Due to reasons I still can’t quite explain, this is my first Wrenching Wednesday of 2024. Hey, no time like the present to take a look back on the last calendar year of wrenching, share our stories, and be proud of each other for our accomplishments.
Last year was a big milestone for me, as I ended up with local lift access through Toronto-area car club RCLUB. It’s been instrumental in some of the stuff I’ve done, and I can’t imagine giving it up anytime soon. Admittedly, I did much more wrenching in 2023 than I expected, although since most tasks were fairly small projects, I probably shouldn’t be surprised that the little things add up. Unsurprisingly, my high-mileage BMW 325i enjoyed the bulk of garage attention, so let’s start there.
The headlights that came on the car were quite oxidized, so a set of used replacement ROW-spec units without the amber retroreflectors were sourced, installed, and aimed. Sure, they set me back a few hundred bucks, but better visibility at night is worth it. Add in dirt-cheap new side markers and the fog lights I replaced in 2022, and the lighting situation on this thing is looking fresh. At the same time, I performed an oil change, because that’s just regular maintenance.
Next up came sorting the steering system. A small leak had developed at the rack’s pinion input seal, and since “while you’re in there” is one hell of a drug, I ended up going with a remanufactured OE Bosch steering rack, a brand new steering shaft, and brand new tracking rod ends. The result? An old car that steers like brand new. Did I spend an amount with a comma on it? Sure. Am I ever selling this thing? Not if I can help it. Shortly after, I chucked in some new rear dampers in Alpina specification, because why not? The car’s old, and dampers are cheap.
Once the mechanicals were sorted, I treated the 325i to new underseat subwoofers to replace the worn-out factory units. If you’re handy with AliExpress, you can often find car parts hocked by expensive brand names at discount prices, and that’s precisely what I went with. The new units simply dropped in, and were about $200 well-spent.
The factory rear bumper cover was properly gouged, so I ended up popping for an M Sport replacement. Admittedly, I haven’t got around to painting it properly, with just a thin coat of paint and clear on the bumper for visualization. The goal is to eventually have a whole respray done, so I’m not terribly fussed about the somewhat satin finish for now. Speaking of cosmetics, I also re-dyed the steering wheel, to brilliant results.
Oh, and then there’s the ongoing process of stripping surface rust from the underbody. I managed to do the pinch welds, sills, and inner arches myself for pennies on the dollar, but I’ll have to drop the fuel tank next year to get at the surface corrosion behind the fuel tank. Thankfully, there’s no massive scale, so this chassis is definitely receiving to treatment. The end goal is a fun three-season rainy weather, autocross, trackday, and airport run car, as this thing hasn’t been out on snowy roads for a couple years. Yep, I own two cars and drive neither in the winter. I am very smart.
As for the Boxster, it’s only required an oil change, although I did add an auxiliary audio port to the back of the factory head unit and replace a worn shift boot. Everything else has fallen under cleaning, although I will eventually need to bake open the headlights to replace the discolored inner lenses once replacement parts are in stock. It’s nice owning one well-sorted car, as from a mechanical standpoint, it’s really just a case of keeping up with maintenance.
So, what wrenching do I have planned for next year? Well, the Boxster needs new tires and the aforementioned inner headlight lenses. I also need to replace a vanity mirror as it’s irritating me. Cheap and cheerful stuff, for the most part. As for the 325i, the body restoration process will continue, and it’ll be getting new discs, pads, front drop links, M3 front control arms, and some other special sauce I’m working on. More on that in a future update.
With that, I turn it over to you. What wrenching did you accomplish last year? Whether several little projects or something big, I’d love to hear your 2023 wrenching wrapped, if that makes any sense.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
I fixed the open diff on my m240i by having a limited slip version installed. Much better now!
My 2001 Audi S8 needed a bit of attention because it’s a 2001 Audi. Getting frigid water splashed on my feet whenever I made a sharp turn was a sign my AC drains were plugged which was an easy fix. I also refreshed the headlights with 3M’s kit which transformed the look of the front of the car from beater to semi-beater status.
I started the dreaded timing belt change which necessitates removing the front of the car. Unfortunately one of the idler bearing pulleys was wrong so I had to wait a few weeks. Then each day I had motivation to work on the car it rained (my garage is very shallow so I’m basically working outside), then it got very cold so the Audi is still in its half exploded form. So I’ll be able to complain about this task in next years wrenching review as well.
The use of such words as “fix” and “accomplish” is setting the bar a bit too high when it comes to characterizing my automotive efforts, so I’ll have to say my answer is zero, the same as every other year.
Most of my wrenching was on my plane last year.
I had a starting issue that I tracked down to a bad crimp on the engine ground wire. That one was annoying since it wouldn’t start when I as flying a bunch of kids for Young Eagles. As soon as I towed it back to the hangar, it turned over fine.
I also upgraded from Slick magnetos to Electroair P-mags. Much easier to start now.
Plus the usual oil changes and annual condition inspection.
I have new main gear tires waiting to go on since the tires are slicks now, but no cords are showing so I have a few more landings left. Aircraft tires tubed so you can run when until cords show.
I just finished swapping out a garbage disposal.
Yeah, I know, I wasn’t all that excited about it either.
I did that a year or two ago – only took a few (okay maybe 45) minutes, the In-Sink-Erator was a super easy swap out. My in-laws have a different brand that looks way more difficult to change, that I am likely going to have to attempt sometime soon. I also found (reading the directions!) that the original plumber had installed a gasket incorrectly and this had been causing a slow-drip. With my install the cabinet space is nice and dry :-).
Bought a 1970 Squareback that had sat in an industrial yard to many years, mostly revived it with brakes, suspension, engine work, and much much rat dropping removal and a bit of wiring. Sold it before finishing but broken even, and got a backup pair of NA Miata taillights thrown in with the car somehow
Bought a 1982 MB 300CD which I did some work on before getting burnt out and realizing it was completely and utterly ruined due to rust, sold it at a painfully large loss. Lesson definitely learned on the ways people hide rust with coatings…
1990 Miata I’ve had a couple years – did an oil change and really not much else, still runs fine and continues to leak little dribbles of oil on my driveway and garage. Plan to get it repainted and sold within the next few months to move into something different and RHD
Hmm, let’s see…
2015 Nissan Quest: headlight restoration, transmission fluid service, oil change, air filter, front struts and rear shocks (yay), front sway bar links
2012 Jeep Wrangler: oil change, gear ratio swap, camshaft position sensor, installed engine block heater, installed wheel spacers, removed coil spring spacers, installed new rear sway bar bushings and links
1988 Volvo 240: replaced engine mounts, transmission mounts, engine and transmission oil/filters, replaced alternator voltage regulator/brushes, installed new front strut bearings, struts and bellows, ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends, rear shocks, hatch supports, taillight housings, front signal assemblies, restored headlamp lenses, blower motor service, PCV replacement and flametrap service, spark plugs, air filter, swapped passenger side doors, repaired damaged front/rear left hand side fenders & hood, probably some other crap I’ve forgotten
I think I’ve got it out of my system for a little while
1. Replaced the original cutting deck guards on the Grillo with new and improved fabricated guards after the originals got too close to the newly replaced blades.
2. Returned the MF65 tractor to service after a complete rebuild of the diesel fuel system, new headgasket, new timing cover and rebuilding the front pivot and kingpins (steering)
3. New suspension for the Vitara as well as plugs, leads and a service
4. New gearbox in the Forester
5. Replaced gearshift linkage bushes on the T4. Also replaced foam sets in both front seats
6. Installed a battery cut off switch in the Patrol because that’s cheaper than replacing the control module in the alternator.
On my 2008 Honda Fit:
-had a set of new tires I bought in late 2022 installed and did a 4 wheel alignment at the same time.
-new upstream and downstream O2 sensors
-new set of windshield wipers
-replaced one additional tire due to flat tire that wasn’t repairable.
-engine coolant change
-3 engine oil and filter changes
All in all, it was a pretty low-cost year for maintenance and repair for me. And I drove about 33,000km last year which is an above-average amount of driving for me.
The s2000 needed (and got) a new clutch! It has 199,385 miles on it. I thought the rev limiter was broken because I can hit 90 now in 3rd gear.
I think what was actually happening though is that it was slipping when it got to 83 or so and I was thinking that was the limit. Granted, I didn’t want to actually hit the limiter going 90 mph though, that’s scary.
on the MINI Clubman, I performed a wholesale undercarriage swap with a 2nd-gen Countryman: front subframe, LCAs, struts, tie rod ends, torque mount, CV axles, rear trailing arms, shocks, adj. lateral links; steering knuckles/uprights, brakes, 5-lug wheels all around.
This was followed by a set of OEM CVs and new engine / trans mounts trying to chase a vibration (unsuccessfully). Also replaced a torn turbo inlet pipe. Simultaneously, the car developed an ECU multi-system refusal to activate which I’ve near given up on and it’s kept me from being able to renew the car’s registration. So I bought a car without an ECU.
Cruze: turbo, water pump or two, thermostat, turbo off again to reseal the oil cooler, miscellaneous old cooling system hoses, struts/shocks, springs, control arms, tie rod ends and new snow tires.
RAV4: unplanned water pump, belt tensioner, struts, control arms, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, battery, tires.
It was a spendy 2023.
Beside myself (2023 was injury year) mostly standard maint items on z28. Then a storm hit and damaged it, now need to get that fixed.
MKZ: Both front struts due to a broken spring. Replaced both serpentine belts due to squeaking – I hate stretch belts. Replaced one defroster tab back on the window that popped off – a surprising PITA to fix.
C6 Z06: Added C6 ZR1 style aero and started working on setting up an undertray and rerouting the brake cooling ducts. Didn’t finish though so that should be done in spring so I can get a good track weekend or two in, I hope.
RV: New-to-me RV I got in summer. Deferred engine/suspension maintenance – oil, lube filter stuff. Fixing plumbing issues. Got the 1kw of solar panels and 200ah LiFePo setup spec’ed out, mounted, and mostly wired but ran out of time before winter set in. Hoping to get that finished in spring so I can spend quite a bit of time camping and working from “home” this year.
2004 Mach 1: timing components replaced, removed carpet and fender liners and sprayed copious amounts of flex seal because water was leaking in from the seam sealer having cracked with age.
2004 Mazdaspeed Miata: Broke a connecting rod, still in progress
1999 Miata: Nothing specific comes to mind, I didn’t drive it nearly enough
2000 S10: resolder some joints in the abs module, replace section of exhaust with leak from flex pipe
Resoldering joints in an abs module is impressive work.
Overheating CJ7, turned into a charging nightmare that is still sort of well, not sorted.
Replaced Cats and 02 sensors on a 2008 H3 Alhpa that the shops claimed had 40% clogged cats for years now. I am still unable to get the 02 sensor related check engine light to go off. but she also still runs the same as ever, so?
Carb on the Scout, remanufactured and running well to be honest, the Holley rebuild on the old Camaro was only partially done, so I still need to swap the power valve, but she is running OK. I would like to consider trying the Sniper injection in 2024 on that old girl. I think the aftermarket Petronix replaced this summer can run the system.
1970 Buick Skylark
Complete rewire of car due to mouse and corrosion damage
New water pump, heater core, heater fan, hoses, radiator
HEI Distributor install & timing
2 Rochester 2bbl carb rebuilds, still leaks
2 Faulty out of the box mechanical fuel pumps
Designed and machined custom spacer to mount a weber 2bbl carb
install electric fuel pump and pressure regulator
Learn how to do alignment at home, as nobody in 50 miles would touch the car due to 8” of lift
Actually pass NY safety inspection, without bribes
Run engine long enough for crud in cooling system to break down and plug new radiator, causing engine to overheat extremely violently
In an epic, one week thrash, swap in Vortec 4.3 and Nv3500 from another project,
It turns out to go from SBB to GM V6 all you need to do is drill 2 holes and bolt 4.3 mounts on.
Fail to take epic American road trip to the West Coast because entire new gas tank seam started leaking the night before leaving.
Replace gas tank with Holley unit and in tank pump
Take car on local Gambler 500 run, explode rear shocks
Install air shocks
Install softer but longer front springs for better ride quality
90% completion of Oldsmobile 10 bolt rear end swap with 3.23 gears and a posi to replace 2.56 stock gears
Edit
Also fixed up a 96 Xj enough to sell, new fuel filter to replace rotted one, new front brake lines and hoses, transmission cooler line seal
Pacifica:
BMW 135: driver’s door handle to fix comfort access
XC70: headlights
The most painful job was a new master cylinder and bending up a portion of brake line on the MGB. For some reason one of the brake fittings wasn’t long enough to thread into the new master cylinder and then I ended up having to replace that whole line. It turned into a very frustrating multi-day process. It’s fixed now and the brakes don’t randomly lose pressure now though, so it’s a big plus. I had to replace the starter and the fuel pump/fuel filter on it too, but that was pretty easy. Other than that, it’s been mostly routine maintenance stuff this year.
I finished a front axle swap on my MJ, as well as a new fuel sending unit. Next is headliner.
Chevelle got wire tuck.
Mustang a smaller blower pulley, new shifter, and replaced boost lines.
Honda new brakes.
Oof. I’m definitely gonna forget stuff.
The Q7 got
Lowering links to level out the ride heightTasteful wheel spacersCustom intake silencer delete for that sweet, sweet S/C whineA Kicker HS10 under the 3rd rowAn APR stage 1 tune (kinda doesn’t count since APR makes you go to a dealer)A few oil changesPaint correction and ceramic coatA new Kessy antenna in the center consoleCoding changes with VCDSSpark plugs (honestly don’t remember if this was end of ’22 or ’23)The S5 got
An IE stage 1 tune, then an IE stage 2 tune and a catless downpipe, then when I realized all the popz n bangz were a bit too boy racer, and the car stank like ass, it got the stock DP back and IE stage 1 again.A new oil filter housing to fix a leak (and probably do the same on the oil cooler shortly)Completely redid the B&O sound system with Faital, Dayton and CDT componentsReplaced the crappy worm clamps on the charge piping with nice stainless T clampsRedid my dashcam wiring when I finally figured out how to get the a pillar trim offFixed a load of rattles (these things rattle like a 1990 Lumina)Someone had been into the A/C compressor area at some point before I got it, and either did not torque the bolts, or reused the torque to yield bolts, and all but one snapped off in the block. I only noticed this when the compressor got so floppy that the battery stopped charging. Luckily, I was able to just spin the remnants out without drilling, and I didn’t even have to put it in service position. It got a new A/C compressor bracket, all new hardware, a new battery, and a new serpentine belt.Paint correction and ceramic coatCoding changes with VCDSOne oil change
wtf is happening to my formatting
Well, let’s see if I remember everything.
A/C system on the truck, replaced compressor, receiver/drier, orifice, and all seals
Rear suspension bushings, shackles, and U-bolts on the MG
Coil packs (8) and plugs (16) on the Chrysler
Rear trailing arms on the Infiniti
Valve cover gaskets on the Infiniti
Rear brakes on the Yukon after we sold the Infiniti and bought it
Wiper motor on the truck
Various oil changes and other maintenance
Some other little stuff I’ve forgotten
Yeah, it was a busy year.
{ points at 944 }
Yes.
I did almost everything I’d planned to on my 993, but then right before the end of the year, blam…shift linkage fails. Ah old bushings disintegrating it turns out.
Oof! Good luck on the fix. (Also, super jealous of the 993.)
I feel pleased to have learned a very Stef trick – for a 993, to replace the lower bushing, Porsche wants sell you the complete lower locating rod structure.
OR if you know to look, Porsche will sell you a single bushing for a 928…that fits right into the existing structure.
So a few hundred bucks, or fifteen!
NICE.
I do like that Porsche often marks parts with the exact part number. That makes cross-referencing parts so much easier.
Engine replacement in my truck. Still some teething issues with it, but driven enough to do a break-in oil change.
https://youtu.be/7frGVLlZOKM
Done a lot of work moving the LS4.9 towards completion. Still get stuck at odd points, though.
Maintenance on the Miata.
Big fan of your truck and the LS4.9 project! I lurk over at GRM way too much.
I appreciate it, my friend.
About $150 at the dealer for oil, rotation, and some filters… the day before truck was stolen with a full tank of gas. Assholes.
$100 to keep my beater going while I decided on a new car and waiting for it to arrive.
Well that sucks! Hope you are waiting for something fun to arrive at least
V60 Polestar in March! Also I feel like a complete idiot I somehow misread the title and thought it was asking how much did we spend on wrenching projects. And it’s going to be a lot more this year because we’re doing lemons this year and this whole $500 car thing is a big ol’ lie