Is my wagon a wagon?

I finally got to see it. She bought it in Switzerland and it has almost all the options. Maybe even all of them, if A/C wasn't an option which I doubt, since there's no room under there for one.
She wants me to get it ready for inspection. There's plenty to do on it. I tried to buy the mag wheels off it. But, she won't budge. She got into a wreck with it and claims it wasn't her fault. Having wrecked it on the right side is usually the result of not ceceeding right of way. As seen, the doors and front fender have been replaced. Her son did it and used long bolts with 12 mm nuts as spacers. To get it right, I'll have to pull the A-Piller way below the windshield with a tractor and hope it doesen't pop the glass



It's even got a rare tachometer. But, I doubt that she'll budge on that either. I might try switching it on her and then hope she doesen't notice it's gone

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_wagon

some definitions /comparison between wagon and 4 door hatch,

 

That's more than I can say for any newer wagon. And such get posted as "Wagons" here frequently

 

This one's a direct import from Japan. You can get great deals there, because their safety inspections are extremely rigid. It is a 4WD model with my engine turbocharged. I'm not sure if it's the smaller 660 cc version or an 850 one like what's in mine

 

I've been hunting around for some wheelcovers, until I stumbled onto some caps on ebay. There's an Alfa parked on a used car lot. If its boltpattern matches or is even close enough, I'll order the caps. They'll give the longroofer a sportier touch and won't make it look so elderly

 

Lug spacing is 100mm on your wacky wagon. What model is the Alfa? You can look it up on Google by typing "Alfa ______ wheel lug spacing specifications." The model goes where the underlined is.

 

I went out and measured one, last night. It's just under 100 cm. With the lighting of which I brought, it looks like 970 or 980 mm was what I measured. Mine measures at 1100, putting the caps withing range of a file and ball peen hammer. Assuming Alfas having all the identical bolt pattern, I'm calling the caps homewards

 

If they're plastic, just a rat tail file. If metal, a much bigger rat tail file.

 

He doesen't want to mail them. Well, whatever turns him on. It isn't that much work and I offered to wire the money in advance. I'll try asking a junkyard that mails, for a set.
As far as displacing the bolt pattern, I also have a Dremel. Not surprising, the electronic speed regulator crapped out, while my Bosch drill with many more service hours, many of them severe, keeps going. I've got some external rheostats. I'll see if I can hook one up series between the plug and device

 

I tried a second seller who had similar. His ad had no price. Instead, he formulated it as a "Make me an offer". I offered 40€ including shipment. He responded with 200€. For that money, I'll sit here and attempt hammering my own custom ones from aluminum plate.
Here, I found a deal on some Mini Clubman plastic caps: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/radnabendeckel-fuer-mini-one-clubman-/869294017-223-6823
I don't like thenm as much as the stainless steel sporty ones I tried getting. But, they'll do for now. Besides, what's 5€ a piece. I'm waiting for the guy to answer my offer. If it takes, I'll wire him the money this weekend

 

Some people just shouldn't try existing in polite society.

 

He hasn't got e-bay's best rating which should be no wonder. I'm still waiting for an answer to the MINI caps ad. Helping myself to some would be much less hassle than dealing with the internet

 

In the mean time, I went and picked up my Plastigage. The weather's now early summerlike, despite it being calandarly still winter The gage has been sitting at the store for a couple weeks, because the clerk was expecting delivery of the complimentary gage measuring another distance scale, until he telephoned them who then explained that the sitting set was combined.
I hope, this is the real McCoy and not some imported junk, if anyone recognizes it as being just that:

 

I haven't noticed any UPS-type deliveries, lately. If they do indeed still deliver, I'll go ahead and remove the pan.
In the mean time, I attended to a typical problem area of this brand. The plate holding the fog lamp on my previous vehicle was completely rusted out, as previously mentioned. This one's still intact. But, the lamp itself is in need of reflector restoration. Before mounting, I'm going to drill a drain hole, in order for moisture to escape. Why they simply didn't mount the lamp into the fake bumper like they did the reverse lamp is beyond me:



Also not properly thought out was the possibility of corrosion through not shielding the lamp from road debris. Japs make reliable cars, more or less depending. But, in cases like this, Europeans pay attention to detail better. This brand is the oldest japanese engine builder. But, that's not to say that they're good at building the entire car. I still respect them for trying, though

 

Since it's got an automatic tranny, I can't block the crankshaft from turning, through placing it in gear. Therefore, I started manufacturing a tool like a good streetfighter would, by using anything laying around nearby, like lead pipes and bottles.
Before I start removing the a crossmember which is in the way of dropping the oil pan, I wanted to rule out any knocking which could be originating from a worn timing belt tensioner, in case it wasn't replaced together with the belt itself, if even the belt itself was genuinely replaced like the seller claimed. I also want to inspect the work, if done, to see if the tension's proper. To do all of this, removing the balancer's required.
In this case, I dug up one of those universal roof racks and cut it accordingly. I then found any fastener available for bolting it together. This is only the lower half of a device whose ends are supposed to fit into the harmonic balancer's slits. I could then use a breaker bar for loosening its retaining bolt. With the balacer removed, I could then manufacture a bracing tool which would attach to the 4 threaded holes drilled into the balancer for powering accesories through added pullies, renderring this tool obsolete.
This is what I've gotten done, so far. X is supposed to slip in through one of those slits. I filed both sides accordingly (A).
E is going to have to get cut away, so that the tool will clear the retaining bolt's wide base:



To get a better view: