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WooHoo!!

-John

So here's a quick recap.

This all went sideways when I decided to wipe (not scrape) some crud off the bottom of the gas tank. It had a ton of pinholes and a few that were up to 1/8". The only thing keeping the gas in was some rapidly decaying paint/sealant. Gas leaked all over, I struggled to find a place to catch and store it, my house stank for two days, and I had some really weird dreams the first night

I ordered a POR15 fuel tank re-sealing kit. That got delayed due to a FedEx fuckup, and then Vira and I were out of town for a week. Due to the timing of all that, it turned into a 3 week setback. I started work on the repairs the weekend after we got back. I used some fiberglass patch kits for the bigger holes. The tank needed 4 days to cure, so I gave it a full week. So far, it's holding nicely. While the tank was out, I put in a new pump, pickup sock and filter. I poured a ton of liquid rust out of the old filter. It's amazing how easily this thing starts now. It's almost eager

While it was down, I ended up replacing the sticky right front caliper with one from a junkyard Montero. I also got rid of the horrible lamp cord starter switch hotwire. Looks like the previous owner only put it in to bypass a faulty / missing relay.

Registering it was my biggest fear. The dash was replaced when the truck was rebuilt, and the VIN tag is missing. I was worried I'd have to go through a whole process with the state police. Well, I took it to the Valvoline around the corner and decided to play dumb. They passed it without batting an eye The inspection sticker goes right next to the VIN tag, so it's not like they didn't notice.

My biggest oh-shit moment actually came yesterday when I went to go get the plates and title. The guy who sold the truck started to sign the 'buyer' section of the title, and then scribbled it out after the first couple letters. Fortunately the lady at the DMV had some common sense and more than a little decency. She said she could have sent me away to have to get a new title from the seller ( ) but she hated doing that, especially when it was obvious what had happened. So she gave me an affidavit to sign saying it was just an 'oops' and no fraud was intended.

I finally took it on a short drive to get some gas in it. It nearly stalled at the intersection across from the gas station because I was on a hill and running on fumes. That would have sucked because that's a busy intersection. But I made it.

I didn't get it above 50, but already I can feel some vibration int the front end. It's not surprising. I'll do a full front end overhaul on it later.

I'm going to fix two other things before I set it aside for a bit. I need to seal up the sunroof patch so I can park it outside. I'll do a proper repair later. The other thing is that it has the click-start problem. I'm going to try to rebuild that properly instead of doing the relay hack.

I may do some little cosmetic things here and there, but the focus has got to shift to selling my Stealth, along with taking care of some long neglected house projects. Having the truck will help with some of that.

It's a damn shame too. This popped up last night. http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5536616761.html

There's my 3.8L swap, just waiting to go. Right price, right location. Except I have nowhere to put it. To be honest, I'd feel a little guilty parting out such a nice example. I'll keep hoping for a wrecked one.

[quote=""Mike""]1- 5.3 and 4L80 swap with a name brand turbo
2- Win all the car shows
3- Get in magazines
4- Quit day job
5- Build cars the way you want for a living with other people's money[/quote]

Fixed. Can't win a big car show and land a mag article with every one bad-mouthing your Chinese turbo!

Mike...get the full-size Montero.

I love builds like that. I'm not going to bother fixing up the body on my truck all that much. I still want it to be a utility truck, after all. But the chassis and engine are definitely going to get some love.

I just knew when I hit submit a reply like that was coming

Mike wrote:Jeff.. I just want something that can tow the Vette and carry my drag pack in the back to and from the track .

For what you're talking about using it for, this just seems more like 'you'. It's nicer, a little classier, can tow 5000 lbs, probably a little more roomy for both you and the stuff you'll bring. It's not as capable off road as the older ones, but that's not what you'll be doing.





The Sports are cheaper, but I'm not sure they have the towing capacity.

Something like this would be perfect for you. Even has some kind of warranty.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/5535197628.html

[quote=""Mike""]I make no apologies. It irks the shit out of me when people talk about things in a less than accurate manner. Hell Motor Trend has an entire channel dedicated to junkyard builds.[/quote]

Not much doesn't irk you, I guess. You want to name an exception to the rule and claim I'm less than accurate, whatever. Hell, I might even go by the magazine stand and grab a car mag or two and see how many times I see "cheap ebay turbo" listed on any feature car's modlist. I may be wrong, who knows.

But I don't feel like being the target of your weekly hormone inbalance so I'm out.

Great to hear, Jeff!

If I left off the text and the painted on rivets, would this be too poseurish?



Sand beige is in the running too.

You gotta do green. Look at it is way...

When you take a crap, which color is more impressive? Green or sand?

Greg wrote:When you take a crap, which color is more impressive? Green or sand?

That is not a question I have ever asked myself....