Part 6 - Arrrgh!!!

   They say that one man's misfortune is another man's...well something good.   Obscure proverbs aside, the recent demise of the original Project Auto-X ended up being a bit of a boon for Project Golf, as the now stripped Jetta donated its silver fenders, apron, and most importantly its dent-free hood, (this is important later) which were quickly transplanted to Project Golf.  Now I'm beginning to regret having the doors jambed only.

  Part 6 was originally going to cover the installation of a complete Techtonics exhaust system.  With the last minute arrival of the high-flow catalytic converter from Oregon Friday evening, Saturday was shaping up to be a day full of major progress.  The job started out easy enough, as hoses, harnesses, and cables were disconnected and set aside.  With a full head of steam, I tackled the intake manifold, and one by one the Allen head bolts came out until STRIP.  I rounded out one of the bolts, and of course with one big pimp-slap from Murphy's Law, it was one of the "blind" bolts that you have to get at by feel only.  Damn it!   After wrestling with the problem for about a half hour, I decided to cut my losses and work on something else.

Close, but no cigar...

   The other big task I wanted to deal with this weekend was replacing the broken windshield.  I called Expert Auto Glass in Southington, who came over on Friday and pulled the old windshield.  With the windshield out, any minor rust or corrosion in the channel could be addressed before the new glass was installed on Tuesday.  After throwing some wrenches in the backyard, I pulled out the tools to tackle the windshield channel.  Other than one small spot in the center of the base of the channel, the cleanup was pretty straight forward.  Got all the adhesive and flaky paint and rust out, and followed it up with some metal prep (phosphoric acid) to neutralize the rust and prepare the surface for an application of POR-15.

   Just as I was cleaning up after diluting the metal prep with water and wiping the channel dry, Murphy's Law followed up its pimp slap with a backhand and an unexpected rain started.   Damn it again!  I packed up my tools, threw the tarp back over the car and went home.  To add insult to injury, I added a nice dent to the previously flawless hood when I sat on it to reach the middle of the channel.  Arrrgh!!!

   Thankfully, Sunday dawned much brighter, if not less humid.  With a foam brush and a semi-full can of POR-15, I applied the recommended two coats of the rust inhibitor, and Voila!  The car is ready for its new windshield. 

   For anyone not familiar with POR-15, it is this coating that actually sticks better to rust than to clean metal.  Its so good and tough, that if you get some on your skin and don't wipe it off before it dries, it ain't coming off until your skin does.

   In the end, the weekend was not quite as successful as I had hoped, and not quite as disastrous as I feared.   With a new windshield in, the car can go through emissions without someone freaking out and sending me to inspection in Wethersfield.  After thinking that I was going to end up pulling the head to get that bolt out, calmer heads have prevailed and I'm going to tackle the problem from underneath.  If I can get existing exhaust manifold out of the way, I can grab that intake bolt from below and I'll be back on track.

I even think the dent I created in the hood can be removed with a minimum of fuss.

UPDATE

   The second attempt at upgrading the exhaust system lasted approximately 5 minutes as the first exhaust manifold stud I tried to remove a nut from snapped off.  Looks like the head is coming off after all.  Not sure when that will occur, since I've decided to replace the current head assembly with something more potent (more to come on that).  

   The Big Swap will be coming soon.  Since I purchased a '90 Jetta GL to drive, my donor car is now off the road and ready to come apart.  Look for a report on the suspension/brake swap in Part 7 of Project Golf.

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