After installing the Kazama transmission mount. The next day I worked on the Kazama engine mounts. This car is going to feel and drive like a race car once it’s back on the ground. The way I had planned for this car rebuild was to work from the inside and out. I’m covering everything that’s at the core of the vehicle and work my way out until I get to the exterior. The aesthetics and styling will come after everything else has been accounted for. That’s just the way I work. I absolutely dislike just barely getting by and beating on a car when you know it needs work.
Once I finished the engine mounts I decided to finish up the transmission by reinstalling the shifter with thread lock and torquing it to spec. I then went on to remove the home made shifter tunnel that the previous owner in Japan had done.
When I first looked at the car I already knew there were some things I had to change myself. The first obvious ones were the brake and clutch pedals. I didn’t realize that I had taken on a project without knowing in the beginning. I’m about 90% with correcting all the things that needed some replacing or upgrading.
A gaping hole right behind the shifter annoyed me so I hammered it back down. I guess they didn’t thing that it would be enough clearance so they cut into the back a bit.
After cleaning up all the caulking and straightening out the tunnel. I had this idea of using rivnuts to mount the fiberglass manual shifter tunnel that I bought.
I used the existing hole behind the shifter and drilled two holes. One left and one right of the shifter tunnel. Looked like it was enough to hold it all down and keep it in place.
It looked so much better already with this new piece on.
Then the new OEM Toyota pieces went on.
Justin's Zenki. 