It has been over two weeks since my last entry but I have been busy. The donor car has arrived and the stripping of parts will begin in earnest. Everything I need is there and will be taken out with two exceptions. Unknown to me my 5.0 donor LX was actually a 2.3 LX that someone had put a V-8 into. This did not change anything with the exception of these two items. The rear-end is unusable as it is a 7.5" instead of the 5.0's 8.8" unit and the front spindles are different as well. Oh well, live and learn and the parts I will get out more than cover the cost of the donor so all is good.
I compression tested the engine and it read 155 psi across all 8 cylinders. WooHoo. There was a lot of oil on the engine but inspection revealed two badly leaking valve cover gaskets so once again not really an issue. Clutch and transmission are in excellent shape. One thing that was there but I am not going to salvage is the stock wiring harness which can be used for the starter car. There are a couple of reasons, the first being the butcher job done by whoever had installed the V-8. There is loose and cut and tape-spliced wires all over. The other being the very complexity of the stock system. It weighs close to 40 lbs and of course has circuits for power windows, power locks, remote mirrors, heater, A/C etc. etc.. I will have none of these so the choice would be to just use the harness and leave lots of useless wire literally "hanging around" or try and strip out what wasn't needed which would require complete disassembly of the looms. There are a couple companies out there who will strip out the wires for you but that would cost about $400. I finally decided that when I need it I will purchase an aftermarket wiring harness or maybe the one from a company that specifically makes them for the Factory Five car.
Yes, I have decided to purchase a Factory Five kit. After much searching and research they are, in my opinion, the best combination of engineering and value on the market today. I could go on but take a look for yourself at:
http://www.factoryfive.com
Well that is it for now let the teardown commence.
