First off, I got the fuel line fixed. I got a double/bubble flare tool at Harbor Freight. It included a cutter, which just barely fit, but worked.
With some really tight squeezing and slight modification of the flare tool, I got it into the tight space. Had to run the other lines through larger holes in the tool to make it work.
But it worked! Got a nice flare on the end of the line.
Got a new section of hose on there, barbed it into the existing soft line, and hose clamped everything together.
Put the cover on. Could probably use to trim the end of it since there’s not enough room for the hose clamps.
But she runs! Made a horrible squealing noise on startup that went away over the course of 10 seconds or so. No idea what it was, and if it does it again, I’ll be sure to get a video.
Lifter tick from sitting went away after a few minutes of idling while I was checking everything over.
Took it down the driveway to get the mail since it wasn’t registered yet. By sheer coincidence, my registration was waiting in the mail, so I promptly put the plates on it and took it for a drive.
First impressions – it’s amazing.
Steering is tight, brakes felt good once the rust wore off, transmission shifts perfectly, and it rides great. I could really feel how shot the front struts were, so I’m going to replace those tomorrow.
However it wasn’t all good news. It misses a little bit under heavy load, which is likely the ignition components, which look original, so I’ll be ordering some plugs and wires, as well as a new cap and rotor. The ABS and TRACS OFF lights are on, so I’m assuming it needs a new ABS module. Midwest ABS is the way to go right?
Also, it started smelling like coolant half way through my drive, and being that I pinpointed it to the vents and coolant started clouding up my windshield, I’m pretty sure the heater core is on the way out. I’ve seen a few discussions about this issue and which one to buy, but haven’t really found a consensus. Which brand of heater core should I get?
I’ve heard the junction for the firewall is almost sure to come apart when replacing the heater core, so I’ll be sure to pick one of those up as well. I figure while the system is drained, I’ll also do all the coolant hoses as well since who knows how old they are.
Also, since the PO told me the AC doesn’t work whatsoever, would it be worth it to do the evaporator as well while the dash is out? Is that likely to be my leak?
Overall though, despite the issues and stuff that needs fixing, I already love this car and I’m super excited to get it back to 100%