![]() 12/29/2013 at 13:02 • Filed to: cressida, wagon, build | ![]() | ![]() |
This is the one people have been telling me they wanted to see the most, the modification of the front strut housings to accept shorter stroke shocks and converted to coilovers. TONS of pictures below, so mobile users beware.
12/16/13
I picked up a fan
controller, though I'm still unsure as to how the wiring is going to
work. It's a Flex-a-lite model #31147.
Here's a link to the instructions pdf with the wiring diagram
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
My
issue is the way the Volvo fan is wired. It has one large + wire going
into the relay block, one chassis ground, and two wires activate the fan
when they are grounded. One is high speed (probably for when the AC is
activated on the Volvo) and one is low speed. I will only be using low
speed right now. This controller, as with pretty much every controller
I've seen, switches hot wires, not grounds, so I'm just not clear on how
I'm supposed to wire this.
12/21/13
Fan is installed and wired and works perfectly as I planned,
comes on and turns off appropriately all by itself. Except for one tiny
detail. I forgot that I should be pulling power from a switched source,
because when I turn the car off and the radiator stays hot for a little
while, the fans still turn on and off while the car is off, which will
probably end up draining my battery.
12/23/13
Now the car
won't start. I think I either blew my starter relay or my wiring for my
neutral safety bypass is messed up because I don't even get a click even
though the battery is fine. And I don't think it has anything to do
with the fan, the only wiring on the car I had to touch was just
connecting the power wire to the battery, and it started fine multiple
times with the fan working, but yesterday morning it wouldn't and I had
to push start it.
12/29/13
It wasn't the neutral safety
wiring, it was the starter relay going bad (the one I pulled out of the
junk yard) so I replaced it with a jumper wire like it was before. Less
than ideal, but whatever.
Today I finally got the front coilovers built. Lots of pics below, so slow connections or mobile users beware...
Started by making a cut in the housings
This end contains the threads for the gland nut
The housings needed to be shortened about 1 1/4". Measure twice, cut once.
A little de-burring
Test fitting
Needed a little extra trimming
That'll do
Getting prepped for welding
Mitchell getting it ready to tack
Mitchell did a great job welding them up. Note: the shocks were not in the housings for the welding. It's a good way to ruin your brand new KYB's.
Primered
Painted and assembled!
Now for a non-rainy day to put them on!