got a 5spd and a Phantom Grip

[rollertoaster]

I just realized I forgot to weld the nuts on the back tab of the mount. I'm gonna have to grind the paint off and do that when I get home. I tend to forget things during late nights in the shop

[iceracerdude]

more coffee baby, more coffee.

[rollertoaster]

Haha, I only drink coffee in the morning. I think the very strong stout I was drinking may have been a contributing factor last night

[rollertoaster]

I got the clutch yesterday. Holy crap is that thing tiny!!! I think I'm going to do the job tomorrow night after work. I have a question though. How high do I fill the trans? Just up to the axle seals? I don't see any info on alldata, and there doesnt appear to be a fill plug on the trans, only a drain. I'm seeing a fluid spec of 3.1qt of ATF,

[iceracerdude]

you fill it through the top where the speedo cable goes in, about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of that fill hole.
Which trans?
The festy and aspire transaxles (e series) take 2.6 qts (2.5 liters) according to my book, plus you'd have to subtract the additional
displacement the pg now represents right?
That's why I said the thing about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the fill hole. So somewhat less by, and I'm guessing, about
2 oz. putting you at a little less that 2.5 quarts.

The 323 trans up to 1989 takes 3.8 qts.
after 90 takes 2.9 to 3.6 qts.

[rollertoaster]

thanks, I had a feeling the speedo hole might double as the fill plug. its a 5spd e-series.

I'm used to tranny's that have filler plugs that you fill up to and let the excess run out the hole.

[iceracerdude]

Yeah, my Nissan SE-R is like that, but it calls for gear lube instead of ATF, so I'm running Redline MT-90 in it. I can highly recommend that by the way, for gear lube applications.

[rollertoaster]

Well I ran into a few problems tonight. I found 2 more shifter bushings that are shot and need to be replaced. That makes a grand total of 6. No biggie, but I did find a pretty big problem. The metal is almost rusted through where the subframe bolts up in the front, and all the rubber bushings in the subframe are toast as well. Also the flywheel is going to have to be sent out to be machined. I'm going to have to fix the rust, and i think im just going to go ahead and weld solid eyelets into the subframe for the bolts to go through. Whats the point of using rubber engine mounts to bolt to a subframe that is mounted to rubber??? Its not like this car is quiet anyway with no interior.

I was hoping to have it all done tomorrow so I could race rally-x on Saturday but it's just not gonna happen. Looks like I'll be co-driving my buddies impreza instead, he's got rally tires anyway so it will perform better.

[rollertoaster]

I'm in the home stretch, but had to quit for the night. The new trans mount fits perfect, is way stiffer than the old one and it's not even fully cured yet. The shifter feels great thanks to 6 new delrin bushings, and I slapped a 3/8" thick bandaid on the rusted out front beam. I also welded steel eyelets into the subframe to replace the sloppy rubber. Hopefully I'll get it buttoned up after the rally tomorrow and take it for a spin.

[91mcnasty]

Great work!!!

[rollertoaster]

Well I know don't even care that I didn't get to drive the festiva today. I raced my buddies impreza and had an absolute blast. He had a fresh set of rally tires, it was my first rallyx and it won't be my last. He came in third, I came in forth.

[rollertoaster]

Back on topic. It's all done. The tranny shifts great, the clutch is solid. The shifter is tight with all the new bushings, and no more clunk from the hammered tranny and subframe mounts. As far as the diff goes, it seems to be working properly. I can get a little more exit speed out of turns, and I definitely hear more tire squeal from both fronts. I did a burnout in the dirt and it definitely dug two ruts and not just one.

Im happy and once I get the shop straightened up I'll go out for another test drive