A timetable and a budget

After some thinking and counting I think I've come up with a plan. I won't touch the interior anymore, just put together what I've taken apart and if things needs to be repaired (like the dash, steering column, instrument cluster, etc, etc) I won't do it - I just don't have the time.

The engine is main focus right now and I will start preparing for getting it out of the car this coming Saturday. After the engine is done I'll fix the wobbly steering and then the leaky front windshield.

I "missed" two Saturdays due to extremely bad weather and then an equally bad cold so I'll spend both this coming Saturday and Sunday in the garage. On Sunday I'll get the dash and instrument cluster back into the car.

Pretty soon I'm going to have to get me another car due to me getting a new job. This means that I'll be able to go to the garage a lot more often than before. Which is nice.

Now - since I'm ordering parts from TA Performance I'll need to wait for those to arrive and since I just now fired off an e-mail to them asking how long it'll take for those parts to arrive I really can't plan too far ahead.

Nevertheless - the dash is going in this weekend and the engine is coming out the next one after that. I'll need some time to repaint and refurbish both it and the engine room so it really doesn't matter if I'll have to wait for the parts 3-4 weeks. I'm hoping to get the engine back in mid-April by the latest.

The "must have" items from TA are the oiling system mods; TA1502 (adjustable oil pressure regulator) and TA1510 (oil pump booster plate) so I can get the oil pressure up to proper levels.

If shipping doesn't kill me I'll also order a pair of TA2012CH (competition series headers) but that's not as crucial as the oil mods.

The oil mods are roughly $45, the headers $445 and I have no idea how much shipping is. The engine and engine room paint is another $100 I would guess.

Fixing the wobbly steering column won't cost me all too much I'm hoping but I just realised that the instructions I was about to follow is for a tilt steering column only - which I don't have. Oh well, I'll take look at it while the engine's out - should be enough wiggle room then I suppose.

Replacing the window is roughly $110 - or at least that's what I've been told. I might just do this before I get the engine out, all depending on how long shipping from TA takes as I need to drive the car to the shop that does this.

So, that's the plan - at least the bigger picture. I might be able to fiddle with the interior, trunk, paint, etc as well but I'm not counting on it. I'd rather get the engine well done than rushing it in order to get everything done before the summer.

I have to have something to do this winter as well...