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The TSTE rebuild topic (56k get cable)


GutlessSupreme

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More than a month and still on the first page :lol: god this section is sad.

 

anyway, so I found a W 282 on ebay and I just bought it for $200 shipped.. I don't think that's too bad. Hopefully it's in good shape, it's dirty as hell and has over 90k on it but maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe I'll be really lucky and it won't even leak or grind :lol: anyway this means I'll finally be able to drive the TSTE soon.

 

I'll need some time to get it back together, and it still needs some things before I get it inspected (and my registration unsuspended), most expensive being the exhaust, but the e-brake cables still need to be mounted, pedal lubed, high beam switch fixed and then I need to find all the other leaks in the engine bay.. yea crap on that. I know my rack is leaking out of the driver's side boot (fuck that), and somehow the pump reservoir is covered in PS fluid as well (I think the cap is leaking?).

 

I haven't even tried to locate any oil leaks yet.. that was the whole reason I pulled the trans in the first place, I thought the cam gallery cover was leaking behind the bellhousing (that black puddle sure as hell didn't look like synchromesh), but I was leaking a lot of tranny fluid as well I discovered. I'm hoping the the oil pan and mains are all sealed well... but I doubt it since oil was dropping out of the bellhousing pretty quick (from around the starter, mostly :dunno:). Also hoping my $350 clutch doesn't fry too soon :evil:

 

gah, I felt closer but now that I typed that I feel so far, yet again :lol:

 

So I'm gonna change the axle seals and intermediate shaft o-ring on the ebay trans and pop that in with some nice expensive synchromesh, and then as I have time I'll continue to tear down my current Getrag and rebuild that I spose. I was hoping to have a chance to get that going yesterday; I visited my step dad at work because a) it's warm, B) they have presses and most of the other tools I could ever possibly need, but my girlfriend's Civic had to take priority. Her control arm bushings were TRASHED and it was fairly unsafe to drive.. I spent 7 hours on it and I got ONE wheel done. I'd won ES poly bushings for all 4 corners on ebay. Would've taken 1.5 hours at most but I couldn't get the fucking balljoint nut off for the life of me, so it got the angle grinder then I had to go buy another.. anyway long story. I need to stop rambling :lol: I'm gonna go back sometime to use the hydraulic press and gear my gearsets pressed out. and the gears removed, then it's time to find more parts and maybe a good deal on an LSD.

 

Stay tuned for more bimonthly updates... :rolleyes:

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  • 10 months later...

Anything new or updated on this?

 

I haven't heard anything in years.

 

That's because there hasn't been any :lol: I've been putting much more time into school and haven't touched it much.

 

There was one warm day over winter break where I cleaned some of the space around the car and got rid of some of the boxes that I've been throwing on top of it. I also moved one of the Getrags onto the floor, off of the workbench :lol: I was gonna throw the oil pan on but it was filthy and needed a repaint first. I got that taken care of so hopefully I'll have some warm weather over spring break and can get it back on the wheels.

 

Needs an exhaust still and I need to make sure this tranny isn't going to leak as soon as I put it in like the last one did, hopefully it won't explode on me too soon either because it'll be a while before I can rebuild the other one or even afford a new diff for it (not busted, but pretty damn worn).

 

At least it got to sit out the past two winters. They're starting to catch up with the Cutlass though (some rear 1/4 & front fender rot). It's been treating me better though, going on 166k w/ no serious issues. Right now it's sporting winter tires on the original STE wheels though, so it sure looks terrible :lol:

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  • 3 months later...

HA! it ran! took a minute to get the idle settled but it seems to run well. I need to get an exhaust badly though, right now it dumps a foot after the downpipe. Makes it hard to listen for weird noises too :eek:

 

Heading out to buy a new battery charger now, since my old one is toast and the car keeps stalling with my mad clutch skillz and then is completely dead when I try to crank it over again.

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  • 3 weeks later...

NEEEEW PIIIKCHARS!!!!!

 

IMG_0838%20(Medium).JPG

 

IMG_0868%20(Medium).JPG

 

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fuck that^ need new rear struts now too apparently...

 

IMG_0875%20(Medium).JPG

 

the bushings in everything are so shot that it takes quite a bit of force to push any of those down.. the bushings are just twisting.

 

IMG_0890%20(Medium).JPG

 

I have the crossmember half sand blasted, going to finish it up today hopefully

 

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uuugh. new gas tank as well then? :rolleyes:

 

IMG_0931%20(Medium).JPG

 

so as far as actual parts go, I need:

new lateral links (wish the BMRs weren't so expensive... does HT even still make theirs?)

new trailing arms (on order hopefully)

new gas tank

new rear bumper rebar (but that'll be later...)

new rear struts/mounts :evil:

 

hopefully the crossmember and knuckles will be sandblasted by today and I can start POR-15ing and painting, then I have to start working on the body :frown:

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For Lateral Arms have you considered using the 2nd Gen adjustable ones, I've heard they are about an inch longer or are you going to stick with stock length?

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For Lateral Arms have you considered using the 2nd Gen adjustable ones, I've heard they are about an inch longer or are you going to stick with stock length?

 

I measured them years ago and came up with only a 1/4'' difference between the bars, but I couldn't get a completely accurate measurement w/ the style measuring tape I was using. Others have measured and said they were the same exact length.

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For Lateral Arms have you considered using the 2nd Gen adjustable ones, I've heard they are about an inch longer or are you going to stick with stock length?

 

I measured mine but I want to measure the 2nd gen ones to confirm the length. If they really are an inch longer then no, I'm not going to use them because that's going to put too much of a side load on the trailing arms, the struts and the upper mounts. You can't just push the knuckles out without compensating everywhere else too.

 

This is what I came up with for the lengths on mine:

 

Overall Front: 24 3/8"

Front Bolt center-to-center: 22 1/4"

 

Overall Rear: 26"

Rear Bolt center-to-center: 23 3/4"

 

 

I'll throw in a couple of crappy phone pics while I'm at it...

 

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before I started taking the rear end apart..

 

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heh, it runs...

 

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messy interior again with my dildo of power shifter :lol:

 

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single largest piece I've ever sand blasted... took me hours, and barely fit in the blasting cabinet.

 

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These were kinda a bitch to get out of the crossmember.. they provide the threads for the 4 long bolts for the two plates that hold the monoleaf in the crossmember.

 

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I blasted one of the rear knuckles. Only stripped 1 bolt on this side when removing the hub, got it out with a little heat persuasion. Unfortunately I then proceeded to destroy the bearing in the process of removing it from the knuckle, soon after making the comment that the rear wheel bearings were practically the only parts I hadn't replaced @ 156k miles :rolleyes: So yea, I'm not going to bother blasting the other knuckle because I don't feel like removing two of the stripped bolts from that one or paying for two new rear hubs...

 

I'm gonna keep this directory open if anyone feels like browsing other pics:

http://www.gtsdurango.net/images/tste/

at least until I can get a decent script in place for an album or something.

 

and just for good measure, here's the rest of the driveway these days:

 

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Cutlass was getting brakes at the time..

 

 

 

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Dammit Tony! you are making me regret not doing the same to my rear suspension.

 

don't regret it too much, I'm already looking at ~$700 I think I estimated for new struts & mounts, gas tank, lateral arms, sway bar bushings, monoleaf pads, trailing arms, a new ABS wheel bearing... and I am piss broke. Not to mention the absurd cost of the POR-15..

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I find POR 15 overrated. I only use it where needed. I figure If I am sand blasting something I don't need a rust sealer, I just need a good thick durable paint. I used some kind of "valspar" tractor and heavy implement paint when I sandblasted and painted my subframe. I love it.

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I find POR 15 overrated. I only use it where needed. I figure If I am sand blasting something I don't need a rust sealer, I just need a good thick durable paint. I used some kind of "valspar" tractor and heavy implement paint when I sandblasted and painted my subframe. I love it.

 

I want to be sure that what I put on there is going to last. I have bad luck with scraping off paint too easily and with how much fighting I've had to do with this car, I just want some kind of expensive false sense of security that it won't be coming back too soon :lol:

 

Awesome pics...gives me wood.

 

heh. weird.

 

Weren't you using rust encapsulator, how well did that work?

 

I used that on the subframe and the selectively throughout the engine bay, as well as on some other small pieces up front. I don't know if I was expecting too much of it or just didn't prep the surfaces well enough, but that too I was a bit frustrated at how easily it seemed to scrape off. Maybe I was expecting miracles or something, I dunno. But I figured this time (with the rear) maybe I'll try the other stuff.

 

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  • 1 year later...

ugh. I can't win with this pos. I finally hack an exhaust together... then a week later the slave cylinder starts leaking from the hose fitting area. FML. Cutlass is dead and I need this thing finished, and soon. Just got new C302 injectors the other day so hopefully this week (yea right) I'll be able to throw those in and see if it runs less ass-like.

 

oh, and the rear main leaks. blaming the machine shop that threw it together like 4 years ago for that one. Still only ~250 miles on the rebuild.

 

and the new Getrag makes noise, even in neutral. Not sure what it is, but it goes away when I disengage the clutch.

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random new pics:

 

welded & painted lower IC pipe w/ BOV (this was previously attached in a fairly hack manner that I cannot take credit for - owning a welder FTW)

 

P1050048%20(Custom).JPG

 

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New Ford C302 injectors:

 

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exhaust tippage:

 

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I know the PS ended up a little crooked.. it was perfect at one point but I think it slipped and rotated as I tacked the DS one up, then pulled the exhaust completely out to weld all the way around the pipe. So yea, didn't notice it until it was bolted back up into the car :confused: but I like the tips, and the flowmaster 40s that I got for a steal sound pretty good.

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the tips look alright. I mean they dont look crooked too much. but I think rectangle aluminum would look like money on there.

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