boingboing

so i got some new parts in the mail, shock extensions.

the dude who sold me the car put bigass wheels on the rearend. makes a pretty badass stance...looks like she just wants to fly forward even when she's sitting still. small problem, though. the added height (>2 inches) makes the shocks too short...they 'top out'...a pretty rare problem in my experience...basically the shocks hit their max length when the car bounces up, and makes a HORRIBLE *thunk* when the entire weight of the rear axle pulls down on the upper shock mount.

the parts i got are these U shaped aluminum pieces that basically move the upper shock mount lower (3") so the shocks rest at a lower point and have more range to travel when the car bounces up. result? no more thunking...which was threatening to tear the entire mount out. that mount wasn't made to take that kind of strain.

one less weird noise to worry about :)


rule.

hot damn

so i finally decided to change the transmission fluid and rear differential oil (both use gear oil, but the diff. needs an additive so the limited slip works). it's something i should've done when i GOT the car about 9 months ago (at least that's what they recommend, just so you know how old the fluid is everywhere)...but yeah...a lotta things ir ead sai dyou usually don't have to worry about them. either way, my tranny (M21 4-speed standard) started makin' some even weirder noises in the past few weeks, so i decided to flush it and change the lube. go to flush it and find my speedo cable (feeds the speedometer, which hasn't worked in MONTHS) fried to shit...never did bother to check on it, haha. flush it and this metallic goop comes pouring out. probably about...8-10oz. of the stuff. not good. they did a clever thing and put magnets on the filler and drain plugs, so it catches everything. the metal is so fine it mixes with the oil and makes this metallic, magnetic goop that's actually kinda fun to play with *shrugs*....but that also means that i don't have much lube...SUPER low. oops. so yeah...fill it up with about 1.5 QUARTS...man..that thing was proably running almost dry....so bad.

flushed the rear diff. as well, taht one was actually pretty clean. a few particles here and there, and the same magnetic goop on the magnet in the cover, but i figured i might as well change it...start fresh (supposed to change every 6000-7500 miles) on both. took her for a test run (took mom, haha) and she runs and shifts even smoother than when i got her. hot damn! i always enjoy takin' my mom for 'test drives'...i had to test out my rear differential to make sure it would slip...which means peeling out from a stop :) mom had a good time :)

stoked.