Booger Mobile is DRIVEABLE!!

As is traditional (since Facebook has ceased allowing the selection of a photo when posting a link, but rather picks up the first image it comes across), Damian starts the blog with a photo of Booger Mobile.

Tonight's task was to rectify the situation with the transmission linkage that had come adrift...  Having checked it all out, Damian found that with a few simple to reach screws, the centre part of the gear-shifter could be removed...

This exposed the portion that needed the metal pin/nut combination to be pressed into the inserted bush (bottom of picture).

Amazing how easy it is to press in a pin when you have room to swing a pair of multigrips!!

Time for some blue goop to seal it back in place...

Then to climb under the car and reach up between the tunnel and the rest of the stuff to connect the linkage to the bolt and tighten the nut.  Unfortunately, there are a heap of sharp bits under there, as Damian discovered!!

He knows the rules... if it bleeds, it's on the blog!!

Time to test the gear-shifter.  Yes, it moves beautifully, but is it working correctly?  Switching on the ignition (after reconnecting the freshly charged battery) and Damian found that when he put it in reverse, the reverse lights weren't on, but when it was put in park, they were...  Turns out the linkage had to be clicked one notch further backwards before tightening the nut!!  Back under the car went Damian, rectifying the situation.

Afterwards, it was time to reinstall the console... and through the magic of the interwebs voila!!  The console is reinstalled.

Finishing off with another gratuitous shot of the engine bay... this time showing off the Kerbside Car Sound sticker...  That impressive stereo is still in there!!

Short and sweet blog tonight, unlike Damian, who is tall.  :-D

Gentlemen - start your engine!!

Damian received a call from Jason advising that the carby was ready and collected, so it was time to put it all together and see how it goes!!

First up, a gratuitous shot of Booger Mobile - note it's from the passenger side (Christian, this note is for you!).

First up, Damian has to install the radiator...

Jordan decided to give him a hand to flush it out... he looks stoked to be making a guest appearance on the blog!!

This is the space the radiator has to fit into...  It came out of there, so it must go back in!!

In it goes!!

And Jordan took an action shot of Damian (aka Daddy) tightening up hose clamps...

Voila!!  Is installed!!

Later, Jason and Dave arrived, bringing with them the shiny newly reconditioned carby!!

They wasted no time getting it installed...

Dave thought that making Booger Mobile have direct injection would be a good option...  Damian suggested the regular location for the fuel hose might give better performance!!

Jason set to work attaching the idle screw adjustment plate to the custom arm (for the accelerator cable).

More power!!

And of course, before touching it, it's a good idea to cool it down!!

Carby installed, time to wind the engine over to fill the fuel bowl (part of the carby)...  Damian goes to put the transmission into Park, only to discover it's flopping around like a spoon in a bowl of porridge... one of the linkages had somehow become disconnected!!

Removing the console, sadly it wasn't just there... 

Jason made some more adjustments to the bracket...

While Damian and Dave located the linkage... but how the heck would they get it fixed???

Short answer - they wouldn't, for now...  The transmission was manually locked into Park, and the linkage will ge reattached through the tunnel (which requires removing of the front carpet - of course).  This will happen in the near future...

Jason searched high and low for his freshly painted bracket... only to find it hanging in the doorway of the shed where he had left it!!

The bracket was installed, while Dave had another turn at battling with the linkage... still no luck!!

And, time to start the engine!!

Below is a video compilation of getting the engine started!!  Be sure to watch for 2:28 or so for a little surprise for Dave!!





After stopping the engine, the radiator was steaming up the cool night air...  This is from the water stuck between the fins when Damian hosed it down earlier...

With the engine starting and stopping nicely, it was time to put on the air cleaner... this time, the base is being stuck down to provide additional protection against dust on the journey...

Last but not least, Damian figured it would be a good option to put the battery on charge, if for no other reason than it will stop Jason having a whinge about it next time!!

With the engine in and going, one major issue has been resolve, but in true Booger Mobile style, there are now a few more issues to contend with...  It's now time for the boys to run the engine in for 800km or so, before dropping the "run-in" oil and replacing it with "normal" oil.

Massive thanks go to Dave for the time, effort and expertise he provided in getting the engine rebuilt and going again!!

Engine completed and reinstalled

Sunday morning arrived, and it was the day that Booger Mobile's freshly rebuilt engine was going to be reinstalled...  happy days!!

Damian received a call from Dave (who was putting the engine back together) to see if he had any spare bits, as the one on the existing engine was a bit sad looking... Luckily Damian had two for Dave to choose from!!

Damian headed to Dave's place to find the engine basically together, waiting for the new parts...

Check out the shiny bits underneath!!

Dave had helpfully banged the sump out into shape, to increase clearance for the oil pickup and generally make it better...  sadly in doing so, he created a pin-sized hole in the sump.  Out came the metal putty...

And a little dab here...

Dave used his gentle persuasion tool to remove the bits from the shaft (which is the part that was needed).

He then had a great job for Damian - cleaning the parts!!

The old rod came to visit the new one that was being cleaned...

The one on the bottom of the picture below tells the story... those double-grooves either side of the hole are NOT meant to be there... any wonder things with the old engine were a little sad!!

Dave came to inspect Damian's cleaning job...

Looks good... let's line up all the little parts ready for reassembly...

Meanwhile, Damian had the sump outside, which could only mean one thing...

Painting time!!

One part decided it didn't want to play any longer, and threw itself into pieces...  Thankfully there were plenty of spares to choose from!!

Time to adjust the hydraulic lifters...

Inside the hole where the spark plug goes, you can see the top of the shiny new piston!!

And upside down it goes, ready for the sump to be attached!!

Voila!!

Time for Damian and Dave to have a self portrait...

Dave removed the engine stand from the engine...

Then after the flywheel was attached, it was time to take it to Booger Mobile HQ...  Jason turned up just as this was happening...

At Booger Mobile HQ, it was time to shoe-horn the engine back into the engine bay...

The straps were adjusted many, many times...

And through the magic of the interwebs, the engine was in!!

Jason jacked up Booger Mobile to put it on jack stands... Damian was very concerned about this method of jacking and insisted that it be jacked up evenly from the front...

Which he did...

Jason had a turn lying under Booger Mobile tightening up various nuts and bolts...

Dave lets the car down off the jack stands...

The metal-bladed fan has made a reappearance - the fan that Damian custom made last year was alright, but with a freshly balanced engine, it was decided that not using it was the way to go!!

And the engine is reinstalled... 

Time to bolt up the extractors (a job which sucks at the best of times)...

Then fill up the oil...

A test of Booger Mobile's oil pressure (by cranking over the engine without starting it) revealed that the oil pressure is excellent - one less thing for concern...

After Jason and Dave left, Booger Mobile sat in the shed, waiting patiently for its carby to come back from the shops.  Hopefully this will happen on Monday, when the engine will have its initial run-in, and will then be driveable!!

Stay tuned, there's plenty more to come!!