Mid week update...
I stopped by the shop tonight to see how things were coming along and to discuss a few more little issues Eric has run into... Pictures will follow below...
So this week has revolved around gauges, wheels/tires, sound deadener, and exchanging a few items. After exploring what seems like every possible tire brand on the market, I've decided to run the Falken Azenis RT615-K's in 275 and 315 widths. I ordered those from Discount Tire Direct today, and they will be here by Tuesday. I'm closer to my wheel selection, but I'm going to be using a fitment tool in order to make certain that I have the tires exactly where I want them! And I've been emailing back and forth with Speedhut's support team with questions about the gauges I'm looking at.
For some reason my gas tank straps are about an inch too short. Eric has the tank hanging in place, and the straps will barely reach the bolts. A quick phone call to Rick's today and they are sending me a new set tomorrow which are cut a little longer, even though the length of mine is what they normally provide for a 2nd gen. I like that customer service!
Contrast that with DSE, whom I'm pretty frustrated with at the moment... I called them last Friday to discuss the brake booster / master cylinder angle as shown in the picture above. They seem to be aware of this 'potential issue', and have a replacement set of brackets to resolve the problem. But they want to charge me for the brackets instead of swapping them out. I sent them a picture of my MC, and the sales guy I spoke with agreed that it seems too steep. He was going to grab one of theirs and compare it to my angle and get back to me. That was last Friday. I'm still waiting... So I called back on Tuesday and spoke to a second person. After a lengthy discussion, he was going to talk to the first person and one of them would call me back. Well, 2 days later, nada... Oh, and they have an order in their system for another $500 worth of their goodies that I want for the car which is holding on resolving this stupid $20 bracket issue. Disappointing to me for all of the positive feedback that they normally get...
Anyway, enough of my rant, here's another positive customer service review. Wegner Automotive. Eric asked me the question about whether I had the correct PS pump to mate up to my Ford steering rack. A call to Casey revealed that I did not. I told him I purchased the kit about 18 months ago, and he said no problem, just send them my pump and he would send me the correct replacement. I'm very appreciative of good service like that!
As for Eric, it's more mockup. He stuck the fuel tank in place, made some new spacers for the rear suspension pieces to get everything lined up just right, and assembled the engine/clutch/transmission and installed it for more mockup. He also finished the shifter cover and is going to install the nutserts to bolts it down this week. Tomorrow he's going to work on a set of seat mounts so that we can test fit me on Saturday.
On Saturday I'm going to get dirty scraping and grinding on the inner floorpans to prep them for the Dynamat install. I bought 3 boxes of Extreme and 5 boxes of Dynaliner to seal up the interior. While I plan to do track days in the car, on the occasion when I make a road trip, I'd like to drown out some of that outside noise as best I can.
Ok, enough rambling, I know you all just want to see pictures. Here are a couple of the engine installed, the Mocal oil thermostat, and the shifter cover...
