Snelbaard's eternal project car

Not notorious, I just worry because those bolts are kinda soft and the hardtop is fiberglass. As far as I know there are metal inserts but still, scary! 

Oh yeah the bolts are extremely soft, you really have to take care to take them out gently. But you're right, they sit in metal inserts so that part isn't so scary. Don't really know what Toyota were thinking with these bolts..

Also: new goodies!

This week I went to change my lower steering shaft u-joint. As you can see it was pretty knackered, which is common in these parts. They are completely exposed to the elements so I figured I'd make a kit to protect it. Installed that, looks a lot better and it gives peace of mind to know the joint will stay good for a long while.

Very nice.  Thanks for the write-up.  Was the rubber boot OEM or did you substitute with something else?  If something else, what was it from that you were able to adapt for this repair?  Costs?  Time to make repair?  Any challenges or was it easy-peasey?  Thanks again for the write-up.  Much appreciated.

Thanks! The rubber boot is actually a steering rack component off of a PSA car, which just happens to have the right dimensions. The other parts (the end caps) I designed and CNC turned myself. I've made a whole bunch of kits which are available for 29,95 euros plus shipping. 

When I went to install the kit I found it a bit of a finicky job, but that was almost entirely due to the old u-joint being rusted on to its spline shaft so thoroughly. You have to swing a hammer at it but there's barely any room for that. But lots of penetrating oil and some patience did the trick in the end. The installation of the dust boot kit itself was easy peasy. Make sure you don't change the alignment of the steering wheel in relation to the wheels during this job. I just put the steering wheel on the steering lock, which took care of that. All in all it should take about an hour.

I would refer you to this excellent instructional video for a walk through of how to remove the u-joint:

Then the installation of the kit broken down into steps:

• After you've removed your U-joint (and concluded it is deserving of protection, rather than replacement), thoroughly pack the joint with grease.
• Slide the dust boot over the joint.
• Slide the upper end cap over the shaft. (It fits very snugly to make it water tight, so some percussive persuasion might be called for)
• Slide the edge of the dust boot over the ridge of the end cap and secure it in place with one of the ty-wraps.
• Put the O-ring over the little slot on the input shaft on the steering rack (for the purpose of these pictures, I turned a stainless thingey that has the same slot)
• Slide the lower end cap over the O-ring.
• Put the U-joint back in the car.
• Slide the lower edge of the dust boot over the ridge on the lower end cap and secure it with the second ty-wrap

Fitted my new rear hardtop brackets today, to go with the front ones I fitted earlier:

That looks great Boris. BTW how do you like your Cusco Zero 2 coilovers. 

Thanks Dev, really happy with how they turned out. Made a bunch of them, so if anyone's interested, you know who to contact. As for the Zero's, I really like them! Sadly I live in a country where the weather is miserable for half the year, so I haven't been able to lean on them hard yet. But for normal every day driving, they do very nicely. As you'd expect, they are quite a bit firmer than stock, which translates to a series of little interior rattles. Still, I find them to be surprisingly comfortable. I have never driven a car with competing coilovers though, so I don't have any benchmark to compare the Cuscos to. 

I am loving those hard top brackets? Availability?

I made 10 sets, so they are available. They're €125 plus shipping for a full set of fronts and rears including bolts and washers.

@snelbaard,

Replying to an old post where you have a picture of the antenna hole cover, and the one a couple below that where you replied to @pwnzor about how to install it.

First, the mirror-finish on your car looks amazing. Nicely done.

Second, you mentioned "mastic". I don't know the exact substance you are referring to, but if it is the stuff used for adhering glass tile to walls, I would caution everyone not to use that for this application. It is an organic adhesive a bit like white glue, and will soften in contact with water and moisture. It also harbors mold and irresponsible use has caused millions of dollars of damage to property. The horror stories about this stuff being used to tile wet areas (e.g. showers and saunas) abound. But, "mastic" is a semi-generic term, so you might be referring to a different material.

Ah that's good to know. Mastic is not a word I was familiar with, but I came across it when I was looking for an English word for what I use to fasten these antenna covers. I think I meant something like silicone sealant instead. Personally I use black sealant, brandname Tec7. From years of experience I know this stuff is well resistant to water.

I just wanted to get it out there in case some other newb like myself saw it and went to a big-box hardware store for the stuff.  I am not a pro tilesetter, but I have done a few extensive jobs on my own home and have trolled their forums (in a good way), so I know a few things, but I wouldn't even use it for tile, the reputation is so bad... 

I do think there are other kinds of "mastic" though.  Not to add more confusion.  Just don't use the stuff for tile.

If anyone wants to know what a fantastic, MR2-spyder-quality tile forum is, it is the John Bridge Tile Forum.  Excellent group of helpful folks (like this community) who will give you the straight dope on how to do things right.  Do not undertake any tile job -- and don't hire anyone else either-- without going there first.

@snelbaard Those are awesome. Do you sell them?