I still haven't completed the sunroof delete. I blame the holidays.

However, I was able to tackle a minor maintenance issue. Both rubber boots on the steering rack were torn. Thankfully, the inner tie rods were still tight. So I removed the old boots, cleaned out the crud, and installed new ones. I also put some grease in the tie rods, before re-assembly.

I bought some rack boots that are designed to be installed without disturbing the alignment. The outer end of the boot is large enough to fit over the end of the tie rod. And it has a rubber boot to fill the gap. It makes the job easier, since you don't need to mess with alignment settings. Just unscrew the tie rod from the steering rack, replace the boot, and reinstall.

Here's a photo of the new boot, with the rubber donut. It's split, so you can slip it over the tie rod without disassembling it.



I used a Dremel tool with a cutting disc to cut the band clamps, and a utility knife to cut the old boots.



I didn't have a wrench big enough for the tie rod. My biggest one is 32mm. I think it's 34 or 35mm wide. So I used channel-lock pliers.



After cleaning out the crud, and re-greasing the tie rod end, I slipped the new boot on, and installed the rubber donut.



Then I re-attached the tie rod to the steering rack, and slid the boot into place. Last but not least, I crimped the band clamps. And the job is done!



The job went pretty quick. I was pleasantly surprised. And I was able to cross something off the to-do list. Works for me!

Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄🎁

I finally got the sunroof delete panel installed. That was a bit of a project. Here's what it looks like, from inside the car:



I still need to caulk the seam. I'll probably do that tomorrow.

I finished installation of the sunroof delete panel. I also tested it for leaks. And it passed!



In the process, I also removed the headliner and some other stuff from the roof. Altogether, about 34 pounds was removed from the roof. That should help with handling. It will also make some room for a roll bar.

Here's the video:



So far, I've removed a total of 281 pounds from the car.

Have a nice weekend!

I took a break from the weight reduction stuff, to install some new headlamps. The old ones were basically trashed. Plus, I think they were the wrong headlights anyway. My car is a sedan, and these appear to be coupe headlights.



Along with the headlights, I also got a 3rd brake light, and some LED strips for the interior. And I found some trim pieces that go below the headlights.



It sure is nice having headlights that actually fit!

After installing the new headlights, I also installed the 3rd brake light. Plus I had to fix an electrical issue with the tail lights. The ground wires (and the electrical connections) were burnt to a crisp. So I re-routed the ground wires directly to the ground strip in the tail light housing.



I talk about that in more detail, in the video.





The drag strip opens at 6PM. It's usually dark by the time I get there. So having functional lights is pretty important. I have a little bit more weight reduction to do, then it's back to the drag strip to see how much difference it makes.

Look forward to seeing track times. Road course should be a lot of fun also.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to do any road course or autocross stuff until the suspension is addressed. The shocks and struts are completely worn out. The car floats like an old Cadillac. The plan is to hit the drag strip one more time with the weight reduction, then put the car on jackstands and completely re-do the suspension and brakes.

There's an autocross club in Orlando. I'll hit them up after the suspension is done. Should be fun.

Over the weekend, I paid another visit to the salvage yard. I was able to find some miscellaneous parts that the car still needed. For example, both of the brake cooling ducts were missing. But I found a couple. Also, one of the grille pieces that fills the fog light holes was missing. I found one of those, too. I also found the air intake snorkel, and the air duct for the alternator.

My car was also missing the belly pan (aka splash guard) under the engine. The salvage yard removes them, so they can drain the fluids from the engine. So finding that part in the salvage yard is basically impossible. But thankfully, I was able to find one on fleabay. See photos below.





I got excited, when I saw a BMW with drilled and slotted rotors.



I was about to snag them, but decided to measure them first. Good thing I did, because they were too small for my car. Oh well.

Anyway, I was able to find all the remaining bits and pieces that were missing from the front end. So it's all good.

It's ironic how I'm trying to "complete" the car, while I'm also stripping out the interior. LOL

quote Originally posted by Blacktree:It's ironic how I'm trying to "complete" the car, while I'm also stripping out the interior. LOL

I was about to ask about that. Let's lose 400# to make the car faster but I'll ADD 100# so it looks better. (I know. Most of your "additions" have nothing to with looks except maybe those new spiffy headlights. )