Fox 21 Alpha
New member
Haha sure as shit wasn't fresh water!
Anyways just an update....
Got some tools to finish the suspension removal, my dad bought me a 1/2 drive socket set for an early Christmas present after I snapped my 1/2 to 3/8 adapter off, and some other small goodies as well. I also borrowed his tie rod and ball joint remover pry bars. The tie rod ends came off without much incident, the ball joints not so much.
The passenger side ball joint came off fairly easily considering, bolts broke loose after some heavy pressure via braker bar+pipe. The driver's side however, I removed the nut first, which came off easy enough. However the two nuts seemed to not be getting any looser, and they didn't "break" free. Low and behold, the effin bolts broke free a little I guess and started turning with the nuts. Except they're not supposed to, so there's no way to grab them from the back.
I needed someway to put enough pressure on the bolt to keep it from turning while the nut broke, I took a screw driver, and hammered it inbetween the ball join plate and the (control arm maybe?) piece it bolts to on the car, working on the opposite side of the bolt I was trying to break free. It worked on the right hand bolt, but not the left. I think with it being the last one I just couldn't get enough pressure. I drove a ball joint pry bar via hammer inbetween there and that still didn't provide enough pressure, as you can see in the pictures the big gap I created, at the expense of bending metal. I'll be replacing them, so no big deal. But if the stud or bolt is stuck on your ball joints, this may work, but may destroy the mounting plate in the process.
I gave up and hack sawed about a 1/3 the way through before it got too late and I went home. Turns out I got a nice dremel for Christmas so I went to the store and got a hex set, as well as a set of cut off discs and I'll just cut the damn thing off via 35,000 RPMs. Also got a stuck stud/bolt/nut remover set (you know the socket/nut thingy with teeth inside), I'm sure it will come in handy down the line.
I also went to the dealer today to order new rear break lines and the main gas line. We kinked the gas line a little in some places when we bent our own replacing the rusted out last one, so I wanted a fresh new no kinks line. I figured kinks would defeat the purpose of a high flow fuel pump and fuel rail and FPR, etc etc. The breaks were never great on the car (see above post lol) and some of our unions weren't the greatest so I wanted to get new rear ones which we bent ourselves last time as well. Not to mention none of the shit we made ever fit back in the clips.
The gas line was only 80 some dollars (Cheap after the hassle of custom making the one that's on there now). The parts guys usually give me a little bit of a discount, but the guy in here this time that was only the second time I saw him, told the new guy to give me price code 9 or something, and that dropped it down to 40ish? Brake lines came out to about $80 a piece if I remember. Also took the opportunity and ordered a water pump since it was good pricing. For some reason they can't order the timing belt, system won't let them. Hopefully ATS has it in stock with their kit and I shouldn't have to order anything off of 1sttoyota. So all the lines and w/p are on order.
And I forgot to get two bolts from my A/C and alt that were missing I'll be back plenty I'm sure.
I also burned 1k of that damn turbo money on Christmas so hopefully have enough to pick up the turbo kit and some of the seals and oil pump, and everything else can wait I won't need it for awhile anyways.
Speaking of which, I think I've decided on the GT28RS. I saw the GT28701 and was a little interested in that, but ATS doesn't seem to offer it, and I couldn't find much about it, but it would probably be a tad out of range for my goals.
I'm planning to use ATS's fuel/ecu combo kit to start. I know it won't be the greatest, but I think its a good place to start to get the car on the street again, and in the future I'll probably switch to a top feed rail and an actual FPR as well as stand alone, and I should be squared away as far as that goes.
I'm hoping to get a custom 3in midpipe made with a hi flow cat, and mate with the 3in downpipe and the to-be-purchased HKS hi power exhaust and hopefully that works out nicely. Only issue I'll have is I'll prob have to leave the stock cat on for inspection day, but not sure how this whole emissions thing is gonna work out anyways. Might have to get waiver(s)....
I also plan on rigging up some sort of intake, preferably sucking atleast partially some outside air, rather then having it just sit completely inside the engine. And of course my 205 WTA set up will hopefully workout.
So GT28RS kit, 205 WTA, fuel pump and modified fuel rail and FPR, tuned ROM, and a full 3in exhaust and an intake to get it on the road. I think once the stand alone and fuel system is finished up things should turn out pretty nicely, and I can turn to the suspension.
Speaking of which, anyone have thoughts on the moog inner tie rods? Hate to made new outers to old inners, but still can't seem to justify $100 a piece. Even the raybestos or whatever "professional grade" are $70. Beck Arnely has stock inners for like $30-$40....
Anyways just an update....
Got some tools to finish the suspension removal, my dad bought me a 1/2 drive socket set for an early Christmas present after I snapped my 1/2 to 3/8 adapter off, and some other small goodies as well. I also borrowed his tie rod and ball joint remover pry bars. The tie rod ends came off without much incident, the ball joints not so much.
The passenger side ball joint came off fairly easily considering, bolts broke loose after some heavy pressure via braker bar+pipe. The driver's side however, I removed the nut first, which came off easy enough. However the two nuts seemed to not be getting any looser, and they didn't "break" free. Low and behold, the effin bolts broke free a little I guess and started turning with the nuts. Except they're not supposed to, so there's no way to grab them from the back.
I needed someway to put enough pressure on the bolt to keep it from turning while the nut broke, I took a screw driver, and hammered it inbetween the ball join plate and the (control arm maybe?) piece it bolts to on the car, working on the opposite side of the bolt I was trying to break free. It worked on the right hand bolt, but not the left. I think with it being the last one I just couldn't get enough pressure. I drove a ball joint pry bar via hammer inbetween there and that still didn't provide enough pressure, as you can see in the pictures the big gap I created, at the expense of bending metal. I'll be replacing them, so no big deal. But if the stud or bolt is stuck on your ball joints, this may work, but may destroy the mounting plate in the process.
I gave up and hack sawed about a 1/3 the way through before it got too late and I went home. Turns out I got a nice dremel for Christmas so I went to the store and got a hex set, as well as a set of cut off discs and I'll just cut the damn thing off via 35,000 RPMs. Also got a stuck stud/bolt/nut remover set (you know the socket/nut thingy with teeth inside), I'm sure it will come in handy down the line.
I also went to the dealer today to order new rear break lines and the main gas line. We kinked the gas line a little in some places when we bent our own replacing the rusted out last one, so I wanted a fresh new no kinks line. I figured kinks would defeat the purpose of a high flow fuel pump and fuel rail and FPR, etc etc. The breaks were never great on the car (see above post lol) and some of our unions weren't the greatest so I wanted to get new rear ones which we bent ourselves last time as well. Not to mention none of the shit we made ever fit back in the clips.
The gas line was only 80 some dollars (Cheap after the hassle of custom making the one that's on there now). The parts guys usually give me a little bit of a discount, but the guy in here this time that was only the second time I saw him, told the new guy to give me price code 9 or something, and that dropped it down to 40ish? Brake lines came out to about $80 a piece if I remember. Also took the opportunity and ordered a water pump since it was good pricing. For some reason they can't order the timing belt, system won't let them. Hopefully ATS has it in stock with their kit and I shouldn't have to order anything off of 1sttoyota. So all the lines and w/p are on order.
And I forgot to get two bolts from my A/C and alt that were missing I'll be back plenty I'm sure.
I also burned 1k of that damn turbo money on Christmas so hopefully have enough to pick up the turbo kit and some of the seals and oil pump, and everything else can wait I won't need it for awhile anyways.
Speaking of which, I think I've decided on the GT28RS. I saw the GT28701 and was a little interested in that, but ATS doesn't seem to offer it, and I couldn't find much about it, but it would probably be a tad out of range for my goals.
I'm planning to use ATS's fuel/ecu combo kit to start. I know it won't be the greatest, but I think its a good place to start to get the car on the street again, and in the future I'll probably switch to a top feed rail and an actual FPR as well as stand alone, and I should be squared away as far as that goes.
I'm hoping to get a custom 3in midpipe made with a hi flow cat, and mate with the 3in downpipe and the to-be-purchased HKS hi power exhaust and hopefully that works out nicely. Only issue I'll have is I'll prob have to leave the stock cat on for inspection day, but not sure how this whole emissions thing is gonna work out anyways. Might have to get waiver(s)....
I also plan on rigging up some sort of intake, preferably sucking atleast partially some outside air, rather then having it just sit completely inside the engine. And of course my 205 WTA set up will hopefully workout.
So GT28RS kit, 205 WTA, fuel pump and modified fuel rail and FPR, tuned ROM, and a full 3in exhaust and an intake to get it on the road. I think once the stand alone and fuel system is finished up things should turn out pretty nicely, and I can turn to the suspension.
Speaking of which, anyone have thoughts on the moog inner tie rods? Hate to made new outers to old inners, but still can't seem to justify $100 a piece. Even the raybestos or whatever "professional grade" are $70. Beck Arnely has stock inners for like $30-$40....