GoldStar

As a heads up, I didn't see them doing anything regarding a steering coupler, but it's possible I missed it

I haven't seen anything specific about it in the FB groups I'm in, so I'm thinking the "group buy" is just those who purchase it from the site now. Unrelated to reply, here are some new pics they have of the modular steering rack bracket setup they are apparently offering now for the front subframe. They say it's to allow for swapping between racks without buying the whole subframe again. https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/326691813_1618550551951633_8373206597778901786_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=PY6eSZLdYZoAX8Gxtsy&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=00_AfDvsU_zU0IEWBTJFnbLa2EvtGuv09jqeynkaQRGd4rPZQ&oe=63D01100 https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/326455839_665930638603972_1724720354428363108_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=jnZJiGS86vkAX9F7-1U&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=00_AfAHzSo42yHc4eXQJYNTXE-qQPtXTJPq2EI_66vlg7upag&oe=63D033A0 For those who may be concerned, reportedly there are gussets for reinforcement where the rack brackets meet the subframe, these pics are for the mock up that was being worked on.

Just wanted to update this what I found. I picked up a set of front caliper slide pin boots at O'Reilly's, and they seem to do the job fine for the rears. I did this a few hundred miles ago, even went through an autocross event, and I've seen no issues with them. The little rubber plugs aren't used here:

Picked mine up February last year at 162k. It's at 164k now, and many more planned

EDIT: Missed the part where you said yours is an 85, so the below info may not be 100% accurate: It's really straight forward, the wires/pinouts are 1-1 except for 2 end wires on the 88+ connector; they're for the wastegate that the 87s don't have. See: Some advice from personal experience; make sure your car runs before soldering/crimping the white wires. There are 2 in this connector, and if you cross them, it won't start

Highly recommend using a wide plastic interior trim tool, like the one in this set, to work the lens off of the assembly: https://smile.amazon.com/Apeixoto-Removal-Removers-Molding-Fastener/dp/B07RK292CB That and patience really helps. It takes time to soften that ancient adhesive with the heat gun. Keep in mind, there are about 6 little tabs on the lens that actually hook into the housing in addition to the glue. The first assembly I took apart I warped the housing because I didn't think about those tabs, got the plastic too hot. Here are some night shots I got. Would have focused on the ground more, but I did not anticipate how much my LED license plate bulbs would overpower everything. As a reminder, I am using red LED replacement taillight bulbs. Driver is white gloss, passenger is metallic aluminum: In person, neither seemed brighter than the other, just different light dissipation/reflection pattern. I still think unopened clean reflectors look/perform the best, but if you have an old rusty set of taillights, either paint seems to be a good option if good originals become unobtanium.

I've always wanted to do a Prius electric power steering setup, planning to do it when I get around to the rack conversion. The Prius units provide the power assist in the steering column, and from what I understand, we have enough space under the dash to make it work. Requires some fabrication obviously, but I do remember a couple of guys in the Facebook groups who have done it successfully.

Gonna try to get some night shots the next time I bring it to work since I get out so late. I'm using a heat gun to loosen up the adhesive, then using a plastic interior trim tool to work the outer lens off of the assembly similar to this video. For reassembly, I'm using butyl sealant tape like this to re-seal: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08398DP4Q?psc=1 It might look too thick, but you can stretch to thin it out kinda like playdoh. I still ended up getting it too thick in some areas, but with some further persuasion with the heat gun, I was able to get all of the little locking tabs back where they were. The aluminum finish on the passenger taillight there ended up having a bit of a matte texture to it, so I was expecting the white gloss to be much brighter. It does seem to diffuse the light much more evenly, at least. I'll see how it looks in the night.

Some time back, an accident took out the passenger side of a very clean set of taillight assemblies I got from Steve. Soon after I ended up respraying the insides of my very rusty original passenger taillight with a metallic aluminum spray. Today I got around to respraying my original driver taillight, but this time I used a white gloss paint to see if it made a difference. Thought I'd post the results here. For the record, I don't recommend doing this to a clean unopened set of assemblies, as I believe they perform better. However, if you have a rusty set, either of these paints seem like good options to breathe some new life into them. These were the paints I used; metallic aluminum and white gloss, both by Rustoleum: Here's a couple of pics of the white gloss driver prior to reassembly: And here's a comparison before I installed the driver today. Driver taillight in this picture is an original very clean unopened assembly, and the passenger has been resprayed with the metallic aluminum paint: And here's the driver with the white gloss paint, passenger unchanged: Honestly, the camera picked up more of a difference than I see in person. The driver seems to glint a bit more due to the gloss, but otherwise they look the same to me. One doesn't seem any more brighter than the other. I'll have to check again when it gets dark. For anyone curious, I'm using butyl rubber tape to reseal my assemblies: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08398DP4Q?psc=1

I've been using Imgur for years, got a guide here:

To update this, I ended up pulling mine apart, cleaning up as much rust as I could (there was a lot), and resprayed with aluminum paint. Does look noticeably more dull, but does the job for now. Plan is to do the driver's side with a gloss white to see how it comes out. If I like it I'll re-do the passenger.

Forgot to update this, I got a driver seat form EzmanCSM. Very cool dude to work with

For the record, I think they just started offering these a couple of weeks ago

That's where I got mine. Mikie even had his shop weld them up to the pre-cut spindles I sent him

Thought I'd post this here, NDD Motorsports is making subframes (front and rear) for our cars, as well as control arms: https://ndd-motorsports.mybigcommerce.com/ndd-parts/conquest-starion/ Haven't personally done business with them yet, but if they're willing to make custom subframes for this aging platform, they're good in my book.

A little off topic at this point, but check out Sylvania 1157R LEDs, they work fantastic for me (with my no-load hazard and turn signal flashers)

That's why I went with LEDs all around. Now I just have the cooling fans making me guess whether my alternator just crapped out or not

I was able to recreate it by very lightly accelerating/decelerating while cruising prior to this, or by doing what you described (usually accidentally). I believe this was due to me not putting enough lube on the splines when I first pulled the torque tube. Could be the same for you if yours has never been pulled; that grease doesn't last forever. Check page 3-32 here: http://www.starquestgarage.com/manuals/service/conquest/1988/88_conquest_service_manual_-_group_03_-_rear_axle.pdf For the record, the splines are not a very tight fit. I believe there's play in there by design, hence the grease to prevent metal striking metal. If you're going to have someone pull yours, that would also be the best time to replace the bearing. Kev's got the details here, it's not hard at all:

Chad's still making intakes I believe, but I've only seen him in the Facebook groups. EDIT Motocam's selling his intakes now (among many other cool things): https://www.motocam360.com/products/starquest/product/119-sq-mpi-intake-manifold-fuel-rail

The repair manual said to fill the cup, so I did: I've put some more miles on it since I did this, and it seems to have nearly eliminated the clunk. It does still happen sometimes, but as I learn how to actually operate a manual, and get used to this lightened flywheel, I anticipate I won't hear it anymore. This, and topping of the diff fluid, didn't make a difference with the whining I'm hearing though. I presume after 160k+ miles of unknown abuse it's time for the differential to be rebuilt.

I got a set of the Holleys, just aligned them recently. They work great, but did need a negative switched relay kit. It's really nice to turn on the lights and not see the volt meter move

I read the Anco 4805 3/16in pins work, apparently they're in the "Anco Windshield Wiper Blade To Arm Adapter Kit 4815". I'm personally using wiper refills provided by one of the POs, NAPA 60-1914 and Trico 44-190. The Trico refills are the only ones I've used so far, they seem to work fine.

KSports are also an option, equal in quality to the D2's I believe. I have a set and they're great

I've heard and seen some build quality issues with them, not sure if Isaiah's got that sorted yet. As far as installation, "easy" is relative. All coilovers for these cars require cutting up a set of front spindles and welding the coilover sleeves to them like so: Steve usually has a set of front spindles pre-cut for sale: https://starquestparts.net/ . The rears are bolt-in.

Huh, didn't think that cup was welded on. Not claiming to have any metalworking experience, but I thought the whole thing would have been manufactured as one piece. To me, it just looked to me like this car had seen too many 5k RPM clutch drops in it's life. I guess we'll really see how much of a problem it is when I get this MPI swap done and dialed in.