1998 Evolution V: "The Classroom"

Good work so far!

CatDaddy:  Thanks!  So far it has been a positive reception...

759NRNG:  DBA makes slotted and drilled, but we shy away from the cross-drilled for the internet says they will crack and cause the car to blow up when we hit the brakes for the first time...or something like that.  ;-)

Some good news - previous owner called to say a few more parts were located...98 more fasteners!  

Unfortunately, many we already purchased, but a few were gems - for instance - piston oil squirters!

Popped in new seals for the driveshaft and axle off the transfer case - little gal swings a 5 pound sledge with gusto! (although control was lacking!):

Preparing the fuel tank drop - vacuuming all the shells from another previous occupier (natural type):

TinM what was the make of that spanner shown at the bottom of page2?

759NRNG:  Apologies...I missed that question.  It is an OTC brand off of Amazon.  Should work well for our harmonic balancer install and cam pulleys too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q8GVPY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

More progress...excited to install the new piston squirters - pulled the 'plugs' and reinstalled the check valve bolt and director:

Comparison:

Pulled the remaining seat in preparation for removing the carpet for a power clean:

Some hoovering:

Decent shape overall:

And renewing the rear axle lube:

She actually enjoyed the fluid consistency..."Dad - feels like honey!":

Better her than I...

Customs jail finally relented for at least two shipments from the UK...

Few shots of the bigger items:

Fresh rear top control arms (with their 3 new joints):

An upgraded turbo outlet (called an O2 sensor housing?) to gain a bit of efficiency:

3 inch outlet:

And matching downpipe since the current one is suspect - likely original with hose clamped heat shields and crusty connections:

I will plan to install a wideband in this piece...

A bit like Christmas in the garage this weekend - more pieces of the puzzle...

One washer/one bolt at a time...satisfaction:

Likely one of the most expensive shift knobs arrived and installed - little gal enjoyed rowing the gears...she needs to work on the engine sounds though:

OEM Evo 5 model...definitely has some significant weight within:

Easy comparison crusty and new:

Even the simplest tasks can be challenging...took a few minutes to figure out how to finagle the oddly shaped arm:

Getting the hang of righty tighty:

Not sure what issue I have, but dislike torn up plastic mud guards...fortunately, still available new!:

Previous owner ran it pretty low and cut 3 holes from tire burn thru in each front liner...also red overspray paint from likely an on-car caliper refinish.  Glad to clean that up.

Quite easy to pop in the new mud guards...certainly freshens up the area:

Next was a new rear main seal after scraping the RTV remnants...watch those fingers!:

Back to finishing up the final corner suspension - new upper arm:

Prepping the wheel bearing pocket...she loves those power tools:

Some fun with anti-corrosion application...managed not to get it on everything...:

And the bearing - first attempt was 180 out again...why they are not symetric hole spacing?!:

Productive weekend.

Small projects today...new side window seals - pretty easy swap out with a nice return on appearance.  Of course the originals came off in pieces:

Little be of clean up prior to install:

I let her figure out the orientation:

Complete!

Then moved to popping off the turbo outlet to see what lies beneath:

Looks in pretty good shape, eh?  Supposed a near-new turbo:

Nice comparison from OEM to new M2 model:

Unfortunately, we may have ordered the incorrect turbo elbow/O2 sensor housing...as we intended for a full 3 inch exhaust path.  The ruler does not lie...this one is only 2.6 inches (.25 larger than OEM)...hmmm:

Fresh fuel filter arrived:

Been waiting just over 2 months for a package...

Rebuilt and refreshed OEM Brembos!  More brake than we will ever need:

Looks to be a nice job and OEM colors...brake investment for little lady is a slam dunk!

Couldn't wait to see how they look...

Lots of pop!

Quite happy with the quality rework.  We will see how the finish holds up to some heat:

Some discussion on stretching bolts and how we don't drop the most expensive tool in the tool box...

Also talked about cooling systems and the need for a thermostat...even tested the new 176 degree stat in the kitchen...it worked!

And into the Evo 6 thermostat assembly:

Wrapped up the turbo elbow install...

And an easy one...replacing those 22 year old wipers...

Today we did a bit of interior work:

Next is to pull the carpet for a car wash clean with Simple Green:

Another minor surprise...:

Popped some pads in place (basic street Stoptechs):

We also nearly completed the rear suspension...she tried her hand at torquing the axle nut...bit difficult with her sub 100 pound frame (min torque is 144!):

Cylinder head news...shop is open and possibly complete end of next week!  Nothing fancy, just a skim and assembly with all new components.

Wrapping up the other side:

Front caliper - fun watching her figure out which way to 'tighten' it:

Complete:

And the rear:

Out with the old spray painted/holed inner fender:

Good shot of the factory brake duct - some effort back in 1998:

And located waterpump hardware:

And finally installing a new power steering pulley - quite a bit of heft to this pulley for some reason...:

Cylinder head will take another week...

A turning point for us today...carpet has been removed!

Assistant learning again what leverage is - "Try turning the wrench perpendicular to the bolt" (it was an aftermarket eyelet for the 5 point harness):

Popping the scuff plates:

Believe the keyless locking box:

And finally success!  Rewarding her with more cleaning - vacuum!  Very impressed at the lack of any changes/damage from the previous owners!:

Love working on this generation of Japanese cars...all the interior panels popped of with minimal fuss and not a single clip/joint was broken!  

We will do a good scrub of the carpet (auto wash?) and reinstall along with the rest of the interior...possibly in a week or two - progress!

Another fun package arrived - individual coil on plug system.

The shop mentioned a ignition coil/spark problem caused the engine failure...(or it could have just been a bad tune).  Nonetheless, seems like the cost for new OEM coils equals this reasonably priced plug and play system.  Again seems like a good idea to elminate a variable.  Interestingly the OEM setup only has 2 coils for 4 plugs.  One coil supports two cylinders...

In reply to TimM :

My old 4runner had the same 1 coil/2 plugs setup. It was a 99 so maybe that was pretty common on 90s japanese cars. 

thatsnowinnebago:  Interesting to see how the technology progresses.  My 1969 Nova uses a single coil for 8, now I wonder if any car is offered without out a coil per plug?  

Success - complete cylinder arrival.  Complete with GSC (beehive springs/locks/Ti retainers), Manley (std size valves), and OEM seals.  We hope for 8000 rpm capability:

Even received a good sport gift of family wurst!:

I almost felt honored to part ways with near 400 euro for the cleaning, valve/seat grind, and assembly along with .1 mm decking.    

Not much this weekend as school work and Scouts dominates...

Final cleaning pass of the seats:

Even on stands, it looks good in our opinion.    

In preparation for another visit to the machine shop to verify our bearing clearances we prep'd the rods and block with installed bearings and torqued fasteners.

Had to rig up a makeshift vise for the rod clamping - cardboard and large c-clamp worked.  The new ARP 2000 bolts required 25 foot/pound setting...plus 42 degrees angle.  Did that three times with ARP assembly lube...:

The 'most-expensive-tool-in-the-garage' made it piece of cake - worked on keeping that pulling arm straight and using the entire body to make the number.

Next was the block...4G63 employs a seemingly robust 'girdle' main cap design - popped the OEM Mitsubishi standard bearings in place - careful not to shed the backing as they snap into place:

And the block:

Lubing the new OEM main bolt hardware with engine oil as per the manual:

And going thru the motions of 25 NM setting plus 90 degrees:

And putting her (light) weight to use...but I had to take over when going for the 90 degree twist - fun to watch her try though!

Loaded and back to the machine shop...to find out that our mains are 0.00276 in and rods are 0.0035...both are too much!  (0.0020-0.0025 is preferred).  So another set of full bearings are required and associated 2-3 week delay - but at least we confirmed our concern!

Some new inner liner hardware...because it was inexpensive and it was crusty...:

And things are getting serious...

A generous German friend was dropped of one of the last logistics issues.  Glad we didn't have to purchase one!

I see a teaser in that pic, Quaife box! Maybe I missed it earlier, but is that going in the front,center, or rear diff?

Loving watching this one come together.  Great family project.  She Will now have more gear experience than 99% of folks around.

engiekev:  Sorry - no updated diff.  Just the box the Oliver rods were shuttled to our house in from the previous owner.  Hopefully, our rear diff (AYC) system is functional...or else another unexpected cost.  The hydraulic motor locks up after being exposed to road salt since it is directly behind the right rear tire.  Crossing our fingers on the initial test drive for more than one reason!

84FSP:  Thanks for the comment.  I just signed her up for the BSA Scouting program...so she can earn the Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge - seems like she will have earned that one!

Additional assistance on the Evo specific forums pointed us to ACL who makes an oversize rod bearing that is just right for our application!  Bringing the spec to 0.0025 for the rods and with the larger OEM size on the mains - 0.0023.  Orders placed...another 2 weeks. 

We did take advantage of the warmest day we have had (supposed to hit 65!)...headed to the car wash to blast the original carpeting with Simple Green, car wash soap, and a bit of pressure:

Emptied the bottle and soaked it a bit with light soap:

Then struggled a bit to rinse so the Jazz came to the rescue with the sloped front end/windshield...made for the perfect angled draining platform.  The covering gets quite heavy when fully ladden of moisture!

Home with 10 hours of drying in the sun/breeze:

Success!:

Shot of the new floor mats...

Also, big kudos to GRM...a little bit of fame makes a little girl smile with coolness:

Close up:

She charges $5 for autographs...j/k. 

The pressure is now on! -- Thanks GRM!