Project tC Revival

Easy repair for a competent shop. This is a prime example of a crumple zone at work. Looks like from the pic that only the driver's knee bag went off and the steering wheel/passenger airbags did not fire. That is another example of intelligent, progressive rate airbag technology at work.

So now to the shopping list;
1. New shifter knob; Dr. Isotope, Razo, TRD, etc.
2. 2008-up OEM projector headlamps.
3. Carbon Fiber hood; VIS or Seibon
4. Body kit of your choice. With the front fenders needing replacing, a wide body kit would be the cost effective solution.
5. Did the seatbelt pretensioners fire? If they did, then those seatbelt(s) effected will have to be replaced. Might be time to get those 4-point harnesses you have been dreaming about?
6. If the steering wheel airbag did fire, then time to upgrade to a detachable performance wheel. Some insurance companies will consider a detachable steering wheel a theft deterrent and give a discount.


BTW... To avoid confusion, your car will be the non-blue Project tC.

Wow! The car is coming together fast. One thing that I forgot to mention that the bodyshop guys need to check. The Front Suspension Crossmember aka K-member has an attachment point on the front subframe cracks when the crossmember shifts from a wreck. This usually happens when the front wheels side-swipes a curb from a spinout, but could happen in hard front end collision. The area in question is circled in red. It is not the K-member itself but that of the mounting bracket that is stitch welded to the subframe. The crack is usually in the weld and is obscured by the body seam sealer.
http://www.club-tc.com/forums/attac...sion/1279d1218859408-bent-camber-k-member.jpg

The tC stores just fine. Mine sat for months and except for a dead battery, everything was fine. The condition of the gasoline, IE water, is always a concern for vehicles not driven for a long time. Best to drive w/o a lead foot till you get some fresh fuel in there. The ECM does a great job at handling different fuel conditions. Just mixing some fresh gas into the tank should be fine. Once your battery is no longer to be disconnected to work on the car, you will need to initialize some things like radio settings, TPWS ECU, the window and roof control ECU jamb protection. The ECM will be relearning it's adjustable maps so, again, don't go lead footing for atleast 50 miles. Check the air filter, oil, power steering, radiator, and transmission fluids for any contamination like water or heavy dirt. Check to see if you have a cabin filter installed in your A/C airbox behind the glovebox. It maybe be moldy or full of leaves. Wrecked cars tend to get water in them from cracked windows or windows/doors left open. Check around for signs of water damage and heavy rust on the metal portions under the dash and seats. Trust me, this will cause corrosion of electrical contacts that will leave you chasing gremlins like it was a Jeep Liberty. Check that your spare is air up and all of the tire changing tools are onboard.

If you have not been running the motor, you should start it up and let it idle for 1 min. Before this, put some Marvelous Mystery Oil in the gas tank. Now bring the idle slowly to 2K RPM and hold for 30 seconds. If no hiccups, then bring up to 3K RPM and hold for a minute. Do the same up 4K RPM but hold here for about 2 minutes. Now let take about 30 seconds to slowly bring the RPM back down to idle. This will allow you to break up any sludge that might have formed in the oil galleries and to reseat the piston rings in the cylinder and there been any corrosion buildup on the cylinder walls. Don't rev the motor back and forth.

Brakes will have alot of rust on the rotors and build up on the pads. To break them back in, just drive about 20+mph with slight pressure on the brake pedal for a couple hundred yards to dust them off . Then drive normal speeds slowing down to a stop with slight pressure on the brakes for a long stop to set the pads. Do this a few times.

Was this a stick or auto? The manual trans tC is geared very low in first gear. It is very easy to spin the tire (a few time tires) and to bounce off the rev limiter. 3rd gear is great for pulling to get on the highway. The auto slush box is anemic. The car has a pronounce rear body roll in stock trim but nothing to be alarmed about. Helpful to know if you are pushing the lateral G-limit of the car during cornering transitions.

That is all good, except for the slush box part. Depending on how much you spent on purchasing and repairs, you might still have a high enough resale to sell it and buy one with a stick.

Everything that I mention on that last post was from personal experience. My '83 Mercury Capri was bought used off a guy who's Dad repair wrecked cars as a home business. He died before the car was reassembled so it sat in the backyard of another guy's house for a year with no hood nor windshield. I towed it home, put in a battery and she started right up without hesitation, purring like kitten. Amazed at my wonderful $850 purchased, I shut the engine off and proceeded to celebrate my good fortune with my buddies. Seconds later, the car started up by itself! Weird part was that the ignition key was in my pocket. This was a sign of what was to come as the electrical demons multiplied. From the car just filling up full of smoke going down the highway to the battery boiling dry, every light bulb and electronic device frying, but no blown fuses whatsoever all caused by a stuck voltage regulator; this car was possessed. I also had a '93 Mercury Sable Wagon that the throttle would stick open (Fuel Injected) if there was any water in the fuel.:deadhorse:

Glad to hear from ya. As your ride been doing? Make any changes this past month then?

Yeah, but you rebuilt yours from scratch. Kudos to you. Now that you are an expert at this, maybe you can do a write-up for others to follow. I would be interested in seeing the after pics.

You should go to the library and checkout automotive repair books and buy a Chilton manual and study them. The only prob that you would run into would be the proper tools.