Good news/bad news: I’ve been doing more work on the car than I have been updating my build journal.
After the last axle replacement, the transmission was just hemorrhaging Synchromesh fluid. I was hoping that the problem was just the seal, but in the process of trying to swap that out, I managed to pull the axle out of the trans without applying any real pressure at all.
Taking everything apart again, I found that the hole in the OBX LSD is just not bored out right. I finally wound up grinding off about an eighth of an inch from the end of the axle and that seems to have gotten the job done — the axle is seated firmly and does not leak.
I also put on a 3″ stainless downpipe that was bought from eBay. There’s still an exhaust leak somewhere that I can hear, but I haven’t had a chance to dig in and find out exactly where it’s coming from.
During the process of working on the axle/transmission, I discovered that my intake tract made of steel exhaust pipe has been rubbing against the brake lines by the master cylinder. In order to hold that steady, I’ve made a bracket from some small angle iron and a little bit of sheet. That will bolt to the valve cover and then I’ll rig up a way to connect the pipe to the bracket to hold it steady. I’ve also put another bend in the intake to try to scavenge some colder air. The bracket will also secure wiring and hold the catch can for the breather side of the PCV system.
In bigger news…. While I was at the junkyard on a separate mission, I stumbled across a PT Cruiser with the “turbo-light” 180hp 2.4L turbo. For about $250, I was able to score the oil pan, block, head, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, throttle body, turbo, all the water and oil lines, accessory brackets, and the hot-side and cold-side charge piping. I’m going to put it on a stand, rebuild it, and then drop it in. No rush on that project right now, though.