker.
I'm filling gas cans tomorrow and, right now, I think that the car should be capable of a trip through the neighborhood once the tank is filled. I'm also registering for Roebling Road tomorrow, with JTI early in the November. That gives me about 5 weeks to be ready for a road-trip but I am feeling pretty hopeful. Pre-track weekend high priorities include:
-Find good noise-cancelling earbuds without breaking the bank. I'd like to come in under $100 but the more I think about it the more I realize that these are more PPE than they are entertainment equipment so spending a little more on a quality pair is not all that crazy. I could do earplugs but it's a 5hr trip and I really want music (at a healthy volume) and the ability to make/take a phone call without too much hassle if, say, something were to be dragging behind my trailer.
-Weatherstripping, rust-proofing, and an interior paint job. The weatherstripping leaks and I have the replacements in the garage, no reason not to have this on the list. The car isn't nice to look at inside, honestly, and an afternoon of vacuuming and degreasing would lay a nice groundwork for a solid coat of battleship grey. I'm really only thinking about painting the floor, the rest of the interior is in decent shape and not bad to look at, it's really the floors that leave you feeling kinda dirty (and not in that way) when you get out.
-Hook up a basic blower motor switch for defrost.
-Fix the passenger window crank. The window is nearly stuck in the lowered position, the crank is very difficult to turn to raise the window and I am concerned that it may get stuck that way if something breaks. I think I recall this starting after my trip through the sand trap and onto the tire wall in turn 6, so I'm hoping that it's just a bent rail or similar.
-Bleed the brakes, particularly the rear. Ideally I'll have the time to rebuild the spares I bought and find out if the speed bleeder screws fit.
-Hook up the trailer hitch. I plan on towing a trailer to hold my tires as well as a set of Hoosiers for her Miata. This will also help stiffen the rear.
-Battery box install and relocation.
-A gas gauge. I intend to mount physical gauges for Oil Pressure and Fuel Level in the old center vent cutout. I have a cardboard mock-up taped there now and it's easy to see from the drivers seat and, hopefully, will help the interior look a little less like a tetanus trap.
My "If I'm Ahead Of Schedule" wish-list adds a front strut tower brace (in the garage just needs time to install) and a rebuilt driver seat mount. The seat currently sits off center, it's workable while I'm taking it easy on what is essentially a new car but needs to be fixed. The front strut tower brace is not a higher priority since I don't really intend to go all out and turn-in is not slowing me down right now. Oh, a parking brake would be nice. The cables came in the totes with the car along with the handle but something tells me that it won't be a quick and easy install. A front tow hook would be really nice but is likely to be an over the winter addition.
In sum, the car cranks and runs well so far. I expect to be driving around the neighborhood tomorrow and on track at Roebling in November. It won't exactly be pretty, I hope to tackle a lot of the aesthetics over the winter, but the car should drive like a champ. I was hoping for a shakedown day at The FIRM but I don't think that's reasonably in the cards. We'll see, I'm really hoping to be able to take a spur of the moment registration up there and get some track time.