numba four

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So yesterday I drug this thing home 70 miles from Albany Ohio. I used my cousins s10 and a friends trailer this time, no chains were touched!! The guy hadn't had the car long, he's also a fellow aspire enthusiast and drives a white 96 5 speed. He was unaware of the forums so hopefully he joins up soon! Heck of a nice guy, and the price was just right.

He told me everything he knew about the car, blown head gasket and the interior is shot.. the plans are to totally gut it and swap a new door, fenders, and hood, but I want to get it running before I do all that. I don't have the money or time to make this a like new condition car but I'm hoping it will be respectable and a good driver when all is said and done.

There is some rot on the passenger side, but the driver side is clean. It's only cosmetic on the passenger side quarter, the subframe and axel/structural areas are all intact and will be cleaned/hit with rust converting primer to protect it from further damage.

First things first is to get it in good running condition, and the rest will come in time, it may be 2-3 months before I get it cleaned up because I start a new job on a towboat for 28-30+ days at a time march 10th and there are other things to do before I leave.

Anyway, without further adeu, PEASPIRE!!! <--aptly named for more than one reason Haha..

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Oops, other pic is my parts car getting gone, will post more pics later lol..

[Festevil3]

Nice find

[bravekozak]

Peace brother.

[crazyrog17]

numba four

Nice! Almost as good as the vinyl cut flowers and 'love' in 70s font on the back window, when I got mine

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Haha yea I got another hood from the parts car with racing stripes that ill be putting on this one. Both genders and a door, probably even the hatch, there isn't a single panel that isn't dented at least a little Haha.. I got my work cut out for me with this one. Just got home from scrapping the parts car and returning the trailer so ill have to wait for daylight to get started.

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I cracked into it today, definately a blown gasket, massive leak between 3-4 and 1 had a leak too. #2 has a little surface rust right at the top of the cylinder but it should be fine. I'm waiting on a valve spring compressor and I'll get this thing cleaned up good, if not today I'll have the head to the machine shop tomorrow, get it checked and decked .02" Hopefully the block isn't warped, I'll have to find something straight and get the feeler gauges out after I get it cleaned off. Lotsa work to be done, pics and another update later.


The intake manifold is black inside, not real sure if that's just from the EGR valve stuff or what, I know they kind of get like that naturally. I'll pull the intake tube back out and look at it, but it seems to only be in the resonance chamber, not on this side of the butterfly valve, so I'm guessing it's something to do with EGR gasses?

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Having trouble uploading pics, had a database error trying to log in a minute ago..anyway I suppose I'll just post links?!

The IAT sensor was just hanging out, was laying down on the frame rail lol... and the cone filter fell off as soon as I grabbed it, I imagine that probably had something to do with the car acting funny lol...

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-IAT_SENSOR.jpg

Engine bay before pic..the sticker had to of added at least 4 horses

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-IMAG0190.jpg

After pulling the head.. I called the machine shop and they said it will probably take 3-4 days so I went ahead and smeared assembly lube on the cylinder walls so they don't rust up on me. The little bit of rust that was in #2 wiped off easily.

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-engine_bay.jpg

before shots of the head
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...sassembled.jpg <-- top side
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...YLINDERS12.jpg <--cylinders 1 &2
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...YLINDERS34.jpg <-- cylinders 3&4
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...Head_stuff.jpg <-- stuff pulled from the head


After shots
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...b-IMAG0216.jpg <-- topside
http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...b-IMAG0217.jpg <-- cylinders

I didn't do anything major to the head, I went over the chambers with a poofy ball to clean and sort of polish them, but I didn't put much time or effort into it. Almost all the exhaust valves were corroded pretty bad, I had to clean them with a wire wheel on a die grinder, and I don't think they were sealing right at all. Intake valves looked good, the #2 seat was questionable but a 3 way valve job and new stem seals will fix all that mess. Should be a pretty good running and fresh engine with a 20 thousandths shave ^.^

I thought this was cute LOL... the downpipe was held up with a wire clothes hanger

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-MANIFLANGE.jpg

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-downpipe.jpg

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/a...b-IMAG0198.jpg <--I DID NOT DO THIS!!!


Got most of the interior gutted, could have pulled the carpet but I want to make sure I didn't miss any nuts or bolts I might need first and it got dark on me. I'm wondering how it would turn out if I tried to dye the carpet black after it goes through a laundry mat washer a few times???

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-IMAG0201.jpg

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-IMAG0202.jpg

I think I'm gonna chop the rails off these for the mounting brackets and ditch the front seats. I'm working on pulling the rear seat apart to clean it, and I'll grab a new seat cover when it's done. I've had my eye on a nice set of seats from a 1990 Pontiac LeMans in the JY in pristine shape, it might be time to put those to use lol..

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//thumb-IMAG0204.jpg

Oh, the owner before the guy I got the car from had attempted to change the head gasket..... he took the valve cover off, removed the head bolts, most of the exhaust manifold bolts, and couldn't find the bracket on the back of the manifold!? For some reason he didn't finish the job.. honestly I think it wasn't a bad head gasket that put this car down..it was probably something like an air temp sensor giving false readings that made the car run funny. I don't have milky oil, or oily antifreeze, and that coolant I found in the cylinders may have drained out of the head after those head bolts were removed.

[nitrofarm]

Another one saved! Is it a ATX? And will you be working as s subcontractor for Carnival crusie lines by chance?

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Haha, I wish..those guys make money..even if they do gotta put poop in bags!


Unfortunately I keep getting autos..its not my preferance but I don't really care, I just wanted to see what I could do to it in the week and a half before I leave lol..

I took the head in first thing this morning, new valve stem seals, check and deck .02", and a 3 way valve job all the way around. They said between monday and Wednesday and they'll call when its ready.

So, I started on the interior, got the carpet all pulled, used soap and water with a scraper to get the old padding off, and I'm at the laundry mat now. The main carpet has went through the wash cycle 4 times, this should be the last lol.. I got some carpet dye in an aerosol can and tested it out on the smaller carpet, I really think it'll look nice when its done. Picked out a set of seat covers at autozone that should be a close match, or at least close enough!

Had it not been COLD, snowing and raining all day I would have pulled the dash. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little warmer.

Before pic of the carpet, ill upload a couple tonite, maybe the site will start letting me host them here again.

http://aspire.b1.jcink.com/uploads/aspire//IMAG0221.jpg

[nitrofarm]

Why are you pulling the dash?

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It was cracked right below the airbag, and somebody had used duct tape in a couple areas for no apparent good reason haha.. also the vents were painted, with a brush, and I didn't really care for the paint job, wasn't bad but I'd rather just have it not be there. I went ahead and pulled it last night and got the new one mounted in its' place, getting ready to install it in a minute after this cup of coffee. I had other plans for last night but they were cancelled for me...so I had time to pull it. I'm thinking I might go snag those seats in a little bit and get em mocked up before I put the carpet back down, I think it turned out really nice.

[nitrofarm]

It was cracked right below the airbag, and somebody had used duct tape in a couple areas for no apparent good reason haha.. also the vents were painted, with a brush, and I didn't really care for the paint job, wasn't bad but I'd rather just have it not be there. I went ahead and pulled it last night and got the new one mounted in its' place, getting ready to install it in a minute after this cup of coffee. I had other plans for last night but they were cancelled for me...so I had time to pull it. I'm thinking I might go snag those seats in a little bit and get em mocked up before I put the carpet back down, I think it turned out really nice.

Gottcha- FYI I'll be pulling my rug in spring,i have bad floor leak on drivers side drool. So when I do I'm gonna "Rust Cure" the floor board top & bottom. And then repaint em. I think I've seen new carpet available on the Bay also.

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Got a little bit done..not as much as I wanted though, I had a hard time getting motivated today, its COLD outside lol..

Dash is reinstalled, and the center console is in place so I have a reference when mocking up the seats.

I picked up some seats out of a 1990 Pontiac LeMans, nothing special, but they do lay back almost all the way, and go forward more than a stock seat...the slide is about the same, but they move up and down too! The whole bottom of the seat can be rolled up or down a couple inches with a neat little lever on the front of the seat lol..

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Pic of the rear, all this will be cleaned thoroughly with a scrub brush and soapy water, and blown dry with an air hose. My wife picked up some new padding when she got material for a blanket, it should work, its more of a foam than padding but the material its made out of doesn't seem like it will break down from water.

Got most of the front seat mocked up and tacked in place..tomorrow it will get finished.

Lol, notice the 5 speed boot on the auto shifter?