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Well I have made my final decision to keep the Venge and restore her to better than I had her before.  It is going to be a lot of work but I am going to have her for my daily driver and keep her in immaculate condition. 

So... here is what I have to work with.

1996 Dodge Avenger ES
4 cyl 5 spd, 215,000 miles

This is is current condition.  Sitting at the shop on all spare tires.

First thing I will need to fix is the transmission.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081732.jpg)

I am guessing that the dif pin sheared and gears blew out the bottom of the case.  Fortunately I have another transmission that I can take the bell housing and differential out of and swap over to this transmission.  Then I am going to rebuild the motor and get rid of its little oil use problem and any other problems I find with it.

Then we go on to body and paint.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081733.jpg)

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081733a.jpg)

Drivers side mirror needs to be replaced and the door has this aweful little ding that I will need to fix.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081734.jpg)

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081735.jpg)

Not really sure what happened to the spoiler and then we have some scrapage and dents on the passenger side that need to be fixed.  Other than that the body is in really good shape.  We will be painting the entire car though.

Then we move to the interior.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081733b.jpg)

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081733c.jpg)

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/start/0817081733d.jpg)

Yeah, entire interior has been painted... going to have to fix that.  I have a donor dash if it comes to that and it probably will.  The drivers side seat is broken in half but I have two new seats ready to go in.  The door panels really just need to be replaced but I am going to try to salvage them if I can.  (if anyone has some to sell or see's any that somebody is selling let me know)  Eventually I am going to take it to our upholster and get leather, unless I can find an entire interior thats already leather.  I also need a center console, and I will most likely be replacing the carpet.

Well that is what I have to work with and my plans so far.  I have a set of wheels with tires lined up so that is good to go.  After I get her running and comfortable again then I will upgrade things, ei brakes, lower her, possibly turbo, not so much for racing but just for added passing power.  Not to mention stereo I have some fun plans.

I will post the progress and any writeups I can as I go.

Glad to hear you've made a decision.  Damn that car has been through a lot.

lol. If i decide to sell my venge, you'll be the first to know.

well the project has begun
So far I have my wheels back.  Silverblur was nice enough to sell them back to me so that is covered.
I have the transmission and as soon as I get the wheels from Byron I will be rolling her into the shop to pull the motor and tranny and start rebuilding everything.

As far as the interior goes, I found a Sebring in Vancouver (washingon, not canadia) that has been totaled in the rear but has a nice tan leather interior that the guy is willing to sell for not much money at all.  I am going to look at it tomorrow and will have some pics.

I have started to gut the interior because no matter what I do, I will most likely need to replace everything.  I have the rear seats and panels and rear deck donated to Zilla and Silverblur since I am getting everything from the front windshield to the rear window.

Here is what I did tonight.

It started like this.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/venge/dash1.jpg)

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/venge/dash2.jpg)

and ended like this

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/venge/dash3.jpg)

Thanks to Bad Venge for the good instructions on how to remove the dash.  It honestly was a LOT easier than I thought it would be.  It only took about an hour and a half being very careful not to destroy any wiring or anything.

I will post pics of my new interior I am getting tomorrow after I get back from seeing it and negotiating with the guy.

nice!

sounds like a fun project. Good luck with it.

tee hee. you're negotiating. Be sure to not mention you're an enthusiast unless he is too.

you don't mess around when you say you are going to restore it...lol.  Good luck.. nice to see people starting to love on the cars again and now start to retore them.. write up things if you can.. maybe I should get Dave to add a restoration section...HAHAHA.

Secured the leather interior... well basically everything in the car from the front windshield to the rear window.

$440 for that and the drivers side power mirror.   ;D

This interior is immaculate.  I will take pics when I go to take it out. 

Got my wheels back too.   ;D

So for what its worth, moving a car is hard with 4 spare tires on instead of real wheels and tires sucks.

So... this is today's progress.

(http://www.nykontecwebsites.com/venge/wheels.jpg)

The roof is dusty.

yeah... thats the least of my concerns right now.

anybody have a spare shift knob laying around?

Go buy one for $10

I might, let me check some stuff.

That would be sweet, I might still have the original but its packed away in a box of parts somewhere I am sure.
 :P

i likes the rims. and autozoo sells shifter knobs, you can get a granade, or a revolver cylinder, or some other stupid crap like that.

I don't want some ricer piece of crap shift knob

I want the stock one.

Best stock shift knob ever >>> http://www.machv.com/oemheavleats.html

These are nice too but a little pricey >>> http://www.machv.com/mitlanevoshi.html

I have one. Pay the shipping and its yours. In perfect condition. I could post pics if you want.

Thanks Daes. I might get that with my Symborski kit.

Fifthorda, pics would be cool and where you at?

I ordered the shift knob and Symborski kit and have had them installed about 1 1/2 years now. The weighted shift knob makes shifting soooo much easier. It takes little effort to shift gears now. I also have a B&M shorty and shift cable bearings as well which helped out a lot too.

Here you go- the pics may not be the best :P
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/fifthorda/knob2.jpg)
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/fifthorda/knob1.jpg)

Glad to see your swaping out the interior that Matt masacred.  ;D

I checked and have no shift knob.

What is shipping 97222 and how do you want me to get the money? 

Daes, I have had the symborski kit and a Fidanza short throw in my eclipse for a few years now, I love them.  Its nice to shift with a flick of the wrist.

Probably somewhere between 5-10 bucks. Itll have to wait until monday because the post office is closed for the weekend. Do you have paypal?

yep

I just transferred some money into it so give me a few days and I will send the money.

coming along nicely nykon. good work.

Thanks, hopefully in the next week or so I will be pulling the motor and trans out and starting to work on them.

Wow, you've got about 7,000 more km's on it than I've got on mine now.  Glad you've made the decision to keep it, I went that route six months ago and almost don't regret it (lol).  It's cost me a lot more than planned, mainly due to a whole bunch of failures I didn't expect to deal with (at least not immediately) when I started out:

• Transmission rebuild (but you're covering that on your own)
• Struts and springs (should have seen this coming, just didn't think of it)
• Bushings (really never saw this one coming!)  Once I started driving it again several of them basically crumbled to dust, resulting in continuously variable alignment and a ruined set of tires before I realized what was going on.  I've had the upper and both lower control arms replaced in the front and the right rear knuckle as well (and the left rear will probably go pretty soon too judging by the way the rest of them folded).  I went with all new parts here and this was non, non non, non non non non-cheap!  (Sorry, Bill & Ted were on the other day.)
• Sub frames (another should-have-seen-it-coming, twelve Canadian road salt winters have not been kind).  While the body shop did one hell of a job on the exterior (five months later and I'm still finding new welds under the trim panels that show where yet another piece of perfectly formed steel is actually a new one I didn't know about) they completely ignored the underside, despite assurances they'd put it up on the hoist and tell me about anything questionable.  I just picked it up after two more weeks of work that replaced the lower rad support, fixed four holes in various parts of the floor, shored up the front and rear cross members, both side rails / jack points and both inner rails.  The car feels sooooo much more solid on the road now, but I don't want to know how many extra pounds of steel just got added to it.  This was also not cheap but if you have a shop and a welder it'll cost you a helluvalot less than it just cost me, since the only real part cost was the lower rad support.

Good luck and good on you!

Ok so here is the update on what I have done so far.

I got the leather interior.

Here it is in a pile at the shop.  Its so much bigger not put in the right order in the car.
The guy and his wife were a bit suprised, I don't think they quite understood what I meant by the entire interior until I had it all out in the back of the truck.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/newintpile.jpg)

I am still cleaning the carpet so I am going to do the carpet and the dash and everything else a bit later, but I did want to get the back end done.

Here is the old interior in the back.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/backcloth.jpg)

And here is the new updated tan leather interior.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/backleath1.jpg)

Here it is with the front seats in.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/leatherint.jpg)

So then I was tired and we were about to go to oktoberfest but before I left I wanted to get a feel for it again.  I found my gauge cluster and steering wheel and sat down and visualized the finished product.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/playing.jpg)

So this week we are going to tackle taking this out and getting it back to what it once was... or better.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/currentmotor.jpg)

I vote for better. lol. don't forget to take a good look at that transmission mount when you go to do that.

I swapped my 96 venge over to tan interior too but with a big twist.  ;)

oh?  Care to share?

The interior is dusty because the car is a garage ornament. I do have the ashtray/cupholder but had it out cleaning the gunk out of it when I took the pics.  :-\

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h268/daes_venge/Registry%20Pics/101_1185.jpg)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h268/daes_venge/Registry%20Pics/101_1191.jpg)

 :o^^^that looks fuggin PIMP!

Very nice, I like it.

Nice twist, assuming that you're talking about the Eclipse centre console.  Good way to get a double DIN radio hole for those that need it.

More black than tan is what i'm talking about.

The inserts on the door panels can be taken out?
If so, do you remember how?

I have Eclipse door panels. They are made a bit different. The inserts are held on by screws rather than being plastic welded on like Avenger panels.

Avenger inserts wont fit Eclipse panels and vise versa. I've tried.  :-\

If you shave off the plastic welds on Avenger panels, you can use screws to put them back on.  ;)

damn did your nephew do all that to that thing? Glad to see it is getting treated well now. I never thought I would say it but I miss my damn bring all its faults and all.

Yeah he pretty much did.

Started to prep for the engine removal tonight.  Got the battery tray taken out, the radiator and unbolted the exhaust manifold and started to remove the power steering pump.  It got too dark so I had to give up for the night.  But we are making some progress.

Woot! pretty soon, you'll see that mysterious transmission mount i've been trying to get you to see.  :D :D

yeah, your pictures suck.  I saw it back there, its more of a motor mount really.

Bad lighting and i think micheal moore had something to do with it which is why it sucks. Well, now that you know what it LOOKS like.. anything you can do?

That rear motor mount is easy to remove.  I can't believe you got that far and didn't finish the job!  Oh and why not just leave all the accessories on until you get the motor out?  That's how this old pro does it!

it was dark and the shop had other cars in it that we are making money off of.

Will finish it this weekend.  I am leaving the accessories on... well the A/C is already removed... eh, whatever, shaddup DT!

Found an eclipse console today and finally got my drivers side mirror.

(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w198/DTTBFan/MrBurns2.gif)

Alright so I had some time to kill before going to a wedding today so I got some work done.

Started by cleaning up some wiring for the alarm and just some general dusting and stuff.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/dashbare.jpg)

Then I started putting the dash back in.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/dashmid.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/dashmid2.jpg)

Now I am trying to decide on which console to use.

The Avenger/Sebring

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/dashwood.jpg)

or the Eclipse

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/dasheclipse.jpg)

obviously I have the rest of the pieces to go with it just didn't get them all put in.

I also finally replaced the mirror from the guy I bought it from and replaced it.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/mirror.jpg)

so next week this comes out.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/bay.jpg)

had to put it off because we are trying to get a car out for paint on monday.

On the console subject...
I think the woodgrain goes well with the tan leather but the Eclipse console gives the interior more of a cock pit feel and a more sporty look.

Manual tranny and a red exterior, I say go with the Eclipse console.

Oh, and is your key lock on your old glove box stock black? If so, swap that onto the tan glove box. I think it looks better. My 96 lock was stock black, so maybe yours is too.

Since you have the engine slightly taken apart, i figured i'd show you the location of the mount. ^_^ lol

(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/Shiano/bay.jpg)


And unless you can get an eclipse version of the woodgrain dash [would would look pimpin], go with the eclipse one.

Thats exactly what my buddy Carson said.  Thanks for the tip on the glove box lid.  Thats one of the little things that really makes a difference but is overlooked a lot of the time.  I would have never thought of it.

Shiano, I know thats the damn mount you are looking for.

Go with the woodgrain and then send me the eclipse console for free.  ;D

Umm no.  If you are looking for one I can keep my eyes out though.

I'll let you know when I'm not poor.

I know.

XD

it's just funny to point and say 'THAT ONE!!'

I prefer the Avenger console myself in terms of geometry, but the Eclipse will go better with a short throw shifter (at least the B&M kit that I got) and the black looks way better than woodgrain, so I'd vote for the Eclipse one.

Great thought on the glove box key there Daes!  I got all new locks a few years ago after a break-in destroyed both door handles and the ignition cylinder, and the colour of my glove box latch changed from black to grey with only a black keyhole.  Drove me crazy for months until I got used to it again...

Since your keeping that eye out for another eclipse console.. if you can catch some gray side panels for one let me know .  ;)

I will see what I can find.

ok I am pissed.  I just typed up all the progress I made today, pictures and everything, went to preview it and it told me I had to login.  I lost everything.  WTF!!!

Here we go again.

Today I pulled the motor and tranny out.  I found out that the carnage was far worse than I thought it was on the transmission.

So, I pushed her into the shop and took off the hood.  It looked much easier to take the motor out via the top than drop it out the bottom.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927080901.jpg)

Then I lifted her up to pull the axles and unplug the oil pressure sender, knock sensor and disconnect the wires from the alternator.
While I had her up in the air I noticed a little suprise.  A new hole I hadn't seen before.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081043.jpg)

My response was... "Damn, what the hell!?"  Then I shone some light on it and SUPRISE!!!

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081249.jpg)

A third hole, this one bigger than the first two... put together.  I was not amused.  Yeah, looks like it might be the flywheel, its not.  That is the differential you are looking at there.   Not meant to be seen by human eyes... well at least not through gaping holes in the side of the transmission.

So... I finished my work down there and lowered the car back down and started to undo the motor mounts.  While doing this I finally got to see the tranny mount that Shiano has been bugging me about.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081300.jpg)

oh wait but whats that underneath the tranny mount... could it be... no!... ANOTHER HOLE!!!

So I undo the mounts and get the motor out.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081346.jpg)

After I get it out I inspect the carnage some more.  Here is what I find.  The top of the tranmission above where the differential is... or rather used to be is... well... gone.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081354.jpg)

In case you are wondering what goes there... well the transmission mount and the speed sensor.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081354a.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081355.jpg)

I will need a new speed sensor by the way.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081403.jpg)

So after I swear and curse at my nephew and go have a drink I come back and separate the tranny from the motor to see what other carnage I may find.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081608.jpg)

Sure enough, there is more.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0927081608b.jpg)

yep, inside the bell housing there is another cute little hole.

So I am not hopeful about this tranny having any usable parts and I may just be rebuilding the one out of the PT that I have.  I think all it really needs are new diff bearings.  I will be splitting this tranny in half probably on Monday and then taking the rest of the stuff off the motor, removing the head and rebuilding it.

I am planning on having a working transmission and a rebuilt running motor by the end of next weekend.  We will see how it goes.  I need to get new CV shafts because the boots were torn on the ones pulled out and I think they were the originals with 214K on them... so probably time to be replaced.  I am going to upgrade the brakes while I am there because they brakes were covered in CV grease and crap. 

Well that is all the progress I have for now.  I will update as I pull the tranny open and take the motor apart. 

Enjoy.

Well the motor looks nice  :-\  I always copy my long posts.  ;)

I didnt know you had JBI helping out.  :D


I guess Matt really put the boots to that thing... I feel sorry for w/e his next car is.  :-[

He now has a mitusbishi Starion... RWD Turbo... he is not taking much better care of it from what I can tell...  :-\

How can you do that much Damage to a Car

Drive it like you stole it I guess.

humm.. missing diff pin and probably parts of a spider..

Whoever did that has perfected the art of the 1 wheel peel..

oh .. and when i rebuild my car.. it will be getting diff pin keepers.

Where do I get the diff pin keepers?

I have a pic of whats left of the diff pin on my phone, will post it later along with some more updates that I will have done tonight.
 

05134957AA Neon Diff Brackets

http://forums.neons.org/viewtopic.php?t=86055
http://www.turbovan.net/Trans3.html

Awesome, thanks Dave!

I owe you a beer.
 ;D

Alrighty.  Those clips cost me a whopping $2 each so I stocked up on them for the Eclipse and so I have some spares.

here is what I found this morning when I took the case apart before heading to work.

The mainshaft bearing has seen better days.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929080735.jpg)

not that its a great design, basically some rollers held together with a crappy plastic cage.

then the diff pin was all wibbly wobbly and just laying there.  Speedo gear was just laying there.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929080735a.jpg)

for the most part the differential was in good shape, just had some missing internal parts.  It did get chewed up a bit but nothing too serious.  I am still replacing the unit though.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929080738.jpg)

Then we have the cup for the mainshaft bearing and the little hole inside the bell housing.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929080738a.jpg)

so after work tonight I dissassembled the rest of the motor and took the head off.  I am going to rebuild the head later and just use the new head that I already have to save time.  Ordered new rockers and lifters today.  Took the camshafts out and will check them tomorrow morning when I get to work to make sure they are in spec.

There is a ridge at the top of the cylinders so I will be measuring that tomorrow also to see if I can just re-ring it or if I will have to bore and go for oversize pistons.  Hoping for just a re-ring but the car does have 214k on it.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929081959.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929081959a.jpg)

The cylinder walls are a bit glazed but other than that in good condition.  A bit of carbon on top of the pistons but we can clean that up.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929081959b.jpg)

so tomorrow I will be taking off the bedplate and seeing how the bottom end looks and if I need to replace anything down there.  Also take the diff out of the PT tranny and press the bearings off and the new ones on and put the tranny back together.

I will keep you guys posted.

Wow, seems to be taking you quite  awhile to do such an easy rebuild.

(http://smiliesftw.com/x/hahalaughingat.gif)

ok first, WTF is that thing?  Second, taking my time and doing it right so I don't have to redo it later.  Third, I am doing it couple hours a night after work so piss off.   ;D

while you got it apart.. if you take hte pistons out.. radius the edges on the pistons some.. and the valve reliefs... also scuff up the tops of the pistons with some 500 grit or so..

add a slight radius to the quench pads..

don't radius the outsides of the piston tops..

small things make big differences.. you'd be surprised..

if you want to do some porting in your head as well (simple stuff that won't screw up your car..) lemme know.. snap some pics and i can show you where to smooth out things a bit without screwing it up.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0929081959.jpg)

Is that a thunderchicken?

Nope its one of our other projects.

1963 1/2 Falcon Sprint
Factory 260 V-8 4 speed
2 Door Hardtop

(http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/rjclassics/63sprint3014.jpg)

you can buy it if you want.

Click Here! (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1963-1-2-Falcon-Sprint-4-speed-V8-Hardtop-Rust-Free-Red_W0QQitemZ220287485726QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220287485726&_trkparms=39%3A1|65%3A7|240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245)

oh, they made a mini chicken. how quaint.

Shiano, your dumb.

Transmission is back together.  Starting on putting the motor back together now.

Will have pictures tonight.

that car is beautiful my dad has a 63 falcon panel delivery wagon its not that shiny but not rust CA car though i cant wail till its back on the road

Yeah, I love my second job.  Sometimes its hard to watch them go when we sell them though.

Alright, more progress has been made.

tore the engine down completely and was very pleased to see with 214k on it that the bearings were in this condition.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/0930082016.jpg)

Everyone I showed them too guessed that the motor had maybe 50k on it, nowhere near 214k.  Still replaced them though.

Basically had the cylinders honed, didn't need to bore it or anything, got new rings, the number 4 rings were bad.  I had a new head that I was going to use for my turbo motor on my eclipse so I decided to use that and take the Avenger head and rebuild it for the turbo motor to save time.  Put new bearings in, put it all back together.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1005081635.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1005081636.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1005081636a.jpg)

the tranny is all better, cleaned up in side, made sure all the shrapnel was gone, replaced all the bearings and added the clips to the Differential to keep the pin from ever flying out again.  (Thanks again Dave)

I lost some of the valve cover grommets and bolts somehow and ordered new bolts for the exhaust manifold and will get them tomorrow.  I am going to take a break for the rest of the week and drop her back in saturday and fire her up.  While I have the motor out I have repaced all the mounts as they were toast, and am going to move the battery into the trunk.

I will keep you updated on more progress as it happens.

You need to make the engine all pretty and shiney before you install it back again.

np.. did you clean up the chambers in the head any or shall I smack you now?

teehee. you're gonna get Admin-smacked.

anyhoo.

Send me a pm letting me know how much that one mount costed you. lol. or just call me. after 5pm your time though. XD

Brand spankin new head.  They better be clean.

not what I meant..

*smacks you*

what do you mean?

heh heh.. Nykon got smacked

ah gotcha, its all stock.  Feel free to smack me some more.

Its port matched to the intake.  I am using the spare head and intake for my eclipse motor.  Other than that and the upgraded rockers and lifters (suggested by Alain) its all stock.

 :(

humm... that really doesn't work.. well.. it does in the regard that it's somewhat better than what you get from the factory.. but there are better ways to do it.. and you actually want a small cross section there as you want a low pressure area at the entrance to the port to help create a high pressure area near the valve seat.

Its better to clean up the intake manifold some, and then clean up the port slightly larger than the manifold.. a small step between the manifold and the head creates a small anti-reversion effect.

oh.. I figure it's worth about 2-3 ft-lbs in low-mid rpms, definetly helps response.

chamber and piston smoothing and "roughing" is good for another 10 or so ft-lbs across the range.

Can't build these motors for HP, waste of time and effort.. gotta build em for torque.. ports in the head aren't setup right for big HP numbers.. and you'd really have to work them over to get this engine to move the volume required for hp..

Like my nana used to say about buttering toast... take care of the edges and the middle will take care of itself..

 ;D

good to know.  I am not worried about increasing the HP or Torque on the Avenger.  Just want something dependable.

I pretty much gave the stuff to my father in law last year and told him what my goals were and he gave it back to me.  I suppose I should do a little more research before I do it for my other motor.

thanks for the advice, I learned something today.

crap. I think most of us learned something today

Yes.. yes you did.. butter toast from the edges..

  ;D

Well my progress went pretty well this weekend.  Got the tranny and the motor back together.
checked everything over and put it back in the car, got all the motor mounts done up, filled the oil and tranny fluid, checked for obvious leaks, saw none and called it a day because I had some other things to go take care of.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1011081643.jpg)

Today I got to the shop, plugged in all the wiring, vacuum lines, power steering hose, radiator, heater hoses, put the radiator in, (not in this order) did the brakes hooked up the exhaust and got ready to fire her up.

Things went well.  Started up good, had oil pressure, ran like crap at first.  I figured I had assembly lube and oil passing past the new rings since they had not broken in yet.   So I shut it down, did the front brakes because they were pretty much gone, figured I would wait a bit and start it up again and add coolant, etc etc etc.  Feeling pretty good at this point.  Then I lift the car up and see a little puddly of assemby lube and oil.  So I get underneath with a light and look up and see oil and assembly lube spewing down the back of the block from the head gasket.

not good.

at this point I was pissed and decided to call it quits for the day or I would be working on this car until morning getting it to work right. 

So as I sit now  I moved the car under its own power out of the shop and back to its current parking spot.  Meaning I backed it up, drove around the driveway and backed it up again, probably about 50 yards.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1012081540.jpg)

however I need to pull the head back off and figure out why its spewing oil.

To make myself feel better I took the new AEM intake for the Avenger and put it on the Eclipse because its better than the half painted Iceman I had on there.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1012081614.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1012081619.jpg)

So... I am gonna take a break for a couple days and figure out what I want to do.  I am having serious thoughts about taking the head I just got off the Avenger, rebuilding it with Dave's and Alain's suggestions and then turboing the Avenger, or just take the head off, make sure everything is ok with it and replacing the gasket and starting over.

Altogether a frustrating yet somehow satisfying day.

Congrats on getting it running!

What did you pay for your replacement tranny?

(http://www.tranny-blog.com/uploaded_images/tranny-736956.jpg)

Technically $75 but I worked it off doing other things so free.

again with the red x?

 ???  :-\ :-X

They do call me a parts whore...  ;D

I dunno if Nykon's a Red or Blue person. hmmm.

indy red FTW!  ;D

so... any updates?! besides the suspension is waiting for you!!! haha  :P

Found the problem.  Won't tell you what it was but it was an error on my part.  So replaced the head gasket and actually got it running this morning.  Bought a header because the manifold was cracked and why the hell not.  Broke the old o2 sensor trying to get it out so I am going to put a new one in here in about an hour and will drive it out of the shop and hopefully down the street and back.  Need to hook up all the electronics in the inside the dash and run all my stereo wiring, put the carpet back in, finish assembling the center console, on and install some other goodies I got, like the short throw shifter and shift kit, then I can start on body work.

This whole rebuilding your car has me wanting to get mine back on the road again..  i think i've put maybe 20 miles on it in the last 5 years.. LOL

well it ran and idled tonight and I drove it... around the driveway.  I have no lights right now so I didn't get to drive it more than that.  So far so good.  We will see what all I can get done this weekend.

Just enough to get it from house to house dave.. lol

keep it coming!!

ok, I need to replace the power steering pump, apparantly it has been growling for a while according to Matt and its really bad now.  I have everything plugged in under the dash and the turn signals don't work.  Those are my next two projects, and to get the door to open with the exterior door handle on the drivers side...

APPARENTLy is the correct speling.

eh eh htanks

Gald I hvae hte spleling polise heer two keap mee inn lnie.

well gee golly willickers! looks like someone forgot their junior woodchuck spelling dictionary today.

XD

 :D

Do you know how hard it was to misspell every word. 

Nice signature pic, oh and by the way, did you ever recieve that shift knob?

well..it would have been hard for normal people... ;). I thnk you should stick to fixin up the venge, not only are you good at that but I use a lot more of your advice than you think.

lol. even though it was a challenge for you, i know you're up to it. You're up to almost every challenge i've seen you go through here. XD  ::thumbsup::

yeah I did get the shift knob.  Thank you! 

that is an awesome sig nykon

its almost like watching two girls make out....almost....

I wonder, did you have to park the Eclipse next to the Avenger or the Avenger next to the Eclipse? lol.

I parked the Eclipse next to the Avenger, but they but run and drive just fine.

Bastard!
 ;D

I thought feet run and wheels roll ???

I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Don't worry jbi, it's just you. lol

he installed feet on the venge, its a new performance mod, wheels are a thing of the past.

 ;D

(http://www.guzer.com/pictures/shoe-wheel-bike.jpg)

That red X is HAWT!!

exactly what i was talking about. you don't have to worry about tire pressure, you just gotta make sure you keep the laces tied, or it will trip.

Your interwebs is broken.  points and  :D

that's what happens when you use your employers computer :-\

Drove it up and down the street today after plugging in the Turn Signal module under the dash and replacing the p/s pump.

Now I know my next set of things to fix.

Door handle (still)
Put the hood back on.
Speedometer sensor needs to be plugged in (CEL came on for that and I knew not how fast I was going)
Need new front wheel hubs, they make a cool whining noise.
Struts are gone, all of them need replacing.
Need to check the Front right suspension.  I think I may not have tightened something all the way.

thats all for now.

You fail at tightening.

You fail at mocking me!

burn

You fail at burning

You fail at your face!

ugh its too early, where's me damn coffee!

You failed at life.

Today I hooked up the drivers side window switch and reattached the door panel.  Hooked up my gauge faces and put the gauge pod back in.

JBI fails at getting 40 mpg.

Any numbers on the speedo yet?

i got struts for yaaaaaa hahaha

and jeeez, you guys are like 7year olds "no you suck... no YOU suck"

keep up the good work Nykon! doing great, post some pics, i am a visual person  ;D

Speedometer works as of this morning.  I am going to try to have video and pics this weekend.

Things for the next week.

Front hubs
Figure out whats wrong with the suspension on the right side.  (Turns out matty matt ran the car into the ditch a few times.
Flush and refill cooling system (has a bunch of oil from head gasket issue)
Put the hood back on
finish fixing door handle
Finish reassembling interior now that everything is plugged in and wired and working.

oh and Ivan, hopefully by the end of November I will be able to get those from ya.

Great progress nykon. More than I can say for myself. You should be taking pics though.

lol. but he's only got the broken things to look at right now.

This is the best I can do for pics right now

This is the sunrise on the way out to the shop the other morning.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1029080730.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1029080731.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1029080733.jpg)

Sorry for the quality, it was on my cel phone and I was driving.

Here is my gauges unlit and lit but it wasn't dark so you don't get the full effect.
and my tach is wrong, its should go to 9k

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1029080824.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1029080824a.jpg)

Thats all I got for now.

Tach looks nice, sunrise pics remind me of my morning commute. It's still dark out when I leave...here comes winter! how are you gonna handle the next few months??

You need gas.

I love all the constructive comments I get from DT.

What do you mean how am I going to handle winter?
We have a well insulated shop with heated floors this year.  Last year we froze our asses off in the old shop.

So we have a Galaxie convertable on the lift and the 69 camaro under it so I had to stick to outside projects this morning before work.  Since it was raining I didn't really want to fix my door handle so I threw in my symborski kit and my short throw shifter.  I will get pics up tonight when I get home and can plug my phone in.

What I had intended to say was:

"How will you manage fixing up the avenger in the coming winter months?"

You do have a shop, and I guess it's warm so you wont have to worry about that much.

Huh, no oil pressure gauge alongside the temperature?  That explains all the people putting it in an a-pillar pod...  up until now I was thinking "Why would you want another one?"

Yeah the OP gauge only comes in the auto trans from what I understand.

ok, call me a noob, but why should the tach go to 9k? i have the same engine in mine and mine only goes to 8k....or does your eclipse go to 9k and thats what you're used to(i think the turbo eclipses went to 9k don't they?)...

Maybe because mines an ES... not really sure.

Shiano's goes to 9k
Mine under the gauge overlays goes to 9k
My Eclipse goes to 9k

DT's goes to 8k

I am sure Admin or somebody will fill us in on why hehe  ;D

so, maybe its the 4cyl manuals go to 9k, 4cyl auto go to 8k, but why would that make sense? its the same engine, is it not? i didnt think that the transmission would affect the charactoristics of the engine, i.e. when it become dangerous or damageing(redline) or maybe i have a v6 gauge cluster who the heck knows....i sure don't...but then don't most v6 guages have oil pressure and/or volt gauges? which mine doesnt have, i duuno we need to make a thread where everyone puts up a picture of their instrument cluster and engine/tranny setup

Nope, mine's a I4 manual.  But I do have aftermarket overlays so I don't remember what's under those anymore.

I have a 4 cyl manual too, 9k tach, with oil gauge- Imagine the trouble Im going trough to get overlays? I might just get the 8k one for an automatic with oil too, I mean, 1k less divided into a whole 8k range, their cant me that much error in the end?

The redline mark is in the same spot on mine so I figure I am good.

When you redline, does the needle hit the 7000, or the begining of the redline on the gauge(6500)?
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg122/fifthorda/DSC09996-2.jpg)

i think he means the redlines are the same place on the needle. i.e. when the guage on front is on redline, the hidden gauge underneath is on redline too. right?

also, anybody else on here with a 4cyl auto? v6?

4cyl manuals do go to 9k.. autos go to 8k.. autos have a different throttle body, as well as the ecu is programmed differently.

I think the 97+ 4cyl's don't have the oil pressure gauge, but the v6 ones do..

It's been a while... i don't mind the stock gauges (don't look at them much anyway..) so haven't really payed attention.

The '95 five speed had it, at least up here in Canada.  Now if only there was a voltage gauge alongside the gas gauge...  I'm a huge fan of symmetry.

Even better, a boost gauge like in the turbo eclipse ;)ohhhh

so, while we are on the topic, is it easy or hard to put in a stock oil pressure/volt gauge, on a car that didnt have one previously. because im planning on getting the in-dash 2 autometer gauge bezel, but i don't want to use those for oil pressure, or volt gauges, so i'd like to have those two gauges in the stock location if possible. the plan is to get a junkyard cluster with the oil pressure/volt and butcher it. or would it just be easier to get a new cluster and change the milage to match....but i thought that was a tad bit illegal...

changing the guage in the cluster is not that big a deal, just pull it out and inscrew it from the front, plug the new one in.  The difficult part will be the sensor and the wiring going to the sensor.  If you don't already have a gauge in there you have a one wire sensor for the light.  If you put the gauge in you will need to change the harness to a 2 wire harness for the sensor.  Under the dash all the harnesses are the same, but in the engine bay, not so much.  Just get a pillar gauge.  I might even have one laying around somewhere I could let you have.  I will look this week if you are interested.

i was just interested to see if it was possible, wiring in new sensors wouldnt be that hard, routing the wires, MEH, i've rewired an entire car in one weekend(just two spools of red and black wire, it was all differnt shades of brown and green before i started), running an extra wire is no problem.

and im not a big fan of the pillar gauges, thus me wanting to put those two gauges in the stock location, then A/F and a trans temp are going in the dash-bezel thing. ill take the pillar if you're dying to get rid of it, if not hang on to it. im a little strapped for cash, so if i buy the pod, ill have to buy gauges, then ill have to buy my A/F and trans temp gauge and the in-dash gauge bezel, and then i won't be able to eat for a month or two.

I am fat, I would gladly go for gauges over food.   ;D

lol, yeah, i've probably got about 2 weeks of reserves around my mid-section.  ;D

and the other question with the putting in my gauges is, i have never had my dash apart, is there 1 connector on the back of the gauge cluster, or is each light and wire or group of wires connected on thier own. i've seen it done both ways. i had a GM gauge cluster apart, and the entire cluster was one sealed unit, with one connector on the back of it, which im assuming since you said, it was cake to add in a gauge, this is not the case, so im assuming each gauge has its own harness. in that case, wiring in a new gauge should be fairly easy, albiet rather time consuming.

im the kinda guy that i like to do stuff right, and it don't really care if it takes me 3 weeks to wire one gauge, as long as it works and looks good.

I will get you pics tomorrow unless somebody beats me to it.

Basically the Gauges come out as a cluster, there are three large plugs in the back where the cluster plugs in.

You can take apart the cluster, and the Tach, speedo, gas and oil/temp gauge can all be removed.

ah, so if i were to wire in the new gauge, could i wire it through the plug, or would it be easier to wire in on its own? and then, replacing the sensors, would be cake, i would just need to pull the sending units off of whatever i happen to take the gauge cluster out of.

you would not need to change anything as far as wiring on the gauge cluster or the wiring going to it, you would have to rewire it from the sender to the main harness and probably the ECM

ECM? why would i need to rewire it to the ECM? what is the ECM input for the oil pressure sending unit? does the ECM get an on, off light like the cluster or does it get a varied signal like a gauge....because if it gets a varied signal, depending on the setup- i may just need to splice off a wire from that wire, or figure out what the stock setup would be.

hmmm....much ponderings must be made...at ivy tech, we have alldata and mitchell, i could look up wiring diagrams and such.

sounds good to me!

ok sorry so long for an update, especially one with pictures.

So lets see where did I leave off.  Oh yes, had to replace front hubs.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1104081708.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1104081733.jpg)

After that it came to flushing all the crap out of the cooling system from the head gasket issue.  Did that, fixed the damn door handle and put the interior back in.

So today I got the interior all back in and started driving her around to break the motor in.

Here is what I started with this morning.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081002.jpg)

Here is my progress

First, put the carpet back in.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081007.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081014.jpg)

Then put the door sills and the side panels back in under the dash and start putting the center console back in.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081101.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081107.jpg)

I had decided to use the Avenger/Sebring console for now until I realized with the short throw shifter it would not work because it hits on the side of the shift boot hole.  I suppose I could try driving with just 5th and Reverse but didn't really want to so the Eclipse console went in.  I will have to take the side panels out and either paint them tan or black, but later, not today.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081121.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081127.jpg)

Then it was time for the seats.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081136.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081137.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081144.jpg)

Then under the dash finished up, then it was time to drive it.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081206.jpg)

Here are some pics while I was driving down the road past the shop.

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081209a.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081209b.jpg)

(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g74/rccastle/1111081209c.jpg)

After this we went and put fuel in it and got lunch.  Ran to the parts store and back to the shop.  Then I drove it home tonight and over to a friends house to pick him up and go out for mexican food.  The place we were going was downtown and as soon as I crossed the bridge to the traffic light one way street nightmare the TPS went out and my RPMs got stuck at about 3k.  So I found the restaurant, ate and limped it home.

Now I know I need a new TPS, struts, body work and paint hehe, and new tires.   Getting the tires on sunday, TPS tomorrow, struts soon.

Oh and a new ABS sensor because I smacked the one with a hammer on accident trying to knock out the hub assembly.  So if anyone has a right front ABS sensor PM me.

Gotcha covered (http://asog.net/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,30/topic,4514.0) buddy!

Nice work!  I am completely amazed at how much you've been able to accomplish in such a short period of time.  I definitely spent too much getting other people to restore my car this year, oh to be out of a high rise condo and into a place with my own garage!  Could've saved tons.

hmm, thanks, I will have to look into modifying mine.  I was hoping to get away without anything like that but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Does it change the appearance from the top at all?

Good job Nykon. I'm glad to see that it's coming along nicely

Looks good.  But I wanted to complain about the ABS light.  You screwed me out of a little happiness.  >:(

Nope, other than the shifter coming out of the extreme left of the boot area instead of closer to the middle (the picture below is with the car in 5th and notice how slewed to the left it already is).  That actually hides a tear in my boot quite nicely.

;D

(http://www.kevint.ca/Misc/ShifterDriversView.jpg)

I can take a pic from a different angle and with the car in 1st or 2nd if you want.

I checked the manual, that just means the ECU's power-up diagnostic has concluded that Avenger Brakes Suck.  Once he upgrades to GSX parts it should go out.

Edit:  Aw crap, except that his says Anti Lock.  Okay, now I'm jealous and unhappy too.  Oh wait... my car's more fun in the winter.  Score!

Its coming along nicely.

ok, gonna check out modifying my boot to fit the shifter then, but it is pissing down rain today and the shop is full of other projects that are making us money so I will wait a bit.

I will probably just take the light bulb out for now for the ABS

hooked up the scanner today

EGR Insufficient flow and
Idle not where it is expected to be.

Going to replace the TPS and probably remove the EGR.

Hmm idle seems to be ok without repacing anything so I am going to wait for it to go all wonky again and diagnose it then.

Reverse lights don't work.  Will look into that.

Other than that, I love driving her.  Have almost 100 miles logged, only used a 1/4 of a tank.  So far so good.
 ;D

FAIL!
my mpg is bigger than your paycheck

Now I got some time i think i'm gonna tear into the sebitch.. i think it only needs a new hone and some rings.. oh and a battery.. damn optima has got a short in it and now only reads 11.5V max..

Glad someone can get one goin again from nothingness :)

i had a friend complaining that his reverse lights didnt work, he spend a good hour trying to figure it out, before it dawned on him that the bulbs were simply burn out, oh the good times of laughing at him....ah, memories.

i love when people forget the simple things.....

My favorite is when you take off the door panels to do something then put the back on and your windows don't work so you spend 2 hours troublshooting to find out you hit the lock button.

Or when I spend 2 hours trying to figure out why the low beams stopped working in the PT Cruiser and found out the fuse was blown.

yeah... no matter how stupid it is, I will always check the easiest thing first hehe.

JBI?  I have no idea what you are talking about.

Warranty on the switch must run out at 12 years...  I just had to replace mine.   8)

It's an easy spot on the 5-speed, just pop the hood and look for the two wire connector going into the top of the tranny near the closest corner of the battery.  With the key in the run position and the engine off/cool (no point wracking yourself on the rad fan) disconnect it and short the harness with a paper clip, if you get lights you've got a bad switch.  That's how I figured out mine.

ahh, nvm, my poor attempt at crunching numbers failed. :(.

sorry about the window lock button man :D

You make me feel so much better about my stupid mistakes!  LOL.  When I installed electronics in autos for a living, I used to do that all the time.  I'd leave the fuse out while wiring to avoid any shorting or shocking, I'd try to turn on whatever, and then pull everything apart to see what when wrong.  Pop the hood look by the batter, oh didn't put the fuse in.

It happens to the best of us.

or spending an hour troubleshooting why the cigarrette lighter doesnt work, only to find the fuse is blown....yeah, i felt stupid that day

just not me ;)

"or spending an hour troubleshooting why the cigarrette lighter doesnt work, only to find the fuse is blown....yeah, i felt stupid that day"

*Raises hand to back of head and laughs out loudly*

yeah, hehe

I thought my passenger window motor was burnt out for a week when I forgot I had window lock in the car and hit it on accident. Guess never using it makes you forget about it.

 :D

I have done the same exact thing. My window motor was really slow and then one day it stopped. I figured it died so i tore the panel off and checked it all out. Come to find out after an hour the lock was on.