parts interchange info 84 5ks ->86 5ktq

[Livolsi, Stephane]

So I have an 84 5ks parts car and my daily driver 5ktq

The drivers side front wheel bearing recently went bad and was deteriorating
quickly, so I ordered a new bearing ($45 from VM Autohaus in Vancouver, BC -
shameless plug - these guys are great -awesome service and good prices) and
last Friday nite, me and Tihol set to work taking the strut out, all ready
to take to the machine shop Saturday morning.
Anyway, we have the strut out and Tihol asks "What about the $500 strut?"
(all of the parts car parts are '$500' parts, because that's what I paid for
the car)  I told him, the q list sez it's different and won't go.  He sez
let's check anyway.  I say why bother.  He hits me with a wrench and gets
the strut. Lo and behold part #'s are identical (except for the C at the
end) and the wheel bearing is in terrific shape. The only difference is that
the 86 5ktq strut has the mounting for the abs sensor. (abs hasn't worked in
a couple years - anyway) so we swap the spring over to the new strut and
slap it on.  That was a week ago and haven't noticed any probs.

This 84 5ks parts car is turning out to be one of the best investments I
ever made. So far I have used:

misc light bulbs and switches including ignition switch.
driver side strut
both front coil springs
1 strut bearing
front brake pads (they were OEM brand spanking new on the parts car)
sunroof bracket
4 wheels and new winter tires
hydraulic pump
CV boot
grill and headlights for 4 lamp conversion ( I can see at night now!)
the light bar on the trunk
functional AC system - still needs to be installed
fuses, relays
The driver seat is in my living room (awesome when playing Gran Turismo 3 on
PS2)
trunk carpeting (was as new in the parts car)
both front lower control arms (ball joints shot on 86 - as new in parts car)
front fenders and hood (need to be cleaned up and painted, but otherwise in
pretty good shape)
upper radiator shroud
underhood splash shield (goes over the blower assembly)

The most valuable part of the experience was in stripping down the parts
car.  It was a great way to learn about how the car is put together and
makes it easier to work on the daily driver.

Stephane