Project: Drive-it-like-you-stole-it

So I have a 1990 ST185, red. Owned it for about 3 years now, blew two motors in it, some my fault some bad luck, and only driven it for about 2 weeks total over 3 year. The car has been sitting at my In-laws place for 18 months, and today I got it flat-beded to my house.

engine that was in the car:
1st gen 3SGTE
2.2 stroker, with forged pistons
2nd gen Turbo and mani
1st gen Tranny
Stock ATA interheater

I had a problem with the rad cap and that motor overheated, so I pulled it out and got the head re-machined. I never put it back together. There might me a problem with the block, so I don't trust it.

I got a complete second gen motor and tranny of another member (toronto4wd) with valve problems, so I have sent that head out to get rebuilt.

My car is not in prefect shape, there is rust along the bottom on both sides, and it has a not-so-good paint job on it from the previous owner. So my plan now is this:

Get the 2nd gen head back, and throw it back on the block, probably with just a normal head gasket.
Put 2nd gen motor and tranny in my car.
Get it running
enjoy!
while I'm playing with that, I'm going to get a bare 2ng gen block off another member and swap my 2.2 strocker into it, then when that is done, I will pull the head off the one in that car and put it on the stocker and put that back in my car, with an RC tranny I'm getting off someone local.

than I should have a 2nd gen 2.2 stoker with an RC tranny and an extra 2nd gen block.

I don't plan on showing this car, I don't plan on restoring this car, I just plan to drive it like I stole it, and enjoy it.

Pics coming soon

update:
'new' engine in, having problems with the timming belt, but I'll get it figured out. Got new wheelbearings/breaks/hub assebly (mine were completly shot) Started digging into the rust problems, worse then I expected... oh well. Removed back seats and trunk stuff, building custom box for 10" subs, nothing rice, but I do like my music. Painted intake mani and interheater cover...looks much better. Will be putting on hubs and fixing timming belt problem with-in the week.

Worked out a trade for the 2nd gen bare block to put my pistons in, now SLOWLY sourcing water and oil pumps, and other things I will need for the NEW engine.

Got it to start, but it idle rough, still have timming problems, sound so sweet with just a DP on the turb.

pics:
about 1 year after a bought it, only time I got to drive it.


now:

drive it like you stole it. those are some words to live by! now get some pics up.

bump

looking good, need parts or help you know who to call. !

Ouch i know how having that rust feels ive got some i have to have fixed as well . along with a hole i patched in my flloor starting to crack open again ...

Damn rust...

Man steve, I so know how you feel, I swear I've drivin my halftrac for a few months, but its been down for much longer then I've owned the car. lol

I'm so close I can taste it, I just need to finish the wheel bearing on the pass side, and fix the idel problem and we are set! then I need to be able to afford insurance.

I drove the car out of the garage last night (and right back in again)
first time it's moved in 18 months, first time I've drove a 5-speed in 18 months, felt really good.

Still need a couple of things to finish it up, but it might be on the road by the end of the month!!

More pictures !! im really interested in these stroker setups and how their built up . but i do enjoy myself a decent set of alltrac pron..

Sorry, I lost a lot of my alltrac pics (on a buddy's server that went down) I will take more pics when I get it out of the garage.

I'm in kingston every once in a while for buisness (not with my trac) maybe we can hook up sometime.

ps. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be putting my stroker motor up for sale, I think I'm going to go a differnt route.

Well isnt the only difference between a stroker and building off the 2.0 l is that you get to keep your low end torque or something like that ?

Yes, helps with low end tourque, and you know what they say, "not replacement for displacement" so in theory you should get more power as well.

Ech... rust.
I've been spending every spare minute I could find for the last few weeks fixing rust on my Corolla.
Winter salt on the roads around here is almost as much as the snow.

Have you ever used something called Rust Mort?
It's pretty good, changes the rust into a grey-black compound that just crumbles away when you sand it. Very nice.

Good to hear you're getting her on the road soon to have some fun in the summer.

Wow, I haven't updated this in a while, life has a way of doing that to you, I got a new job and a bunch of other stuff. I didn’t work on the car all winter, so like 5 years (you would get it if you lived in Canada this year)

I had major idle problems, so I ended up tearing the motor down again and trying it a second time, turns out my timing was off by about 10-15 degrees. I had the wrong dizzy on it and the wrong fuel lines, now they are fixed.

I still couldn’t get it to start forever, found out one of the wires came out of the wire harness for the ECU. Then it would start, but stall immediately. Turns out I forgot to hook up the fuel injector resistor pack. Now it starts and runs well, still a tiny bit rough at idle, but it need spark plugs and new gas.

Gas tank leaks, so I’m looking into a fuel Cell, which I’m learning don’t come with a pump?

No update on the rust, still as bad, I really suck at bodywork.

So I didn't work on it all summer either. Thought I should get some work in before is snows again.

I took out the old gas tank, and lines, and filter, right to the fuel rail. Gonna put in a fuel cell and new lines, once I can afford it. Then it's mostly cosmetic problems. My goal it to get it running by the winter so my wife can drive it to work.

Drive it like you stole it! I think just like my '90 its more like hide in the garage till the heat dies down!