Clutch Slave Cylinder Replacement

My clutch had not been disengaging properly due to a leaking slave cylinder, so yesterday I bought a new one from Advanced Auto. It cost $19 and took about an hour and a half to replace by myself. One thing I learned is to always use line wrenches instead of normal wrenches when disconnecting/connecting the clutch lines, brake lines, etc. My normal 10mm wrench did not fit snug enough, and if I had forced it while trying to unscrew the clutch line it would have stripped. Anyways the clutch works fine now and I made a little bit more progress reconnecting the wires and putting the dash back together from my last job. I still haven't put the radio in but at least my instrument panel and blinkers work now, lol.

Acceptance!!

I found out today that I got into the University of Texas! I was accepted into the school of Asian Studies, which I'll be using as backdoor to the architecture program. I am so happy that my hard work has paid off and my plans are unfurling. Now if I can ever get outprocessed from the military I can start looking for houses, a dog, and work as an apprentice architect!

Crap!

I tried installing my bezel today which required removing the entire dash. I ran into big problems with the car alarm system (once again, installed by a previous owner.) The wires were a rat's nest under the dash and spliced into various OEM wires. I didn't have time to properly fix it all before the auto shop closed, so I ended up having to throw the car back together and drive home without a working instrument panel.

The car alarm has been an ongoing problem. The battery in the remote would die after just of few days of me replacing it, and then I wouldn't be able to get into my car. I'd have to 'break in' to my own car while the alarm annoyed the whole neighborhood, then disconnect the battery to get it to turn off. After that I disconnected the alarm, but the wires are bulky under the dash and their mere existence irritates me. I've decided that I will just remove the car alarm from the Civic and either put it on my Subaru or sell it.

ALSO I have been losing pressure in my clutch, and today I found the leak under the boot surrounding the clutch slave cylinder. That should be a 1 hour, $30 fix.

Dash Removal / Radio & Speaker Install

As previously mentioned, the bezel surround the radio and climate controls on the Civic was broken by a previous owner. I pulled another bezel out of a junked car ($10 at Crazy Rays), but it was all discolored and scratched. I repainted it with auto spray paint, and now it looks great! Unfortunately, I'll have to remove the entire dash to put it in, and I have to put it in before installing my new radio ~~

As a present to myself for getting my car to pass inspection, I bought a pair of Kenwood KFC-1651S Speakers, Kenwood KDC-MP208 stereo deck, and a wiring harness. With shipping it all together cost me $111.24 from Sonicelectronix.com and arrived within three days of placing the order, well packaged. For the install I'm going to follow some good looking instructions from this how-to guide on importnut.net. I plan to get a couple audio books to listen to on my long drive back to Texas in a week or so.

Civic Inspection Time

I guess I never mentioned this in a post but last month I took Geoff to Mr. Tire for a state inspection. The car didn't pass on a number of items, but they told me that if I fixed the failed items and came back within a month they would reinspect it at no additional charge. Yesterday I replaced the torn tie rod boot, which was the last thing I had to do. In total, here's everything I've done to Geoff to get him inspection-ready:

1. Done a few oil changes
2. Replaced dome light bulb
   
3. Replaced master brake cylinder
4. Replaced passenger side axle assembly due to torn CV boot
5. Re-bolted loose window track to door
6. Sprayed silicon spray on window tracks for faster window operation/longevity of rubber
   
7. Replaced rear passenger side wheel which was out of round
8. Replaced cracked driver side taillight
   
9. Replaced passenger side mirror and rear quarter panel window, which I broke
10. Switched OEM wipers with Bosch wipers for clearer vision in inclement weather
11. Replaced hood release cable
12. Replaced back-up lights fuse
13. Put on four Kuhmo tires
14. Spliced in used OEM driver side headlight harness for proper power to headlight
15. Replaced muffler (which had a breach in it from rusting) with '93 Civic DX 2dr Coupe muffler
16. Replaced driver side inner tie rod boot - CAR PASSED INSPECTION AT THIS POINT
    
17. (update) Replaced driver side outer tie rod
18. (update) Replaced cracked climate control/radio bezel
    
19. (update) Replaced clutch slave cylinder
20. (update) Installed door speakers and CD player
    
21. (update) Replaced right inner & outer tie rod
22. (update) Got an alignment at Quality Car Care
23. (update) Replaced starter
    

Tools!

It's an early Christmas! I've been making frequent trips to Crazy Ray's "you pick it you pull it" auto salvage, and have been using my roommate Neal's tools. I figured it was high time I got my own, so today I went to Sears and bought an awesome 192-piece Craftsman tool set, a 24-piece Craftsman screwdriver set, and a plastic hardware organizer. All together it set me back $196, but I know this was a good investment - all the Craftsman tools have a lifetime warranty. I already used them tonight to fix my windshield wiper blade, and I can't wait to start pulling cars apart this weekend!

Drawing

I really need to boost my drawing skills if I’m to be a good architect. I love drawing (which got me in plenty of trouble all throughout school, lol) but the military did a good job of repressing my creativity for six years. Looks like I get to make up some lost time! I especially love pen and ink drawings, so I plan to focus on that for a while. Today I’m going to talk to a friend who works at Michael’s to see if I can get a discount on some good pens.

Speaking of which, on Saturday I went with Aeree to a little crafts fair in downtown Annapolis. Most of the items for sale were just junk, but combing through one of the tables I found an awesome pen and ink newspaper courtroom drawing from 1873. I love the style and subtle use of color, and it is almost exactly how I want to be able to draw. How much did I pay for this treasure? Five dollars.