BJK's 6A13TT FTO

[getonit]

May have a sus. Doors still open and close no problem, suspect if gap has changed its probably just from the fender shifting.

Gap from rear of door to quarter panel.
If you are not replacing the radiator support panel you have not hit hard enough.
Same with bonnet, no bend probably no issue.
Looking at the initial damage i am pretty confident it is all cosmetic.

[bjk]

Got off my lazy arse again, removed the Dcuatro skirts which wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Loosely mocked up the replacement panels and you're probably right Jim, no real wonkiness to speak of, asides from drivers door being a bit tight on the fender clearance (but it was like that pre-prang as well). Missing clips and screws for the stock skirts which is a bit annoying, but low on priority list atm.





Also a few smashed and missing plugs for the wiring of bulbs and indicators and the like, A/C wiring is a mess too, so probably get the whole lot looked at.

Fab guy is pretty booked up, might not squeeze in this year but we'll see how we go.

[getonit]

Any difference in the door gaps side to side? If you push the guard bolt plate inside the door under the a pillar forward a little you should have enough play in the bolt holes to move the guard forward a little.
Maybe someone had adjusted that door at some stage, if it has room nudge it back a fraction.
And remember too, no two panels are ever going to be identical.

[bjk]

Yeah there's a bit between the doors. Have a feeling the driver's is sagging slightly, causing the bottom corner to be closer to the fender.

Passenger side:



Driver side:



When I've got an extra pair of hands around I'll see if I can adjust it, don't think it's anything too serious.

[bjk]

Drove almost an hour to a U-pull-it to try and grab a cam for my Protege on the assumption the listed wreck was still there. It was... but the engine was already gone
Silver linings though, because while wandering around I found this big ol' bastard.



Now what could I want with a munted Pajero? Well, like half of everything on this car, I can't leave it alone. So while I'm waiting on PWR to send me their final diagrams for the new intercooler (with custom end tank outlets, 'cus ooh-la-la fancy), and half the intake is already apart, it's time to tinker again.

The first pod setup didn't work with the MAF, so I ditched that and adapted The Shoe™ (Magna airbox), which solved the issues. But then I missed the more pronounced blow-off noise from the pod, and went out and bought the GTO/3000GT specific oval K&N. It was pretty much just slapped into the engine bay like every other h3kt!k JDM import though, and even though I didn't really feel a noticeable loss in power, I knew it probably wasn't doing the intake temps any favours. So I contemplated a few options to enclose the GTO pod, but it's shape is a bit annoying, space is limited, and I didn't want another aluminium box. May yet do something with it in future, but for the moment there is this...

I present: The Boot™







For the $24 I paid for it, it's pretty much perfect, and fixes everything I didn't like about the Magna box. As far as I can tell, the top cover is exactly the same, and they're square, so can be clocked into a more ideal position (thanks Mitsubishi). Internal volume is greater, inlet position is better (and doesn't look like it was hacked up by some yuppy with an angle grinder), and it makes better use of the available space and fits just the same. I did take the little bit of tube that was attached to the end too, and might trim that down to try and line it up with the feed duct outlet, but it's pretty tight up against the back of the headlight bulb, and already a squeeze to get the whole box/MAF in, so we'll see.





Gotta be worth 1kW, right??

[getonit]

Not too shabby. After cutting up a oversize battery box for the boot and fibre glassing the cut section to suit the wheel well, i thought i might as well dive into making a custom air box as well. Is actually not too hard.
Make a basic shape with cardboard and masking tape. Glass it up and rip the tape/cardboard out. It stays tacky inside until you do.

[getonit]

That driver's door looks a little omnious.
Does look like you have some creases along the front of the sill. I would pull the passenger side guard and check if it is similar.

[bjk]

That driver's door looks a little omnious.
Does look like you have some creases along the front of the sill. I would pull the passenger side guard and check if it is similar.

Hmm. Do you mean around the middle right of the photo there? Nothing's jumped out at me, but I'll have to check again. Tried adjusting the door a bit today but do really need another person lol.

Am a bit confused though as most of the shunts have been on the front left, at least while I had it...

[getonit]

I use a couple of door stop wedges for adjusting doors on my own. Crack the bolts and tap the wedges in as you go pulling the door back.
Have to allow for some droop when the wedges are removed.

[getonit]

Hmm. Do you mean around the middle right of the photo there? Nothing's jumped out at me, but I'll have to check again.

[bjk]

Welp, keen eye Jim. Though I wish it was just dirt... not sure if related but also just a smidge of variation on the inner fender section.









Is this gonna be a big deal? I ran a tape measure across a few different places and nothing seems fundamentally out of whack (from a layman's perspective). I dunno if this is just a flow on from one of its other shunts, or the hammered guard seam, or being jacked up, or whatever else.

[getonit]

Yeah that driver's guard seam has shifted a little.
If everything is measuring up within a few mm it is fine. All the front suspension square?
Lawso's passenger side was out about 10mm. Took ages to find it but ended up being the control arm.

[bjk]

Alright, bit of a relief. Haven't checked suspension properly, but all seemed fine thus far. Drove it home from the crash probably about a half hour and didn't notice anything wacky. Hoping coming off the road into the relatively soft mud absorbed most of the force.

[getonit]

Easiest way to check is to measure from the centre of the hub to the front of the sill.
Now is a good time to clean up behind your guards and give it a coat of body deadener.

[bjk]

Spammed it everywhere else, now time to keep my favourite forum alive. Finally got my custom intercooler from PWR in my hot little hands.







Looks as fantastic as the radiator I got prior, and just a bit more special having been able to configure it to my specifications. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Ended up with what I had judged from the start would be the most appropriate fit, 500x200x68, with 2.5" inlet and outlet (which I don't think should pose any major restriction, given that the hotside piping is only 2.5" and expanded into the 3" inlet on the last intercooler anyway).

Very quick mockup is promising, having accounted for some variance in my cardboard template not having the mounting standoffs, etc.









Now it's really only a bit of fab work away from being "running" again, which is just another step towards getting it into a panel shop. The latter exercise will probably be rather money dependent, mortgage life has kinda sapped the expendable income!

[aza013]

Looks great, but will it work ok with the red caps still on

Keep the good work going

[bjk]

Looks great, but will it work ok with the red caps still on

Keep the good work going

I thought red was supposed to make it go faster!
Cheers Aza

[aza013]

Well that is true, so you could have saved some money and just sprayed the car red

You must be hanging to get it back on the road?

[bjk]

I've contemplated Kielder Green since 1/3 of the car needs to be done again anyway but that's a bit irrational.

And yeah, pretty keen, though it's been long enough that I'm not too fussed about the wait.

[bjk]

Belated update. Fifty shades of tincan was relinquished from its cocoon in the garage, got a quick scrub, temporarily refitted the old intercooler and then put it on a tow truck off to Vulcan Fab.





Last I heard new I/C was mounted up and half the piping done! Needed a few more bends which were due in this week I think, so not far off at all.