Some more updates for those who don't follow me on Instagram:
Being able to work on the car when I want has been pretty productive recently. I've taken the same approach to projects as I do for work, and broke things down into small chunks of manageable tasks, so that I can be focused and organized in order to get some stuff actually done. Let's go through some of the recent adventures:
1. Battery replacement: I had to replace the Optima battery. It sat outside of the car for like 1.5 years while motor was being rebuilt, and went completely flat. After that, I've tried to bring it back to life with a tricklecharger, but it never quite reached that full charge status, and on a recent test-drive, it popped a seal while steaming like crazy. I didn't know batteries can do that. New battery went in, and should be all good now.
2. Hydraulic clutch issues: The clutch pedal just doesn't feel right. The release point is super high, and it gets inconsistent as I drive it, so I've spent a lot of time with Modern Driveline on the phone, looked through installation instructions again, measured the travel on pushrods and realized that there is still air in the system. No matter how many times I've tried to use their bleed method, I would just make a giant mess and wouldn't bleed all the air out. I've decided to try Motive Products Power Bleeder, and I think this is finally going to do the trick. This tool is awesome, no spills, no mess, totally seals everywhere, and uses pressure to push the fluid through the system.
3. New steering wheel: This is a personal preference, but I just can't seem to get into the whole suede steering wheel. After a while certain patches get shiny, others stay matte, and it doesn't slip through your hands like a leather steering, which is great for racing, but I want to drive this car on the street more. I've looked around and found a replacement for my current Sparco R383, and that is Sparco Strada. This perforated leather steering wheel has red stitching, so it will match the rest of the red and black interior, and it's also 350mm diameter, which is 20mm bigger than R383.
Coming up next will be interior work, and putting on the mileage for break-in.