Found some good pictures of the Frog at Rallycross back in March by the same photographer, Alisse Sartain.
The parts car was kinda fun, but I Love driving the Frog. I can't make it to any scheduled events in June, so I need to get to work on it to be ready for July.
The drive up Christmas Mountain at the Gambler 500 Mexico 'Rally'. We took my son in law's rental car instead of the Xbox. It was our first full day and I wasn't confident enough in the cooling system to do over an hour of up hill, driving on a trail with no place to turn around or pass. The AWD Trailblazer may have acquired a few new scratches, but did the drive well.
Not a lot of Gambler 500 or Rallycross stuff has been going on for me in the last few weeks. Some extra shifts at work and my 11 year old grandson at the house from 9 to 5 on weekdays has slowed down my project progress. I can probably answer most of your Pokemon questions now though.
I figured out that the wrecked Camry Hybrid makes a great canoe carrier.
I bought some Boxster stuff including an LN Engineering IMS bearing to install in the engine from the Aero Kit car when I swap the engine into the Silver car. I also got the Faultless IMS installation tool and practiced working with it on one of my bad engines.
Woody, who sold the Frog to me, sold me an old Porsche diagnostic tool 'PST-2' and a set of wheels with some Hoosiers. One of the Texas Rallycross guys is bringing the wheels to me at an event on July 23rd, so no shipping or 12 hour drive to pick them up.
I have the V8 securely mounted in the Frog now and hope to have it running in time for July 23rd. I ended up cutting the firewall behind the seats for better fitment and will be cutting the back of the engine compartment for the intake. The modified rear struts (MK5 Golf front struts) were hard to work with when putting the car back together. I almost went back to stock suspension, but managed to get it to work with some ratchet straps and hammering. *When it breaks, I'll probably swap the whole rear suspension out from a parts car. The cooling is connected up with some flexible stainless tubing from Amazon - not great, but good enough to get running and sorted. The harness is ready to be spliced together. For much of it I can make sections of plug-in jumpers going from a connector on the engine harness to a connector on the car. Some of the ECU Connections will be a direct splice.
I have some days off starting next Wednesday and am feeling optimistic about making progress on a few fronts. For now, the Frog is pushed out of the garage and I'm doing clean-up and some work on motorcycles in the evenings. The BMW R90/6 Scrambler project just got a POR15 treatment inside the fuel tank and I need to paint the outside of the tank along with cleaning surface rust from the frame before assembling it. Temperatures have risen to 100 F in the last few days and the garage is like an oven unless I start the window air conditioner in the morning and run it all day.
The next Gambler events in my area are in September and October. My daughter and 'pretty much son in law' are having their wedding (finally) on September 30th, so that may be a busy couple months.
If I was any good at this stuff I'd be done with the engine swap in the Frog.
First off I hate the engine cradle that I had built. I've had it since 2017 and this is the third car I've tried using it in. Long story, but I had a local fabricator make it based on a picture and a cut-out engine compartment to fit it to. It almost works. I thought that this time I could do it, but the engine sits too high for the shifter cables to reach. Shims, spacers, hammer, no, no ,no. Grinder, torch, and welding required and at this point I'd rather pull it back out and start fresh.
A couple cars with the same engine swap have used a bracket attached where the AC compressor was mounted and bolted that to the stock 986 engine mount. Much simpler and proven to work. That's what I'm going to do now. ( https://sites.google.com/view/boxsterv8swap/home )
First, before I pull the engine out again, I'm going to finish up the wiring harness. Today I got six wires connected. Yay. Not much of an achievement. What happened was that I found a mistake in my notes from 2019 and decided to go back through and continuity check all of the planned connections to make sure that the red wire with the violet stripe from DME D9 was indeed supposed to connect to the Audi ECU pin 73 through the white 10 pin connector, pin 10 with a yellow/violet wire. On and on... No more concern for the July 23rd deadline. Just keep the garage AC running, listen to good music and let it all get done when it gets done.
Looks like I'll use the '04 parts car once again. I'll spend a day stripping it for weight and use the doors and trunk lid (spoiler) from the Frog. She's gonna be ugly, but I'm going to have fun and might be closer to 'competitive'.
I wish I knew more about busses. Yet, I guess the only thing I really need to know is that I don't have a place to put one.
A place to put one... Not a bus. I'm getting the Honda ACTY that Dan0 had for sale. I made a deal with Mrs AAZCD that I'd get rid of two cars from the driveway before it gets here. The red Fiero is going to a friend who is going to trade some parts back (rear subframe +) from his Fiero GT parts car.
The Camry Hybrid is going to Kansas. It turns out that the guy who bought my blue convertible Dung Beetle sold it to a guy who sold it to this guy who now is the organizer for the Kansas Gambler 500. He is buying the Camry as a Gambler 500 project.
APEowner is going to deliver the ACTY in about 10 days when he passes through Oklahoma heading West.
Saturday the ACTY was loaded in APEowner's trailer in CT at the same time the Camry was being loaded on a trailer to head to Kansas.
Sunday was Rallycross with North Texas Rallycross near Ardmore, Oklahoma and I picked up wheels and tires that were shuttled from the Austin area.
Monday was unpacking, cleaning up and checking over the car.
Tuesday was getting the Blue 2002 Boxster S running well enough to trust the engine as a donor to the Silver 2000 S. The fuel sending unit is trash, but it ran well enough on starter fluid. I'll probably build this car up a bit different next year, but for now it's a parts car.
Saturday the red Fiero GT departed and the Honda ACTY arrived with a 2.7L Boxster engine in back - both from Dan0 and delivered by APEowner.
The ACTY will be great for hauling stuff around locally without having to use a trailer. It's not a project, but I have already seen lots of cool stuff available online that I'm probably going to want to get and do to enhance it.
I don't feel any remorse about sending that Fiero on it's way. When it was not a simple fix to get it roadworthy, it became a burden. I didn't want to use it for parts for my project Fiero, yet I had no desire to dive in deep and restore it to it's potential. A friend is going to restore it with his teenage son.
Next focus? I definitely want the Frog ready for my next rallycross, but I can't attend one until October. I think that I should put some time into getting the silver 2000 Boxster S running on the engine from the blue car. I'm hoping to make it nice enough that Mrs AAZCD will want to keep it and let me sell her white base model with the Tiptronic transmission. In my imagination I can have the engine prepped and swapped between cars over a weekend. 100 degree days and a garage like an oven are my reality right now though.
Also... The CR-V has been doing a few Gamblers with the current owner. Most recently in Ohio.
The engine is getting tired and starting to smoke. Good Honda B-Series engines are getting harder to come by, so it's days may be numbered. I say have fun, but don't dump money into it. When the time comes, pull the good parts and move on to the next Gambler.
I started the process of getting the ACTY titled and tagged in Oklahoma today. My insurance guy wrote the policy as a street legal utility vehicle, which sounds about right. $60 for the year on basic liability. The Tag Agency (OK's version of DMV) couldn't do it all today, but was very helpful and nice as they looked through the regulations on how to register a JDM import. They took all the necessary paperwork and will send it to their headquarters. I should have a call back in a couple days to go back in and finalize it. I used to dread going to the DMV when I lived in other states (Maine, Mass, TN). I really appreciate my people here in Oklahoma. I go in for a newly bought vehicle or renewal almost every month and they are always courteous, patient, and willing to help with some of the irregular situations I have presented.
Also today I had a knee MRI which revealed a medial and lateral tear in my meniscus from a dog-related incident a little over a year ago (She swears that the stupid man turned the wrong way and it wasn't her fault.). It never healed all the way and I'd like to walk and run normally again. Perhaps some surgery in September that will be good for a little time off work and give me extra time in the garage?
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
You tripped over a running dog? Been there. Done that. Walked funny for a week. 
In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, I was carrying a box and going down a few steps from the porch. Lilo suddenly darted across under the box, bumping me and I missed the last step.
Lilo is a little under 100lbs.
The Tag Agency called me back a couple hours after I left. The state had already approved the title for the Honda ACTY. Glad that Dan0 didn't take the time and trouble to do it in CT where it would have cost him at least $800 and a whole day away from work. Counting insurance, I paid just under $300 and a cumulative half hour to get the tag and title done here.
Since Oklahoma just uses a rear tag, I put my old Maine Veteran tag on the front - I like the red, white, blue on the ACTY. I may make a custom one later.
I gave it a good wash and now I'm figuring out what to do to it next. I'm probably going to grab some 3/4" conduit and bend/weld a basket and rack for it. There's some decent tail lights on Amazon for a few$ that look like a good fit. ...actually I'm gonna buy them as soon as I post.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
I need one of those... I looks like a great score
I have not seen any of these on the road around here before. Just parked at farms. So far I can not go anywhere without a 15 minute conversation in the parking lot.
MPG? I just say 45.
How fast? I say 60 unless you're on a hill.
Cost? $4,000, but I see them from $5,000 to $9,000 unless they aren't running.
Street legal? (States vary) Yes, but no Interstate highway.
Easy to register? Yes, but only if you have all of the original import paperwork.
RHD? Easy to get used to except I keep opening the passenger side door to get in.
"No AC, This one is RWD which is better than the 4×4 for street, 660cc 3 cylinder at the rear axle, 38hp, 5-spd manual."
Jon-- Great updates as always! Such a great collection of vehicles you have :)
BBC
AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:RHD? Easy to get used to except I keep opening the passenger side door to get in.
Do you keep turning on the wipers every time you try to use the turn signal?
In reply to John Welsh :
Yes, that was definitely a problem at first, but I'm quickly getting used to it.
I was going to get the 13" tires that Dan gave me mounted today. When I looked at them next to the 13x5-1/2 wheels, I realized that it wasn't going to work.
The 12s on it are okay. I think 13s will be much more okay. Should I search for and buy skinny 13" wheels to fit the tires?
...just kidding. I found mud terrains that will fit my wheels. The tire review on Amazon with an ACTY picture convinced me that it is the way. (Thanks Murphy)
I received a text from the current owner of the red Camry Hybrid. Looks like it's no longer red and about ready to run in a Gambler 500. Love the bandaid.
The tires arrived today. I thought I'd need spacers and possibly a lift, but they fit well. No rubbing and the ride feels better than on the 12s.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
That looks like a big final drive change with the tires, does it still take off up hill? They look just right .
In reply to TurnerX19 :
These are geared so low that the larger tires make it a little more driveable. A quick/rough calculation had it at 66" circumference on the 12s and 75" on the 13s. Call it a little over 10% difference. The thing is that first gear has been pretty useless for me so far as it redlines under 20 kph.
I expect the low gearing is good when carrying it's maximum 770 lb load, but not needed for most driving.
Sunday I decided to focus on the cars that I have stashed at my daughter's house; The '07 CR-V that I bought months ago and the gray-green Prius. I started on the CR-V. My daughter's neighbor said that he wanted to buy it as-is, but never did. Oil was barely showing on the dip stick and I added well over a quart. With a fresh battery is started right up and ran fine. My guess is that being low on oil, the VTEC solenoid wasn't working which made it run rough. The interior is worn, but overall in decent shape. Rather than trailer it home from my daughter's house, I'm going get insurance and drive it home. Hopefully it was just low on oil and doesn't have a significant leak.
I decided to focus on the non-running Prius and trailer it home. It has also sat for a few months after getting the Triangle of Death. When it died, I told my pretty-much-son-in-law to take my other prius instead. The 12V battery showed about 3 volts. With a fresh battery, it started and drove onto the trailer. The triangle and a few other lights came on by the time I stopped it.
I revived the CR-V and Prius 12V batteries by using a 1.5 Amp battery maintainer while jumped to a strong 12V battery. The Prius needed a coolant control valve and an inverter pump which I installed yesterday. It still needs a left front wheel bearing and the HV battery is showing a P3015 (bad cell#5) when I drive around the block.
Monday I received an email from Copart informing me that the seller of the gold '08 Prius I had bid $675 on had canceled his $1,700 reserve and that I needed to pay for and pick up my new car. ~$150 delivery fee and it will probably be dropped off tomorrow. I really didn't expect to get it or even really want it. It's like $1,000 on the table and rolling the dice, a game. Did I win? ...still not sure. I think that I'm going to make the best two Prii from the three, then duct tape and zip tie the third into a Gambler 500 car to bring to the Key Swap in December.
Yesterday I also installed a fuel pump and sending unit in the blue Boxster/engine donor car. It ran decent with no codes or misfires. I'm going to get to work on that swap this week (pending how much sleep I get at work on night shift).
Today I sold the CR-Z after two days on FB Market. I got about thirty "What's the least you'll take for it." Eight, "I'll pay $2,000 cash tonight" Two "Will you take payments." One very easy to deal with local buyer who showed up on time, had the 28 $100 bills in hand, and his mom thanked me for selling them such a nice car. Yes, they got a discount.
I still want/need less cars. That CR-V is going to be sold as soon as I finish checking it over and I think I'm finally going to strip/sell/scrap the Parts-Car-Rallycrossing Boxster.
Next to a coworker's Ram truck for scale...
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
I was noting the Honda/Stelantis ratio. Massive in unit numbers, not so much in mass.
The gold Prius is here now, raising the Prii count to three. The Gray one is my pretty much son in law's commuter car. The Green one is being both repaired and parted out. The Gold one is my daily driver for a few days.
I didn't have to do anything to get the gold one repaired and registered. Yes, it has a crunched tail light, but everything works. That is, except for minor issues that showed up as I have been driving it. It has a fault code for a bad clockspring and P0420 for cat efficiency low. The clockspring is an easy fix with an inexpensive part. The cat is probably going to be swapped with the one on the green car. The other issue I had was having the speedometer display blank and the off button not work. It turned out that the positive terminal on the 12 volt battery was very loose and since tightening it, there has been do repeat of the problem.
Parts arrived for the green one. I installed a front wheel bearing and replaced the brake rotors and pads while I was there. It would be silly to put a lot of money into it at this point, but it is still going to be viable transportation and the front left wheel bearing was completely shot.
I like the design of the wheel bearing. No need for a press and it can all be done with basic tools - the only thing I had to pick up was a 12 point 30 mm socket for the axle nut. It was easy until I tried to remove the old hub assembly. Corrosion and probably heat from the worn out bearing froze it in the knuckle hard. Hammer, cold chisel, and pry bar finally got it out.
When the body work on the gold car is done, I'll swap the rear bumper and hatch with the green one. If my pretty much son in law has time, I'm going to have him pull the corner of the gold car back in shape on the frame machine. Until then, I don't want to do anything that will make it harder to correct, so I'm leaving it alone.
You'll need to log in to post.
