i masked it. did not want to deal with re-printing one or whatever the process may be to do it properly. for what its worth i will be keeping this car until i die lol

 

Thanks for sharing this. I'm also about to swap in a K24 and was also looking at the Ballade AC kit.
I've had negative experiences with the quality of their products in the past and I'm not surprised that they continue to fail at it. Sorry to hear about your experience.

With the AC lines changed, did you still have to bend the remaining OEM AC line coming off the compressor?

 

the oem discharge line (the one coming off the rear-most port on the AC compressor) had to be bent way more than i'm comfortable with. in a perfect world, it would be remade entirely. the issue is that the "foot" for lack of a better term that is used to secure the fitting to the compressor needs to be re-clocked in order to clear the frame rail AND the charge line (front line on the compressor). i am indeed just going to send it as is but anticipate issues getting it charged and functioning properly.

 

https://www.dc5creations.com/products/s2000-ac-tuck-kit

They offer the 3rd line - would that help?

 

i think it could help but at this point i'm just going to crimp my own (assuming my current solution doesn't work)
EDIT: you may also notice that the suction hose (usually the big hose coming out of the firewall and down the passenger side of the engine bay) is still running down the passenger frame rail on my car. the dc5creations kit proposes running both lines out of the firewall and behind the cylinder head. i tried this with the Ballade kit and it just didn't look right. the k24 has a coolant port on the back of the head that goes straight to the heater core so space behind the head is very limited.

 

got to round out some stuff on the car this weekend. new fender liners in - don't think i have ever had all of the clips in before - there are a TON. way more rigid than i remember them being in 2015 haha.



also got the AC lines plumbed correctly. ended up running the suction hose behind the cylinder head and down the driver side of the car like the DC5Creations kit suggests. VERY tight but i don't think i will have chafing issues. may end up putting some heat sleeve over the lines as they pass behind the head, though. also got in the new AC drier (not an AC genius but if your lines have sat open/exposed to moisture you should be replacing the drier). had to countersink the Ballade-provided adapter fitting so that i could use a socket cap screw. as provided by Ballade, the suction hose at the drier would foul on whatever bolt head you used so you're gonna need a drill press if you'd like to use the Ballade kit... lol



yes my connector on the pressure switch has been obliterated. i think i have some spare connectors kicking around that i can pin in if i remember to do so. still plugs in tho!



AC system is also holding vacuum at 30inHg going on two days so i think it should work once i get ready to charge the system.

i also rebuilt the front CV on the driveshaft as the boot had torn and flung grease everywhere. the write up by edwards706 is super detailed and was helpful for the process and parts sourcing. unfortunately found out that i need to cut off all of my driveshaft bolts on the diff side as they're completely frozen up. broke my only 6mm allen socket trying to remove them. ended up packing and rebuilding under the car which is not nearly as fun. clutch slave was leaking too so replaced that real quick too.



also need to replace my thermostat cover with one that points straight out toward the frame rail like the OG S2000 one. not sure why i thought i could make the RSX one work - it points the lower rad hose directly into the steering column. ended up going with the TracTuff K Series Billet Thermostat Cover V2. have bought a few things from TracTuff and they have all been A+ quality and fit.

 

done! finally bought a coolant bleed funnel and man did that make all the difference. still need to sort out the AC (tuner will need to enable AC switching and adjust idle in the ECU) and also need to sort a low clutch pedal engagement. could have air in it or may need to adjust the plunger rod.



gave it a quick wash because it was filthy. now keeping my eyes out for a slightly more tame dual exhaust as the k24 sounds kinda bad tbh.

 

after what felt like the hottest week ever, my rear window separated from the soft top. then we had what felt like the rainiest week ever. go figure. still debating installing myself or paying someone - i'm sure i could figure it out but not so sure if i can be bothered as i know it's not a fun job. also didn't realize how expensive a robbins cloth top is

color matched duct tape:



did manage to get the AC functioning. ended up having to change out the expansion valve as it was sticking presumably from sitting for too long. high side jumped to over 400psi immediately which is frightening but it's all good now!

 

finally ponied up and ordered a new top. i did not buy a robbins top because i'm not made of money. the car had a sierra top when i purchased it 10 years ago so i just bought another one. with that said, i will DEFINITELY BE PAYING SOMEONE 10 years from now when this one fails. i managed to get it all wrapped up in roughly one day but man that was a gigantic pain. not my idea of a relaxing saturday afternoon .



this was a good time to evict a couple of mice that were apparently camping out behind the roll hoop plastics. that's my sign i should drive this car more i guess.



i think next i need to address the windshield frame. the vinyl (or whatever they used originally) is definitely looking like it's from 2003. once that's replaced i will be a happy camper re: this car's appearance.



whole car needs to be cleaned and i should probably apply some sort of protectant to the soft top. what's the go-to product for soft top protection these days?

 

I've been using 303 protectant on the OEM top almost as long as I've owned the car. The top is still in good condition - it is starting to get some shiny spots and will be on the replacement schedule in the near future.

Is your new top vinyl or fabric? If fabric, you might look at products specifically for cloth tops.