Trying to do this thing right, got all the small stuff in bags and labeled




Hmmm....might be a good time to upgrade that ghetto short ram LOL

 

Bro thanks for the info , and please no offence about the body kit. I trully honestly want and plan to keep the stock ES body. Something about it, I like it, it's just plain and I like that seriously. At this point, as for as the body goes, I see myself doing a custom(possibly home made) Evo style grill. That's about it seriously. Thinking about some 18 inch Driftz rims black, and lower it.

 

No tension adjuster before wow scary




My DIY fix




My DIY fix

 

 

Had make a few more adjustments before it would work lol but it's on there now haha

 

I tried to clean it up really good with steel wool, but what I really want to do is paint it black. All in due time

 

BTW guys I haven't got a chance to use the baking soda on the headlights yet. The tails lights were a real money saver and success so looking forward to doing the head lights. Oh and by the way Cjbarker2 I gonna grab that 12 point spline socket from Home Depot. They have pretty much all sockets that come in a set, but you don't have to buy a set, just any 1 socket you need for like $2. That'll be good for me for now lol. Cheers guys I hope to have some more hardcore stuff to share soon, only light stuff for now. But I'll be getting down and dirty pretty soon after I get that socket for the head. And I'm really curious and excited to see the old gasket

 

Guys I really like this car, I'm not giving up on it. I mean, I have the title in my name and I own it. Insurance is cheap. The body is in excellent condition and the interior will soon look brand new after the aerosal dye project. Also the transmission feels great no hickups. So worse case is the engine will need replacing and that's not all that bad because they are easy to come buy and cheap like $500. So that's why I want to do this head gasket change because the gasket is only like $20 and if I could do a $1,000 head gasket labor job myself and save this engine that would be smashing accomplishment. So that's what I'm taking a stab at guys

 

I feel ya, man. They're good cars when they're kept up and pretty cheap and easy to maintain. I can't wait to see the result of that aerosol dye job. That almost seems too good to be true, so I am stoked to see how it turns out.

A whole grand for a head gasket?! Dude, that's as steep as can be! On a simple motor like this, that's worth, maybe, $250. Maybe. Shops will charge $500, though, just because they can.

 

I'm an aircraft mechanic, and the only time I've seen splined head bolts is on pratt & whitney engines...lol. I've also seen guys I work with strip splined bolts with 12-point sockets. I'm sure a splined socket would grab a 12-point, but how much torque you can apply depends on the size of the fastener, but the safe bet is to use the proper tool.

sounds good man, just wanted to give you the option.

yeah geez, a head gasket is what, $20? I would just deck the block and head by hand and slap it back together...as long as you're mindful of torque sequence, and loosen the head bolts evenly when you remove it, it should not warp.

 

I'm a 19-year-old with experience in heavy paper machinery repair and manufacture. I've used a lot of specialized tools because of where I worked last year. I figured that these sockets weren't quite what they were advertised as, but I'm also a real skeptic of anything that doesnt fit perfectly. Any bit of looseness on the head of a bolt worries me, especially since dealing with the bolts in hydraulic paper rolls, which are usually torqued to yield or pretty close to it. Thanks for pointing all this out, though, Crankswick. I hadn't seen these kinds of sockets before, and once they worked well enough the first few times, I hadn't given it a second thought.

 

I've really got to hand it to you, you're rather crafty with fabricating a quick fix. I hope that holds up like it should. I can't remember what you need to get that piece off, but I would look around for a replacement for it. The alternator belt gets a good bit of tension when it's up there right. I don't know that those thin pieces will hold it right for long.

 

It's been a while since I've had my 03 lancer, so I can't quite remember how the tension arm goes in, but if it's tensile, that should last as long as the metal does, a compressive load may cause it to bend or bow...

 

It's a compressive load. The bolt that tightens up the alternator pushes on the arm that hangs off of the motor and pulls the alternator by a square block that is bolted to the alternator through a groove that runs down the length of the arm. When you loosen up the alternator, it swings up and in, and vice versa. I had a lot of trouble with mine last year. Previous owner had put a jam nut on the end of a stud to put there. Threads were flattened around that stud for a good inch, which kept me from getting the right amount of tension on the belt. Real PITA.

 

Haha you guys are great , thanks for keeping this thread lively. I really enjoy reading(and educating myself) as you guys discuss the details/technicals. I'll catch up with you guys later around Monday or Tuesday when I continue where I left off removing the intake and exhaust manifold and head, should be fun for a first timer like myself. BTW I bought that 10mm 12 point star socket today from Home Depot for $3. I just test fitted it on the head bolts and it fit perfect thanks so much Cjbarker2 for your help and verification about what size I needed to buy. I'll leave you guys with the pics and again I'll catch up later next week ok. Oh and by the way please share your project status'! I'd like to know what you guys are working on now or the near future