Project Resurrection: Running Log
12-21-08, 11:06 PM
#76
common sense prevails....
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DD, it's 80's from Texas. Seriously if you have issues getting your car smogged...PM me. I can get you with my wife's uncle (you met him) we have a place in San Bernardino that will do the deed!! Lemme know!!
12-30-08, 11:46 AM
#79
Days 161-170
After a week of rainy, cold weather, I finally got a couple decent days around Day 164 that I could use to scrub off a couple years' worth of garage muck (lot of film, mainly from the recent wildfires), and rub a coat of wax into the ol' girl.
Result photos are in the PIX thread. Oooh, shiny!
Day 165, I set out for the DMV window at the local AAA office, to get a couple more 1-day moving passes so I would be ready to hit the smog place.
The nice young lady there apparently was the first one to actually check the car's registration status (all the other times, they'd just written up the passes); turns out that my Planned Non-Operation (PNO) registration never got into the computer, so they showed the car with an "imcomplete registration - no smog cert" status.. dating from 2005!
The DMV had been happily tacking on fees and penalties ever since, to the tune of about $400! It also turns out that when your status is "incomplete," the DMV doesn't send you any further notices... so no indication of this going on ever reached me.
Holy crap.
The lady at AAA told me that I had to get current before any moving permit could be issued, and I had to have one before I could submit to a smog check... but that if I went to the DMV office myself, I might be able to petition for a waiver of the fees, since it looked like it was a misunderstanding. DMV doesn't let remote offices grant waivers anymore, she said.
So, I betook myself to the DMV...
5 hours later, after waiting through 3 different lines and talking to 3 different people, returning home for my checkbook, and having to write out (I kid you not!) a page-long essay known as a "statement of fact" for the supervisor to review... they agreed to drop the fees due to "only" $215. IF I would pay it today.. otherwize, I'd have to start over when I was ready to pay.
I bit the bullet and wrote the check.
Then, THEN, they told me that they could not issue me the temporary permit I needed to get to the smog place on Saturday, because the car was not listed on my insurance policy (hadn't been registered for 3 years, so why WOULD it have been?). But by this time, it was almost 5 PM on a Friday; no way I could get to AAA in time.
Ever felt like Arlo Guthrie in "Alice's Restaurant?"
Spent the weekend cussing out the DMV and tuning on the car, testing emissions equipment, and going to another good party. Seems I'm either idling a little lean, or have an ignition issue; I have a bit of a miss I'm chasing.
Day 169 (Monday), I headed back to the AAA office; decided to see if I could talk the DMV folks there into giving me the 1-day passes without having to mess with my insurance. Didn't work, but I discovered three interesting things:
1) There is a red 30-day pass that I qualified for, having paid fees but still needing a smog cert, that is unrestricted - - can drive anywhere. No one had ever mentioned these to me, in the half-dozen times I'd gotten 1-day permits.
2) The red passes would start costing $50 in January (because our idiot government here in Cali is broke), but through the end of 2008, were free. I still needed to get the insurance fixed up, though.
3) AAA has a special policy for "Collector Cars." If the car's only driven a few hundred miles a year, and is over 20 years old and in 'collectible' condition (they go by photos), I can cover my -7 for all liability requirements, AND for $6000 Comp and Collision, for $65 a year. $500 deductible. Upping the mileage some would cost a few bucks more; they don't offer this coverage for cars that are "routinely" driven.
So, I applied for the policy on the spot, using my photos here from the site, and I got the red pass in the window.
Once I work out the slight miss I'm chasing, I'll be ready for smog, and I saved probably $300 off of what it would have cost me to put the car on my regular insurance for liability only... which kind of paid for the DMV fees, in a twisted sort of way.
Time to get out to the garage and start final tweaking, but I'm actually legal to drive it til the end of January.
After a week of rainy, cold weather, I finally got a couple decent days around Day 164 that I could use to scrub off a couple years' worth of garage muck (lot of film, mainly from the recent wildfires), and rub a coat of wax into the ol' girl.
Result photos are in the PIX thread. Oooh, shiny!
Day 165, I set out for the DMV window at the local AAA office, to get a couple more 1-day moving passes so I would be ready to hit the smog place.
The nice young lady there apparently was the first one to actually check the car's registration status (all the other times, they'd just written up the passes); turns out that my Planned Non-Operation (PNO) registration never got into the computer, so they showed the car with an "imcomplete registration - no smog cert" status.. dating from 2005!
The DMV had been happily tacking on fees and penalties ever since, to the tune of about $400! It also turns out that when your status is "incomplete," the DMV doesn't send you any further notices... so no indication of this going on ever reached me.
Holy crap.
The lady at AAA told me that I had to get current before any moving permit could be issued, and I had to have one before I could submit to a smog check... but that if I went to the DMV office myself, I might be able to petition for a waiver of the fees, since it looked like it was a misunderstanding. DMV doesn't let remote offices grant waivers anymore, she said.
So, I betook myself to the DMV...
5 hours later, after waiting through 3 different lines and talking to 3 different people, returning home for my checkbook, and having to write out (I kid you not!) a page-long essay known as a "statement of fact" for the supervisor to review... they agreed to drop the fees due to "only" $215. IF I would pay it today.. otherwize, I'd have to start over when I was ready to pay.
I bit the bullet and wrote the check.
Then, THEN, they told me that they could not issue me the temporary permit I needed to get to the smog place on Saturday, because the car was not listed on my insurance policy (hadn't been registered for 3 years, so why WOULD it have been?). But by this time, it was almost 5 PM on a Friday; no way I could get to AAA in time.
Ever felt like Arlo Guthrie in "Alice's Restaurant?"
Spent the weekend cussing out the DMV and tuning on the car, testing emissions equipment, and going to another good party. Seems I'm either idling a little lean, or have an ignition issue; I have a bit of a miss I'm chasing.
Day 169 (Monday), I headed back to the AAA office; decided to see if I could talk the DMV folks there into giving me the 1-day passes without having to mess with my insurance. Didn't work, but I discovered three interesting things:
1) There is a red 30-day pass that I qualified for, having paid fees but still needing a smog cert, that is unrestricted - - can drive anywhere. No one had ever mentioned these to me, in the half-dozen times I'd gotten 1-day permits.
2) The red passes would start costing $50 in January (because our idiot government here in Cali is broke), but through the end of 2008, were free. I still needed to get the insurance fixed up, though.
3) AAA has a special policy for "Collector Cars." If the car's only driven a few hundred miles a year, and is over 20 years old and in 'collectible' condition (they go by photos), I can cover my -7 for all liability requirements, AND for $6000 Comp and Collision, for $65 a year. $500 deductible. Upping the mileage some would cost a few bucks more; they don't offer this coverage for cars that are "routinely" driven.
So, I applied for the policy on the spot, using my photos here from the site, and I got the red pass in the window.
Once I work out the slight miss I'm chasing, I'll be ready for smog, and I saved probably $300 off of what it would have cost me to put the car on my regular insurance for liability only... which kind of paid for the DMV fees, in a twisted sort of way.
Time to get out to the garage and start final tweaking, but I'm actually legal to drive it til the end of January.
12-31-08, 08:20 PM
#80
common sense prevails....
iTrader: (7)
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Location: Chino and Lake Arrowhead Calif
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Days 161-170
After a week of rainy, cold weather, I finally got a couple decent days around Day 164 that I could use to scrub off a couple years' worth of garage muck (lot of film, mainly from the recent wildfires), and rub a coat of wax into the ol' girl.
Result photos are in the PIX thread. Oooh, shiny!
Day 165, I set out for the DMV window at the local AAA office, to get a couple more 1-day moving passes so I would be ready to hit the smog place.
The nice young lady there apparently was the first one to actually check the car's registration status (all the other times, they'd just written up the passes); turns out that my Planned Non-Operation (PNO) registration never got into the computer, so they showed the car with an "imcomplete registration - no smog cert" status.. dating from 2005!
The DMV had been happily tacking on fees and penalties ever since, to the tune of about $400! It also turns out that when your status is "incomplete," the DMV doesn't send you any further notices... so no indication of this going on ever reached me.
Holy crap.
The lady at AAA told me that I had to get current before any moving permit could be issued, and I had to have one before I could submit to a smog check... but that if I went to the DMV office myself, I might be able to petition for a waiver of the fees, since it looked like it was a misunderstanding. DMV doesn't let remote offices grant waivers anymore, she said.
So, I betook myself to the DMV...
5 hours later, after waiting through 3 different lines and talking to 3 different people, returning home for my checkbook, and having to write out (I kid you not!) a page-long essay known as a "statement of fact" for the supervisor to review... they agreed to drop the fees due to "only" $215. IF I would pay it today.. otherwize, I'd have to start over when I was ready to pay.
I bit the bullet and wrote the check.
Then, THEN, they told me that they could not issue me the temporary permit I needed to get to the smog place on Saturday, because the car was not listed on my insurance policy (hadn't been registered for 3 years, so why WOULD it have been?). But by this time, it was almost 5 PM on a Friday; no way I could get to AAA in time.
Ever felt like Arlo Guthrie in "Alice's Restaurant?"
Spent the weekend cussing out the DMV and tuning on the car, testing emissions equipment, and going to another good party. Seems I'm either idling a little lean, or have an ignition issue; I have a bit of a miss I'm chasing.
Day 169 (Monday), I headed back to the AAA office; decided to see if I could talk the DMV folks there into giving me the 1-day passes without having to mess with my insurance. Didn't work, but I discovered three interesting things:
1) There is a red 30-day pass that I qualified for, having paid fees but still needing a smog cert, that is unrestricted - - can drive anywhere. No one had ever mentioned these to me, in the half-dozen times I'd gotten 1-day permits.
2) The red passes would start costing $50 in January (because our idiot government here in Cali is broke), but through the end of 2008, were free. I still needed to get the insurance fixed up, though.
3) AAA has a special policy for "Collector Cars." If the car's only driven a few hundred miles a year, and is over 20 years old and in 'collectible' condition (they go by photos), I can cover my -7 for all liability requirements, AND for $6000 Comp and Collision, for $65 a year. $500 deductible. Upping the mileage some would cost a few bucks more; they don't offer this coverage for cars that are "routinely" driven.
So, I applied for the policy on the spot, using my photos here from the site, and I got the red pass in the window.
Once I work out the slight miss I'm chasing, I'll be ready for smog, and I saved probably $300 off of what it would have cost me to put the car on my regular insurance for liability only... which kind of paid for the DMV fees, in a twisted sort of way.
Time to get out to the garage and start final tweaking, but I'm actually legal to drive it til the end of January.
After a week of rainy, cold weather, I finally got a couple decent days around Day 164 that I could use to scrub off a couple years' worth of garage muck (lot of film, mainly from the recent wildfires), and rub a coat of wax into the ol' girl.
Result photos are in the PIX thread. Oooh, shiny!
Day 165, I set out for the DMV window at the local AAA office, to get a couple more 1-day moving passes so I would be ready to hit the smog place.
The nice young lady there apparently was the first one to actually check the car's registration status (all the other times, they'd just written up the passes); turns out that my Planned Non-Operation (PNO) registration never got into the computer, so they showed the car with an "imcomplete registration - no smog cert" status.. dating from 2005!
The DMV had been happily tacking on fees and penalties ever since, to the tune of about $400! It also turns out that when your status is "incomplete," the DMV doesn't send you any further notices... so no indication of this going on ever reached me.
Holy crap.
The lady at AAA told me that I had to get current before any moving permit could be issued, and I had to have one before I could submit to a smog check... but that if I went to the DMV office myself, I might be able to petition for a waiver of the fees, since it looked like it was a misunderstanding. DMV doesn't let remote offices grant waivers anymore, she said.
So, I betook myself to the DMV...
5 hours later, after waiting through 3 different lines and talking to 3 different people, returning home for my checkbook, and having to write out (I kid you not!) a page-long essay known as a "statement of fact" for the supervisor to review... they agreed to drop the fees due to "only" $215. IF I would pay it today.. otherwize, I'd have to start over when I was ready to pay.
I bit the bullet and wrote the check.
Then, THEN, they told me that they could not issue me the temporary permit I needed to get to the smog place on Saturday, because the car was not listed on my insurance policy (hadn't been registered for 3 years, so why WOULD it have been?). But by this time, it was almost 5 PM on a Friday; no way I could get to AAA in time.
Ever felt like Arlo Guthrie in "Alice's Restaurant?"
Spent the weekend cussing out the DMV and tuning on the car, testing emissions equipment, and going to another good party. Seems I'm either idling a little lean, or have an ignition issue; I have a bit of a miss I'm chasing.
Day 169 (Monday), I headed back to the AAA office; decided to see if I could talk the DMV folks there into giving me the 1-day passes without having to mess with my insurance. Didn't work, but I discovered three interesting things:
1) There is a red 30-day pass that I qualified for, having paid fees but still needing a smog cert, that is unrestricted - - can drive anywhere. No one had ever mentioned these to me, in the half-dozen times I'd gotten 1-day permits.
2) The red passes would start costing $50 in January (because our idiot government here in Cali is broke), but through the end of 2008, were free. I still needed to get the insurance fixed up, though.
3) AAA has a special policy for "Collector Cars." If the car's only driven a few hundred miles a year, and is over 20 years old and in 'collectible' condition (they go by photos), I can cover my -7 for all liability requirements, AND for $6000 Comp and Collision, for $65 a year. $500 deductible. Upping the mileage some would cost a few bucks more; they don't offer this coverage for cars that are "routinely" driven.
So, I applied for the policy on the spot, using my photos here from the site, and I got the red pass in the window.
Once I work out the slight miss I'm chasing, I'll be ready for smog, and I saved probably $300 off of what it would have cost me to put the car on my regular insurance for liability only... which kind of paid for the DMV fees, in a twisted sort of way.
Time to get out to the garage and start final tweaking, but I'm actually legal to drive it til the end of January.
Divin, I know how you are feeling!!! Hang in there......Cali needs all the money and help it can get!!!
BTW, I have fianally caught up with all going on here....PM me and I will get that exhaust stuff coming your way!!
01-02-09, 11:54 PM
#81
(PM sent bud; thanks!)
Days 171-174
Well, so much for the "Classic Car policy;" Salesdude didn't tell me that they would need to appraise the car for at least $5000 for it to qualify. AAA says their appraisal based on my pix is $4100. So I had to slide it into my current policy for about twice as much. Still not bad, but unlikely to make the household CFO happy.
I posted a thread and a link to a video I made illustrating the slight miss I'm seeing, to see if anyone could offer up suggestions as to cause/solution. So far, nobody's commented. I am depressed.
I've swapped out everything except the dizzy itself, cap/rotor, and the plug wires, and meticulously cleaned every contact point in the system, and it's made no change in the symptoms. Polishedthe dizzy and rotor contacts, to be sure. No change.
Irritating.
Not sure how to proceed. I guess I could spring for a new cap & rotor, but this one looks ok to me, and I polished the contacts. Wires all metered out fine. Crossfire, maybe? Don't see it on the scope, so it'd have to be on the high-voltage side, devilish hard to test. Spreading the plug wires around didn't seem to make a difference. Going to do some more o-scope testing tomorrow. Supposed to rain again, too. Probably need some more gas, as well.
I want to get the damn test out of the way, but I'm concerned that the misfire, slight though it is, will fail me and cost more time and money. So I'd really prefer to lock this down first.
Sucks. So close.
Days 171-174
Well, so much for the "Classic Car policy;" Salesdude didn't tell me that they would need to appraise the car for at least $5000 for it to qualify. AAA says their appraisal based on my pix is $4100. So I had to slide it into my current policy for about twice as much. Still not bad, but unlikely to make the household CFO happy.
I posted a thread and a link to a video I made illustrating the slight miss I'm seeing, to see if anyone could offer up suggestions as to cause/solution. So far, nobody's commented. I am depressed.
I've swapped out everything except the dizzy itself, cap/rotor, and the plug wires, and meticulously cleaned every contact point in the system, and it's made no change in the symptoms. Polishedthe dizzy and rotor contacts, to be sure. No change.
Irritating.
Not sure how to proceed. I guess I could spring for a new cap & rotor, but this one looks ok to me, and I polished the contacts. Wires all metered out fine. Crossfire, maybe? Don't see it on the scope, so it'd have to be on the high-voltage side, devilish hard to test. Spreading the plug wires around didn't seem to make a difference. Going to do some more o-scope testing tomorrow. Supposed to rain again, too. Probably need some more gas, as well.
I want to get the damn test out of the way, but I'm concerned that the misfire, slight though it is, will fail me and cost more time and money. So I'd really prefer to lock this down first.
Sucks. So close.
01-03-09, 04:20 PM
#82
Day 175
Since I'm now insured, it's not currently raining, and I have the red pass good til the end of January, I decided to take her out for a short 15-minute spin today.
Drives nice. I don't want to run her too far on these ancient tires, particularly at freeway speeds, but I did get her on the 71 for a couple miles, ans was rolling along at 80 before I knew it. Pulled well up to 6k, and I decided not to push further than that til I'm all legal... last thing I need to to is break anything now...
I still hear the maybe-miss at idle (way too loud inside to hear it at speed), and I think I need to change out the rear-end fluid. The steering needs a little TLC on the pre-load, and Ive still got a half-dozen small paint tasks for trim and such, but I can tell I'm near the end of the rainbow.
The miss-or-whatever doesn't seem to impact power or smoothness under load, or off idle. I'm sure that means something, but I have no idea what.
Just... gotta... clear... the miss...!
Since I'm now insured, it's not currently raining, and I have the red pass good til the end of January, I decided to take her out for a short 15-minute spin today.
Drives nice. I don't want to run her too far on these ancient tires, particularly at freeway speeds, but I did get her on the 71 for a couple miles, ans was rolling along at 80 before I knew it. Pulled well up to 6k, and I decided not to push further than that til I'm all legal... last thing I need to to is break anything now...
I still hear the maybe-miss at idle (way too loud inside to hear it at speed), and I think I need to change out the rear-end fluid. The steering needs a little TLC on the pre-load, and Ive still got a half-dozen small paint tasks for trim and such, but I can tell I'm near the end of the rainbow.
The miss-or-whatever doesn't seem to impact power or smoothness under load, or off idle. I'm sure that means something, but I have no idea what.
Just... gotta... clear... the miss...!
01-09-09, 08:13 PM
#83
Day 181
How can I top this? Smog check today:
Not only passed...
Crushed it!
After sweating through days of trying, and failing, to clear that little miss at idle (documented in this thread ), I took the advice of several, and just went and got it tested.
I have to go back through my old smog certs to be sure, but this may be one of the cleanest tests she's ever posted...
Ooh-Rah!
The job is not finished yet, but this was the major hurdle; this was the key, even more than when the car started again - - without papers, it was essentially a 1:1 scale model of a car.
Now, it can be a CAR.
Still things to do:
The steering is very, VERY sloppy... I have to try to either adjust it out, or get a new box. May not have time this weekend (work) but must do soon.
Got some cosmetics to clean up (trim, plastic cracks, etc)
Still try to locate a STOCK headpipe, and TR, if I can find a good one - - I've no idea how long my repaired one will hold up, and I'd like to "complete the set" & have all be original.
But all that is much more easily done if the car can actually be driven to keep it healthy.
I am, to put it lightly, Jazzed!
How can I top this? Smog check today:
Not only passed...
Crushed it!
Code:
15mph: 25mph:
CO2 12.70% 13.46%
O2 2.97% 2.79
HC (PPM)
Max 214 181
Ave 47 37
Meas 7 6
CO (%)
Max 1.36 1.16
Ave 0.20 0.17
Meas 0.00 0.02
NO (%)
Max 1364 1224
Ave 554 468
Meas 303 174
After sweating through days of trying, and failing, to clear that little miss at idle (documented in this thread ), I took the advice of several, and just went and got it tested.
I have to go back through my old smog certs to be sure, but this may be one of the cleanest tests she's ever posted...
Ooh-Rah!
The job is not finished yet, but this was the major hurdle; this was the key, even more than when the car started again - - without papers, it was essentially a 1:1 scale model of a car.
Now, it can be a CAR.
Still things to do:
The steering is very, VERY sloppy... I have to try to either adjust it out, or get a new box. May not have time this weekend (work) but must do soon.
Got some cosmetics to clean up (trim, plastic cracks, etc)
Still try to locate a STOCK headpipe, and TR, if I can find a good one - - I've no idea how long my repaired one will hold up, and I'd like to "complete the set" & have all be original.
But all that is much more easily done if the car can actually be driven to keep it healthy.
I am, to put it lightly, Jazzed!
01-10-09, 03:05 AM
#84
DD-
your Emissions day-by-day reads like a testimonial of "Reasons NOT to live in California". My Gawd, can life Outside (as we Alaskan's call That Which is Beyond Our Border) really be that complicated!? Crikey. Still a nice place to _visit_ tho...
my sympathies
and admiration to your stick-too-Id-ness!
Stu Aull
80GS with-lord-knows-what-emissions-status
Alaska
your Emissions day-by-day reads like a testimonial of "Reasons NOT to live in California". My Gawd, can life Outside (as we Alaskan's call That Which is Beyond Our Border) really be that complicated!? Crikey. Still a nice place to _visit_ tho...
my sympathies
and admiration to your stick-too-Id-ness!
Stu Aull
80GS with-lord-knows-what-emissions-status
Alaska
01-10-09, 12:06 PM
#85
Stu;
There are days I really wonder if it's worth it to live here...
Then I walk outside to a 75-degree day in January, look up at the bright blue sky, decide if it'll be skiing (mountains, 1 hr away) or scuba diving (beach, 40 minutes away), or just wandering around in t-shirt and shorts... and I think back to what January in Nebraska was like when I was a kid... And it suddenly becomes a lot more worth it.
I wish there was a place with this climate, and your people's refusal to put up with BS. It'd be Heaven.
But the sad fact is, the a$$hats of the world know that people will tolerate a lot to live someplace like this, and they take advantage of it.
There are days I really wonder if it's worth it to live here...
Then I walk outside to a 75-degree day in January, look up at the bright blue sky, decide if it'll be skiing (mountains, 1 hr away) or scuba diving (beach, 40 minutes away), or just wandering around in t-shirt and shorts... and I think back to what January in Nebraska was like when I was a kid... And it suddenly becomes a lot more worth it.
I wish there was a place with this climate, and your people's refusal to put up with BS. It'd be Heaven.
But the sad fact is, the a$$hats of the world know that people will tolerate a lot to live someplace like this, and they take advantage of it.
01-10-09, 12:58 PM
#86
motor in pieces
DD, you said your steering was sloppy. My 84 was the same way when i picked it up four years ago. I was gonna try and adjust it, but some "skilled professional" tried to loosen the jam nut with a chisel. I ended up ditching the stock system in favor of a cp racing rack and pinion kit. Yeah, it took the idiots almost three months to get it to me and they are now out of business, buts its a good kit. It's a damn shame their customer service was so poor. Fortunately respeed makes a really nice rack and pinion kit now. I was only fifteen when i got the car so I've never driven it with the stock steering box, but i can tell you i love the manual rack and pinion in it.
01-11-09, 04:49 AM
#87
Into week THREE of -30 to -40F, RX is hibernating under a foot of snow...till April, anyway.
We take the Good with the Bad, eh? Sunshine and *****; Freedom and Nature waiting to freeze your nutz off...
Hope you get it sorted out-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
01-11-09, 07:48 AM
#88
Waffles - hmmm good
iTrader: (1)
Its about 20 degrees cooler here in NC during the winter (high today 53) but cars rule and anything older than 96 gets a safety only for less than $10.00. Plus the 7 doesn't have to be stored for the winter unlike when I lived in Pittsburgh where it went into the garage from November until April.
Interesting note, theres a lot of folks moving here from California and Florida for various reasons. One guy I met who was in Cali during the 60s - 70s says Charlotte reminds hime of Cali during that time. One thing is for sure the housing is much more affordable.
Ok, back to the resurrection topic, I think my 80 has the same slight miss sometimes but I haven't slapped a timing light on it in awhile. Like the guy you talked to, it goes away under load and has never caused an issue. I always chalked it up to cross talk on the signals to the ignitors.
Interesting note, theres a lot of folks moving here from California and Florida for various reasons. One guy I met who was in Cali during the 60s - 70s says Charlotte reminds hime of Cali during that time. One thing is for sure the housing is much more affordable.
Ok, back to the resurrection topic, I think my 80 has the same slight miss sometimes but I haven't slapped a timing light on it in awhile. Like the guy you talked to, it goes away under load and has never caused an issue. I always chalked it up to cross talk on the signals to the ignitors.
01-11-09, 10:25 AM
#89
common sense prevails....
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Congrats DD. It has been a long challenge and it is time to sit back and relax a little. I will be going to UPS this coming week so you will have that head pipe coming.
Again, keep up the good work!!
Again, keep up the good work!!
01-15-09, 10:02 AM
#90
Day 187
Picked up my registration from DMV two days ago, put it on the plate last night.
Drove Spry Beastie to work this AM; she's sitting in the parking lot right now. First time since 2005 she's been out of the barn for a day. Gonna take her over to Racing Beat at lunch today, show them boys what a -7's supposed to look like, heh.
Steering needs serious adjustment, possible work. I'll know more after I get her up in the air, maybe this weekend. Way too much play; hopefully, it just needs end-play adjustment. If not, I have a source for a replacement gear, headache though that job is.
Running very nice; power is smooth up as far as I've pushed, which is only to about 6000rpm thus far.
It's an amazing thing to contrast driving her to driving my Z:
The 350Z is like flying a modern fighter plane; very powerful, very fast, and very automatic. Point and shoot, fire and forget, all done with the fingertips. You only need to think about what you want to do, the computer handles the rest. Bulletproof and very forgiving. Requires only part of your attention. Makes you feel invincible.
The SA is like flying a restored WWII fighter, an early one like a Spitfire: lightly built, quick but with just enough power to get the job done, and very much a seat-of-the-pants, stick-and-rudder-on-cables, pilot-is-the-only-computer experience. A little fragile and not forgiving if you push past the envelope, but very willing to get out and play. Requires your full attention. Makes you feel naked.
Both great driving experiences, but totally night-and-day from each other.
The cool thing is, both of them represent the essence of what a performance car should be; they were each at the time of their maufacture the very best that their makers knew how to build, in a production sports car.
Picked up my registration from DMV two days ago, put it on the plate last night.
Drove Spry Beastie to work this AM; she's sitting in the parking lot right now. First time since 2005 she's been out of the barn for a day. Gonna take her over to Racing Beat at lunch today, show them boys what a -7's supposed to look like, heh.
Steering needs serious adjustment, possible work. I'll know more after I get her up in the air, maybe this weekend. Way too much play; hopefully, it just needs end-play adjustment. If not, I have a source for a replacement gear, headache though that job is.
Running very nice; power is smooth up as far as I've pushed, which is only to about 6000rpm thus far.
It's an amazing thing to contrast driving her to driving my Z:
The 350Z is like flying a modern fighter plane; very powerful, very fast, and very automatic. Point and shoot, fire and forget, all done with the fingertips. You only need to think about what you want to do, the computer handles the rest. Bulletproof and very forgiving. Requires only part of your attention. Makes you feel invincible.
The SA is like flying a restored WWII fighter, an early one like a Spitfire: lightly built, quick but with just enough power to get the job done, and very much a seat-of-the-pants, stick-and-rudder-on-cables, pilot-is-the-only-computer experience. A little fragile and not forgiving if you push past the envelope, but very willing to get out and play. Requires your full attention. Makes you feel naked.
Both great driving experiences, but totally night-and-day from each other.
The cool thing is, both of them represent the essence of what a performance car should be; they were each at the time of their maufacture the very best that their makers knew how to build, in a production sports car.
03-14-09, 04:22 PM
#92
Day 240
Ok, I've spent about 6 weeks without doing too much more work on the car, just driving it a bit, hitting a few of the local events, getting it photographed by a webzine(!), and various tweaks.
Currently two items pending or under way:
1) I've got an issue with post-shutdown flooding that so far has me stumped; If hte car is driven to normal temperature, and then shut down, over the course of an hour or so the rear fuel bowl drains down significantly (to the bottom of the sight glass or below); the front bowl drains a bit, maybe half as much.
The gas is not leaking out... it's leaking INTO the engine, as it shows back up when I restart - stinky clouds of gas smoke.
The puzzle is, based on carb design, it should be impossible for gas to leak from the bowls into the throat, absent vacuum. All the fuel feeds are made to require vacuum to lift the fuel up from bowl level.
I thought at first that the bowl vent solenoid might be sticking, and that this was letting vapor pressure above the gas in the bowl push the gas up and out. The solenoid tests out fine, though. Doesn't appear to be any blockage in the vent lines, either.
So, it's a puzzle I'm still working on.
The other current work is on doing an updated aircleaner; I bought a spare air box (a '79, turns out) off the frum, and have started stripping, rust-scaling,a nd re-painting ot to match my anodized-theme work. I'm going to restore the original to factory colors and get rid of a bunch of scratches and stains that 29 years of service have placed on it.
I have vinyl lettering for the lid waiting to go on the repainted box; with the anodized look, I'm going to use chrome lettering that exactly matches the original lettering, made by -Xlr8Planet-. The restored one gets normal white lettering.
Progress so far:
Original lid paint had some deep scratches and rust under some of the paint, so all the exterior paint had to come off and rust remover applied:
In progress; getting the paint out of the depressions was the hardest part, but chem stripper worked well.
Stripped and ready for the metallic basecoat:
Freshly sprayed with the transparent colorcoat (three coats):
Will probably get one final coat around the lip, which needs to wait several days now, so the re-application doesn't lift the new paint:
I've also got to pull the hardware off my new glass sunroof, and re-coat the hinges with vinyl; all the original vinyl coating had peeled off before I got it, and they rattle pretty horribly. I'll strip and re-black the exterior hardware at the same time.
Ok, I've spent about 6 weeks without doing too much more work on the car, just driving it a bit, hitting a few of the local events, getting it photographed by a webzine(!), and various tweaks.
Currently two items pending or under way:
1) I've got an issue with post-shutdown flooding that so far has me stumped; If hte car is driven to normal temperature, and then shut down, over the course of an hour or so the rear fuel bowl drains down significantly (to the bottom of the sight glass or below); the front bowl drains a bit, maybe half as much.
The gas is not leaking out... it's leaking INTO the engine, as it shows back up when I restart - stinky clouds of gas smoke.
The puzzle is, based on carb design, it should be impossible for gas to leak from the bowls into the throat, absent vacuum. All the fuel feeds are made to require vacuum to lift the fuel up from bowl level.
I thought at first that the bowl vent solenoid might be sticking, and that this was letting vapor pressure above the gas in the bowl push the gas up and out. The solenoid tests out fine, though. Doesn't appear to be any blockage in the vent lines, either.
So, it's a puzzle I'm still working on.
The other current work is on doing an updated aircleaner; I bought a spare air box (a '79, turns out) off the frum, and have started stripping, rust-scaling,a nd re-painting ot to match my anodized-theme work. I'm going to restore the original to factory colors and get rid of a bunch of scratches and stains that 29 years of service have placed on it.
I have vinyl lettering for the lid waiting to go on the repainted box; with the anodized look, I'm going to use chrome lettering that exactly matches the original lettering, made by -Xlr8Planet-. The restored one gets normal white lettering.
Progress so far:
Original lid paint had some deep scratches and rust under some of the paint, so all the exterior paint had to come off and rust remover applied:
In progress; getting the paint out of the depressions was the hardest part, but chem stripper worked well.
Stripped and ready for the metallic basecoat:
Freshly sprayed with the transparent colorcoat (three coats):
Will probably get one final coat around the lip, which needs to wait several days now, so the re-application doesn't lift the new paint:
I've also got to pull the hardware off my new glass sunroof, and re-coat the hinges with vinyl; all the original vinyl coating had peeled off before I got it, and they rattle pretty horribly. I'll strip and re-black the exterior hardware at the same time.
03-21-09, 12:26 AM
#94
Day 246:
I'll sort the flood issue out, it's just going to take some time.
Here's the bottom part of the airbox, waiting for me to get my act together and start stripping it:
I was going to take it and get it oxide blasted... but I found out they want $50 to $80 to do that, and could not guarantee that they'd get all the crevices even then. I decided that I'll strip in myself. There's too much pitting and surface rust on it to just shand smooth and pain over. It's gotta be stripped clean on the outside. The inside can just get toothed up a bit.
On the moonroof, here's the starting situation as I bought it a few months ago.:
1) Hinges that have rusted, and lost their rubberizing, which makes thme both messy and lets them rattle.
2) The latch mechanism is kind of beat up; the latches are twisted out of place a bit, the paint is all chipped up, and the foam padding in the center is pretty much history.
3) The T-nuts (nut buttons, whatever they are called) on the outside are scratched up, pitted, and the black is mostly worn off.
So, first step; take everything apart, and strip the rust off of the hinge plates and screw heads.
Once the hinge plates have been completely stripped down, and all rust scaled off, you can use Plasti-Dip to restore them easily. Two to three coats does the job nicely, and it lasts well. I redid the hinges on my original steel sunroof 8 or 9 years ago, and they are still good.
The screws and T-nuts just need to be rust-stripped, smoothed carefully with steel wool, and then re-shot with two coats of Duplicolor Trim Black:
The latch needs a bit more work; I'm still stripping paint, and I need to drill holes in the bottom to add new guide pins, as the cast-in ones have sheared off. I'll use small finish nails, driven into drilled holes, and carefully cut to length with a dremel.
More pix of those processes to come.
I'll sort the flood issue out, it's just going to take some time.
Here's the bottom part of the airbox, waiting for me to get my act together and start stripping it:
I was going to take it and get it oxide blasted... but I found out they want $50 to $80 to do that, and could not guarantee that they'd get all the crevices even then. I decided that I'll strip in myself. There's too much pitting and surface rust on it to just shand smooth and pain over. It's gotta be stripped clean on the outside. The inside can just get toothed up a bit.
On the moonroof, here's the starting situation as I bought it a few months ago.:
1) Hinges that have rusted, and lost their rubberizing, which makes thme both messy and lets them rattle.
2) The latch mechanism is kind of beat up; the latches are twisted out of place a bit, the paint is all chipped up, and the foam padding in the center is pretty much history.
3) The T-nuts (nut buttons, whatever they are called) on the outside are scratched up, pitted, and the black is mostly worn off.
So, first step; take everything apart, and strip the rust off of the hinge plates and screw heads.
Once the hinge plates have been completely stripped down, and all rust scaled off, you can use Plasti-Dip to restore them easily. Two to three coats does the job nicely, and it lasts well. I redid the hinges on my original steel sunroof 8 or 9 years ago, and they are still good.
The screws and T-nuts just need to be rust-stripped, smoothed carefully with steel wool, and then re-shot with two coats of Duplicolor Trim Black:
The latch needs a bit more work; I'm still stripping paint, and I need to drill holes in the bottom to add new guide pins, as the cast-in ones have sheared off. I'll use small finish nails, driven into drilled holes, and carefully cut to length with a dremel.
More pix of those processes to come.
04-04-09, 12:35 AM
#95
Day 260:
Finally got some new tires to replace my ancient (like, close to 15 years old) Riken 185/70-R13's.
I just couldn't swing the budget to hold out for the Sumitomo HTR's; I went a bit cheaper, and got in on a "buy 3, get one free" deal from Pep Boys, for their Futura GLS Super Sport RWL's, and I went up to 205/60-R13, which dropped the car another quarter inch and added nearly an inch of tread width. These are the absolute maxium sixe that the stock wheels can take; there's about 1/4" between the inside of the tire, and the spring perch on the front suspension.
They may not be the highest performance tires out there, but they're a step up from what I was running on. And I saved $125 from what the Sumi's would have cost, mounted.
Also, got the airbox lid finished off; still stripping paint from the lower part.
First pix, with -Xlr8Planet-'s beautious chrome lettering applied to the lid.
Actually hard to photograph (inside, at night) because they're so shiny. I'll get some daytime shots tomorrow.
Check my fancy rubber-coated hold-downs, too... so the new paint won't scratch, heh.
Will look a lot better once the bottom matches the top.
Finally got some new tires to replace my ancient (like, close to 15 years old) Riken 185/70-R13's.
I just couldn't swing the budget to hold out for the Sumitomo HTR's; I went a bit cheaper, and got in on a "buy 3, get one free" deal from Pep Boys, for their Futura GLS Super Sport RWL's, and I went up to 205/60-R13, which dropped the car another quarter inch and added nearly an inch of tread width. These are the absolute maxium sixe that the stock wheels can take; there's about 1/4" between the inside of the tire, and the spring perch on the front suspension.
They may not be the highest performance tires out there, but they're a step up from what I was running on. And I saved $125 from what the Sumi's would have cost, mounted.
Also, got the airbox lid finished off; still stripping paint from the lower part.
First pix, with -Xlr8Planet-'s beautious chrome lettering applied to the lid.
Actually hard to photograph (inside, at night) because they're so shiny. I'll get some daytime shots tomorrow.
Check my fancy rubber-coated hold-downs, too... so the new paint won't scratch, heh.
Will look a lot better once the bottom matches the top.
04-06-09, 12:08 PM
#97
04-06-09, 03:30 PM
#98
Futura's made by Cooper. The GLS SuperSports have a different tread pattern from the Cobras, though.
Specs are 440 A B. They're OK tires; grip is nothing special, though going out to 205 helped. I don't drive the car that aggresively, so they're fine, and much safer than the old junk I was running.
Only pic I have so far; can't see much detail:
Specs are 440 A B. They're OK tires; grip is nothing special, though going out to 205 helped. I don't drive the car that aggresively, so they're fine, and much safer than the old junk I was running.
Only pic I have so far; can't see much detail:
04-08-09, 12:11 AM
#99
Day 264:
Finished the moonroof hatch refurb last night:
Unassembled painted bits.
Here are the "guide pins" I had to restore. On the original part, these little bumps are part of the casting, and they engage holes in the plastic baseplate, which prevents the latches from rotating. All four of the little pins were sheared off on these, so the latch wouldn't stay lined up.
I drilled 1/16" holes where the pins used to be, and epoxied some medium-hard steel wire into the holes, then trimmed with a dremel. Worked out just fine; lines up perfect.
All re-assembled, ready to go on the glass:
Only thing missing is the foam rubber pad that goes in the center; the old one was so hard and brittle that it crumbled off. I'm going to get a scrap of wetsuit neoprene to replace it with. A piece of mouse pad would probably work just fine, too.
A pic of one of my finely refinished "button nuts."
A view of the safety catch; the little pin has to be driven out to disassemble it for painting.
And there she is, back in place. Once the foam is glued on, it'll be good as new!
Finished the moonroof hatch refurb last night:
Unassembled painted bits.
Here are the "guide pins" I had to restore. On the original part, these little bumps are part of the casting, and they engage holes in the plastic baseplate, which prevents the latches from rotating. All four of the little pins were sheared off on these, so the latch wouldn't stay lined up.
I drilled 1/16" holes where the pins used to be, and epoxied some medium-hard steel wire into the holes, then trimmed with a dremel. Worked out just fine; lines up perfect.
All re-assembled, ready to go on the glass:
Only thing missing is the foam rubber pad that goes in the center; the old one was so hard and brittle that it crumbled off. I'm going to get a scrap of wetsuit neoprene to replace it with. A piece of mouse pad would probably work just fine, too.
A pic of one of my finely refinished "button nuts."
A view of the safety catch; the little pin has to be driven out to disassemble it for painting.
And there she is, back in place. Once the foam is glued on, it'll be good as new!
