my 1983 spirit project

[priya]

If you don't want the grill I'm interested in that.

[IowaEagle]

after a little more research i did mange to confirm that the transmission is a t150 thanks to both of you, the t150 has a 9 bolt top cover and starts with the number prefix 260xxx as mine does. so i think i'll make do with this trans until i can find a good cheap t4 or t5. got the left side frame connector tacked together today should be in place by this weekend

Good to hear its a T 150.  Yeah, those T96's were weak.  Used by many, but as said, in low HP applications.

[biggsimmons]

sorry for the fuss guys, the parts lot was sold by the time i got back to him

[biggsimmons]

subframe connectors and new crossmember are in place and tacked, just have to do final weld and figure out driveshaft clearance to see if crossmember will need to be notched, but the driveline will need to be in first, guess i need to get the new clutch coming.

[biggsimmons]

horrible news, i got bored this weekend and pulled the heads off my 304, found 2 bent pushrods valve contact evident in #7 the other bent was at #5. valves don't seem bent, still moving freely and sealing in the head. its not like the contact was huge but i can definetly see it in #7. pulled the oil pan and yanked all the rods out. main bearings all ok but 5 and 7 rod bearings are toast, totally chewed up crank which was already 20 under is totally pooched now. everything gotta come apart and be checked now, hope my spare crank is ok. oh yeah and found that the wrist pin on #1 is binding in the piston, wtf? no idea what happened, year and half since rebuild,

[biggsimmons]

thanks for your condolences casper, after much inspection and soul searching i think i may have 2 seperate problems here. what ithought was valve contact at 7 looks to be a manufacturing mark, and the torn up bearings and crank look like foreign metal, thinking back i don't remember cleaning out the oil passages in the crank when i got it back from the machine shop, those bearings could have been damaged at first startup after the rebuild. anyway spare crank looks ok, clean it, new bearings and away i go again

[biggsimmons]

just a couple of pics of the new subframe connectors installed.

[IowaEagle]

I like how you are doing that.  Was that much of the floor rotten or did you remove most of it to install the sub-frame connectors?

[biggsimmons]

yes the floor and inner rockers were toast, the floor didn't look that bad initially, but i made the rookie mistake of looking too hard, found that there 27 different patches on the floor alot of which were new patches over old patches, and 13 of the patches i pulled out were just tarred in place so at least they came up easy. 90% of the floor from the rear seat forward will be new metal when i'm finished, had i known it was this bad i may have passed on this car, funny how 1/4 inch of tar will cover up problem spots

[IowaEagle]

How much clearance between the drive shaft and the lateral brace?

[biggsimmons]

well, one used pool and a failed septic bed later i'm finally back to the car. engine is rebuilt and drive line is back in car, and apparently the clearance between the driveshaft and cross brace i thought i had was all in my imagination, cross brace has to be knotched and then back to the floor pan