kyle242gt
Still has a Volvo
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2003
- Location
- Santa Rosa, CA
now I know why nobody posts pictures - it's not very pretty. I don't know how big I expected the carrier to be, or how easy I expected the access to be, but it was neither.
Jacked it up, disconnected the rear shocks, dropped the exhaust, supported the axle on the driver's side (to avoid strain on the brake hoses), supported the exhaust (to avoid strain on the turbo), removed the cover (not easy) and washed it out with carb cleaner.
Welding the passenger side gear was EASY. Welding the spider gears (to the side gears, the shaft, and the carrier) was not as simple. And welding the driver's side gear ( nearly eclipsed by the ring gear) was tough. The whole thing was awkward, since there's not a lot of room - a lift would have helped a lot.
But pretty much, I just welded everything to everything else. My 135A 120V MIG welder was not really big enough for the job... but close enough for turbobrickin.
Made a gasket, cleaned up the surfaces, RTV'd the lot of it, refilled with 80-90, and took it for a ride.
Funny how the lack of one-tire-fire makes the car seem slower. Straight line, no drama at all. I didn't bother to launch it hard enough for two wheel spin.
Manuvering it around gas stations is now officially difficult; No PS, stiff clutch, and now a locked axle. A perfect trifecta of challenges.
Driving around turns, normal civilized driving, is completely the same.
Driving around turns, psycho rutabega driving, is completely awesome. Rear end steps out a bit, car rotates, then straightens out on its own. Definitely has initial understeer, so I'll need to work out the alighnment a bit (slight toe out, max camber, right?)
High speed sweepers (40mph+/-) feels very nice. I didn't feel any impending spin or oddball balance transitions. Just drove great.
You know what it really felt like? A slot car. You remember the way they just go where they're pointed and snap back in line when they get upset? Bingo.
Took about two hours, maybe three, over two days.
I'll be putting a few miles on it in the next few days, just to get a feel for it, but all in all, I give it two greasy thumbs up
Jacked it up, disconnected the rear shocks, dropped the exhaust, supported the axle on the driver's side (to avoid strain on the brake hoses), supported the exhaust (to avoid strain on the turbo), removed the cover (not easy) and washed it out with carb cleaner.
Welding the passenger side gear was EASY. Welding the spider gears (to the side gears, the shaft, and the carrier) was not as simple. And welding the driver's side gear ( nearly eclipsed by the ring gear) was tough. The whole thing was awkward, since there's not a lot of room - a lift would have helped a lot.
But pretty much, I just welded everything to everything else. My 135A 120V MIG welder was not really big enough for the job... but close enough for turbobrickin.
Made a gasket, cleaned up the surfaces, RTV'd the lot of it, refilled with 80-90, and took it for a ride.
Funny how the lack of one-tire-fire makes the car seem slower. Straight line, no drama at all. I didn't bother to launch it hard enough for two wheel spin.
Manuvering it around gas stations is now officially difficult; No PS, stiff clutch, and now a locked axle. A perfect trifecta of challenges.
Driving around turns, normal civilized driving, is completely the same.
Driving around turns, psycho rutabega driving, is completely awesome. Rear end steps out a bit, car rotates, then straightens out on its own. Definitely has initial understeer, so I'll need to work out the alighnment a bit (slight toe out, max camber, right?)
High speed sweepers (40mph+/-) feels very nice. I didn't feel any impending spin or oddball balance transitions. Just drove great.
You know what it really felt like? A slot car. You remember the way they just go where they're pointed and snap back in line when they get upset? Bingo.
Took about two hours, maybe three, over two days.
I'll be putting a few miles on it in the next few days, just to get a feel for it, but all in all, I give it two greasy thumbs up