Not too much else going on, it's been rainy here and I have a damn leak coming from somewhere up front at the firewall. Not sure if from the windshield having been replaced or something else. So when it rains I have a nice puddle in the car. When it warms up a bit I'm gonna pull off the trim around the windshield wipers and get a hose on things and see if I can spot where it's coming in, and hopefully seal that up.
Interior is still gutted. Waiting on some seat foam from Klum so I can get things reupholstered. I still have 8 yards of that fabric that was mentioned in a previous posting I made, so I'd like to see how that turns out. Gonna try to build up the bolsters a bit as well with some additional foam. If I do that expect a write up on it to follow.
I hope everyone got some goodies from Santa and had a safe new year. Maybe a tread should be started for "Who got a DUI from Kris Kringle?"
Nice write up and tips. I have a similar project on the workbench as we speak. I use fleece fabric (looks like what you used) which stretches and naturally contours well to avoid any wrinkles and really soaks up the resin. In for the final product.
I was considering fleece, which is normally what I use for this type of thing, but it was a bit too thick given how small the actual parts are. I didn't want to have that much build up around the pods themselves otherwise it would look even weirder around the bezel. At least in my opinion. Also since I'm planning on feathering it out with some bondo where the fabric meets the actual bezel itself I wanted as smooth of a transition as I could get without too much build up.
This is almost a woven nylon so it's pretty thin, which is another reason why I had to backfill. Had it been fleece I don't wager I'd have needed to go through that process.
But yeah, speaker pods and the like, definitely going back to fleece on those =D
Either way, glad to have you following as I'm always impressed with your work, and I'm pondering getting a lathe myself and also have a vinyl cutter =D
I'm with ya on your explanation. I def enjoy following those who prove to think outside the box, are innovative and not afraid to fail at something they tried on their own. Regardless of the talent, being able to incorporate and apply whatever is created to one's wagon (as there isn't much, if any, off the shelf upgrades) is what it's all about! I respect the creativity, one-off, custom touches and the additional time and willingness to share by taking pics and detailed documention. I def look forward to whatever else you have in store. Keep at it! Thanks!
So in reference to my writeup about the gauge pods, give me some opinions here. I'm debating on what gauges to go with.
I've been contemplating the Autometer ES. Obviously not this particular setup since I'm still using the stock gauge cluster. But just an idea of how they look. And they light up red, which will go good with my red LED conversion on the stock gauges.
Then there are these as well which I was looking at by VEI systems their D1 gauges. They are digital of course, but allow for each to be dual gauges, also in red, and it would allow me for a total of 8 data points vs 4 if I'm running the autometers.
That said I think the autometers look a lot better.
My overall goal is to eventually run a turbo charger, so I'll be doing a boost/vac gauge and an oil pressure gauge. I figure oil temp might be good to know and water temp, vs the dummy oil pressure gauge and the sort of kind of readout on the dash for your coolant temp. Knowing the actual number would be good.
Ballsacks for real! Busted the timing belt, killed cylinder #4. Getting 180-175-170 compression readings in 1-3 which is tolerable, then it hits 4 and I see 5psi. BOOOO!
Well I have a head inbound. Also ordered some ARP head studs just cause I figure well at some point I'll need em, if I use them this go round or not, I'm not sure. Really no reason for it at this time.
For pulling the head is it easiest to just pop off the exhaust and then pull the head with the intake attached, if anyone knows?
Yeah I have enough wiggle room to get the exhaust manifold cleared of the studs. I'll need to put some jack stands under the wheel so I can take the strut tower brace off and then I'll just pull the whole head with the intake attached I think. That'll give me some access to replace the rest of the radiator hoses that I needed to do anyway and probably get at the other two motor mounts.
All right, back up and running, hopefully it stays as such. FYI paint stripper works faboo for cleaning carbon and junk off aluminum, just look for some good methylene chloride based formula. That and make sure you're properly ventilated, or not depending on how many brain cells you like to have =D
Just make sure if you have a 1.6L you set the timing for a 1.6L and not a 1.5 otherwise you're gonna be pulling everything back apart.
I picked up the steering column surround bit for cheap. Gonna see about fabbing up two integrated pods on it, in similar fashion to what I did on the gauge bezel. That way I figure if I'm going with the autometer gauges I'll be able to get some more readings. And more gauges = more awesome, right?
All right, got a replacement SD card with some wifi built in. Decent thing, wish the camera itself had wifi, but oh well. Topped that off with a new sennheiser mic for the camera since the internal mic sucks, and I did a clip of the exhaust I fabbed up.
Exhaust itself is nothing too special. Thrush Turbo Muffler and a Thrush 30" glasspack as a resonator. Could probably stand to be a bit less farty but for $60 not including the bends and V bands it's not horrible.
It's been a bit since my last update. Not much going on, had to do a new head due to a timing belt mishap.
Ordered a traction bar from JHPUSA.com they were having a sale on the innovative bar, which Lowflyin' says is a good one.
Did a little video of the install, or at least video of the steps. Once I have my garage more set up I'll be able to properly record actual guide videos.
Let me know what you think, I know this video isn't that fantastic but any guides on what I should be doing in the future would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to film and photograph as many of my updates, modifications as possible just to help distribute that knowledge to the community.
Man, I am a little butthurt that JHP sent you extras. I have spent thousands with them, sometimes in an entire order of a grand or more and all I ever got was a fuggin sticker......butt is hurt!
So in reference to my writeup about the gauge pods, give me some opinions here. I'm debating on what gauges to go with.
My overall goal is to eventually run a turbo charger, so I'll be doing a boost/vac gauge and an oil pressure gauge. I figure oil temp might be good to know and water temp, vs the dummy oil pressure gauge and the sort of kind of readout on the dash for your coolant temp. Knowing the actual number would be good.
Thoughts?
Personal opinion, avoid tons of gauges. For the price, customer service and quality, look into these
http://www.hrtuning.com/pages/category/tunerview2-lgdash
When used with the Neptune RTP as tuning software, they are crazy customizable. I am currently building my case for my Neptune RD1 for the race hatch and am in love. It is going to be the only thing used in the hatch. And based on service, I plan to buy either another RD1 or Tunerview for the wagon once I get it running and boosted.
I'll have the four in the pods I have available and that's probably it unless I find I absolutely need something else. I like the neptune, but that tuner view thing, I've never been a fan of how those look. If I were doing a race car like you are, absolutely.
No idea what the reason for the goodies was, maybe because it was during their big sale event or something? Either way, my butt ain't hurt =D
One thing to note is after removing the front mount when installing the traction bar, it got rid of nearly all the vibration I was getting transmitted throughout the car. I had that mount adjusted as far as it would go but I guess it still wasn't enough. If things get too wobbly I'll just cut out some new brackets to weld to the traction bar and reinstall that mount. Probably don't need it now, but what about when I have he built up D16Z6 and a turbo?
If not I'll just dump it to my site and then post it here. I got a tweed swatch sheet of some fabric that has some pretty good properties, wear and UV resistance as well as stain etc all that good stuff. So I'm thinking about getting some of this for redoing my interior.
My thought is the silver for the front of the seats and then slate for the back of the seats for some contrast. And either then Slate or Silver to redo the fabric on the doors.
I like your choices but I'd do something radical like the ascot or brite purple. I'm interested to see how yours turns out and how much it costs. Good luck!
My only concern with having it all dark is being here in Texas. Fuuuuuuuu to that heat. That's why I was looking at the silver, but I do love the three color pattern on Slate.
I'd love to go with Eggplant but I just don't know how that would work with all the gray. Being that this stuff is decent quality it's not cheap per yard so it's definitely gonna cost me when I go to get it done.
That and I need to get some foam to rebuild the driver seat. I want to build up the bolsters and such a bit beyond stock levels just so the seat holds a bit tighter.
Either way when I do make some more progress on it, I'll post updates. Probably be a bit though. Thanks for the opinions either way.
Cheapest I have found is from these guys http://warehousefabricsinc.com/DURCON.html at 12.98 a yard. Which isn't terrible all things considered though it is a 10 yard minimum order which should be enough to get the seats done possibly with a bit to spare.
My debate is on how I want to do the back. Do I want to carpet the back of the back seats and the cargo area or run this stuff as well for that cleaner look, like you mentioned. I don't necessarily haul a bunch of stuff so it wouldn't see a bunch of abuse back there.
But to me as far as fabrics go this seems to be some very quality stuff and the properties of it seem great. Wish I could find stuff in the same stitch pattern as the original, but I might as well go unicorn hunting if I want to consider that.
I'll be doing the foam work myself, but unfortunately I do not have the skills to do the upholstery itself. I do fortunately have a friend with an upholstery shop and a guy that does very good work there on auto interior. Usually he's doing high dollar stuff, so hopefully it's not too beneath him to work on a ugly little wagon.
As far as the colors and such go I definitely was going for something that at least had a somewhat similar pattern and this was the best I could find. Anything else I saw that looked even slightly more like a match was very insubstantial fabric.
This stuff, per the spec sheet on the back it's a full 16oz fabric which is a decent weight
700 hours UV stable
chemically inert and it's hydrophobic
won't absorb spills or stains
mildew resistant
non allergenic
not affected by chemicals
That along with enough color choices to please a good number of people, whether they want something a little similar or they want to go a bit more wild. I'll be hitting up that company I listed before, and will be getting the foam from them as well. I'll report back with my experience in dealing with them.
Comments
Interior is still gutted. Waiting on some seat foam from Klum so I can get things reupholstered. I still have 8 yards of that fabric that was mentioned in a previous posting I made, so I'd like to see how that turns out. Gonna try to build up the bolsters a bit as well with some additional foam. If I do that expect a write up on it to follow.
I hope everyone got some goodies from Santa and had a safe new year. Maybe a tread should be started for "Who got a DUI from Kris Kringle?"
If you want to see more of this:
Click the link below:
https://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?19385-DIY-gauge-pods-on-your-bezel-not-your-pillar-not-your-dash-Mickey-Mouse-up-in-it!&p=227489#post227489
This is almost a woven nylon so it's pretty thin, which is another reason why I had to backfill. Had it been fleece I don't wager I'd have needed to go through that process.
But yeah, speaker pods and the like, definitely going back to fleece on those =D
Either way, glad to have you following as I'm always impressed with your work, and I'm pondering getting a lathe myself and also have a vinyl cutter =D
https://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?19385-DIY-gauge-pods-on-your-bezel-not-your-pillar-not-your-dash-Mickey-Mouse-up-in-it!&p=227476
I've been contemplating the Autometer ES. Obviously not this particular setup since I'm still using the stock gauge cluster. But just an idea of how they look. And they light up red, which will go good with my red LED conversion on the stock gauges.
Then there are these as well which I was looking at by VEI systems their D1 gauges. They are digital of course, but allow for each to be dual gauges, also in red, and it would allow me for a total of 8 data points vs 4 if I'm running the autometers.
That said I think the autometers look a lot better.
My overall goal is to eventually run a turbo charger, so I'll be doing a boost/vac gauge and an oil pressure gauge. I figure oil temp might be good to know and water temp, vs the dummy oil pressure gauge and the sort of kind of readout on the dash for your coolant temp. Knowing the actual number would be good.
Thoughts?
Well I have a head inbound. Also ordered some ARP head studs just cause I figure well at some point I'll need em, if I use them this go round or not, I'm not sure. Really no reason for it at this time.
For pulling the head is it easiest to just pop off the exhaust and then pull the head with the intake attached, if anyone knows?
Take the whole manifold off you will appreciate the extra working room. It's pretty tight otherwise, just think about the studs.
Bleh, what a bite in the ass. Oh well =D
Just make sure if you have a 1.6L you set the timing for a 1.6L and not a 1.5 otherwise you're gonna be pulling everything back apart.
Exhaust itself is nothing too special. Thrush Turbo Muffler and a Thrush 30" glasspack as a resonator. Could probably stand to be a bit less farty but for $60 not including the bends and V bands it's not horrible.
Ordered a traction bar from JHPUSA.com they were having a sale on the innovative bar, which Lowflyin' says is a good one.
Did a little video of the install, or at least video of the steps. Once I have my garage more set up I'll be able to properly record actual guide videos.
Let me know what you think, I know this video isn't that fantastic but any guides on what I should be doing in the future would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to film and photograph as many of my updates, modifications as possible just to help distribute that knowledge to the community.
Personal opinion, avoid tons of gauges. For the price, customer service and quality, look into these
http://www.hrtuning.com/pages/category/tunerview2-lgdash
When used with the Neptune RTP as tuning software, they are crazy customizable. I am currently building my case for my Neptune RD1 for the race hatch and am in love. It is going to be the only thing used in the hatch. And based on service, I plan to buy either another RD1 or Tunerview for the wagon once I get it running and boosted.
No idea what the reason for the goodies was, maybe because it was during their big sale event or something? Either way, my butt ain't hurt =D
One thing to note is after removing the front mount when installing the traction bar, it got rid of nearly all the vibration I was getting transmitted throughout the car. I had that mount adjusted as far as it would go but I guess it still wasn't enough. If things get too wobbly I'll just cut out some new brackets to weld to the traction bar and reinstall that mount. Probably don't need it now, but what about when I have he built up D16Z6 and a turbo?
If not I'll just dump it to my site and then post it here. I got a tweed swatch sheet of some fabric that has some pretty good properties, wear and UV resistance as well as stain etc all that good stuff. So I'm thinking about getting some of this for redoing my interior.
My thought is the silver for the front of the seats and then slate for the back of the seats for some contrast. And either then Slate or Silver to redo the fabric on the doors.
Opinions welcome
I'd love to go with Eggplant but I just don't know how that would work with all the gray. Being that this stuff is decent quality it's not cheap per yard so it's definitely gonna cost me when I go to get it done.
That and I need to get some foam to rebuild the driver seat. I want to build up the bolsters and such a bit beyond stock levels just so the seat holds a bit tighter.
Either way when I do make some more progress on it, I'll post updates. Probably be a bit though. Thanks for the opinions either way.
My debate is on how I want to do the back. Do I want to carpet the back of the back seats and the cargo area or run this stuff as well for that cleaner look, like you mentioned. I don't necessarily haul a bunch of stuff so it wouldn't see a bunch of abuse back there.
But to me as far as fabrics go this seems to be some very quality stuff and the properties of it seem great. Wish I could find stuff in the same stitch pattern as the original, but I might as well go unicorn hunting if I want to consider that.
As far as the colors and such go I definitely was going for something that at least had a somewhat similar pattern and this was the best I could find. Anything else I saw that looked even slightly more like a match was very insubstantial fabric.
This stuff, per the spec sheet on the back it's a full 16oz fabric which is a decent weight
700 hours UV stable
chemically inert and it's hydrophobic
won't absorb spills or stains
mildew resistant
non allergenic
not affected by chemicals
That along with enough color choices to please a good number of people, whether they want something a little similar or they want to go a bit more wild. I'll be hitting up that company I listed before, and will be getting the foam from them as well. I'll report back with my experience in dealing with them.