This page is about some of the work my Spirit needed when I got it. I have a Walker exhaust with a Glasspack muffler, Gabriel Ultra shocks, KYB struts, and Moog rear cargo coil springs.
Page 1: EXTERIOR AND ENGINE
Page 2: INTERIOR AND AUDIO
Page 3: FUEL SYSTEM, EXHAUST, SUSPENSION, ETC.
Page 4: PAINTING STEPS
Page 5: BUMPER MODS AND SKIRTS
When I began driving the Spirit, it had been sitting for a long time. It was going to go to the crusher. The gas tank was leaking, the fuel gauge was inaccurate, it needed a new exhaust, timing belt, water pump, oil change, tune up, and the front doors were rusted out on the bottoms. The tranny was suspect, the struts and shocks were blown... it needed a lot of work in general. Once the car became mine, the fixing began.
Sometime early December. The gas tank on my Spirit leaked if you filled it over 3/4 of a tank, and the gas gauge was very inaccurate at times. On the lift with no tank.
The new galvanized tank for $90 and the reman. fuel pump with a lifetime warranty for $175.
The new float for $81 and a new fuel filter for $8.
After this, I drove it about 15 miles and the pump started screaming. The pump was defective, so we got another one.
02/03/05 New exhaust system. My muffler had a hole in it so it was time to replace it. Everything else from the converter back was inexpensive so we replaced everything. Pouring cold water on the hot parts.
My partner in crime (my Dad lol).
The new pipes.
Walker Glasspack 24100.
Done.
03/24/06 Finally, new struts. These replaced the originals. I also had to get new top disks for them (I can't remember what they are called, they are metal disks coated with rubber or plastic. I don't want to get my facts wrong and call them something they are not.) I wish I could have gotten better pics, but all I had at the garage was my camera phone.
The bag that the disks came in.
My Dad doesn't do too much strut work anymore, so he has an old spring squisher instead of a new hydraulic one. This is one of my old struts.
Done.
07-21-06 I got my exhaust adjusted and new tip put on to go with my back bumper.
08-03-06 Brings the day I saved up for my Moog cargo coils for the rear. Moog has been around for years, but for some reason, they too are not on this freakin site. So I had to list my springs as custom. Old springs:
Moogs in the box and the box itself:
10/19/06 brought the day when I would need a new heater core. I already needed a new evaporator core for my a/c, but that was going to wait until it got warm again. Unfortunately, I was in the hospital to get my appendix out and my Dad was driving the spirit. He smelled antifreeze and checked it out.
We had someone else do it, since the whole dash needed to be taken out and my Dad really doesn't get into that kind of work. With me just having the surgery done, it's not like I could have bent and twisted to do the work myself, and I need my car to get back and forth to college.
The old heater core and evaporator core, covered in antifreeze and a/c dye.
End of October, 2006 brings snow here in PA. I put my half-worn Glacier Grips on the back, and brand new Glacier Grip II's on the front.
For Christmas 2006 my brother bought me a new left front axle because mine was bent and I had a horrible shimmy in the front end from about 20 to 40 mph. I had it put on by the same people who rebuilt my tranny, and got the right axle too, just to be complete.
Summer 2007 I finally got my silver Motegi rims painted to match the car, and bought 4 brand new Kelly Navigator Gold tires. And of course, with rims comes ceramic brake pads.
November of 2007 I decided to replace my NAPA shocks with some KYB gas-a-justs. I was pleased with the ride quality but they rattled like they were blown! We got replacements because we thought they were defective or something, but the new ones did the same thing. Very annoying. They have been replaced with Gabriel shocks.
8/31/09 I replaced a brake cable. I use my parking brake at all times so I can see why it got this way! I also took a picture of the other side of the hole I patched on page 2.
Check out page 4 to see how I painted my Spirit, from teal to now.
Page 1: EXTERIOR AND ENGINE
Page 2: INTERIOR AND AUDIO
Page 3: FUEL SYSTEM, EXHAUST, SUSPENSION, ETC.
Page 4: PAINTING STEPS
Page 5: BUMPER MODS AND SKIRTS
