Project Boondoggle (or, so I went and bought a Z!)

[Captain Obvious]

I've done a couple installs and I just don't have the mojo. I tried an add-on amp thinking that my head unit just didn't have the nuts. I tried a subwoofer thinking that my speakers just didn't have the lower end. I tried a whole bunch of stuff with mediocre results. I either need to fully embrace the study and dedicate the time required to teach myself how to do it right, or have someone else take the lead. I know I CAN do it. I just need to learn HOW to do it right. It just hasn't been high enough on my priority list yet.

I know people are willing to give up their spare, but I'm still holding out. I've built myself a custom always inflated, narrow, space saver spare that fits in the small 77/78 spare well. So at least I don't have to rely on the questionable original spare and inflator bottle, but I'm not ready to cut the cord to a spare completely. My new spare is narrower than the stock spare, and the plan was to lower that rear deck accordingly.

I also am planning to install earlier year storage doors on the openings right behind the seats and get rid of the raised deck completely in that area.

[S30Driver]

4 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

I know people are willing to give up their spare, but I'm still holding out. I've built myself a custom always inflated, narrow, space saver spare that fits in the small 77/78 spare well. So at least I don't have to rely on the questionable original spare and inflator bottle, but I'm not ready to cut the cord to a spare completely. My new spare is narrower than the stock spare, and the plan was to lower that rear deck accordingly.

Can you elaborate on what you used for your replacement spare Bruce?  I actually test inflated my original spare with a 12v compressor a few years ago, likely the 1st time it has seen air, it worked fine, but I'm always open to better options.   Sorry for sidetracking the interesting thread.

[rossiz]

since i live in an urban area, and the original engine proved to me that i could always find a tow (plenty of rides home that first few months) i decided to ditch the spare and lowered my rear deck all the way down - i have a thread on here somewhere describing the process. i used some rubber washers at the high points and cut some 1" pvc pipe into spacers for the low points to support the deck, and added a hinged front area to access the tool case compartments behind the seats. the couple of inches gained makes a huge difference - especially back at the hatch where the original deck was designed to allow for a couple 8-track tapes... i'm quite happy w/the result and have room for all my tools in the compartments, room for a jack, lug wrench, tire plugger kit and compressor in the (reduced height) spare tire well and have no trouble bringing home groceries for the family

[rossiz]

since i live in an urban area, and the original engine proved to me that i could always find a tow (plenty of rides home that first few months) i decided to ditch the spare and lowered my rear deck all the way down - i have a thread on here somewhere describing the process. i used some rubber washers at the high points and cut some 1" pvc pipe into spacers for the low points to support the deck, and added a hinged front area to access the tool case compartments behind the seats. the couple of inches gained makes a huge difference - especially back at the hatch where the original deck was designed to allow for a couple 8-track tapes... i'm quite happy w/the result and have room for all my tools in the compartments, room for a jack, lug wrench, tire plugger kit and compressor in the (reduced height) spare tire well and have no trouble bringing home groceries for the family

[rossiz]

since i live in an urban area, and the original engine proved to me that i could always find a tow (plenty of rides home that first few months) i decided to ditch the spare and lowered my rear deck all the way down - i have a thread on here somewhere describing the process. i used some rubber washers at the high points and cut some 1" pvc pipe into spacers for the low points to support the deck, and added a hinged front area to access the tool case compartments behind the seats. the couple of inches gained makes a huge difference - especially back at the hatch where the original deck was designed to allow for a couple 8-track tapes... i'm quite happy w/the result and have room for all my tools in the compartments, room for a jack, lug wrench, tire plugger kit and compressor in the (reduced height) spare tire well and have no trouble bringing home groceries for the family

[rossiz]

since i live in an urban area, and the original engine proved to me that i could always find a tow (plenty of rides home that first few months) i decided to ditch the spare and lowered my rear deck all the way down - i have a thread on here somewhere describing the process. i used some rubber washers at the high points and cut some 1" pvc pipe into spacers for the low points to support the deck, and added a hinged front area to access the tool case compartments behind the seats. the couple of inches gained makes a huge difference - especially back at the hatch where the original deck was designed to allow for a couple 8-track tapes... i'm quite happy w/the result and have room for all my tools in the compartments, room for a jack, lug wrench, tire plugger kit and compressor in the (reduced height) spare tire well and have no trouble bringing home groceries for the family

[charliekwin]

Since the spare tire was missing when I bought the car and my Costco membership includes $75 of free towing, losing the spare tire well (eventually) isn't a big deal for me.  The Z is just my toy car, so hatch space isn't really a concern either.  Maybe one day when it looks nice I can convince the wife to go on a weekend trip and then we'll need luggage space.  That's probably a long way off!   

[charliekwin]

I just need to learn HOW to do it right. It just hasn't been high enough on my priority list yet.

Higher end car audio is a whole rabbit hole unto itself. Unlike home audio, where you basically just buy expensive stuff and plug it in, there is a lot of room for experimenting and improvement in the car audio world. Check out diymobileaudio.com if you're at all interested. I'm a member there with the same username. Lots of aspirational stuff there.

[siteunseen]

With all the Bluetooth speakers out now and the micro SD cards for my phone, I've decided to put the original radio back in.  It took an hour of hair brained searching to find it but when I did I was happy to see the condition it was in, almost like new other than the silver edging is worn off.

[Captain Obvious]

I consider my narrow always inflated spare is a decent compromise of reliability, convenience, safety, and available room back in the hatch area. I think I have some pics, but have never documented the details. I'll put together a thread about it so we don't sidetrack this thread too much.   

On edit: Here's a new thread for my mini-donut spare:

http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/55424-always-inflated-mini-donut-spare-for-7778/

 

Edited May 9, 2016 by Captain Obvious

[charliekwin]

Rear deck is finally done.  The panels back there forced the issue with the weatherstripping and I was able to finish that up as well.  I grabbed a Kia part on my last junkyard trip and had the brilliant idea that I could fix the one good-sized rip in it with some contact cement and an old bicycle inner tube, and it almost worked...right until I closed the hatch on it!  Lesson learned: don't waste your time.  New seal is a big improvement over the old one, though.  Definitely worth the $5.

Only thing I'm not totally happy with is the interior tail light panel.  The driver side looks good but the passenger doesn't fit right and leaves a gap.  It's probably warped or may have been a low-quality aftermarket part, but there's not much I can do about it at this point.

Moving on to the new rear deck panels.  Unfortunately, my wood working tools are fairly limited, so I mainly have to make do with little more than a jigsaw and a drill press.  I still had the two main panels so those were pretty simple to recreate by tracing.  The old hinge is riveted in place and would be difficult to reuse, so got a piano-style hinge to use instead.  Did some trimming to get everything to fit, but eventually everything lined up nicely.

The side panels were a little more work.  My car didn't have them when I bought it, so those were made from scratch using cardboard templates.  I spent a hilariously inappropriate amount of time shaping those things to ensure the gaps around the panels were consistent before they got covered up by the carpet.

Finally the rear carpet could go on.  I've been pretty forgiving of ACC's carpet kit for the rest of the interior, but the piece they provided for the back could use some work.  Two of the holes for the trim piece were both incompletely punched out and mis-aligned, so I had to fix those.  The whole carpet section isn't as centered as I would like it to be, either.  But it's done.

 

In other news, my fuel pump continues to be an issue.  Took the Z out today and filled up the tank, only to have the fuel pump stop working when I tried to leave the gas station.  Same kind of thing that happened a month or so ago.  I fiddled with all the relays and checked all the fuses, to no avail.  I gave the fuel pump a couple love taps and that (apparently) got it running again; at least long enough to get it home.  So obviously that problem isn't as solved as I thought it was.

[S30Driver]

Looks great!  Nice work.   Is there a provision in the deck carpet for the cargo straps?

Also, are you missing the outer hatch seal, or just not installed when you took the pictures?