Also quickly noticeable in the cabin is the amazing lack of heat, making for a chilly ride in the subzero, okay low 60s, California winter. The heater core is leaking and it completely soaked the passenger floorboards. This maintenance issue we have yet to tackle as things have warmed up here and heat is not required (yes, I'm shamelessly rubbing that in for our Midwest readers). We will get to the issue, however, in our next installment.
The last two issues we dealt with this go around were blown coolant hoses and the fact that our big brick needed a good ol' alignment. The coolant hoses were easily fixed by replacing them with Stylin Motors silicone hoses. We also opted to swap out the turbo/intercooler hose kit. The silicone hoses are far more durable than the factory rubber hoses and are capable of withstanding up to 500-degrees Fahrenheit. The multi-ply silicone hoses come in several different colors to match any engine compartment color theme. Our kit came with "T" bolt clamps for a tight seal.
As for us driving crooked, that was amended by a visit to Driftspeed where they performed a laser alignment on our Turbo 850. Most enthusiasts often forget the importance of a proper alignment after lowering a vehicle. Without a good alignment a lowered vehicle can actually be dangerous to drive on the streets. Choose an alignment shop that is reputable and has good equipment. A laser alignment is the most accurate way to ensure proper steering angles.
Now sitting pretty in our still old, but at least decently functioning ultimate sleeper, we're content. Up next we're finally going to get to the fun stuff and add some real horsepower. In our next installment we plan to add a chip, an exhaust and a down-pipe - that equates to more power, horses and ponies so it's good from any angle.