ZeroChad's Log -- Parting out this weekend.

[ZeroChad]

Welcome to my progress log. Thanks for reading!

INDEX

2008 - Mostly Cosmetic

• After Paint Pictures
  LED lighting
  Projectors Installed
  Coilovers Installed 2
  Mag Intake Installed
  Scanguage
  Rota Slipstreams!!!
  Magnum Electronics Install
  Retinting Tails
  Mag Head P&P
  Stuck in the Snow!

2009 - Bad Luck and Rebuilds x2

• Head Swap, Complete Rebuild
  Fog Lights - Night Pics
  Supertones
  EBC Brakes & Guages
  Super LED Center Console
  Hydrolocked
  The Teardown, 2, 3, 4, 5
  The New Parts
  Broken Weld Nut in Frame Rail
  AutoCross
  Hit Possum, Broken exhaust
  Rear Drums Implode
  Dyno Results 155HP/147TQ
  Rear Disk Setup
  More 02 Problems

2010 - A New Town and Fresh Start

• The Move
  Crunch
  Canton Oil Pan
  Solid Mounts
  Megasquirt!!, 2, 3, 4, 5
  Tire Explodes
  Toyo Proxes R1Rs
  MPx Meet
  I'm a Ruh..Tard
  Mounting Fuel Cell
  Battery Tray and A/C PS removed
  Track Day
  Fuel System Installed
  Oil Pan Leak fixed

2011 - The Last Rebuild

• Boom!
  Car's dead now hit by car
  Carnage Pics 1 2
  Replacement Parts 1 2 3
  Head Pics 1 2
  Crane 005
  Engine Bay Pics
  Fan explodes
  2nd Gear Pull Vid

This is how the car looked when i originally bought it in 2007 for $2000.



Previous Mods to Starting This Log

Engine

• Borla Catback
  Ebay Cold Air Intake w/ K&N filter
  Mancini Valve Cover
  MPx 60mm TB
  MPx UDP
  MSD Plug wires
  Prothane MM inserts
  Screamin Demon coil pack

Transmission

• Booger bushings
  JohnnyMopar Cradle bushings
  Maddog 80-2 STS

Audio

• Rockford 200Wrms Amp
  Rockford 200Wrms Sub
  Rockford 6'
  Rockford 6x9'
  Pioneer 490IB Headunit

I've done a couple of recent mods in the past few weeks. You can read about the window cowl painting here. Next up was some Pre-UDP work. Couple pics of the 4ga engine grounds as well as the + to fusebox and + to starter wires. An optima yellow top also went in too. I've noticed a smoother power band, and more power out of the sub.



UDP thread here.

The day that I finished installing the UDP I decided to check out the 2" of play that I had develop in my shifter. I removed the interior expecting to find a popped booger. Low and behold I had a crack in the weld of my STS where the rod meets the fulcrum ball. I contacted Maddog about it the same day, and he had a replacement shipped out the next day. Installing the new rod went pretty well. The only crappy part was taking out the boogers for a second time. All I have to say is Maddog has some amazing customer service.

Broken Rod


Replacement


Did a little sharpie action to the valve cover. The exposed lettering was starting to get some salt/oxidation stains.


Lastly, I noticed that the timing belt tensioner is starting to "diesel" quite loud. This is probably going to move up my Magnum head swap and Pre-Turbo tuneup. Video here. I have new belts on, the noise appears to becoming from beneath the timing cover to the left of the power steering pump when viewed over the passenger fender.]

[ZeroChad]

UPDATE 10/30/08
Well I just finished making the butterflies for the mag manifold. I made them too big originally so I had to file them down. They turned out a little uneven from the filing, but overall the fit is pretty good. Now I just need to find a window switch and I'll throw it in next week.



Here's what the manifold looks like back together. Its been polished an has a 60mm opening welded on.

Yes that is a DDR mat peaking out

[ZeroChad]

This weekend was pretty eventful. Zero got some new skin! Well if you can remember, I bought the car salvaged so we had to paint it before. My dad and I didn't scuff the bumper enough so I had half a bajillion stone flakes on it. Also I had some major fading and bubbling under where the door moldings use to be.

To top all of this someone must have just skimmed me in the work parking lot. Not only did they scrap more paint off my bumper, but also messed up my fender. Needless to say, half the car got a little refresher.

Just a fraction of the stone chips on my hood and bumper


Bumper damage from where some A-hole swiped me.


Sanding Sanding Sanding


OMG its a leopard


Yum! new paint



Well we kinda ran out of time so after the clear coat dried I left my dad's and went across state to my apartment. We're gunna have to buff and wet sand it in a few weeks, but for now it looks great.

[ZeroChad]

10/10/08
Did a few appearance upgrades this week. First I removed my plastic ebay shortie and replaced it with the MPx Short Antennae. I really like the look of it. Its a lot more sleak.


Next up was a little tinting. The clear black-backed sidemarkers came out great.


The third brake light gave me a little trouble though. I put too many coats of nite-shades on too quickly and it cracked. I'll be trying to redo this the next few days.


Next up I received a little present in the mail today. New sway bars. I was going to install the rear one today, but contrary to what I thought before, I don't have a rear sway bar or strut tabs. I must have been smoking crack the first time I last time I looked under there. That kinda explains why I my rear end kicks out when I hit a bump on a highway curve. These will be going on with the coilovers.


Lastly, I started cleaning up my magnum head. Eventually I'm gunna throw a comp400 in there. I've been using degreaser so far, is there anything else that I could maybe soak it in?

[kevo]

unbelievable paintjob man. when can i bring mine over?

your build is really coming along. the mag parts are really going to sweeten the deal there.

[TNK]

looks good! come do mines please

[ZeroChad]

unbelievable paintjob man. when can i bring mine over?
your build is really coming along. the mag parts are really going to sweeten the deal there.

Thanks man! Yeah I can't wait to get those parts on. Still waiting on a window switch before I put the intake in.

looks good! come do mines please

No way I'm getting near a SKUNK! lol

Thanks

[SlvrACR]

Manifold is nice now go and get it ceramic coated in chrome.

[ZeroChad]

Manifold is nice now go and get it ceramic coated in chrome.

Did you have yours professionally done, or rattle can?

[ZeroChad]

I planned out my projects for the weekend. I'm working on saturday, so I'm not gunna have time to do much then. Sunday, however, is gunna be pretty fun. Going back across state to my Dad's house.

The major thing to do is to putting the finishing steps on my paint job. Buffing, wet sanding and polishing. I was originally going to do my coilovers and swaybars too, but I don't wanna drive across state with a camber of +3455degrees.

Instead, the projectors/HIDs are going in. I'm gunna finish up the pre-wiring today, so all that I'll have to do is splice and solder into the parking lights and turn signals. I've replaced the white leds with amber ones to act somewhat as a side signal. Speaking of LEDs, yesterday, I oreder quite a few. I'm replacing whats left of the halogen bulbs in my car. Turn signals (front/rear), sidemarker, 3rd brake light, taillights, reverse light, and the licence plate bulb. I'm going to put some reflective material in the 3rd brake light housing to allow for a greater light output.

I realize I'm also going to have to do the anti-rice blinker mod, but that looks pretty quick. I'm still not sure if I want to do an amber or 8000k white color on the sidemarkers. I think I'm better sticking with the amber, police-attention-wise.

Oh, bwoody catch-can on the way too.

[ZeroChad]

Update 10/18/08
Well I received the Bwoody catch can on Friday and installed it this weekend. I just got the plain one and sprayed it black with clear.


Didn't get to the projectors, but we did finish up the paint job. Starting off, we did a little wet sanding to remove the imperfections in the clear. Worked it over with rubbing compound, then a finishing compound. A little polish went on next, followed by some swirl remover. Finally a fresh coat of wax, and she's done.

Here she is.



Paint job came out great overall. We had one fingernail scratch in the clear, and it looks like a small hair of mine is under the clear on the hood. Marked with my own DNA!

[LilSparkPlug]

Wow! Coming along very nicely. That bumper looks brand new. Nice job

[ZeroChad]

Wow! Coming along very nicely. That bumper looks brand new. Nice job

Thanks! Yeah that thing was pretty hidious with all of those stone chips.

[ZeroChad]

UPDATE 10-24-08

Well I've been working on some LEDs this week. I've done all of the doors and most of the dash as well. I still want to install a few in the vents and the the center console cubby holes. Also. Finally, I'm installing my projectors today.

Put some 6led 194s in my sidemarksers. Since they are tinted clear lenses, they look a lot better than seeing a glowing filament. This is a crummy pic though. I put some 3157 25led bulbs in the turn signals as well. They don't work to well with the racoons. They will look better in the projectors though.


The license plate bulb. These bulbs are awesome. Its a 194 size with 6 high flux white leds on the sides. Its so bright it lights up the ground some too.


3watt LEDs for the tails/brakes. These are brighter than stock.


Some 921 bulbs for the reverse lights. Just about a bright and a lot whiter


My gauge cluster with the 5led (1top 4sides) 194s.


Drivers door leds. The pass window switch one came loose. I'll be redoing that today.


HVAC. They look good in the pic, but its too dull for my liking. I'll be soldering in more 3mm this weekend.


Overall dash look. The only thing its missing is the blue scangauge.

[ThrIsNoSpork]

that cluster looks great! did you get a kit or did you just buy a bunch of leds?

[ZeroChad]

that cluster looks great! did you get a kit or did you just buy a bunch of leds?

Yup I just ordered em separate. These are what the bulbs look like. I got them from superbrightleds.com.

The odometer color change is from VampByDesign. Its just a blue plastic film.

[ThrIsNoSpork]

awesome this will be my next mod

[ZeroChad]

The projectors are in! HIDs are installed and fully functional too. I'll snag some pictures of those later. The install went fairly smooth other than the loose ground that caused my engine to not start. I really like the build quality of these things. Their fit is a lot better than the depo diamonds (racoons) that I had. Those were so snug I though I was breaking them every time I removed them. Enough blabbering time for some pics

Start things off with a Front pic. I repainted the fog inserts as well.


Now with the parking lights on. You can really see the led turn signal bulbs here. They look so much better in these housings then incandescent bulbs.


A close up shot.


Again with the parking lights on.


Minus the wheels. The front end looks like how I want it now. Maybe throw in a black FMIC later



I'm working on a wiring writeup right now that should ease the problems for those who are less electrically inclined.

[Mr Josh Zombie]

outside of that gap right next to the headlight between the fender and bumper, your car is looking DAMN good

[ZeroChad]

outside of that gap right next to the headlight between the fender and bumper, your car is looking DAMN good

Ah you saw that! lol yeah that drives me nuts. It actually looks a lot better than we I originally put the bumper on. The frame is slightly contorted on the left side so its the best I can do. The hood is slightly "propped" over there as well. You really can't notice them unless you're use to looking at neons though.

Thanks for the comments. Do you ever go to any of those DNO meets?





Took a couple of night pics tonight. I really need a freakin tripod. The card board box I used just doesn't do the trick

The turn signals in action. Yeah, I swapped out the leds for amber ones.


lol too tired to white balance right now. HIDs in action.


Thats it for now. I might post more later when I get that tripod. Hmm what to do next, Mag intake or suspension....

[Mr Josh Zombie]

Thanks for the comments. Do you ever go to any of those DNO meets?

Hmm what to do next, Mag intake or suspension....

Nope, can't say I ever have. I'm not huge for car meets I suppose. *shrugs*


And I'd say suspension. Suspension = more fun to drive around the corners

[ZeroChad]

6-1-08

So I thought I would go ahead an install my coilovers and hotchkis sways tonight. Holy crap that sucked... Suspension work on a 7 year old car in the salt belt is horrible. No way in hell I'm getting the strut to hub bolts off with out air tools, even then They'll probably snap. I did manage to get my front sway bar off. I broke all four bracket bolts though.

So yeah I'm going to have to find a way to reattach the sway brackets tommorow. I'm saying to hell with the suspension for now, what a pain in the @$$.

[NiteHawk]

yeah, the bracket bolts are a common thing to snap, i've snapped two of them...

all you can do is heat it up real good with a torch and use a drill bit or stud extractor...

get some new bolts from dodge, they're relatively cheap

[ZeroChad]

yeah, the bracket bolts are a common thing to snap, i've snapped two of them...

all you can do is heat it up real good with a torch and use a drill bit or stud extractor...

get some new bolts from dodge, they're relatively cheap

Sounds like a super fun project for this week. lol. Thanks for the heads up. I'll see what its like not driving with a front sway for a couple days.

[ZeroChad]

UPDATE 6-5-08

Well I'm freakin pooped. 3rd brake light and tails are tinted. I tried soldering more leds to the HVAC conductive copper, but even with flux it was a no go. Tried drilling out the broken front sway bar bolts that is incredibly hard. I'm just going to pay a shop to do it. Not worth my time and frustration.

Most importantly I installed the front coilovers. Took if for a quick spin ... OMG these things are amazing! Even without my front sway bar the handling just blows my mind. That'll be the first mod on my future vehicles for sure.

I can't wait so see the handling once I get the rears and the sways on.

[ZeroChad]

UPDATE 6/7/08

Well the rear coilovers are on, completing the project. Loving them so far. Didn't get around to installing the sway bars yet, but that is soon. Turns out I don't think I needed the camber bolts, due to the upper bolt hole being slotted on all of the coilovers. Good deal! I need to raise the rear end up maybe 3/4" Its sitting a little too low for my liking right now. The front end looks perfect.

Progress pictures should be coming next week when I get the ride height I want and an alignment.


I'm looking at ordering some 16x7 slipstreams too. I'm really undecided about the color though.

[lil06tecksta]

hey looks good! ...btw is there any chance you still have the racoons? & willing to sell them?
________
SILVER SURFER REVIEWS

[ZeroChad]

Thanks! I'm still debating if I want to sell them or not. I probably will in the long run. You'll have first dibs if I do. There is a spot that is slightly hazed on the passeger side. With a quick wet sanding, rebuffing, and a little clear it should look brand new.


Now off to tweak my ride height.

[lil06tecksta]

ha ..cool thanks !
can't wait to see more
________
Xr (Australia)

[ZeroChad]

UPDATE 6/11/08

Well First I'll throw up a few overdue pics.

New Ride Height


Old Ride Height


Tinting


I realize those aren't the greatest pics, I was in a bit of a hurry. I'll be taking better ones once my exterior is done. Still gotta get those wheels and tint the windows.


What else I did today
Well on the way to work my battery light came on. I thought, "Well shit so much for having a udp, I'll have to take it off". My voltage was spiking from 11.9 up to 15. So I thought "where is the ecu reading this from?, Probably its own voltage source". Low and behold, the mother F(##$ ground on the drv. side core support had come loose again. Same one that prevented me from starting my car after the projectors install.

Drilled at tapped, bigger bolt. TAKE THAT BIOTCH



Also gave the Zero an oil change today. When with Mobil 1 synthetic since they have that deal going on right now at Advanced. Changed the GF Focus ZX5's too. Dang, we really have it easy as far as filter and plug placement go. The filters on those are upside down kind at the top of the oil pan. What a treat lol. All went well though.

Alignment tommorow, and I'll tackle the rear sway.