It's official 
. No, it's not some high tech engine rebuild or off the chart mods. It's just me getting my arse back to work on my 92 LX 5.0. This is just an ongoing update of what work I have been doing and how far along I have come. I will keep any questions regarding any of yhe work, in this thread, that way everyone knows where to look. This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you modders out there, but to me, it is. I have come a long way from where I started.
So here's whats going on. I'm sure many of you remember be relentlessly complaining and getting into fits with that friggin Eibach suspension kit the past couple of years. The car has sat for too long. I now have figured out and FIXED this stupid issue. The problem I had - The sway bar end links always seemed way too short and i could not get them attached to both the sway bar and the control arm at the same time (even the extra long stock links). I tried so many options.. I even called Eibach, then sent the tech a couple emails with pics. I did not get any response after that. Fed up, I tried something different... damn I wish I had thought of this a long time ago. Looking over a set of sway bar mounts from my 96 3.8, I noticed they were at least an inch longer and dropped the bar down lower. So I bought some SN95 sway bar mounts and installed them on my 92. Guess, yep, it fixed it. I grinded down the stock links so I could fit a couple stopper washers , then got all the bushings in place. With a little adjustment, the bar sits nicely in place. I can't tell you how relieved I am to have fixed this. I can also tell you that after getting this finished, if I would have tried lowering the bar fully with the stock mounts, it would have ripped the mounts out and bent the end links. Eibach definately did NOT do something right. This bar would have fit like a glove with no modifications on my 96. They should have insluded a set of SN95 mounts with the kit.. shame on them for wasting my time.
The brakes. Yah, more hassle. I bought all new copper washers for the front lines. Took my dremel with wire brush attachment and cleaned the crap out of the brake line fittings and caliper bolt hole. Its amazing how much rust finds it's way in there, even though it was sealed off. Wasn't able to clear all rust, but all heavy stuff is out of they way. Installed lines, torqued them down real good. Finally bolted master cylinder back in place. Had to screw with the BB adjustment rod a few times. I think I got it right, though I think I may have just a little more play in the pedal than I wish, but I'm not about to tear that back off again and have to re-do the bleeding process. Took care of the back brake lines. Don't know what the hell I was thinking about washers on the back lines, cause there aren't any. It's just a line with a flange on the end and a threaded compression fitting. One of them had been leaking... relentlessly.. This was the one that kept twisting the line while I tightened the fitting, trying to seal it. Took the line off, there was no corrosion or bent or scraped flange. Threads were just fine. To try and remedy this leak, I unbolted the line hold down clips that are attached to the axle, I then twisted the line well into the other direction, bolted it up, so when I tightened it, I could add a few extra Ft/lbs and it would straighten out. So far, no leaking, same with the other side. Lets hope it stays that way when I start the engine later.
Question - What is that plug on the top of the passenger side axle housing? A brake line tie-down was bolted there. There is a hole in it.. what is that for?
Now I am currently in the middle of replacing all the back suspension. Yeah, can ya believe I never got around to that? That crap with the front suspension really bummed me out.. now I'm haulin ass . One thing that gets me, is why didn't Eibach include the axle damper shocks (? quads ?) . Those are the only thing I dont have new. And as I am learning, they have failed pretty badly. Anyway, the rear suspension is cake. Except if it werent for the heavy ass rear end. Unbolting the lower control arm from the axle, that thing was a friggin pain. I have the car on 2 jack stands, a floor jack under the diff, and a floor jack under the control arm. Trying to align that thing JUST RIGHT so I could pull the bolt out... damn. And I thought that was difficult, getting the bolt back in was way more difficult. The friggin axle moved backwards and I had to wrestle the thing forward to even get it to line up with the bolt hole. I'm sore as s*** today, I'll be finishing the rest later today.
Is there an easier way to align the lower control arm to the axle? That thing weighs a ton...
After this, going to finish my alt and rad install, then perhaps I will attempt that set of FRPP 3.73's I have sitting inside. As for the top, ugh.. its looking ugly. I am not looking forward to attempting a replacement. It also needs new paint BAD. the hood is ugly now, the trunk is almost as bad, and that panel between the trunk and rear molding is rusted up in the middle. I'm thinking, bro-in-laws brother does some very nice paint work in his own garage. If I can get him to paint a few items for me, ahh shhhesh.. that would be cool.
More later. Thanks for reading
. No, it's not some high tech engine rebuild or off the chart mods. It's just me getting my arse back to work on my 92 LX 5.0. This is just an ongoing update of what work I have been doing and how far along I have come. I will keep any questions regarding any of yhe work, in this thread, that way everyone knows where to look. This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you modders out there, but to me, it is. I have come a long way from where I started. So here's whats going on. I'm sure many of you remember be relentlessly complaining and getting into fits with that friggin Eibach suspension kit the past couple of years. The car has sat for too long. I now have figured out and FIXED this stupid issue. The problem I had - The sway bar end links always seemed way too short and i could not get them attached to both the sway bar and the control arm at the same time (even the extra long stock links). I tried so many options.. I even called Eibach, then sent the tech a couple emails with pics. I did not get any response after that. Fed up, I tried something different... damn I wish I had thought of this a long time ago. Looking over a set of sway bar mounts from my 96 3.8, I noticed they were at least an inch longer and dropped the bar down lower. So I bought some SN95 sway bar mounts and installed them on my 92. Guess, yep, it fixed it. I grinded down the stock links so I could fit a couple stopper washers , then got all the bushings in place. With a little adjustment, the bar sits nicely in place. I can't tell you how relieved I am to have fixed this. I can also tell you that after getting this finished, if I would have tried lowering the bar fully with the stock mounts, it would have ripped the mounts out and bent the end links. Eibach definately did NOT do something right. This bar would have fit like a glove with no modifications on my 96. They should have insluded a set of SN95 mounts with the kit.. shame on them for wasting my time.
The brakes. Yah, more hassle. I bought all new copper washers for the front lines. Took my dremel with wire brush attachment and cleaned the crap out of the brake line fittings and caliper bolt hole. Its amazing how much rust finds it's way in there, even though it was sealed off. Wasn't able to clear all rust, but all heavy stuff is out of they way. Installed lines, torqued them down real good. Finally bolted master cylinder back in place. Had to screw with the BB adjustment rod a few times. I think I got it right, though I think I may have just a little more play in the pedal than I wish, but I'm not about to tear that back off again and have to re-do the bleeding process. Took care of the back brake lines. Don't know what the hell I was thinking about washers on the back lines, cause there aren't any. It's just a line with a flange on the end and a threaded compression fitting. One of them had been leaking... relentlessly.. This was the one that kept twisting the line while I tightened the fitting, trying to seal it. Took the line off, there was no corrosion or bent or scraped flange. Threads were just fine. To try and remedy this leak, I unbolted the line hold down clips that are attached to the axle, I then twisted the line well into the other direction, bolted it up, so when I tightened it, I could add a few extra Ft/lbs and it would straighten out. So far, no leaking, same with the other side. Lets hope it stays that way when I start the engine later.
Question - What is that plug on the top of the passenger side axle housing? A brake line tie-down was bolted there. There is a hole in it.. what is that for?
Now I am currently in the middle of replacing all the back suspension. Yeah, can ya believe I never got around to that? That crap with the front suspension really bummed me out.. now I'm haulin ass
. One thing that gets me, is why didn't Eibach include the axle damper shocks (? quads ?) . Those are the only thing I dont have new. And as I am learning, they have failed pretty badly. Anyway, the rear suspension is cake. Except if it werent for the heavy ass rear end. Unbolting the lower control arm from the axle, that thing was a friggin pain. I have the car on 2 jack stands, a floor jack under the diff, and a floor jack under the control arm. Trying to align that thing JUST RIGHT so I could pull the bolt out... damn. And I thought that was difficult, getting the bolt back in was way more difficult. The friggin axle moved backwards and I had to wrestle the thing forward to even get it to line up with the bolt hole. I'm sore as s*** today, I'll be finishing the rest later today. Is there an easier way to align the lower control arm to the axle? That thing weighs a ton...
After this, going to finish my alt and rad install, then perhaps I will attempt that set of FRPP 3.73's I have sitting inside. As for the top, ugh.. its looking ugly. I am not looking forward to attempting a replacement. It also needs new paint BAD. the hood is ugly now, the trunk is almost as bad, and that panel between the trunk and rear molding is rusted up in the middle. I'm thinking, bro-in-laws brother does some very nice paint work in his own garage. If I can get him to paint a few items for me, ahh shhhesh.. that would be cool.
More later. Thanks for reading
