In the last few weekends we put the head on and closed up the engine. We managed to snap the old thermostat housing in half trying to get it free from the head so we grabbed a new one from O'Reilly Auto parts. It was cheap - $8.49. We decided that the exhaust manifold is easy enough to get to on this car that we wouldn't bother replacing the gasket at this point. We can do it later if it leaks. We used the engine crane to hold the head for us and sat it in place so we could torque the head bolts in.
After that we put on the new thermostat housing and a new thermostat we got... just because they're cheap ($7). Here's a shot of the front of the engine at this point and Eli putting in the first oil it has seen in weeks.
Later, we put the new front brake lines in place and put the suspension back together with new ball joints, tie rod ends, upper control arm shaft kits, and shock absorbers. We borrowed the spring compressor from Auto Zone again. The other new parts ran $240.36.
We actually put the front tires on and sat it down to see if it worked. I mean, we knew it would... but you know... it was still fun to jump on the front and watch the suspension flex. While laying under the car putting the drive shaft back on (mostly just to get it out of the way) we noticed to Eli's dismay that the torque boxes are in far worse shape than originally thought. So, that's our next step.
This stuff cost: $255.85
Total project cost: $3369.52
