Well, this was a bust.
I thought I was ordering a set of anthracite birch wood trim for a sedan based on an incorrect listing, but what I got instead was a set of black painted flimsy plastic trim with a radio trim that's broken in half. Completely useless, and the condition wasn't worth the $150 anyway. I sent a message to the seller asking to return as the description clearly said wood (and pics showed a dark grain to it), but haven't heard back yet. I think that given how hard it is to find an anthracite birch set with the correct center trim (with the correct window switch cutouts), I may just skip that thought and wrap my trim with a film that I've only seen in one place before, so not your usual carbon look wrap. I'll circle back on this once I've ordered the film.
For today, I worked on getting the bits and bobs replaced on the replacement motor, which itself has a bit of a backstory.
I wasn't at all looking to do an engine swap when I dropped the car off at the shop last Monday. When I got there, he just mentioned to me that "I know a guy selling a ZHP motor for $600". That is cheap as hell, and it is complete. By complete, I mean everything from the accessories (AC compressor, power steering pump, alternator) to the intake/exhaust manifolds (with cats), harness, MS 45.1 DME, EWS, and key. It came from a totaled, running ZHP that just so happens to have been built earlier in the month that my ZHP was built in (11/2004, 2005MY). The deal sounded really good, and he said that the labor would be significantly reduced considering the drivetrain would be mostly out anyway, so the labor cost would be reduced as well.
Well, I dug deep and went for it. Today we worked on replacing what we can and what made sense while the motor was out, such as most of the pullies, water pump, thermostat, oil pan gasket, and exhaust manifold gaskets and studs (replaced with updated e-torx style studs). We also tack-welded the oil pump nut for good measure. Tomorrow (well, later today I guess), I will be replacing the power steering reservoir and hoses. When the new motor goes in, I'll also have an electric fan installed to replace the fan-clutch style, along with the manual-specific expansion tank mount without the extra holes for the automatic transmission cooler. The motor and transmission will get bolted up together and raised up, marrying the drivetrain to the chassis the same way the factory does it. We should have the old motor out on this day as well.
I am definitely getting more excited...
Getting ready...
Just hangin' out.
P.S. - I went through all the pictures earlier in this thread and replaced the broken images with the Flickr counterparts, so all images should now show properly.