And some other things

First off, I finally lowered the car. Stuff used:
KYB GR2 struts
Monroe strut mounts
Vogtland springs (thanks Mitch!)

Overall the car dropped about 1.5". Old vs new:








Before/after:








I also got a peek into the engine itself, and MAN is it ever clean! For being 8 years old with 94k on it, here's what it looks like:





Not bad for 8-year old cylinders running off 87 octane!

The same day I also tackled a few PITA jobs that needed done as well. When all was said and done I left with:
fresh oil
new oil pan gasket (oil span was spotless when pulled out)
new power steering pressure line hose
new transmission filter + gasket (trans filter was clean, too!)
fresh trans fluid
new suspension
+ the knowledge of how to do all of this stuff again when I need to!

Man oh man does the car drive better than ever. It doesn't handle like a boat anymore! The new suspension isn't rough at all like I was expecting, and drives way better and smoother than the stock suspension. Trans shifts smoother and quieter, power steering doesn't whine anymore and I can actually take a corner and not feel like I'm about to capsize!

Next up, new sway bar and exhaust - muffler is leaking, so now's the perfect time to upgrade. Any suggestions for good sounding exhaust mods for 3800 N/A?

 

Nice new ride height. The gap in the wheel wells are filled nice and evenly now. Have you considered maybe putting a red pinstripe around the lip of your rims? Just a thin stripe, kinda like the red stripe you have on your ground effects. Would look pretty cool.

 

I've never thought of that Lou. I think the pinstripe around the edge would be too thick for the wheels.

Can someone maybe photoshop it for me? I'm interested to see what that would look like before I go buy more pinstripes.

And all the extra weight in the trunk doesn't show as much anymore. I've added at least 80lbs permanently to the trunk and I know the stock suspension was not exactly happy with it. The new stuff supports it much better now.

 

I don't think you would be able to use pinstriping tape. Unless you use the really really thin stuff. But tape doesn't usually like curves that much.

I've seen pinstriping on wheels done before. It's takes someone with a very steady hand, and a pinstriping brush (painted on).

If your wheels are plastidipped, it wouldn't be worth it. But if your wheels are painted black, it's something you might want to consider.

 

Yes they're plastidipped. Not going to get aftermarket wheels until I buy the Nascar style kind. No sense in dropping a couple grand on new wheels for only two years or so.

 

The Nascar style wheels look nice. Good choice!

 

That is some crazy amount of work. I assume the oil pan was rotting out and that was why you dropped it???

Also, I agree with Lou, a red pinstripe on the wheels I think would go nicely.

 

Yeah Lou they look good. Expensive though! And I think the one Dale Sr had actually had pinstripes on the wheels.

Oil pan gasket was leaking, like it does in so many of our cars. Trans fluid hadn't been changed in a while either and my PS pressure line hose was leaking. The former and latter job both require dropping the subframe - that was a b****. So many bolts of so many different sizes had to come off. So did the engine mount, and AC compressor, and a couple of other things that are impossible to reach if you don't have a 12"+ extension bit. But everything else that needs the subframe dropped is in good shape, so I don't think I'll have to do that again for a long time, if ever. And if I do, now I know how to do it

 

That drop looks great, nice stance.

 

I bet your ride is much better as you say. Good to have this behind you. Our W-Body's just hug turns so well, the new suspension will really help her hold on even more so. Nice!!