Decided it’d be a good idea to buy an El Camino with a blown up 231 and some minor collision damage. not so sure what I’m thinking, but I’m having fun, and that’s what matters.
Parts 1 & 2 Disappeared from Reddit but here’s a quick recap, 1960 frame installed on the 1959 el Camino. The 1960 frame has an extra brace over the rear end that provides more support, I added the 1959 body brackets to the frame forward of the trailing arms (not pictured). New set of extremely straight doors, front clip all assembled from parts all over the USA. Removed the old and poorly repaired floor and shoved this new floor and toe board in today. I had to ratchet strap and fold the floor to squeeze into the rear windshield opening to get it in. The package tray and dashboard (welded in) did not make things easy. I will have to hammer and dolly some blemishes from the install to get the floor nice and smooth. Self tapping screws to quick mock up the floor in place. Next step will be to drill spot weld holes, primer the area above the floor braces on the bottom side of the floor before removing the car off the frame again to red oxide the entire bottom. Easily one of the hardest steps was getting the floor pan in next to installing the coil springs. Afterwards I will do the quarter panels, patch up and old spotlight hole, and passenger rocker panel. 4 years of work. Much of it has been spent finding parts.
So I bought this truck when I turned 16 and had it for 2 years sold it due to not having funds at the time to fix it after the tranny went out. 1996 ford ranger stx 4x4. I absolutely miss this truck but I dont want to regret buying it back. I already have another 1985 ford f150 project truck that im almost done with but Im just on the fence about buying it back. I do miss it and I miss the memories. But I have no practical use for it. Its getting rusty, hole in frame, would need body work. Im just on the fence on whether I want to do it or not. Last photo is what it looked like when I had it.
she’s old, got a small 305 v6 imma swap out for a spare 305 v8 my family has lying around, I’m going to do a red and white two tone and lower it prolly
2010 mazda6 2.5l pulled in 2 days about 3 hours of work each time. 88°f highs, $143 OTD
For use in mazda6 2.3l to 2.5l swap
Should I just sand it all down and get a macco paint job? Just curious on options, the patchy flaking is only issue i enjoy driving otherwise thanks!
Engine has been seized for a couple decades. It was my father's car and it means something to me, I'm just wondering if it is worth trying to get one of these free to see if it'll run again? Was thinking to add some seafoam to each cylinder, take off the valve covers and do the same there. Its been filled with fluid the whole time. I imagine some of the cylinders are dry.
worth upgrading? really enjoy driving and want to turn it into something special.
First weekend with the ‘72 Cuda. Got her cleaned up inside and out which wasn’t too bad to start with. Before and After pics below… Found several chips and scratches in the paint along the way that were hidden by the protective layer and some other minor issues, but overall she is in really good shape.
Got some other insight into the car as well. Like I mentioned in my first post, this was my dad’s car in High School/College and the date on the License Plate is 1982 which was around the time my oldest sister was born. So, it seems like life got going and he parked the car and there is sat…
Popped the trunk and found some goodies, then popped the hood and snapped a pic for you guys. Let me know what you see, it will really help me to know what I’m looking at…
Over the next couple weeks I plan on seeing if she turns, installing a new Lightning Cube, checking for Spark, Fuel and see if she fires up.
Thanks Everyone!! Happy 4th of July!!
Hello.
TLDR: how to preserve real rust without losing actual rust look?
I don't know what to do. Im building rat bike and I want some parts totally rusted. I have managed to get perfect rust look and perfect orange color but I don't know how to preserve it so it doesn't smear on clothes and doesn't rust more when it gets rain. I've used hydrogen peroxide-vinegar-salt mix and rainwater on sandblasted metal. On internet car forums and YT I found that boiled linseed and laquer/varnish is most suggested. Only problem is that they totally change look and color. I have tried automotive 2K matte lacquer, water-based varnish, linseed oil, but they all make rust very dark (brown) and shiny (even ultra matte finish). Only thing that works at some level is drawing fixative from art store, but I know those are not very long lasting, especially in weather. Yet I have seen photos of rusted rat rods and even rust looked buildings. Are all those "fake" and actually painted in a way to look like rust? Or is it real rust that is not preserved and is "changing" over time? US has big rat rod culture, but Im from Europe, therefore I dont even know where to search or what to search. When I search rust preservation then I get opposite results. I have also asked from chatgpt to no avail. Maybe I did wrong with sandblasting and real rust. Maybe I should of "painted" rust on?
I added three photos - first is sandblasted parts, second is rusted part where I tried some methods and there you can see how linseed oil totally changes color, third photo is car from Latvia that has perfect color (I found more photos when I searched number, but nothing about owner).
One thing I wanted to try is to use paint gun from very far away, so only very fine already somewhat dried mist hits rusted surface. Are there any other solutions I haven't tried/found?
Cheers
Hi everyone,
I've reached the point where I need another set of experienced eyes because I'm running out of ideas.
This is a 1976 Jeep CJ5 with the AMC 232 inline-6. It has an electronic ignition with a distributor-mounted module (Motorcraft-style) and also has the external fender-mounted ignition box.
The Jeep previously ran. It wasn't perfect, but it ran. It would cold start, warm start, idle, and drive. I replaced the carburetor with the correct replacement because the previous carburetor was running excessively rich (black smoke). After working through tuning and other issues, the engine eventually became a complete no-start.
Now it only cranks.
CURRENT SYMPTOM
• Engine cranks at normal speed.
• Absolutely no spark.
• No spark from the coil wire.
• No spark from any plug wire.
• Engine never attempts to fire.
WHAT I'VE TESTED
Battery
• Battery is fully charged.
• Engine cranks strongly.
Ignition Coil
Measured resistance:
Primary:
• Approximately 0.1–0.2 Ω
Secondary:
• Approximately 9.2 kΩ
• Coil positive receives approximately 10 V while cranking.
Spark
Used an inline spark tester.
Results:
• No spark directly from the coil tower.
• No spark from any plug wire.
Distributor
• Rotor rotates normally while cranking.
• Timing chain/distributor drive appears intact because the rotor turns correctly.
• Vacuum advance appears mechanically intact.
Pickup Coil
Initially I thought it was open because I had the meter on the wrong resistance range.
After retesting correctly:
• Pickup resistance measures approximately 850 Ω, which appears to be within the normal range.
However...
When measuring AC voltage while cranking I measured essentially 0 VAC, although my multimeter only has high AC ranges (200V/600V), so I'm unsure whether that measurement is meaningful.
Distributor Module
• Removed the original distributor module.
• Installed a brand-new replacement module.
• No change whatsoever.
• Still absolutely no spark.
Wiring
This is where things became interesting.
Inside the distributor I found that the pickup wiring had been previously repaired.
Instead of factory wiring there were:
• Electrical tape
• Twisted wire splices
• Old cracked insulation
I removed the tape and inspected everything.
Using continuity mode I discovered:
• One pickup wire has continuity from end to end.
• The other wire only has continuity up to an old twisted splice but does NOT continue through to the connector terminal.
I repaired the damaged harness, but unfortunately there was still no spark afterward.
The wiring is routed underneath the breaker plate where it flexes with the vacuum advance.
Carburetor
• Fuel reaches the carburetor.
• During repeated cranking the base of the carburetor becomes wet with gasoline.
• I'm assuming this is because the engine never ignites the fuel due to having no spark.
Spark Plugs
• Spark plugs have been cleaned.
• Some were previously carbon fouled from the old rich-running carburetor.
• They've now also been exposed to repeated cranking without ignition and may be fuel fouled.
Previous History
Interestingly, before all of this happened I discovered that two spark plug wires had been installed in the wrong firing order by a previous repair, yet somehow the engine still managed to run.
That has since been corrected.
WHAT I'M WONDERING
At this point I'm trying to determine what I've overlooked.
Could one damaged pickup lead have prevented the module from ever triggering the coil, even though the pickup measures approximately 850 Ω?
Could the external fender-mounted ignition control module be the culprit instead?
Also, does anyone recognize this distributor setup? It appears to be a Motorcraft-style electronic distributor, but it has a distributor-mounted module and an external fender ignition box, so I'm wondering if this ignition system has been modified over the years.
The only major ignition component I have not yet replaced is the external metal ignition control module on the fender.
I'm open to any diagnostic suggestions before I continue replacing parts.
Thank you all very much for taking the time to read this.
this is not AI, it was a field find over a decade ago. I hope you have a great weekend everyone!
Hey guys,
Wanted to finally introduce my 2001 K11 Micra, Melvin. This has been a massive, ground-up father and daughter garage project built entirely by me and my dad. We've turned him from a standard daily into a full show-spec build, and we just got back from exhibiting him on the Eurostance Paddock stand at Modified Nationals! Up next, we've been selected to showcase him in the exclusive Taste of Tokyo / JDM Bunker section at FuelFest UK!
Since we built everything ourselves, we wanted to drop the spec sheet and get some of your opinions on the next stages, especially the interior.
The Spec Sheet so far:
* The Paint: Full custom multi-stage Candy Sparkle Blurple. The metallic flake and color-shift under the sun or show lights are absolutely wild.
* Body Kit: A rare, genuine Wald body kit paired with a custom-mounted Devil Wing spoiler for that aggressive, wide JDM look.
*Wheels & Stance: Grounded static on high-performance Gaz coilovers over iconic white OZ Racing Superturismo
WRC alloys.
*Handling: Complete Gizab strutbrace kit front and rear to keep the chassis stiff.
*Exhaust: Custom Scorpion exhaust system-gives the little Micra a surprisingly deep, sporty note.
*Audio/Interior: Full custom Pioneer boot build featuring a massive subwoofer paired with a Pioneer CarPlay head unit and a full custom interior overhaul.
*Lighting: Full 360 high-intensity hard tuned under-glow for the night meets.
*reupholstered: door trims, roof lining and trims.
*Seats: currently ep3 type r
Where I need your opinions & advice:
Interesting Bucket Seats (NRG Prisma?): Right now we have civic type r seats installed, but I really want to upgrade to something loud and visually interesting to match the exterior paint. I'm heavily looking at the NRG Prisma series-specifically because they have those wild, color-matched glitter/sparkle fiberglass backs that would tie in perfectly with the Candy Blurple paint. Has anyone run NRG Prismas in a K11 cabin? How is the fitment with the shoulder bolsters against the door cards, and what rails did you use to keep the driving position right? If you have other recommendations for unique, eye-catching seats, let me know!
What's missing? To really make him command attention in the JDM bunker at FuelFest, what small details should we hit next? Engine bay aesthetics? A custom steering wheel to match the new seats?
Let me know what you think of the build! It's been an incredible journey building this with my dad, and we love seeing people's reactions to a Micra done properly.
(Check out the photos attached to see the Candy Blurple flake!)
Keep in mind. She’s been sitting since 04 and was put away wet with fuel still in her. What will I find when I pop open those fuel bowls? The suspense is killing me. Stay tuned!