My CRX DX (A.K.A. LE PEU) started misfiring. It lost compression in one cylinder. Dreya's been driving Mr. Hankey since then (with the 13" wheels back on it).
The CRX engine already burned oil, so it's getting replaced. I've only got about $600 in the car minus the cosmetics, so I'm not too upset that it only lasted almost a year.

Apparently it's very popular to swap engines from one type of Honda to another (like from an Acura Integra to a CRX). People do this to waste gas, er, I mean go faster.
I'll be going in the opposite direction. I want good fuel economy.

We'll see how it works out. It'll take me a while.

Ant helped me hoist out the engine today. I was getting 27/38mpg with this car before it broke- 27 without trying, 38 on trips on the highway cruising 75mph, or driving in town/beltline like a brick.

more pics and stuff after jump.

Continue reading "CRX DX/HF" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

sculpture.

Continue reading "More twisted metal" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's only temporary. These wheels ride like crap and don't fit well. They came with Sean's recent Del Sol purchase. But, riding thru the neighborhood like this I caught the attention of someone who wants to GIVE me another old Honda wagon like Mr. Hanky :D

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Posted by Scott Korb at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:39 PM | Permalink

Have I ever mentioned my contempt for electronic carburetors? No? Just my lack of enthusiasm for carbs in general, i suppose. They are a miracle of technology, but complications are many... especially when you combine the old carb tech with computer tech.

So I thought this Tercel was done, as you might recall. I was given the wrong carb, but i made it work. I didn't like the way it worked, but it worked.

BUT then weeks later suddenly the car wouldn't start.
I of course blamed the "wrong" carb. I searched for the correct one. FOUND. I got all the eleventyhundred vacuum hoses routed right. Still no start.

It turns out the distributor crapped out. I had no spark. I changed the distributor and it fired right up. Add new plugs and it runs smooth. An extra bonus is that with the correct carb it actually runs right cold and hot. Higher RPM cold, lower RPM hot... as opposed to opposite or random RPMs with the carb I was provided to install.

I also replaced the thermostat. The engine had been running cold/rich. The 'puter needs to know it's warm to quit throwing buckets of fuel down the intake throat.

So I'm driving this car this week to make sure it's good. Once i'm confident it is (and I am, but I'll give it a week)... it goes back to Celina with no extra charge.... on the condition that it never darken my doors again.

Jump for some tech pics of what I was dealing with.

Continue reading "Tercel again/still" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:30 PM | Permalink

So this is what a lincoln towncar looks like with no dashboard or steering column.... from my phone camera.

I got this M.F. back together. It wasn't that bad. I wish the literature had told me to take the power seats out before I disconnected the battery. It did tell me it required 2 "technicians" to remove and replace the dash. I had a modicum of help for out, but for in, all me baby!

So this bastard Ford has a new heater core. hooray.
The rear air springs died while it sat in the shop.
Air springs... ugh! They are no spring!!! They are an air filled catastrophe!

Posted by Scott Korb at 11:31 PM | Permalink

Dreya and i have decided on a name for trying to sell our creations.... and we made several things last weekend. Check out our Flickr account at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23026128@N06

(cut and paste if necessary)

In other news, Sean bought some steering parts for the Lincoln. We'll be installing those shortly. He's putting some shift solenoids in Vic's Volvo, so we'll see if that pans out, or if it needs a trans.
Mr. Hankey is running fine for Dreya but is a little drafty in the cold. The Camry still needs a Cat. Sean's been driving her to work and she does fine... but she needs a tiny bit of body work and the P. side fender replaced due to a little trailer accident.
I've been driving the CRX since towing it home from Maryland after Christmas. It burnt the power wire going to the new "autozone" fuel pump. Fuses were all fine. And it's been doing fine since fixing the wire. No more long trips until i put in a Honda pump and a fused wire there though. I'm going to do some other work to it too. I fixed the flat tire which I'm sure would have blown out at 80mph had the fuel-pump not quit. Good car.

At my job, among other things, I have to replace a heater core in a '98 Lincoln Town Car. This is not fun. I might take a picture of the interior minus entire dashboard once i get it out. I'm still working on removing the steering column w/o compromising the airbag system. Old plastic is difficult to deal with. Maybe next week or so... or not.

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This new year's day Dreya and i finished up a few projects.
She finished her windchimes (1st pic)

I finished an Illumination Stabilizer (lantern holder) which Jeniffer commissioned from me. The pic is of before i added the flat-stock with which to attach it to her brick. It takes the place of Dreya's hands in the pic ("Hurry up! I't's heavy!") (2nd pic)

3rd pic is of a brake rotor flower (The Iron Chrysanthemum) which I had promised to Jeniffer as a gift a while back.

Continue reading "A good start" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 06:06 PM | Permalink

Today I put brake pads on Sam's car. It was fun. It took no time and it made me feel good.

I also recently put a cylinder head on an old toyota tercel for another friend.
It has eleventeen thousand vacuum hoses.
I have upgraded its status from B.F. Paperweight to Well Running Vehicle.
The "new" carb is not correct for this model... it is missing a vacuum port.
Now it idles low at startup is all. Its fine.
It's old
It runs.
I am inexpensive.
I've been driving it for two weeks.
Its fine. Really.
Eleventeen thousand vacuum hoses plus several evsv (electrical vacuum switching valves), bvsv (bimetal vacuum switching valves), tvsv (thermal vacuum switching valves), and vdv (vacuum delay valves...or jets.. according to Toyota), plus the missing port.... it requires more effort than I can give for what it's worth. It runs great. Just low cold idle. Pooh.

I made some beer tap handles for Jason. I hope they work out. See them at his 'Tween party.

Dreya and i made a chicken.

Continue reading "decemberween" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ohhh, people.
I'm sorry it's been so long.
Over a month has gone by.

Let's see.... we replaced the fuel pump and relay in Sean's "new" truck. All is well. During this I found a bad wire, so it no longer cuts off unexpectedly (did we not mention that part?).

The Camry I bought (and never mentioned here afterwards) from Thom and Carolyn seems to be OK. I did do the head gasket. Now the "check engine" light says it needs a (very expensive) catalytic converter. It rides really well. I don't even have to slow down over the train tracks by the WalMart.

I need to sell the car before something else breaks. It's a USA built model. I feel like crying now. Sorry. I fix 3 times one problem from defective parts. I fix twice one other from same. Meantime more things break. I fix "check engine" from "EGR". That stays fix. Yayy. Now Cat cause "check engine"... but engine already there. ....Czech (my employer from Czech. Sometimes I cant talk around already for hear his speaking).
Czech engine.

Anywhoosits, IMO, Any cat worth $500 normally should be a keeper, but this one's going ASAP once I replace it, along with the kaboodle, no matter how well it rides.

... so no picture. Crap. I'll rehash one. It's worth it.

Kia concept hybrid

Also, I rented a garage. Does that seem important here? :D
Major workbench building there. Dreya and I built the indestructable behemoth workbench and she bought me a vice to fit. Before that I replaced Justin's Del Sol clutch and transmission there. There's a Tercel in there now for a dead miss.

Posted by Scott Korb at 01:25 AM | Permalink

The GTX is gone.
Sean took her to "The GRM $2007 Challenge" in Florida and sold her after the race.

The New2U truck he used to carry her there is actually a 1990 C1500, not an '88 as i posted earlier.
He was using it to haul derby cars for the state fair this past weekend when the fuel pump gave out and took the relay with it... and yes, both pump and relay crapped out at pretty much the same time (weird). It gave us a moment of panic when the new pump ran for just a second and quit. It's all fixed now, and he and Vic just got back from an extensive ...test drive...

I'll have a pic of us replacing the fuel pump as soon as i can get it from Sean (added after jump). We had to lift the bed off the frame. He also has some nice pictures of the derby and Vern driving. Maybe he'll post those to his Flickr or elsewhere. This pic might be similar to the well known "Why Women Live Longer Than Men" photo. We tipped the bed up sideways and held it there with a stick ;)

I hear that Vern got a trophy. Too cool. I hope Sparky will help him win a trophy too, but i don't know when she'll run (Sparky is Dreya's old '90 Lebaron, marked for demolition).

Continue reading "sold" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's Broken!
No Start.
+
Two blown fuses.
+
1 day mostly off work + spend with The Dreya. = YAYY!!!
+
Big tow truck... did I say big? I meant frikken HUGE flatbed trailer to take "LE PEU" (the small) from from Carrboro to Raleigh (hooray for AAA).
+
Many fuses + stupid broken test light + Volt/Ohm/Meter
+
Drop fuel tank to add new fuel pump.

=PERFECT!

It's still an old car. It burns oil, needs rear strts, axles make noise. Needs me fix slight cosmetically but =very driveable Honda.

All new math aside, I'll get a pic to put here (Done. See after jump. ed-10/22/07) Geneva has the pic of "LE PEU" AND "LE PUE" side by side.
Oh, regarding "LE PUE"... It's Mr Hanky. Antny gave him to me when they got their new Charger. Mr Hanky is MINE! MWHAHAHA!
This 1982 Civic Wagn has a plate proclaiming the stench (LE PUE).

The Dreya is currently driving "the stench", and I "the small" as a trade for a while.

Continue reading "CRXtrabroken " »

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:05 PM | Permalink

"Our Lady Of Perpetual Motion", the 1980 Ford 1ton van, has gone on to greener pastures.
Sean decided to get something newer and with A/C to haul his trailer around.
He bought the new truck from our friend Steve. I think it's a 1988 Chevy C10. It has a new engine and rebuilt trans, cold AC, and an electrical gremlin. I put the engine and trans in it some time ago (pre-blog).

"Our Lady" has served us well, but it's time for us to move on.
I sold her last night. The purchaser said he'd be using her for yard sale treasures. She can haul some bodacious treasures.

Sean and Victoria are headed off tomorrow for Florida and the "Grassroots Motorsports $2007 Challenge" using the new2u truck to trailer the Mazda GTX down with them for the race.

Posted by Scott Korb at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

it needs a bit more stuff still I think...

Posted by Scott Korb at 08:27 PM | Permalink

Le Peu is gone. The Dreya has taken him to Carrboro. I can't drive hime anymore anyway... he's all decked out with girlie stuff ;)
I haven't got the racing skunk stripes on yet, but they're next.

seatcovers.jpg
dicepluswheelcover.jpg

Posted by Scott Korb at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've had these 351C heads molding away in a corner that Dave Williams built for me. Just a standard set of high compression heads, stock sized valves in single piece steel. I don't expect this engine to go above 5500RPM especially after what it's been through.

Here's my pleasant Flickr set

I floated some valves and there was some (a lot) of contact between the valve and the piston due, I assume, to spring wear and perhaps sticky valve guides. Twisted the pushrods into pretzels. I took the pushrods out to get home... unwittingly causing the lifters to pop out with resulting loss of oil pressure (about 5 lbs). Dave's heads look awfully nice, so I'm putting them on with some Victor Reinz gaskets. I'm also installing the intake manifold that Dave prepared for me with bungs for 16 fuel injectors.

The engine is serving as a test mule for some EFI experiments, and I figure it will last a few thousand more miles. I'm checking the ZF for safety wire on the ring gear, painting the engine and the engine compartment, weld new bungs to the gas tank (it's one of the aluminum ones), and replace all the bolts that have "gone missing" over 35 years. Maybe I'll toy with the AC too, but I really want to drive this thing again before my tires rot.

Posted by Sean Korb at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I bought a CRX.
1990 DX (base)

The Camry's been returned to Andrew. He says it's never run so well. I'm happy. I enjoyed driving it for the time i had it. I might pick up another Camry from Thom and Carolyn (search mazda hiccup, B2300).

Dreya and i picked up Sparky today. A little hammer/prybar work and a space saver tire for clearence got her home... or rather to my sister's house. I guess i should call Edith. There's a bent car in her yard.
Sparky drove like it had never been wrecked. From the inside you almost cant tell save for the yellow paint numbers on the windows. 30mpg avg on the way home from Dunn @ 65mph... ;)

Then i went to work. W O R K
I hate Intrepids. Dodge has sullied the word. They clog the arteries of the shop bays.

So I really lucked out on this CRX. It's a 1990, black. The AC works but needs a blower fan. No rust, no real dents. The interior was putrid, but I'm taking care of that. I had to put a fuel relay in it to get it running. The car cost me very little, and apparently could be sold for very lots (the used car dealer i work with was impressed). This CRX will go to Dreya if she likes it. I need to do a few more things to it before she gets it.

In the meantime she's been driving another honda that Geneva has generously let her use...the white Civic LX i have a GIF of the CV joint for on another entry. That new CV axle went bad and i replaced it under warranty BTW.

Anyway among other problems, the AC on that white Civic didn't work forever, so now that works... for now.
now
now?
It kinda needs a new AC compressor. It makes noise, but works. Eventually it will lock up when the AC is on, throw the belt, and again have no AC.
OH, and it'll go bang when that happens, but keep driving (with no AC, so nothing new, right?).
And it needs the AC radiator fan. On this car, both radiator fans are supposed to run when you turn on the AC. The AC fan's been out of use for so long it quit working. A good smack on the electric motor got it spinning, but that probably wont last.

I like hondas. I might get me one ;)

Posted by Scott Korb at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Continue reading "IM DRIVIN UR CAR/ DEPLETING UR O-ZONZ" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I changed the anti-sway bars on David's Miata on Sunday.
I totally forgot he was coming over until he started ringin' the doorbell.
"Just a bible salesman... more sleep." I mumbled groggily to the Dreya.
"No, you have to work on cars." said she.
She was right.

It didn't take long to swap out the bars. He's supposed to be bringing me a jack and stands as a barter for it. He hasn't yet. It corners flatter than 4F feet. We took some sharp turns at high speed for a test. Very good.

I swapped out the left side ball joints on Brian's truck... I still haven't finished that... I brought home my torque wrench and the right socket to get it done, but I've been trying to work on Andrew's Camry. I got it partially apart but it keeps getting dark outside. I took some pics of stuffs but i can't find my camera right now. I'll post a pic anyway. Did i mention that Andrew's radiator is full of what looks like butter?

Continue reading "flat ridin' miata" »

Posted by Scott Korb at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)