jj big shoe

Have you thought of making a false floor? One way would be to cut some MDF or other dense lumber into compartments between the wheel humps and then make a few long MDF covers that slide into place from the rear or maybe fasten with wing nuts or something. That way you're not takiing up "floor space" stowing the gear and it would be secure from rolling around and hidden from the baddies.

The right way is to climb under the truck and measure from the ground to the bolt on the LCA that connects it to the frame (the pivot point). Then move down the LCA measure from the ground to the piece of metal that juts out for the turning stop (or any reference point toward the wheel). Subtract the first measurement from the second and make each side the same. Be sure to "settle" the suspension after any adjustment. I would back up down the driveway and pop the clutch a few times to hop the front end up and down. A few times doing this would work fine. Doing it that way will eliminate unequal tire inflation, body panel sags, uneven tire wear, etc. from skewing your adjustment. Remember that a few turns of the adjustment bolt makes a big difference on the other end. Good luck.

I used stainless hex head bolts, but if I were to do it again I'd use the ZX studs simply because its easier to line up the exhaust gasket when bolting the headers/manifolds back on. You have to hold everything in place while you screw at least two of them in when using the bolts. With the studs, the gasket and exhaust will hang on them while you nut 'em down.

Sorry, but no. I couldn't find the part number either so I bit the bullet and picked up the 4x4parts.com kit. Seems a bit pricey but even if they only last as long as the stock rubber ones I replaced, it breaks down to about $0.48 per bushing a year. Not bad.

Mine had 220K miles on it before I changed those bushings and the difference in handling is like night and day. It used to become really unsettled over rough washboard stuff like train tracks but now with the poly bushings installed the rear end stays in line like it should. Be warned though, they weren't easy to install. I did it in my buddy's shop with a two-post lift, a 60,000 lb press, a come-along and torches and it still took a full day to do.

A decent set of Pathy seats are getting harder to come by. I have seats from an Acura Integra in my 87 and a few others have grafted in Maxima seats and the like. None are a direct bolt-in swap, but depending on your fabrication skills and how much time and effort you want to put in to it just about anything will swap in. Just be sure the seat you choose is wide enough, low enough and the back will fold up enough so you have room to get in the rear of the truck.

ABS will "pump" the brakes on each wheel when the sensor detects the wheel has stopped (indicating that it's sliding). My Corolla's front wheel will jitter when on the brakes and I hit a bump. The wheel stops enough to make the sensor think the wheel is sliding and therefore pumps the brake caliper rapidly for a second or two.

I figure it wouldn't really matter as long as the stud doesn't break. If the nut spins off, fine. If the nut is siezed and the stud backs out, you've effectively got a bolt. Just put the siezed nut/stud combo back in the same hole.

I didn't do it today, but I replaced all the link bushings in the rear end with poly split ones. I did it at a friend's shop w/ a lift and it still whupped me. Maybe I did it the hard way or maybe I'm getting old and feeble but I don't think it's a job I'd try to tackle in the driveway. I used a 60,000lb press and an acetylene torch to get the old ones out and had to use a come-along to shift the axle around a few times to get the links lined back up. Lotsa work but she's smooth and predictable over railroad crossings now, no more wandering. I've got all new inner and outer TRE's ready to go in once my creaking joints and ruptured muscles heal up.

Just show her what you're doing is actually very safe. Make sure she gets in close for a really good look. After that, she won't know when you're welding.

I still don't have rear seat belts. I did however mount a couple U-bolts so I could secure my son's car seat. The seat bottom clamps never really worked in my truck anyway so they weren't a problem. Neither was the E-brake since I didn't chop that area up. Yeah, seam sealer is prolly a better way to go, but my repair is holding up well so far.

Hmm...matte black and a .50 cal mounted on top...I'll take two, please.

I think its 22 or 24 guage. I fixed the floor in mine before I had the welder using rivets and silicone gasket maker. I had to replace the entire floor under the rear seat plus a couple places the size of a keyboard and I guarantee it would've been much harder if I had tried to weld it. Running a continuous bead around a patch panel is harder than it sounds. You have to do a series of spot welds really, going around the patch panel until all the edges are welded. Very time consuming and difficult when you're sparking on old metal. I've done a few patches on my rocker panels and it took quite a while (then again, refer to #1 in my previous post). For the floor under the rear seats I cut the old section out then formed some 22ga sheet metal to overlap about an inch, drilled a rivet hole every two inches (150 rivets or so), goobered the overlap up with gasket maker to keep the water and grime from collecting in the seam and set it in place. I used fiberglass patches around the wheel wells since its near impossible to make those bends out of metal without the proper tools.

When in doubt, the answer is either "C" or "12". That's what got me through high school.

I grabbed a $50 auto-darkening helmet but haven't used it yet. I'm sure it'll be better than the Kabuki mask looking hand-held one that came with the welder. It's been my experience welding on the Pathy's body that you will easily blow right through the metal for three reasons: 1. I'm a crappy welder 2. The sheet metal they used is pretty thin 3. There's usually a tad more area affected by the rust than you can tell (surface rust will still thin the metal) Good idea to practice on the floor but if you end up blowing through you might want to patch the pin holes with silicone and call it a day.

I was wondering which is better. I'm thinking I'd rather get the split bushings for easier install but I don't want to compromise strength. anyone have any info on either? I'm going to get the poly set from A/C. Thanks.

Undead Survival Test Know your role if when the dead rise against society.

Yeah, you pretty much have to swap everything buy the block and heads over to the new engine. My JDM came from a FWD something and everything had to be pulled and swapped. I did leave the oil pump but changed the pan and pick up. Easiest thing is what you're doing - set 'em side by side on two stands and go at it. Dunno about the cams being different durations, but I'd imagine if there is a difference it would be nominal and you wouldn't feel any performance gain from them.

I got mine from an importer based in CA. If you Google "used Japanese engines" you'll prolly find a few. Mine was about $700 after shipping to FL. The heads will likely be gummy due to the type of driving, oil, and other factors in Japan. But the cylinder walls were perfect and the heads were fine after a cleaning. I also bought a transmission from one in VA when I used to live there. Cost about $500 and they installed it. 75K miles and no troubles.

Wow. Next time you're bored come on over to Sarasota. I have a Jetta that could use some trans work.

Suspension lift, decent rims with 32" all-terrains, headers and exhaust. That'll make it look like a nice street truck and give you a little more giddy-up. If you plan on taking it anywhere rougher than a dirt road, get a beefier modified centerlink. Just my $.02

I think I have my old set of autos laying around somewhere. See if he wants to make an offer then let him know there's a discount for NPORA members. PM me if interested.

Checked your vac lines really well? It'll run fine at startup then once it warms up the fuel map changes and if there's a vac leak it could start coughing and sputtering.

I installed one of those dash caps. It will take a bunch of trimming but it should fit well and you won't know its a cap unless you're looking for one. It'll come with enough adhesive and all, no sweat. The big problem is securing it while the adhesive dries. You'll want to pre-cut some tomato steak type of wood slats to wedge between the dash around the defrost vents and the headliner trim. Kinda as if you're putting wood slats vertically directly behind your windshield. The rest of the dash cap can be held in place with painter's tape. I did mine with an extremely bad hangover so its not 100% perfect, but had I taken my time it would look about factory.

You might want to do a physical double check that your engine is at TDC since it looks like you've separated your pulley from your damper. You could easily bolt them back together wrong (unless you marked them). Pull #1 plug Rotate crank until air pushes out #1 plug hole (compression stroke) Insert dowel into #1 plug hole Keep rotating crank until dowel is at its highest position = TDC