Guess what I'v been hiding...;)...2000 T-Green CSVT Restoration!

[CougarGuy1802]

uploading...get pumped!

[CougarGuy1802]

as in stripped to the unibody 1-step shy of rotisserie restoration...

[CougarGuy1802]

Well about 6 months ago i traded my 1997 Saturn SL2 1.9DOHC/5-Speed for a sad sad 2000 Green SVT Contour, it had the worst wristpin noise ever and i found it on Craigslist. Kid was down for the trade so i drove it as close to home as it could from Milford, i made it to I-96 and Telegraph before number 1 let loose of the piston. It was a quiet now. used my AAA tow home at the high cost of 15 bucks and the car sat for 2 months until i had figured out funding for a turd. Time to recreate a car with a build number of only 207 units for the year. The first set of pics is tear down. It was a bad bad Dirt-Road car!








^ Thats what this butthead axle got for being stubborn, i figured i'd replace em anywayz.

[CougarGuy1802]

The Next set is more-or-less just to show overall vehicle condition prior to corrective action.

[CougarGuy1802]

A little Rear Subframe dissassembly...definetely put my foot through it...NEXTTTTT!




^ The Car Gods Smile on me this day!



^ Ouch kid! This car was very rough if you hadn't noticed yet! I'v seen better in scrap yards!


^ Your not supposed to hit the stop sign! ughhhhjhhhhhh! lol

[CougarGuy1802]

^ Sneak peak of the new theme for the Cougar....Matte black centers with Gloss Black Lips...which means the current cougar wheels must either be Gold centered with Gloss Black lips or Matte center with Gloss Lips...havent decided yet!






^ one inventoried CSVT...haha

[CougarGuy1802]

Thats about as naked as i cared to take her, i left the Gas tank in because i wasn't lookin to stir up trouble in that region just yet! i'm gonna pull the tank and coat the area with Rust Bullet and put the updated Delivery Module in sooner or later.

First order of business with this project would be taking the corrosion clock way back to day one. i didn't buy a 40lb gravity fed media blaster for this project and i wish i would've...but thats why this cars the guinea pig for what the Cougars gettin and the Girlfriends 97 Sierra k1500 truck project.

Started with a low mileage Contour Rear Subframe assembly that i acquired for 150$

[CougarGuy1802]

I missed alot of grinding pics, but a great few hours was spent on this, and prolly 20 3" 36 grit grinding discs.

powerwashed the chassis im bettin 10 times, everytime mud came off...then did the phosphoric acid etch prior to rust bullet application!

[CougarGuy1802]

now this next batch only shows the Done, i assure you 72 hours it took to coat this car, and 6 quarts of Rust Bullet. 4 coats of Rust Bullet and 2 Coats of Blackshell Topcoat...the application timeline is VERY strict.

[CougarGuy1802]

Next order is assembly of Subframe Assemblies. I soaked all hardware for 12 hours in Phosphoric Acid...I should've then sprayed all hardware with Bright Cold Galvanize but i didn't...bolts were left bare besides ones i replaced or used low-mileage replacements, all hardware nickle Anti-Siezed.








Next up is the Jigs me and the woodworking neighbor created to center roll restrictors to with 1 mm spec.




Figured id mount the Subframes into the car right quick, unable to torque anything without my floor jack though, proper torquing requires all arms tightened at ride height to prevent bushing damage.