Diff is installed and solved many problems.
Most of the gear whine and clunking is gone, handling/steering greatly improved (we suspect the old diff was randomly locking/unlocking the limited slip).
It was a dirty job but unlike the electrical, very straightforward.
For a variety of reasons we decided to alter our schedule and delay the dash wiring in favor of some more fabrication, primarily a new underbelly pan and the hatch deck.
The undertray serves two functions- it prevents incoming air from spilling around/under the radiator (think of a shroud for the fans on your watercooling rad, Detale) and, almost more importantly, it added a lot of structural integrity to the scantily mounted nose of the car, particularly the lower lip.
We purchased a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/16" black ABS (only $60) to use for these projects.
This material is absolutely ideal because it's very tough but easily shaped/cut/drilled, flexible enough to conform to irregular mount points and a pleasing satin black (so, no finish work necessary).
None of my pics of this turned out, so use your imagination.
The second stage was the rear hatch area, long a nettle in my sandal due to the slipshod work already performed.
Prior to my involvement the battery had already been moved from the bay to the hatch, housed in a giant "racing" battery box.
This box was bolted to a 1/2" piece of plywood that was meant to sit in the recess for the spare (which is empty) but was so poorly cut that it wouldn't fit.
The entire install not only looked pathetic but also ate up a lot of the room in the hatch.
Future plans (very near future, like this Tuesday) called for the ECU to move into the spare tire well (it currently sits in the passenger footwell) and an entirely new engine electrical harness be fabricated to suit, so the battery needed to move.
I have to give Sigfrid full credit for the construction/modification involved in this seemingly simple (but in reality, fiendishly complex) task.
I picked the new battery location and he conceptualized and then realized the final product.
Cutting the battery box down to a useful size, making mounting brackets, cutting the rear hatch trim to fit around the box and then making a floor panel took him innumerable test fits and adjustments ( I mostly smoked cigarettes and held things when asked) but turned out exceptionally well, IMO.
Between our new ABS floor and the car's real floor is an air gap of approx 1 1/8", to be filled with a 1 1/4" piece of foam ( to be purchased tomorrow).
On top of the ABS goes the carpet.
In one fell swoop we've gained the space for the ECU, decluttered the hatch and made a significant visual improvement, so bravo, Sigfrid.
It's just icing on the cake that the battery can be accessed in about 15 seconds, using no tools.
Better than stock, really.
We have the carpet and I'll get the foam tomorrow but before final install the ECU harness must be made.
I have a nearly full set of connectors (I think I need to reuse two from the old harness) and plenty of wire ( the harness will be nearly 14' long and consist of 40 wires).
I'm hoping to have it done and installed in a day ( so it will probably take a week...).
There is a set of Tokico Illumina 5-way adjustable shocks on the way as well.
We have all new rubber spring perches/hats and a set of Racing Beat lowering springs to put on them.
Expecting the shocks either Tues. or Wed., they will be installed upon arrival (this will be our third shock swap...we can do all four in about three hours.
If we had a decent spring compressor we could do it in half that time).
At some point soon we need to drop the gas tank and find out where the pervasive smell of fuel is coming from.
When that happens, I think we'll have removed every piece of hardware on the car at one time or another.
She truly will be "Built Not Bought".
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