TeamSwift

Another week, and the steering wheel passed the 'Wife' test.
She likes it.
From now on, I guess we'll roll with the leather.

That new radiator is waiting, the creature comforts are basically in, and it is time to concentrate on the oil leaks. Plain old dinosaur oil is $4-$5 a quart so fixing the leaks makes sense.

Many people who drive these have a spare

power plant hanging around.
I get it.
You can build it at your leisure, and then swap it in when you have a few days.
That's the plan.

I started to pull the engine on the left apart and ran into a slight problem.

The bolts which hold the main crank pulley (missing from photo) were 5 mm allen heads.
Your typical allen wrench wouldn't touch 'em.
Don't waste your time.
You'll end up screwing up the heads of the bolts or worse.
Get the right tool for the job.

That meant a visit to Fleabay and a purchase of a 5mm allen/socket.
Sometimes you've got to be patient. If you get in a rush (in this instance) you'll be moving one step forward and two steps backward. Best to wait until the right tool arrives.
Patience was rewarded with a simple yet effective $4 tool

and this little rig was all it took to pull those 5 bolts out.
Nothing was damaged and they will be reused.
They may have had a little loctite, because I had to give them a pretty decent whack to break them loose.
So, if you run across those allen heads, take the time to clean them thoroughly and let them dry.
Don't try to use an 'L' shaped allen wrench visible in top of last photo above) and remove them by hand. You'll screw up the heads. If you are trying to do this with the engine in the car, I don't envy you.
Hit 'em with an impact rigged up with a 5 mm allen as shown. Don't be afraid to give them a good whack.

Problem solved.

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

I can also attest to the same thing with the two bolts that bolt the fuel rail to the cylinder head. I tried to loosen them with an allen wrench and effed up the bolt head, and since there is no hex head, just a cylindrical one with very fine grip slots around the rim of the head, I ended up having to weld a bolt to the head of the original bolt and then back it out.

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

so howcome you're taking apart your spare engines ?

_________________
Silver 2000 Firefly 4DR; 16V SOHC, 3 to 5 speed swap, install PS and AC, remote and auto start, PL, PW, kill and start switch, Valentine 1, behind-bumper CAI, 55MM TB with coolant-bypass, polyurethane-fill engine/shifter mounts, modified to short shifter, upgraded electrical system, CS130 alternator, 90/160W headlights + relay mod, ceramic H4 plug/harness
To do: finish stereo, 4000K H4 HIDs, short block replacement
'sponsored' by Captain Crunch, Lordco, Felpro, Permatex, Royal Purple

Pretty much explains it

But wait, I thought the name had been chosen. Go back through your Pm's and you'll see. Remember, personalized plates? Looks good.

_________________



An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.

1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: Red "My PocketRocket"
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: White (Being resurrected)
1996 Geo Metro (Stocker)
1999 Suzuki 1.6 Esteem (Baleno) Wagon (Sleeper creeper)

Busted!

Good for you.
We decided to call it 'Rrrr', short for Ruby's red road racer.
(In case you don't know us, 'Ed' is not the name of my Wife.)

It was last used yesterday, and we expect it to start and take her to work today.

If that license plate is not taken, we will apply for it.

We employed the technique that t3ragtop is using with his 'red vert' restore - fixing it on the weekends, but using it during the week.
Like her convertible, it has proved to be reliable and economical...and a blast to drive.
To cut down on speeding tickets, I avoid driving it.

I have picked up a lot of little things that it needed: little broken fasteners, those black push pins and a few extra pieces which will extend the cars service life.
Like our other Suzuki products, this piece of rolling stock has certainly brightened our financial picture!

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

I think we always knew what the " E D " stood for in your handle.

Mike tells us all about it.

_________________
2017: I forgot if my memory loss is a good thing or bad thing.

LNLC Founding Member

Certified to advise if this thread is GAY

Busted!

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

Emergency Department?
Phil in E.D.

Non?

_________________
Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car and oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.HP is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how much you push the wall out.

shoot...and there I was thinking it was Exotic Dancer.

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

It's been about a month and not much has been happening on Teamswift except the weather.
We continue to look better at the Bank, thanks to these cars reliability and economy.

The White Rabbit needed a water pump,
viewtopic.php?p=402928#p402928
and the A/C lost its charge.
I updated that thread, except I neglected to mention that the A/C problem was just the
shrader (for us old schoolers)
schrader (for O3B's sake)
valve on the high side.
There's a fellow selling teflon schrader/shrader valve inserts, so you might throw $5 his way for that someday.
If someone slipped an inner tube/tire type insert into the valve, the oil in the refrigerant will
deteriorate it.
I dodged a bullet on that one; it was a quick fix.

Back to Rrrr:
Thanks to my friends to the North, I was able to take this:

(a hood pull)
and make this:

look like this again:


The only way they could have broke the original was to put their monkey hands on the top of the
lever and push down.
A civilized person would use ONE FINGER and simply lift from below to achieve Nirvana.

So, little by little the car is coming together.

Soon, we'll be putting it in out of the heat and going at it in real earnest.
I'd like to fix some oil leaks.

Someone was saying it is hotter in Florida than Texas, or some such nonsense.
Ole Oklahoma will have a piece of his butt, for sure.

Hansolo was down from Anchorage over the weekend.
He flew down to learn how to adjust valves on the old Chevrolet Sprints
(and look at the girls )
I asked him to put the oven thermometer on the dash of Rrrr.
Here it is:

after 15 minutes I asked him what he thought the temp gauge read out there on the dash...
...and NO, it was not touching the windshield.
He figured, since it was 100 in the shade on the porch, then 110 or 115 out in the sun, right?

Go take a look!

Bingo:

this young generation uses their cell phones as a laptop, MP3 player, and yes...a CAMERA!

With interior temperatures in the 215F-220F range, you can see that water boils quickly inside a car.
And a baby?
THAT'S why, if you leave a baby in a car in a parking lot here in the desert,
the cops will take you to jail about as fast as you can say....

.... stay tuned for the next update!!!

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

90 day update: not much to say, but all's well with the automatic GTi.
Here's a hint of things to come:



The reason for the delay in all upgrades will become apparent within a few weeks.

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

nice score on the 7 spokes, phil. i see that you're giving them a shower.

_________________
1991 Blue Geo Metro Convertible highly modified 1.0L Turbo3 5 spd. - 1991 Red Geo Metro Convertible customized with a Twincam 5 spd.

My Turbo3 Project
My Cardomain Page -Ol' Blue
My YouTube Channel
My Photo Gallery
SAAB Sonett II

NICE FIND i guess next to a GTI a auto is is a hard find

Thanks; they aren't cheap, but they sure are light.
Sitting in the direct sun for the 5 or 10 minutes that they did, I could hear the metal expand.
They are a fairly new set and you guys mentioned a certain type of lug nut in this post:
viewtopic.php?p=406463#p406463
(in case you think I've been sleeping the past 3 months...)
Now that I have gone back and looked carefully, I see the difference and like the look of the ones you chose.
I'll post the picture in this thread as it is worth repeating:

Hopefully I'll be able to find something similar when I put these on her daily driver.
The head of the lug nut is a bit more flat than the first type that t3ragtop tried.
As they say, 'the devil is in the details!'.

Looking back through over 10 years and a dozen cars in the yard, this is our FIRST set of OEM 7 spoke wheels.

It is a little embarrassing to go from 'need to have' to 'nice to have', but since we are saving money at the pump, why not?

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

I like!!!!!!

_________________



An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.

1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: Red "My PocketRocket"
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: White (Being resurrected)
1996 Geo Metro (Stocker)
1999 Suzuki 1.6 Esteem (Baleno) Wagon (Sleeper creeper)

aside from the appearance, the functionality of the suzuki 7 spoke mags is super. you can really tell a difference in all aspects of the car's performance with the super light cast wheels.

those are very much worth seeking out for your car.

_________________
1991 Blue Geo Metro Convertible highly modified 1.0L Turbo3 5 spd. - 1991 Red Geo Metro Convertible customized with a Twincam 5 spd.

My Turbo3 Project
My Cardomain Page -Ol' Blue
My YouTube Channel
My Photo Gallery
SAAB Sonett II

As Phil has failed to mention any updates........we're left to ponder..........................

You should see the pics of the Frankenhouse he just bought. I might just open a franchise for Pitbull Fabrication in his MEGASHOP! Come on Phil, show us a little more................

_________________



An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.

1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: Red "My PocketRocket"
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: White (Being resurrected)
1996 Geo Metro (Stocker)
1999 Suzuki 1.6 Esteem (Baleno) Wagon (Sleeper creeper)

_________________



An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.

1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: Red "My PocketRocket"
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: White (Being resurrected)
1996 Geo Metro (Stocker)
1999 Suzuki 1.6 Esteem (Baleno) Wagon (Sleeper creeper)

Well, the cat is out of the bag...

Since joining Teamswift, things have been steadily improving for us.
Apparently, your way seems to work for us.
Our cars are more reliable, more efficient, and pass California emissions tests regularly.
We've acquired 'parts cars' that turned out to be fairly decent and it was agonizing to see them bake in the sun year after year.
This year that all changed.

I probably need to start a thread on the shop, but swifterthanu is correct.
We have improved our financial picture to the point where we bought our first house.
You might compare it to one of those 'rust free shells' that come up for sale on this site.
It has lots of potential, but will require rolling up your sleeves and getting off your duff...

The main attraction for me wasn't the three car garage:

(which needs doors )

I like the other side of the property which has a 75' by 70' shop:

which will house all of our cars, bikes and trucks with room to spare.

All good things come to those who wait, or so it is written.
In this case, it will take some elbow grease also.

Here is a view inside the 'shop':

-light is poring in from the plywood underlayment missing from some roof sections
-likewise, wall drywall is absent
-this side of the shop is a split level, concrete floor affair

Looking the other way:

towards the 5 service bays you can see some dirt/gravel and some concrete.
The rough cut timbers in the roof are held up by old water pipes.
The walls are hollow block.

First order of business was to change the entrance to the place.
Rather than going in through the side gate:

and tracking in mud during the coming rains, I decided to buy a few 10' replacement horizontal tracks for the sliding gate:


And here they are installed:


No more getting out in the dirt to open the gate.
Lots of raking and sweeping to go.
We'll let you know if we make any progress.


The red Swift GTi (Rrrr) featured in this thread will have a home in that 3 car garage, and will be serviced in the shop around the back.

Let's see if a better shop will translate to better repair results, and if any of you locals have materials which can be used to rehabilitate this place, feel free to shoot the proverbial PM.

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

We are 9 weeks shy of owning this red road racer (Rrrr) and the update is more about its new parking place than getting it registered. It has been running fine for TWO years.

My how time flies.
There is still plenty of work to be done on it, but she's been pretty steady for those 2 years.
It is due for a smog inspection, and we don't anticipate any problems with that.

If you look at the previous post, you'll see some concrete roof tiling, some of which needs replacing.
So here is an update on the tiled roof.
Thanks to Craigslist, I located a pallet of matching roof tiles

(MK1 automatic upper left)
which should be enough to repair all the cracked ones that I've removed, some of which are on the top of the pallet.
Here's a sample of how NOT to walk on concrete roof tiles:

(or try to fix them).
You should walk on the portion which is doubled up.
Even so, you have a 15% chance of cracking them.

This portion of the shop

should be large enough to house all our Suzuki cars.
However, there is plenty of work to be done before moving the cars over here.

While I'm off topic, these 14 Washingtonia Filiferas

(pool house on immediate right)
need to be thinned out.

But little by little, the new Suzuki home

(MK1 in stall 1)
is getting back into shape - and so am I.

Maybe I should put this

in a conspicuous spot with a clever sign or
install a few

spy cameras because I've got a feeling that someone is taking the liberty of walking through the property when we are not around...
Anyone have a favorite 'spy camera' that they recommend?

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

It was a nice Saturday, so I decided to drive the Mrs. to work.
She likes it, because she can play with her Iphone undisturbed for 20 minutes.
Then, in the afternoon she walks out the door of work and into an air conditioned car.
No 2 block walk to the parking lot in 100+ temperatures.
I think she's up to a gadzillion dollars with her game.
Then I made a quick trip at the grocery store in Palms Springs.
Most of the tourists have lit out, so it's all about the locals, except on the weekends.
Inside, I grabbed some stamps, and when I came out, a real clean

MK2 convertible was sitting alongside.
Visitor?
I'm guessing it is a member of the forum.
In any case, there were some neat attentions to detail from what I could see with a quick glance.
Whoever you are, nice car!

I'm thinking of renaming the car to G-R-R-R (great running red racer) due to one of the Wife's television shows.
The teenage girl always tells her boyfriend, "You're so G-R-R-R!"
It is still clicking them off and not missing a beat.
Damn thing is a strong runner but is due for some attention from yours truly.
More on that later.

For now, just a happy update.
If you ever get a chance to drive a GT/GTi, grab it.

_________________
DIY Broken Bolt Removal: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=41042
DIY Clutch Adjustment: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48281
DIY Wheel Bearings: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29003
DIY Shocks: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45483
DIY Wheel Align: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42479
Once you get the cars dialed-in (compression, leaks, bearings, alignment, brakes) swap in new rubber and glass, you've got something which should last for years!

I'm alive! Gotta post a pic update on all.

_________________



An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.

1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: Red "My PocketRocket"
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi: White (Being resurrected)
1996 Geo Metro (Stocker)
1999 Suzuki 1.6 Esteem (Baleno) Wagon (Sleeper creeper)

Updates in the works...

who are you and what have you done with phil n ed?

_________________
1991 Blue Geo Metro Convertible highly modified 1.0L Turbo3 5 spd. - 1991 Red Geo Metro Convertible customized with a Twincam 5 spd.

My Turbo3 Project
My Cardomain Page -Ol' Blue
My YouTube Channel
My Photo Gallery
SAAB Sonett II