Weekend working on cars. Got the driver side floors on the 510 painted and started to look at the passenger. That was enough with that, I needed to work on the rally FX since next event is in a week. I’ve actually made a lot of progress on that. I pulled out the damaged strut side and pulled it apart. And in a nice bit of timing, NAPA called to let me know that one of the few remaining FX16 CV shafts in the nation finally came in. Took around two months, but it even looks like the correct part! It’s misidentified as the shaft for a Corolla diesel, although maybe there really does exist one? As a bonus, the shaft is noticeably thicker, and heavier, but still fits. With the strut out, the shaft comes out with only a few bolts. As I suspected, the shaft is bad. I get the new shaft in, although not before accidentally popping the end cap off and spooging grease all over. I don’t have the strut parts yet, so can’t go any further on that.
I need to find what was blowing the 80A fuse, last weekend I took out the starter and it looked ok. I poked around the wiring some more. Bzzt! OK, that was not right! Poke around over by the alternator, sparks! OK, that’s pretty obviously would be the problem. I had looked at the area before, but the short was hidden and not visible until I had unplugged a bunch of stuff enough to pull back the wiring. The wiring loom was rubbing a stud on the engine and worn through one of the main alternator wires. The wire is chewed pretty well. Ideally it should be replaced, but I don’t have the time right now, I patch it up with tape and put some extra layers of thicker plastic over the area. 
Last weekend I found some generic silcone hose to replace the duct tape hose I made. Also modded and adjusted the somewhat cheesy mounting bracket for a better angle. Oh yeah, you need some nice SS hose clamps, and nice zinc plated copper battery clamps, go by POP at pier 38. The clamps are all SS and the screw drive in the band is created by raised ridges, not the open holes on convetional bands, so you don’t have holes that cut into your hose. They also have the uber fancy T-bolt hose clamps, but those also cost an uber premium. The copper battery clamps are nice in that unlike lead, they don’t immediately stretch and bend, making them all deformed and loose by the next time you try to tighten them again. Also cost quite a bit more, but I think its worth it. I also scrounged the metal connector retaining clips for the AFM, so I don’t need the duct tape there either! And you might notice, I finally removed the EGR. Used the angle grinder with cutoff wheel to cut the SS blockoff plate, I wasn’t about to try with a saw again, and the plasma cutter is broken.
The rest of the parts are supposed to come tomorrow, so it looks like I should be in business soon! Oh, and if you remeber the custom kitchen sink guard? Here it is after two events. Doing it’s job, there is a small dent and scuffs in it now.
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