Build Project: Suzie!!

[neckto]

wow, just read this entire thread and i must say what a good read! kudos to you man! looks great now after all that work. idk if i would have done what you did but i bet it's worth it at the end!
can't wait to see the finished product!

hey thanks for taking the time to go through n not only browse photos,.............. what would you have done differently? look for replacement chassis?

well the only thing i would have done differently is not even bother with a restoration lol...chassis alone was so much work to do to get right, i might have just sold it for scrap iron lol. but i have 100% respect for you tho, going through all that and making sure every thing was done as best as it can...mad respect! keep up the good work and i cant wait to see this build/restoration project finish! subscribed!!!

i hear u bro. we had our doubts too. if was going to be an off road vehicle i think we wouldnt have bothered attempting a chassi repair then

[tizik 2nr]

Just read through the entire thread and... WOW.

Admire your determination on this project man, subscribed and will be looking forward to more updates....

BTW, have some engine parts from a Great Wall Sailor I crashed a while back, The engine was an Isuzu 2.7 non turbo, looked similar to yours. You're welcome to them if you wanna check and see if you need anything...

Let me know...

[neckto]

Just read through the entire thread and... WOW.

Admire your determination on this project man, subscribed and will be looking forward to more updates....

BTW, have some engine parts from a Great Wall Sailor I crashed a while back, The engine was an Isuzu 2.7 non turbo, looked similar to yours. You're welcome to them if you wanna check and see if you need anything...

Let me know...

hey dude, thanks....... definitely interested, pm sent

[neckto]

mini update

trying to get back into work groove........


started her up today, engine starting n idling smooth.

water don't seem to be flowing at it should tho. also the temp gauge not moving.

So have to get the mech to check the water pump/ thermostat and have to get an electrician to double check all wiring done so far and the temp gauge.

but firstly:

Took back out the radiator, clutch fan and removed the housing with the thermostat to make room to drill out the power steering pump mounting bolts that wrung off in the engine head. going to attempt to drill, ream, and tap back the threaded hole points to get the power steering pump in the proper position. i don't have ream bits and a tap set so i asked a machinist to come and do it so hopefully he will be here on Monday. if he sticking too, i will just buy the tools and make it a DIY repair as well.

we also bled and adjust the brakes. bled the clutch system. temporarily put bk in the gear lever and drove her for the FIRST TIME EVER since i bought it. HURRAHH!! lol (just in the driveway tho)

so brakes, engine, clutch and gearbox working sweet.

cant wait to get this power steering issue sorted out that's the last big challenge to complete the engine bay phase

Finally, the Oil pan drain plug head is badly damaged (rounded), it can only be slackened with a wrench. anyone know if the parts shop sells replacements or can point me to where i can get one? other than going round to used parts dealers and begging??

[MonsterPower]

Wow man neckto Sweet ass build... kudos to taking ur time on doing some neat in depth restoration .. i love it

as for the oil pan nut if you cant get one or want to do a sweet replacement u can get a nut similar or close to a size spanner you use and weld it on .. when u finished some smoothing and painting will neva show you did work on it ..gives a personalized touch .

[neckto]

Wow man neckto Sweet ass build... kudos to taking ur time on doing some neat in depth restoration .. i love it

as for the oil pan nut if you cant get one or want to do a sweet replacement u can get a nut similar or close to a size spanner you use and weld it on .. when u finished some smoothing and painting will neva show you did work on it ..gives a personalized touch .

thanks buddy.


yep, already cited that as the contingency plan....thanks again tho

[neckto]

UPDATE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!

work has started back this week. i didnt take as much pics and forgot to upload the earlier day's pics before lol......only now get back in the groove so i will post and comment in sequence from day one of resumption of build

first set of pics are from saturday with the engine parts comming pack out and the bolts in the engine block to be addressed

you can see the wrung off bolts here



top






pics of parts removed again





so now we realize it's four bolts that broke off. one for the water port adapter / thermostat housing too



dissassembled parts






had to remove the engine intake main cover too to make room for the drill



started to clean up in there but took another pic before i finished to ask u guys if the amount of oily residue i seeing in there is a normal nominal amount of should i be concerned??????????????



here is where it really gets interesting. I was set-up by the machinist on Monday. then we spoke on Tuesday and he was supposed to come that evening. I decided to start drilling the holes so it would be less for him to do as he was very busy.

I pilot drilled first, and then decided to try a "magic" i filled the drill holes (and the gap in the back of the engine block with WD 40 and oil and let it soak. then i hammered in a hex shaped screwdriver tip into the drilled hole and tried to turn it out with a socked and ratchet and by Gods grace i was able to turn out ALL four broken bolts. this was awesome as i no longer need to interfere with the engine block itself or remake any threads. just find replacement bolts.

magic and apparatus to give u an idea



here are the original threaded holes








at the end of Tuesday evening, we managed to find some bolts and do a basic mount up of the power steering pump






this morning!!!

took better pics as it was not dark lol

according to Google, this engine works with dual main belts



pics of completed engine mount up

found a final resting position for fuel primer pump and power steering fluid canister - its not original though.........i need to see another Suzie engine bay then tweak to suit







permanently temporary positioning of pump n canister



so the engine bay is 98% complete. have some final retouching n neatening to do. i also took out the thermostat and will replace it when i can find one. the local parts shops didn't have for the suzie. i also determined the water pump is working properly since the thermostat was removed i am seeing a nice flow in the radiator.

we also flushed out the water system by taking off the top radiator hose and letting the water run out while placing hose in the radiator inlet to refill the water and run the engine until the water running out was clear and not rusty looking. the temp gauge still seem to not be working tho so that will be addressed by the electrician. apart from that its just the oil drain plug and we good to go. I took another mini drive and she working sweet so far. brakes feeling good, engine idling n running smoothly, gears changing nice and engaging properly (1st n reverse alone was tested lol) . clutch engaging nice and clutch pedal soft and steering turning real soft n nice. have to take back off the tray to give it a better test run as it not bolted on


so back to monday!!!

while twiddling thumbs waiting for the machinist...we decided to start tackling the cabin......open up doors upholstery and remove doors off the van. and clean and assess the inside

this continued into Tuesday

door handle screws rusted and seized, had to soak with WD 40 to get out







the monotonous part ............also, what is that rectangle piece of iron bolted to the cab floor and what is it's purpose?





only thing i can think of is some sort of ballast or weight for balance?

electrical, lever and gunk to remove





some or the tar mat (which i think is for sound dampening) has lost its integrity and has to be removed and replaced with something....... I'm thinking flash band......it looks like the same thing to me





cap in floor rotted and will be patched and welded off....eliminating the cap all together




large gunk removal of one floor section completed. ready for rust removal, welding and prep



other half of back section cleaning completed



expired tar mat removed



front sections getting there too slowly





one of the heaps of crap removed from the floor



i also removed the hood lining upholstery cause it was filthy. have to figure out how to clean or if to reupholster it

will take pics of that tom

[TRENDSETA]

recently i was reading an article on sound dampening and they advised against using flashband in an auto interior .Although it looks similar it was suggested that the tar makeup is different and that flash-band , when in a heated car (left in the sun) begins to smell and can stink up the interior

[jpec]

why not use dynamat all around the car for sound deadening?

[daryl0510]

the most interesting build i've ever read on chuna thus far!!! gd wrk buddy!

[black start]

why not use dynamat all around the car for sound deadening?

wouldn't that be a bit on the expensive side?just asking...

[jpec]

why not use dynamat all around the car for sound deadening?

wouldn't that be a bit on the expensive side?just asking...

possibly, but i really don't know the prices of the others. it was just a suggestion, figured it would be the best option in terms of quality.

[MonsterPower]

u can pm de audio on the forum ... its fen jr and he sells it by the sheet .. maybe u could negotiate somn better and just place it on key areas.. trust me it makes a whole lot of difference in ride noise

Or if u can skybox in look up fatmat on ebay u can get a 100ft roll for under $100 usd

[neckto]

recently i was reading an article on sound dampening and they advised against using flashband in an auto interior .Although it looks similar it was suggested that the tar makeup is different and that flash-band , when in a heated car (left in the sun) begins to smell and can stink up the interior

this would be quite interesting to read i want to see what exactly is this tar difference. do you have the article or the source.......unfortunately it might be a little too late for me as u will see shorty lol

[neckto]

why not use dynamat all around the car for sound deadening?

well it was a consideration and would be more ideal but its DIY so i want to try the flash-band and see how it performs and keep the project fixes properly done using everyday available materials. so im going to be the guinea pig for ya'll benefit on this one

[neckto]

the most interesting build i've ever read on chuna thus far!!! gd wrk buddy!

thanks bro.........stay tuned.....!!

[neckto]

why not use dynamat all around the car for sound deadening?

wouldn't that be a bit on the expensive side?just asking...

possibly, but i really don't know the prices of the others. it was just a suggestion, figured it would be the best option in terms of quality.

yes im sure it would be too, but im thinking that

1. im not going to install no big set of music in it

2. if this job was given to a regular average body shop guy to do, they would prob just do the welding and give it a relative clean up and of the loose tar and just paint it or cover it back up without making the effort to replace the dampening so its still a good effort at doing a move than proper job.........plus i done buy the flashband...........hehehe

[neckto]

u can pm de audio on the forum ... its fen jr and he sells it by the sheet .. maybe u could negotiate somn better and just place it on key areas.. trust me it makes a whole lot of difference in ride noise

Or if u can sky box in look up fatmat on ebay u can get a 100ft roll for under $100 usd

well seeing that i bought the flash band already. i'll put it on for now and if need be i will definately add the dynamat later on

i paid TT 240 for a 9" x 10M roll...........do you know how that price compares to the dynamat? anyone who in the process choosing between the two could compare the prices and see it it makes better sense to pay the difference if marginal for a more suitable product..

[MonsterPower]

cant talk for the flash band but i have worked with many brands of sound deadner and it works .. if u in south i still have a piece we could always compare with

in terms of price i believe u get what u pay for .

[neckto]

UPDATE


well as u just read.........while the dampening material debate was going on i was already onto purchasing the flash band so i'll give it a try and see how it goes



and the cleaning of the floor continues

scrape scrape scrape dig dig dig..................



took out all the water caps and cleaned them up......even under untouched tar matting the caps had corrosion



pic of the scrapped out hood as mentioned yesterday



found some more welding work under the removed tar matting............so had to patch those and by doing so created some real headache and double work. the heat burn up the paint on the underside so those burnt areas will have to be revisited............cant wait sigh!!




and the rear rotted drain hole on the floor seal off



tomorrow the pennance continues with probably a whole day of grinding and sanding out the rust etc from the floor

[neckto]

cant talk for the flash band but i have worked with many brands of sound deadner and it works .. if u in south i still have a piece we could always compare with

in terms of price i believe u get what u pay for .

sure dude..........i"m in p town u can feel free to pass by anytime........361-0255

[SmokeyGTi]

This thread is EPIC. read all 6 pages so far.

This by far has to be the best restoration thread I've seen on tuner since I joined.

[neckto]

This thread is EPIC. read all 6 pages so far.

This by far has to be the best restoration thread I've seen on tuner since I joined.

thanks bro

i dunno if best but prob the most detailed in terms of pics and updates. i just hope it's beneficial to other tuners and noobs........i myself am learning a lot too. when this project started, having been out of the "ole car" scene for awhile, i was apprehensive to take up a spanner or hammer too. now im under the hood before i eat breakfast lol

[neckto]

i forgot to mention in my update:AC guy passed in today. looked at the condenser and advised against using it and the drier (he's looking for the easy way out imho) but i will buy the new parts cause i know how faulty AC parts doe give real headache and cost more in the long run

so im looking for a new 14 X 24 universal condensor

drier (filter) bottle

and expansion valve for the evaporator............anybody, please feel to quote me, i already got prices from parts to go

[TRENDSETA]

recently i was reading an article on sound dampening and they advised against using flashband in an auto interior .Although it looks similar it was suggested that the tar makeup is different and that flash-band , when in a heated car (left in the sun) begins to smell and can stink up the interior

this would be quite interesting to read i want to see what exactly is this tar difference. do you have the article or the source.......unfortunately it might be a little too late for me as u will see shorty lol

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/mult ... ng-car.htm

[neckto]

recently i was reading an article on sound dampening and they advised against using flashband in an auto interior .Although it looks similar it was suggested that the tar makeup is different and that flash-band , when in a heated car (left in the sun) begins to smell and can stink up the interior

this would be quite interesting to read i want to see what exactly is this tar difference. do you have the article or the source.......unfortunately it might be a little too late for me as u will see shorty lol

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/mult ... ng-car.htm

thanks bro............i read up on it in the morning i'm too tired right now

[neckto]

finish most of the prep work on the floor. n some other progress too will update properly in the mornnig i too tired right now.........gonna sleep........liming tuners have a beer for me....out

[PARTS2go]

i forgot to mention in my update:AC guy passed in today. looked at the condenser and advised against using it and the drier (he's looking for the easy way out imho) but i will buy the new parts cause i know how faulty AC parts doe give real headache and cost more in the long run

so im looking for a new 14 X 24 universal condensor

drier (filter) bottle

and expansion valve for the evaporator............anybody, please feel to quote me, i already got prices from parts to go

Parts2go is bess price for new a/c parts bro.

[neckto]

i forgot to mention in my update:AC guy passed in today. looked at the condenser and advised against using it and the drier (he's looking for the easy way out imho) but i will buy the new parts cause i know how faulty AC parts doe give real headache and cost more in the long run

so im looking for a new 14 X 24 universal condensor

drier (filter) bottle

and expansion valve for the evaporator............anybody, please feel to quote me, i already got prices from parts to go

Parts2go is bess price for new a/c parts bro.

yea you all quoted me 600 for the condenser (multi-flow) i bought one for 285 another universal one. probably its not multi-flow but it sitting better with my pocket right now.....thanks tho

[neckto]

Update

so like i mentioned last night, the prep work on the floor is almost complete

finished digging and scraping and grinding and sanding. took most of it down to metal. that was some real penance lol. also coated it with wonder to treat the areas i couldn't get too.

when i get home from work i will have a look and decide it it need any more work - in terms of taking off the rest of matting and cleaning the tar with gas or if it is god enough as is

i also found the replacement drain plug and changed the oil and filter so she running on R3X now.

i didn't find the thermostat anywhere so i went to southern sales and they had it so i will get that next week or so.

i was also shopping around for AC parts and found a suplier with good prices so i bought a new condenser and have to take the drier bottle and expansion valve for the evaporator in to them to make sure i get the correct replacements for those.

my AC man was charging me 1100.00 for those parts smh so by sourcing them my self i paying 400-500. labour was quoted at 600 to reinstall and gas up which is not bad but i may push the DIY further and mount back up everything myself with new seals and just pay for gas up and hope for the best as usual.