Some Noob and not so noob questions, sandblasting, roll cage, EFI or carbs Options

[Dasnowman]

HI Guys I have some questions I have been trying to figure out and have done some search but really didn't get what I was looking for. Car is a 1971 1.7L

1) Is it possible to sand (bead) blast the car without having to pull the whole wiring harness? My thought is I could remove all the wiring retainers and loom and tape all the wiring up and the main fuse box,relays, and main mass of wiring just put in a small tupperwear box to protect it. Anyone ever try this, I just think it could save weeks to months for me.

2)Windshield I cracked mine pulling it out today.. While it had a couple of scratches and a small crack but now it's toast... where do I find one and how much?? Used must be impossible or else the person that installed mine wasn't done with the right sealant or the windshield was just old and fragile as windshield cracked just running the tool along the edge of the glass.

3) Roll cage what do people do? is the any suppliers that provide a kit...the pipe and schematic drawings and you just weld it youself? I think someone mentioned tangerine racing but didn't see anything on their website.


4)Have a 1.7 L that was running 20years ago before it was stored but it's missing EFI parts what to do? try to find stock parts seem rare $$$ and not very good for performance, switch to carbs and better cam?Or do something like megasquirt(?) I'm hoping to get the 1.7 running for this summer then build up something like a 2270/2316 or do a Suby swap in the fall for next season. So I either want something I could use for both a 1.7-2.3 and spend a bit more or get something cheap to get running for this year.... Anythoughs or experiances would be great.

[Mikey914]

Welcome!
The 1.7 isn't a a powerhouse, but you can get 30+ mpg on the freeway.
1- yes it can be done. You'll need to wrap the entire harness in heavy tinfoil. It's a pain to work aroud, but can be done.
2- PPG has the patern for these. I can get one locally for about $220. You should be able to do the same.
3-Tangerene is a good resource.
4- If you can, keep it stock. Carbs will bot offer you an increase in performance unless you change the cam out.
None of the options are really cheap, it's probably most cost effective to keep it stock.
If you have to rebuild, you can increase displacement. Megasquirt is an option, but I understand it takes tweaking.