Slow NA Pro5 build

Well lots of small updates, I have a pretty big leak in my rear hatch, bottomed out twice, and bent a trailing arm. Had a puddle in my spare tire so I pulled the rubber caps for some drainage, still gotta find the leak though. Bottomed out at the jobsite it the rocks and then again in tacoma doing 40. I think the latter did the damage, now I have a nice bounce and it's probably a wheel bearing. My right rear trailing arm I just installed is bent out and up as the back passenger side sits half an inch higher. Good stuff, hopefully the parts car has a decent one. Gotta get a new jack and check the bearings and tires, last time it bounced like this there was a bubble in my tire. Well no time to fix as the work truck is down with a bad fuel pump, we are stuck on broken bed bolt tabs. Bout ready to cut em haha damn fords
 
.. I have a pretty big leak in my rear hatch, ... Had a puddle in my spare tire so I pulled the rubber caps for some drainage, ..

I just cut a little notch in the caps for drainage, I didn't want dust blowing in.
I don't care where the water is coming in as long as it goes away. Lol

Check your left and right wheel well areas where your jack is.
I had water in there too.
I just drilled holes to drain the water, then when they rusted out, I stuffed an oil-soaked rag n the hole. Lol



..., now I have a nice bounce and it's probably a wheel bearing..... Gotta get a new jack and check the bearings and tires.

Hopefully, it's the rear bearings if it is bearings. They're a lot easier to replace.
 
I'ma have the girlfriend run water over the back while I sit inside to watch, I'm gunna drill holes if i cant get it to stop. My hatch might be tweaked a bit after that guardrail lol
 
I know my passenger side is screwed because the 3rd stud doenst line up, but the puddle is mostly in between my strut tower bar favoring the right side a little. Either way I'll know tonight..... if I remember lol
 
Well found the leak, it's coming from my poorly fit tailight lol. Also got the ranger going again so yeller can rest for a bit.then
















Beauty shot lol
 
Portland Avenue in tacoma doing 40mph, the car was loaded up with about 600 pounds of tools and we were running late. That road is pretty much a small wheeling road and I completely forgot about the potholes. It was 430 am so no light and I was trying to make up some time and I just plowed right into it. After I dropped down to 10 it was fine just really rough but the damage is done. Found a couple fresh scrapes and my suspension that I just installed is trashed, idk if any of my shocks are still good. Gotta replace other crap first, got a nice bouncy ride now. Feels like theres a flat spot on a tire, I checked my tires they seem fine, wheels have no slop so I'm assuming bearings are good. I know for sure my back right trailing arm is bent and my front right control is bent down pretty bad. Just when things were looking up too, well fingers crossed the parts car doesnt fall through the guys havnt messaged me back in a week so I might have to buy some new suspension again. Maybe I'll get a beater and try to pool up some cash to fix up yeller, idk at this point it almost seems worth it to get a new chassis since I've beat the piss outta yeller
 
Been pretty busy lately with work and havnt had much time for the forums. A bit of an update, no real action happening yet. I've been on a parts buying spree with all this overtime and addressing the most destroyed parts. I got a set of control arms (not moog sadly, I might have bought and instantly destroyed their last set.......sorry moog) Hitachi coil packs with some NGK g-power plugs, aaaaannnnddd last but certainly not least, I'm building my own exhaust (Tada!!). I'm going cheap on it of course, but this will be a good time to learn about exhaust work. I went with 2.25inch mild steel piping, 2 2.25inch vband clamps also mild steel with stainless only on the clamp. I ordered some cheap 2-way muffler, I might try to find a decent resonator too. I have the current muffler and one more to choose from so I plan to do some testing while we build it. I can weld but not very well, or rather I cant weld lol. My coworker is a pretty awesome guy and said he can do all the welding as long as it's not stainless. Also I have new rubber mounts and 3/8 90 angle rods so everything will be solid. After the exhaust I'm going to work on getting engine mounts (AWR?........) hopefully next update the control arms and Awr trailing arms will be installed
 
Exhaust work is fun! Make sure you weld as much as possible with everything in the car and in the place you want it, exhausts have a habit of twisting if you weld them on the ground lol. V bands will be a nice touch too, much easier to work with than flanges or donut fittings!
 
That was my thought with the v bands, the work trucks flanges are warped and leaks even with new donut gaskets. I figured a big hose clamp style connector would be more up my alley. I've watched a couple YouTube videos lol let's see how far that gets me haha
 
I had to Google that...



That Sounds Fricken Cool !!

Go create your tube dude !!

Lol
 
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Those slip flanges are going to make it super easy to build! Nice looking muffler too, are you planning to run a tip?
 
Lol that's just what my grandpa called em, kinda funny theres an actual reference to the saying. The muffler looks nice but is pretty cheap, the welds looks really clean though. As of right now I'm not gunna run a tip because I can add that later and because all my piping is mild steel so I need to do a bit of research about welding stainless to mild steel. I'm thinking I should have gotten a res as well, I'll find out on Saturday
 
Now this is going to be interesting...can't wait for the video detailing the exhaust note!
 
Well I managed to get the trailing links, rear swaybar, spark plugs and coil packs on. Exhaust is up but is unfinished due to muffler fitment and the fact that it sounds like a wet fart now lol. Rasp is there but what's worse is the buzzing and coughing when I let off the gas. So bright side, rear end feels great, tune up, no more bouncing exhaust. All in all pretty good weekend, I have a bullet res on the way, I'm throwing it on the straight and then trying with and without the fartbox on the back. Took a good look at the control arms while I was down there. I pulled some measurements while it was on the ground and found that my control arms are still straight, a little roughed up but still all good. I also saw I have no wheel weights on half the wheels, might be that wobble I'm feeling. Right rear trailing link was indeed bent, but not at a terrible angle so it wasn't too hard to get out. I had a stripped plug in cylinder 4, had to get an extractor kit. Plugs were all burnt up, 2 had no electrodes left. Couldn't swap the valve covers because the 626 didn't have top mount coul packs so the holes are not drilled n tapped. Pictures to come tomorrow and a wheel balancing as well, hopefully the suspension will be as smooth as I remember.
 
The hex head on the spark plug was stripped and my socket only hit the very top of the head head. Seems my socket was to thick to get in between the plug and the walls. Worked on the other 3 but cylinder 4 might have some weak threads and I'm thinking I tightened it too much and sunk it down into the hole.

































Plugs are in order from cylinder one to four, I'd say it was about time lol
 
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