Washed, waxed, put up for the winter.

The guys at Metro Hand Car Wash in Milwaukee did an awesome job with the wagon.  She's getting put up for the winter and parts will be added as they come in.

http://metrocarwashanddetailing.com/

B Series dreamin'

There was some hope for a while that a B2D kit still existed for the RT4WD community.  I can say for certain that all hope is lost.

To start...this is what a $100 B16A2 looks like:

With the cost being almost nothing I had planned on tracking down the fabled B2D kit which is an adapter and some brackets that allow a B Series motor to be connected to a D Series transmission.  I followed some threads which lead me to Swap Shop Racing in California.  Their site had H2B, D2B, F2B and a 'discontinued' B2D conversion kit.  I was hopeful in the fact that it was still listed on their site.

I called them up yesterday and they gave me the low down.  The original runs of the B2D were in essence 'prototypes'.  They used the D2B parts and modified them, there were about 5 made.  There are no CAD drawings, there are no spare parts, and the guys who worked at Evolution motorsports (the place where all the conversion kits are made) who did those first kits don't work there anymore.  He said even if I offered them double or triple they wouldn't want to do it simply because they likely wouldn't ever sell another one.

At $1200 for the initial kit I understand why.

Whelp...back to a turbo D series.  :)

The final parts check.

With the last of the parts arriving this weekend I finally have a full list of things to do over the winter.  I might add a couple of other things as the winter progresses, but we will see how that goes.

The last piece to arrive:

Quaife quick ratio rack & pinion.  Took a while to track that one down.  Steering will drop from 4.25 turns lock to lock down to 2.85, about a 30% reduction in steering.  I did take out out for one ride in the snow...had to.  It's a great car to drive when the AWD is engaging.  The rear end is predictable and sliding was easy with small oversteer corrections to get it back in line.  Just needs more power!  

This week I'll be putting him up on jacks, spraying the chassis down and starting on getting some new parts on the car.

Winter project parts V2.

D16Z6 bare block.  Shortly on it's way to Benson's for a sleeve job.

Winter project parts V1.

Got some stuff in the mail today!

Hardrace EF bushing kit.

VIP Performance RT4WD rear bushing kit (beast mode kitten not included).

Dat camber.

Corner balancing and Camber specs.

I love that the RT4WD wagon has a 50/50 weight balance with these coilovers.

Progress update 10/16/15

Suspension is fully installed and it's currently at Big Bear Tire in Oconomowoc, WI for 4 wheel alignment and corner balancing.

Here is the final front and rear shots of the suspension with coilovers installed:

Full suspension/Brakes list as of 10/11/15:

Skunk2 Pro S II coilovers

Skunk2 Pro Series Plus front upper control arm

Skunk2 Rear camber kit

New L/R Moog lower ball joints

New L/R inner tie rods (aftermarket)

New L/R outter tie rods (aftermarket)

'93 DA Integra front knuckles (bead blasted and coated)
'93 DA Integra front calipers (bead blasted and coated)
EBC Stage 2 'Green Stuff' brake pads and rotors
Goodrich braided brake lines

Initial winter plans:

Replace exhaust
Buy D16a6 for turbo build
Clean up Engine Bay
Remove Alarm
Install Amp/Aux input for phone connection
Find used RPF1, black.
Full claybar/wax/polish
Find manual swap donor
Find rust free rear quarters, replace rusted areas