Like many of you, I was bitten by the bug at an early age and have often thought that my life could be improved considerably by the addition of a classic bug (and what reader of this forum doesn't still think that on a daily basis?). Last new years eve I made a resolution that 2009 would be "The year of the Beetle" and at the end of february I took delivery of my first bug.
As many of you will know from the pics, it is a 1967 deluxe with a stonking great 1300cc engine. I bought it from the Beetle exchange in Canberra. It had sat for 4 years in their yard. I put a new battery in it and it coughed into life within minutes.
There are a few small rust holes in the pan and passenger foot well, and the brakes are shot, but with the help of a few mates I'm sure that it will be back on the road soon. I'm a bit of a noob mechanically, but where better to start than a beetle project?
It's nice to come on here and chat with other vw enthusiasts and I know that I'm going to be one here a lot more in the coming months.
Cheers
t_tuffnut ·
Interior was in great condition. It's mostly in boxes at the moment.
t_tuffnut ·
It has a few little dings and patches, but nothing major.
Bizarre ·
looks like the basis of a great car
Well done 👍
colonel mustard ·
Looks awesome 🙂 Looks like you have come to the right place!! More pics!!! Any more current photos? What have you done to it so far. Very exciting. Congrats mate 🙂
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks for the support.
Here is a pic after I stripped and sprayed the bonnet, removed the guards and pulled out the interior.
t_tuffnut ·
As I stripped the bonnet, I found a big repair section and a fair bit of bog. Problem with it was that rust had gotten under the bog and started lifting it from the metal.
Scarab ·
nice work mate!
a new project is always very exciting!! 😁
ahhh...bog....the scourge of all car enthuiasts!
keep up the good work, and keep those progress shots coming....I love photos...it gives inspiration for my own project!
t_tuffnut ·
I've just been preparing panels for paint lately. I put them back on to get them off the floor and make it all easier to transport to the rust repairer.
Eventually I am going to have it resprayed in a pale blue 62 colour, as it's current colour doesn't seem original either.
Once it is finished, I'm planning to take it around Australia to all of the Big things. It's already been to the Big Merino in a fashion.
t_tuffnut ·
This was before I got a new front fender.
t_tuffnut ·
Another shot pulled apart. Just like the original bumblebee transforming.
polak ·
sweet ride dude, she has got plenty of potential..... i know from personal experience all too well about bog and dodgy repairs, i pulled half a shopping back full of bog out of my passenger side front piller when i first got my bug 😂 .... i like the fact that you are keeping within a stock colour range, should look sweet.... keep us updated on all the pics and if u need any help ie. rust repairs and stuff dont be shy to pm me.
cheers adam
colonel mustard ·
Dude, looks awesome! Nice car trailer you've got there, you'll make plenty of drag racing friends 🙂 Love the transforming shot, looks great 🙂
VWFREAK ·
I nearly purchased this car myself about 10 moths ago from Pete for a drag project, but it was a little $$$. Hope you got a good deal ? It's like pulling teeth to barter about price with Pete 😁
t_tuffnut ·
It would have made a good drag car - it's solid throughout.
Peter gave me a good quote after an online inquiry. I was happy with the price as it doesn't require that much work for what I want it for. He had a white 65 that I was interested in at the time for less, but it needed a whole new interior and more rust work. I've since seen it come and go on ebay.
I wish the trailer was mine - it would sort out a few transportation issues for the bug at the moment. One day....
t_tuffnut ·
I've ordered new brake shoes for it from classic veedubs to go with the new brake cylinders and hoses.
It developed a worrying brake fluid leak from the drivers side rear wheel. Will have to sort that out when the rest of the kit arrives. They needed bleeding anyway.
It has been fairly hard to track down a socket large enough to remove the rear axle nuts to get the drums off. Repco had to order a socket in. We got one of them off and then broke the ratchet we were using on the passenger side nut. I'm getting the socket welded to a metre long steel bar to get the final nut off.
Are all rear wheel axle nuts that hard to get off or could it be jammed somehow?
Special Air Service ·
t_tuffnut wrote:Are all rear wheel axle nuts that hard to get off ?
Yep!
t_tuffnut ·
New brake shoes arrived the other day and a Deluxe badge is in the post.
I've also ordered new axle seals. I started pulling the drivers rear drum off and more oil came pouring out, about 500ml.
I've been told that it could be gearbox oil. It is a browny yellow colour and at first started seeping out along the axle.
Any ideas?
OZ Towdster ·
Yes that will be definetley be gearbox oil as the wheel bearings also are lubed by this oil .
As for the 36mm hub nuts , yes they are always that tight and need to be done back up as such too , so don't be afraid to tighten them well as there torque setting is around the 300 ft pound mark for memory.
Also , am well imagining you are going to check the front brakes soon too , so another vw trick for learners is that the front left stub axle bearing nuts are a left handed thread as opposed to the right hand side which is the convensional right hand thread .
Andrew
colonel mustard ·
you will know by the smell.... gearbox oil generally has a reaaaaaaally potent smell. also, it could also be brake fluid.... in which case dont get it on anything, but the consistancies are pretty different.
kombivw ·
Only just caught up with yr thread. You have certainly come to right place for advice and keep up the good work.
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks for the advice!
Do you reckon a new rear axle seal kit would sort out the gearbox oil leak?
At first I thought it was brake fluid, as it looked slightly green in a certain light, but as more of it came out it was yellow and brown. Also, the car doesn't have any brake fluid in it, as it has seeped out over the years. New cylinders and lines should sort that out I hope.
t_tuffnut ·
I first spotted a puddle under the rear drivers side wheel.
Pulled off the front of the drum and found the leak at the spot indicated.
LUFTMEISTER ·
rear axle seal leak. very common on older beetles. get a seal kit and change wheel bearings to sealed type while you are there. take care with reassembly to stop seals being pinched. part of regular tinkering required on 40+yrs old cars. Enjoy👍
t_tuffnut ·
Well, today my bug left the house for the first time since February and made its' way (by truck) to get all its' rust sorted out.
I'm missing it already.
Yesterday I got the rear axle seals back in and put the freshly machined drums back on and fired it up. Reverse and 1st work fine, as all I could do was reverse and drive forward about 5 metres as with no brakes I was not game to tackle my steep hill.
As you can tell in the picture, I tried my hand at some bog work. I quickly discovered that I was pretty useless at it so from now on I will leave it to the professionals.
I'll also include some older shots showing the new front guard and rear guard (modded for a Cal look, but being changed back today).
I should have it back in a few days, rust free, re welded and prepped for paint.
t_tuffnut ·
New front Guard
t_tuffnut ·
New Rear Guard. Some rust, but that'll get sorted soon.
t_tuffnut ·
Got the bug back from the repair shop. They did a great job patching the holes in the passenger foot well and sorting out the stress cracks in the rear bumper mounting points. Turns out there was a little more cancer in it than I thought. It had it all along the edges where the guards bolt onto the body.
Didn't get it prepped for paint, as the budget didn't stretch that far, and I have some surface rust left to deal with, especially under the tank, the pan and steering column. Would rust converter be fine for this?
I found out that the prep work with spray can primer I have done is wrong, as eventually I'd like to go with 2 pac paint and it conflicts with non 2 pac primer.
I did some research on the vehicle and found out that it is actually 4 years older than I thought. The RTA list it as a 63 Green Volkswagen, not a 67 as it was sold to me as. They had all the chassis and engine numbers right, but the rego sticker chassis number is different from the one stamped on the vehicle by one number.
So I'm a little confused.
While I'm asking, is the rear licence plate light incorrect for a 63? I thought that they changed from the popes nose to the larger one in 66 - 67?
skubz ·
I have the same licence plate light thingo on my 63, but if you want to be certain there is a list of years to chassis numbers floating around the net somewhere, or just post it up and i'm sure someone will be able to tell you what year it was made as they did with mine when i first got it.
Bizarre ·
t_tuffnut wrote:While I'm asking, is the rear licence plate light incorrect for a 63? I thought that they changed from the popes nose to the larger one in 66 - 67?
Pretty sure they went to the style you have in 64
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks for the suggestion skubz,
The Chassis number is 196849869 and the RTA say it was manufactured in January of 1963. I've had a look at a chassis number list but couldn't find it.
I don't know what has been done to this car in the years leading up to my purchase of it, so it could very well have a 64 deck lid on it.
It also has the 1300 badge work, but according to redbook it should have a 1200 stock. Would that be right?
t_tuffnut ·
I spent today cleaning the interior and scraping away at all the hessian left stuck to the glue. I managed to get the passenger door looking awesome thanks to a heap of kerosene.
I have found a new type of corrosion coming up on the drivers side of the pan, in front of the battery area. It looks like the white powder that grows on car batteries, but it has developed in spots under paintwork, lifting the paint in sections. Under the powder the metal looks fine, but it shouldn't be doing that.
Any ideas?
t_tuffnut ·
Such an improvement. There is some surface rust on the inside of the door which I found hiding under a layer of dirt. I'll hit it with some rust converter in the next few days.
t_tuffnut ·
Today I am picking up some KBS rust proofin paint to do the pan. It's like POR15, but apparently damn near impenetrable to anything short of an angle grinder when set. I've read good things about it on other forums about car restoration, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Has anyone seen that corrosion before? Could it be something with the battery not earthing properly? Like I said, I've only ever seen it on poor quality electrical equipment before.
LUFTMEISTER ·
it is an acid reaction with the metal. Needs to be cleaned up and neutralised. Caused by bad paint preparation (surface contamination) Clean throughly, allow to dry, then used a good zinc rich primer to coat.
ian.mezz ·
t_tuffnut wrote:I first spotted a puddle under the rear drivers side wheel.
Pulled off the front of the drum and found the leak at the spot indicated.
make sure you check the gear box oil level as that is where it is leaking from.
t_tuffnut ·
That's great advice. Thanks.
I'll wire brush the pan back to metal and then use the KBS stuff I bought today, probably on the weekend. It has a three step approach, first removing all impurities, then priming with a rust busting agent before the paint goes on.
Yeah, I'll also check the oil level, as roughly half a litre has dripped out over the last 2 months. I replaced the seals 2 weeks ago, but it's leaking again. It seems to start every time the car is jacked up or moved on a truck. The old seals didn't seem that bad, and I had a hard time trying to get the plastic spacer bit into the bolt on bit inside the drum (Round plastic collar with a spring around the inner lip - don't know the actual name). A mechanic round the corner ended up "persuading" it in with a mallet.
t_tuffnut ·
Worked on the pan today with paint stripper and wire brushes. Got it fairly decent and washed it all out with Aquaklean. Tomorrow I'll bust off the last of the paint and get the rust blaster on.
I know it's not the best thing to do, as a pan off sand blast would have been more effective, but it will have to do for now. As you can see in the pics, the rust was getting right into the metal. The dark green paint was slapped on by a previous owner without proper preparation of the pan. Originally I thought it might have had a pan swap, as it was an original colour, but it turns out it was a touch up job.
My new plan is to get it road worthy as soon as possible. When roadworthy, it can be driven to work shops to get stuff done. A proper respray will have to wait. No point in it waiting in the garage till then!
t_tuffnut ·
Apparently the rust blaster works best when there is rust present, as the porous surface helps it penetrate better. That's my excuse for the remaining rust anyway.
t_tuffnut ·
I found a hole in one of my heater tubes. Any idea what that is about? Someone cut it and screwed a panel over it at some point. When I got it it was wrapped in tape. I thought the tube was knackered until I unwrapped it and found it to be fine.
71-BEETLE-SEDAN ·
My brother 64 has the same cut out, dunno where itgoes but it was also covered. Will be interesting to find out what its for.
t_tuffnut ·
After the rust removal, I gave it 2.5hrs of rust blasting chemical conversion and painted it this afternoon. It only has one coat on at the moment, but it looks pretty smick already.
For an amateur. With a paintbrush. As long as it keeps the rust at bay, I can live with it.
Oh, and I checked the rust blasting chemical, it is full of zinc and leaves a zinc coating on the metal. Hopefully that will stop that corrosion coming back.
colonel mustard ·
What paint did you use?
t_tuffnut ·
It is a prep system called KBS. If you google it, it is all on their website. The kit cost $90 from a local reseller and is sold as a chassis kit. It was developed by the POR 15 creators, but developed in Australia. I also used it on the bumper support arms and heater vent covers. It is meant to dry smooth, so it should look a little better with another coat. As it is now, most of the brush strokes have evened out.
t_tuffnut ·
Can someone post a pic of how the horn assembly goes together? I jut got a horn ring off ebay, and all I have on my steering wheel is a brown cut off wire sticking out of the steering column. Is there another kit I need or will a few short bolts do?
I've also noticed that my engine has a pict 30 carby on it. According to the manual, they only came out on 70s models. Could it have just replaced the original one?
ringoschariot ·
The hole in the heater tube is for a pipe to go under the rear seat, provides heat for the rear passengers. My 67 still has the pipe connected.
t_tuffnut ·
That's a great idea. What kind of pipe was it? Steel/plastic? Might look into getting a similar thing and putting it back it.
t_tuffnut ·
I was inspired by Colonel Mustard's post and his work on his drums, so I thought i'd have a crack at mine as well.
Wire brushed back the rust. Treated with rust blast and painted with KBS. A few bubbles formed here and there, but a bit of sandpaper ought to sort them out.
I also got the old rear brake lines out. The hoses were so blocked, nothing could get through.
I've been a little busy lately, so I haven't been working on it that much. But school holidays are around the corner, so I should have a month to focus on the bug. Can't wait! Who says teachers don't need their holidays?
FROSTY ·
here's a couple of pic's of the rear heating,
enjoy...
FROSTY ·
Forgot to add, it comes out of the tube and runs to the "T" piece at the top of the tunnel and then drops down to each (thing on the floor) outlet.
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks Frosty. I'll have to mock up some replacement parts for mine.
Photos help a lot.
1303Steve ·
t_tuffnut wrote:Thanks for the suggestion skubz,
The Chassis number is 196 849 869 and the RTA say it was manufactured in January of 1963.
Hi
Nice car, the RTA have no idea, that is a 1966 chassis number.
Steve
t_tuffnut ·
The plot thickens!
Thanks Steve. When I was working on the rear drums on the weekend, I noticed they were slightly different, but both stamped with a 66 inside. I put it down to the vehicle being, as someone on the forum put it, a big boy's meccano set.
1303Steve ·
Hi
No worries, check the date on the speedo as well, unless changed they are a good indication. Looks like PO was into pinstripes.
Steve
t_tuffnut ·
Yeah, they were pretty terrible in my opinion. They were a cheap tape that came off with a glass scraper.
1303Steve ·
Hi
It looks like the car has been converted to 12 volt as well and the generator has been fitted 90 degrees out, the earth screw should be at the top and the wire connectors should be pointing off towards the drivers side.
Steve
t_tuffnut ·
I wonder what else has been put in wrong. I'll post a pic of the engine bay later this evening. Haynes manuals are good, but I'm finding that they don't stack up to the experience on this forum.
Out of interest, is there any potential damage that could have been caused by mouting it in this way?
Thanks for the heads up Steve.
t_tuffnut ·
Here is a pic of the engine, using my patented golf club boot lid prop.
I know a piece of fuel line is missing, I'm replacing it and moving the filter to under the tank, so that needs to be put back.
Other than that, anything else somewhere it shouldn't be?
LUFTMEISTER ·
The engines in the back!!!!!! WTF?????...................😁
Joel ·
well aside from both the distributor and generator being install 90degrees out of alignment all looks to be stock 1300
71-BEETLE-SEDAN ·
and the golf club, might fall inot the fan belt...
t_tuffnut ·
I've been chatting to a few people on the forum about getting some more poke out of the 1300. One person suggested converting it into a 1600 with new cylinders and pistons. It would remain a single port going this route, but would that matter?
The engine needs a refresh anyway, as that golf club causes me no end of trouble at highway speeds.
t_tuffnut ·
Finally got some time to work on it. Spent today pulling apart the front drums. Ground them back, rust blasted them and put the first coat of KBS on them. I learnt from last time and put the thinnest coat I could on to avoid bubbling.
Then I treated the underside of the fuel tank. It was pretty rusty, but looks a million bucks again.
Also replaced the front shocks. I ordered one off ebay (got it cheap as a single) and thought I'd do it while the drums were off. Couldn't believe how knackered the passenger side front one was! The drivers side must have been doing most of the work.
t_tuffnut ·
And the tank.
cam070 ·
Looks great, but pardon my ignorance, what is KBS?
t_tuffnut ·
KBS is an Aussie version of POR15. It was developed by the same people apparently. It was easier to source than POR15, as there is a distributor of KBS around the corner. It generally finishes very smooth, even when applied with a paint brush.
t_tuffnut ·
Hey, just after some advice.
I thought all the rust was sorted, but I found a new seam. Here is a picture of my cutting efforts. Should I cut away more, or should I be fine to treat the visible stuff and weld in a new piece?
I moved this question from the last thread.
Any advice would be appreciated.
t_tuffnut ·
Bump. Opinions people. What next?
t_tuffnut ·
It has been a while since my last post, but work is still progressing.
I've been stripping the glue and left over hessian out of the interior, which is a thankless job.
Today I wire wheeled the bottom of the pan and treated the surface rust. Later tonight I'll be hitting it with some KBS rust proofing paint, so it should look awesome. I also took out the bolts that hold the pan to the shell, along with the steel plates and wire wheeled them back to steel and coated them in clear paint. Should be a good contrast against the black of the pan. I'll post a pic once it is all dry.
Over easter I had a crack at some spray painting. My girlfriend got me a spray gun for my birthday a while back and my Dad's beetle was the perfect thing to practice on.
The finish isn't fantastic, but for a first attempt I think it is pretty good, and it has dressed part of the car up no end. In hind sight, some more time prepping the panel would have been good, but as the light fades and and empty beer bottles pile up, you tend to think "She'll be right."
I am so happy with the finish that I'm planning on spraying my bug in acrylic. I know that it wont be as good as a pro, but it will be my work and affordable before the end of the year, so that makes it the plan.
t_tuffnut ·
A pic of the underside of the pan after rust treatment and then after the first coat of KBS.
I painted from the front of the pan to roughly behind the battery tray. I've still got to clean the back forks and under the transmission, and I know that people on here get worked up if you paint over dirt!
I tried photographing the cleaned up bolts and plates after they were put back in, but the flash and reflective gloss paint didn't work too well.
I got the handbrakes working finally. Still having trouble with the brakes. I've bled them a few times, and I bled the three steel tubes going into the end of the master cylinder as well, but I've still got no real pressure in the pedal.
zayus ·
Hey Hey,
Really enjoying the photo journal - easy to follow, plenty of useful information, and some humour.
My dad, use to have a '60 Beryl Green Beetle, it looked very similiar to your car. Will try and fine some pictures & post them.
He also used acryllic when he "restored" the Beetle in the carport.
The Beetle looked good, it had a bit of a shine, and it received plenty of attention. The car even managed to pick up an award an NRMA "Best of Show" award @ German Car Show back in 1998!
So, when's the next update?
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks Zayus, looking forward to seeing the pics of your Dad's one.
I've been working on it most weekends, and now have working brakes - turned out there was no air in the system, I had just forgotten to adjust the front brake shoes - so they were taking all the slack in the system as I pumped on the pedal - not contacting the drum, just expanding. So I adjusted them and it is all sweet.
I've lined the petrol tank with a tank sealing kit, again from KBS (I swear, I do not work for them! it is just that the paint shop around the corner stocks all their gear). I put it back in today. I am very tempted to fill it up and hear that engine running again, but I still have that hole to weld under the tank, so I don't think I will fill the fuel lines just yet. I posted in the general chit chat section about welding, and said I could hire a mig - turns out the kennards website is wrong, as my local does not stock migs, and neither do any of the other hire places around apparently. Have to buy one eventually I suppose.
Do you reckon I would get knocked back on rego for that hole? At the moment it is a pain to move it, as I need to hire a trailer or get it towed each way.
This weekend I spent working on the panels. The plan is to spray it out bush with an air compressor and all, but in order to get it there it needs to be running and registered. I've seen first hand what primer is like with moisture, and don't fancy it getting a five o clock shadow before I get to spray it. So, i've resorted to rattle can spray at my house. I've read the thread on how to do it and think it has come up fine. I see it as panel work for the final colour - get them as close to perfect as I can, take the time to do each bit right, then spray em in a temporary colour until I get the time to take the car out bush, strip it down and spray it properly in the colour I'd like (Original - Bahama Blue).
Plus, I've always wanted a white beetle. I used the Professional touch up series of spray paint, and the difference was immediate, as I had started with the septone brand. Supacheap have pulled septone and switched to 3M stuff, which doesn't appear to work as well for me - especially the spray on putty. It spits drops of the stuff while spraying meaning more sanding.
Speaking of sanding, Dad lent me his ozito power orbital sander. Little pearler of a machine for $30 odd bucks. It takes the paint down in seconds using 320 grit pads. I had been using a bohler 3D sander (Imagine a phillips electric shaver, but for wood) which worked OK, but this Ozito helped heaps.
I am happy with the finished result. I got too ambitious and wanted both guards done by the end of the weekend, and kinda rushed the second. The paint all crinkled in areas and I need to re do sections of it. Such is life.
t_tuffnut ·
and now with the other guard on. Again, with this guard, it is not the best finish up close and I will have to sand it back again when I am putting the final colour on, but it will do for the mean time.
dangerous ·
t_tuffnut wrote:and I know that people on here get worked up if you paint over dirt!
😂
t_tuffnut ·
I've been a bit more motivated to get this thing moving with the loan of a mig welder and after watching the beetle crisis DVDs a few times.
I've patched up the hole in the panel under the tank and hidden my lumpy, but sound, welds with a bit of bod and paint. I also patched a few holes that were in the bonnet - I think some one had side mirrors mounted on it at some time.
I have spent this long weekend and my evenings last week getting stuck into the paint and body and have nearly finished spraying the front end. It is a long way from professional, and frustrating in a way as I can see every little imperfection in it - stuff that others don't see when standing more than 1 metre away. Overall though, it is starting to look quite good.
Here are a few progress pics. The bonnet gets it's paint tomorrow so from the front it will look great. Take two steps to the right or left and it will look like crap. But who knows for how long as I might get a bit silly on the fumes from spraying in a confined space and come over all spray happy tomorrow!
t_tuffnut ·
Bonnet is done! While the bug is in the shade it looks awesome.
in the sun, it shows up a few imperfections on the right hand side of the bonnet, but I will get to them again later.
Right now, I'm pretty stoked with it though.
t_tuffnut ·
The whole body is now white.
It has been one hell of a milestone for me, and if I ever see a power sander again it will be too soon. Over the last few days I've sanded and sprayed the rest of the car, which has come up looking great!
It is further motivation to sort out the imperfections that I made do with in the process, but they seem quite minor now.
I also came across this great enamel spray paint at supercheap, called Kromebrite, which gives quite a serviceable chrome finish to metal work. I gave one of my wheels a freshen up, and it looks pretty good. It might have benefited from a quick coat of primer filler before hand.
t_tuffnut ·
Got a few more parts on the weekend and have started sorting out the windows. Also got all the chrome work back on the outside of the car and have begun to put all the carpets and interior back in.
I've got to get as much done as possible before the 28th of september, as then it is off to a mechanic to check my work (and sort out the gear shift bushing which looks like a pain in the arse without a hoist) and then off for a blue slip.
It is getting bloody close to road worthy, and it feels like the project will only get larger when that has been accomplished, as I am eyeing off a set of rims at Classic Vee dub at the moment, the Empi GT 5 spokes in chrome or black (Decisions decisions!), the disc brake kits there look awesome, Rebuild the engine to a 1600, better suspension, new seats with better support - etc etc.
Hope the girl friend realises that just cause it is on the road, it isn't finished!
t_tuffnut ·
Yesterday I took my bug down to Central Coast Carbies for a thorough once over. I'm going back today to hopefully have it finished off and maybe off to the blue slip (If all goes to plan)
Had a new fuel pump installed, along with a new gear shift coupling (What a pain in the arse that is to fit!), new hand brake cable, new exhaust seals and O rings and general tightening and adjusting of brakes and bolts around the car.
Today it gets new front wheel bearings, top up of all the oils and fired up for the first time in a year. If all the big stuff is sorted early enough, I'll throw in the last 2 windows (including the f#*kn quarter window rubber) and the seat belts and get it over to the blue slip.
t_tuffnut ·
The beast went for the blue slip today and passed with flying colours.
All I need now is the rego and I'm ready to roll!
It is awesome to finally drive it after all the time I have put into it. I still need to build up enough confidence to drive it further than a few Kms, but that will come.
On the list of stuff to do in the next few weeks is more sound proofing (It is pretty bloody loud!), get a sparky to look at the dash lights and fuel gauge, get the gear box serviced and get the squirter sorted.
Then down the track it will get a front disc conversion, along with new headlining, new exhaust and new rear suspension. Mags will probably follow, BRMs or chrome empi 5 spokes would look great. I'm still just stoked to have it running!
t_tuffnut ·
Here is a video of my first drive
nsuwift ·
Good to hear she's going to be on the road. Hopefully see you around. My notch should be hopefully about 3 to 4 weeks away from a blue slip.
t_tuffnut ·
Registered today! I took it for a spin around the local streets and got some funny looks from some guys standing around their hotted up commodores. Probably cause I did a few laps of the street, but also because of the deafening clatter of a vehicle that is a relic from their parent's childhood, so far from their idea of cool that it defies understanding.
Screw em. I had a huge grin on my face and loved it.
Next step is to get some coil over shock suspension (I've seen them on Cip1 and at a few aussie places) to sort out the body roll a bit. I replaced the front shocks, but the back ones are stuffed. I hit a 90 degree corner at about 25kms/h and it almost felt like it was going to roll!
More pics to come soon!
ian.mezz ·
how old are your tyres, that will make it rock and roll
t_tuffnut ·
Good point. They came with the car, so I know they are atleast 5 years old, assuming they were the tyres on it at it's last rego.
The spare is fantastic - it looks like the original tyre issued with the car, as it's script looks like something from the 60s, and the rubber on it is hard as.
I'm taking it down to the servo today to top up the air pressure and see if that helps a bit too, but you are right. I'll put tyres on the list too.
t_tuffnut ·
I took it for a longer drive today and noticed a shudder at 60kms/hr, but it stopped after 5 minutes or so. Could it just be clearing out some crap from between the gear teeth or something? The shudder had the passenger seat flapping in time. I gave it a good drive up some 45 degree hills and in some stop start traffic, and it seemed smoother on the drive home.
t_tuffnut ·
Took it out for a spin today and couldn't get out onto the main road! Sounded and ran fine, reversed out onto the road, put it in first, hill start then it sounded and felt like half the engine had died. It wasn't revving properly and had not guts at all.
I pulled over and restarted a few times, but same problem. Checked the fuel filter and it's fine, all plug wires were still connected. Faffed around for a while and decided to try and limp it back into the drive, when it came good again. Got it into the drive and it was revving nicely, though a quick jab of gas produced a fair few back fires.
It has been backfiring a bit lately, but only when cold, so I put it down to the engine needing to warm up.
Is there anything obvious I should check? Help!
t_tuffnut ·
A new pic of him from yesterday, when he was happier
ian.mezz ·
quick jab of gas
thats where you going wrong , 😂🤪😂
what fuel you got unleaded 91 e10
t_tuffnut ·
I put 95 in, along with the correct amount of flash lube. The lines are mostly new, so I don't think it is crap in them. I also relined the fuel tank, so there is no rubbish in that either.
t_tuffnut ·
Thanks to those who offered advice, both here and in the tech talk thread I started. I fiddled with a few things and found some fine splits in the fuel line as it entered the fuel pump (just before the lump at the end of the inlet pipe) so I shortened that a bit. Also checked the leads, which were all connected.
It was suggested that it could be a lack of spark, and it kinda sounded like only half the plugs were firing. This morning when I tried I got no spark at all, so I changed the distributor cap. I had an empi clear dizzy cap in an engine dress up kit I bought some time ago and I have been told that they are rubbish in the long run, but it was new and worth trying. So I swapped it out and it fired up first kick!
I then went down to supercheap and bought a new set of NGK plugs (The guy at the counter thought it was from a lawn mower), threw them in and the car is a completely different beast. I also adjusted the carby a bit as it was running quite rich. Now it is a heap more responsive, has much better acceleration and it cruises much more smoothly. Best $15 I've ever spent on the car!
t_tuffnut ·
Wow - It has been a long time since I updated this!
Since the last update -
I've had disc brakes fitted to the front
Fitted a Honda Prelude seat for the driver to sit in - I would have liked a matching pair, but the guy at the nationals only had the one. It's just me most of the time anyway, so it does it's job holding me in place.
A few weeks ago I had a 1600 tp fitted. It is running twin solex 35 carbs, runs on an engle 100 cam, electric ignition kit, extractors, j pipes and a god damn noisy exhaust. It is a completely different car and a joy to drive.
I drove it as my wedding car through sydney and caused quite a stir turning up at the Shangri la hotel in the rocks, rumbling in between the bentleys and rollers in a classic looking car that sounds like a V8 brute.
t_tuffnut ·
Some pics
LUFTMEISTER ·
Congrats Dude. May the 3 of you be very Happy.
5lam ·
Great build-up! You did a damn good job of bringing the old girl back to life!!