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gastephens

Solex
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Everything posted by gastephens

  1. gastephens
    Thanks for the support oh brother of the PLO. (Pastellblau Liberation Organization) Time to rise up and break the chains of baby blue, lenox china blue, and my personal favorite tiffany blue.
  2. gastephens
    I approve !!
  3. gastephens
    Sure. I just happen to have some from when I first did the interior way back in ought 2.
  4. gastephens
    ST springs, Bilstein HDs, 14" BBS wheels, 185 / 60 Kumho tires, stock spring pads, Ireland big sway bars, new suspension bushings and rear subframe mounts. Ride and handling are perfect for a touring setup - crisp turn in with just a little body roll. Lots of compliance over the bumps.
  5. gastephens
    I used to say I have a BMW that seats 7 !!
  6. gastephens
    Followed the directions more or less on the faq but I wanted to clean everything and measure twice so I removed the bumpers from the car. I used superglue to shorten the bellows and then reinforced with epoxy on the inside. Then I re-profiled them with a grinder and painted with trim paint. I intended to fabricate new struts out of steel tubing but discovered that the bumper ends are smaller than the chassis ends. At that point I just drilled the shocks and then tapped them and put in a 6mm bolt to hold their positions. Even my wife says it turned out nice.
  7. gastephens
    Got a thing for light blue cars, eh? Regarding the 320i, it could be cheap transportation. The key word there is cheap.
  8. gastephens
    My dad made a pressure bleeder years ago for GM cars by getting a spare metal cap for the reservoir, drilling a hole in to top and soldering a Schrader valve into it. Then he would just hook up an air tank or compressor. No reason it wouldn't work for German cars. Just substitute epoxy for solder.
  9. gastephens
    Are you looking to get one of those nice dealer stickers for the trunklid?
  10. gastephens
    If you can't get it loose by pushing from the bottom, get a block of wood and a mallet. Put the wood under the upper trim and tap the mallet on the wood to work it loose.
  11. gastephens
    Best strategy is to go under the dash with a trouble light and a multi-meter. You can find a ground connection by using the ohmmeter to ground. Turn the ignition on but don't start the car. Poke around with the trouble light until you find a hot wire. Turn off the ignition switch and see if it goes away. NOTE: Do this in short (10-15 minute) sessions. You don't want to leave your ignition on too long or you can damage stuff and drain your battery.
  12. gastephens
    When plastic fuel line gets old it can get brittle. Make sure it is not cracked before attempting. Personally, I hate that plastic crap and I think it's a bad idea.
  13. gastephens
    Impressive. Congrats. I wonder how many people will see that magazine and snicker, "Stupid publisher printed the picture backwards!"
  14. gastephens
    Did you say projectcar or projector? Hey buddy, got a light? Nice shirts.
  15. gastephens
    What did products / method you use to clean the underside? Remember regular POR is not UV resistant. Even though very little light gets to the underside of the car, you still need to top coat with a plain old black paint or use POR UV resistant top coat.
  16. gastephens
    That is a beautiful car. I like that the seller provided lots of pictures and both the good and bad on the car. That car just looks right. I believe there is $15k worth of good in the car. If the seller was truthful about the rust being contained in one area and you can get that fixed for a reasonable amount, you will be fine. If there is rust elsewhere, you might have to undo some of the goodness. That said, fixing the rust won't make it a $20k car. Only time will.
  17. gastephens
    Yeah, at that point I might as well buy the Ireland kit and weld on new tabs.
  18. gastephens
    I am with you. I thought that car was pretty nice too but I didn't pick up on as much as Rob did. People, get used to it. The dollar is not worth crap so nice 2002s are going for $15k these days. Really nice cars are going to top $20k. Considering you can't take a beater and make it really nice for under $15k unless you have tons of time and talent, that is not unreasonable. We had a thread on here last year where many '02 addicts, myself included, admitted they had well over $15k in their cars. Well I for one am happy that nice looking cars with stories are going for $15k. Maybe when a nice GTV or Elan wiggles its way into my heart I will be able to recover some of what I have spent. (Note I did not use the term "invest")
  19. gastephens
    I don't think there is enough room to make 1.125" holes in the mounting tabs. It appears you agree with me.
  20. gastephens
    Notice the fuel filler in that picture with the chicks. It has a big red ball to catch the fuel overflow. Also notice that it must not work because they are jumping back to avoid the infamous 2002 backsplash!
  21. gastephens
    Some are sold right here, some on ebay, some through word-of-mouth so make friends with some 02 peeps. And some are sold on the whim. Go shopping at car shows and drives. Any car there is likely to be loved and in good driving condition. If you see a car you really like ask the owner if he wants to sell it. With $15k to spend you will find some takers. I have had several people offer to buy my car when I am out and about. Some day I will say yes.
  22. gastephens
    It's pretty but it strikes me as a fluff job. Primarily it is the way it looks under the hood, like they just painted everything that wasn't moving. The upper strut mounts look pretty crunchy. That is a pretty easy thing to replace if you really care about how she drives. When I see that it just makes me wonder what else was skipped to get it on the market. I do hope that is the new standard for $12k '02s but I doubt it. You see 10 beaters and 5 fluff jobs for every loved and cared-for car that comes up for sale. Those go for $15k but are way worth it. Most are sold by private individuals who will be happy to tell you what they have done and what is left to do. If you want a nice driver you will want a 5 speed conversion, all new bushings and tie rod ends, and possibly new shocks. That will run you another $2-3k. If the car has most of those things done, it might be a fair deal.
  23. gastephens
    Yeah I know it says Datsun but the application guide says it will fit a 2002 also. Specialty Product 83115 Instructions My understanding of how it works: You cut big circles in one of the rear control arm mounting tabs. The hexagons sit in those circles and rotate to allow you to change bolt angle. Then you lock it down with the cam-shaped gizmo and the sheet metal screw. It seems like if you moved them so they are offset front to back it would change the toe as well.
  24. gastephens
    That was one of the first things I replaced. Those bulging Federal things are ridiculous and at my car there is a reflector right below it anyway. I did wire mine up with 2 bulbs for turn signal and running lights.
  25. gastephens
    Dude, that looks like it was on the Titanic!
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