Going back to my “Preparing For Re-Entry” post a couple months back, it would appear that I’ve actually made a great deal of progress, despite my not really doing much. Heh.
This past weekend, Ray and I cruised on up to Chino Valley, AZ to have our way with an 89 Galant GS a member of RallyAnarchy found for me. More details on this post coming soon…
Now that everything is back at the fort, I’ve decided it’s just easier to store the new fenders by hanging them on 195 where they actually belong. It almost looks like the car is ready to go, eh? Unfortunately, there is still much work to be done. This week will see me wrapping up things on the Talon in preparation for its first emissions test since moving to Arizona some seven plus years ago. After that, I’ll be starting my new job at ITtoolbox.com and working to get the new core support (seen in the foreground below) prepped for installation.
Not the easiest to see from the picture, above, but there is still a nice amount of wire harness, AC drier, and miscellaneous bits attached to the backside of the core support. There is also extra material attached on both sides which means I’ve not only got to drill out all the spot welds from the factory in order to separate the actual core support from the cut I bought, but I’ve got to remove the odds and ends still bolted or zip tied to the thing.
Once the core is stripped and ready for installation, I’ll duplicate the process and carefully remove the damaged support from 195. My next step will be to test fit the new support. If it looks like a good fit, I’ll have to consider whether or not I’ll paint it black to match the rest of the car, or leave it white since it will be hidden under exterior bits. I’m also going to have to contact my buddy Mike down the street who does headwork and fabrication stuff for DSM/Neon owners about getting some custom intercooler piping made to plumb the SRT4 FMIC I’ve sourced to replace the crushed POS OEM IC.
I am really hoping to have this car back on the road before the DSM Shootout mid-August. The Galant is just so much fun to drive.