'73 2.0, a yellow storage unit find Options

[arne]

Looks like a great car and gifted owner. I too (Jamie) would like to find some time and come down and see it.
Keep the pedal down .................

Awww, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) I don't think of myself as gifted, just a competent mechanic. The stuff you do in the metalwork and rust abatement area seems much more of a gift to me, Cary.

The farther I go, I find that while I still find things that are worse than I hoped, it is still a really sound starting point, and will be a great car before long. Some of my recent acquaintances and new neighbors who have not seen projects I have done before have expressed some doubts about my sanity for starting something that doesn't look so good right now. My wife just smiles and says, "He's dragged home cars that were far worse..."

Cary, you and Jamie (and any other semi-local teeners) are welcome to come by any time. Although, I cringe a bit when I think of what an experienced 914 eye might spot...

[JRust]

Hey Arne your making great progress. I saw you were dropping the motor. Had hoped my schedule would open up so I could come down to help. Just to much going on at the moment prepping for our move to Albany & our new home. I did manage to find a good pedal board if you still need one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[euro911]

Albay, OR ... PA ... or NY? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[arne]

I did manage to find a good pedal board if you still need one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Definitely still need a pedal board, Jamie. But no hurry.

Albany, OR ... PA ... or NY? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Oregon, I've been led to believe.

[porschetub]

More progress today. The clutch is fine, does not need replaced. Input shaft seal is not leaking now, but looks a bit sketchy and will be replaced. Rear main seal was starting to leak, so this was well worth the time. Replaced pushrod tube seals on the right side today, will next tackle the oil cooler seals before moving to the left side.

Building a list of parts for little things I want to address prior to reinstalling the motor.

Good call on the input shaft seal mine was fine (looking) then leaking and about screwed my new clutch,just got it in time....
The RMS is a must do.

[arne]

Spent time today compiling the parts I'll need to address before putting it back together. Also crawled inside to determine what the rust situation really is.



And it doesn't appear too bad. Someone has been in there before, someone who welds worse than I do, and didn't know how to clean up and prep for paint and sealer when they finished. Battery tray is probably a total loss, and I'm going to need to spend some time doing the cleanup, etching and prep before trying to seal things up. No perforations, nothing I could poke a pick through.

So I've got some work to do while I wait for the next batch of parts.

[mstein95]

Arne -
Sorry haven't been available to assist up until now. Maybe I can swing by this weekend to provide encouragement.

Morgan

[arne]

Arne -
Sorry haven't been available to assist up until now. Maybe I can swing by this weekend to provide encouragement.

Morgan

No worries, Morgan. You're welcome to swing by anytime, as long as the sight of a small, cluttered work area doesn't faze you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I will send you my contact info in a PM.

Things are actually going fairly well so far. I will probably spend some time on it during the week, probably tomorrow or Friday afternoon. Will only have one of the two days this weekend, not sure which just yet. Focus will be on more rust cleanup and such, to see what real repairs might be necessary prior to putting the drivetrain back in.

[arne]

I'm quite pleased with the hell hole situation. After much digging, poking, scraping, wire brushing, etc., it is all quite solid and acceptable. The visible rust was all superficial, caused by really poor cleanup and paint prep by whoever did the previous repairs. No, strike that, it wasn't poor prep, there was no prep at all. They apparently just welded in some patch panels and a battery tray support, and immediately sprayed it with yellow top coat. No cleanup of the welding flux, no primer, just paint. Sad.

I've done some remedial cleaning, etched and such with phosphoric acid solution, and gave it a good coat of high zinc primer. Will find some nice yellow paint to finish it off prior to putting the drivetrain back in.

The cleanup, resealing and other work on the engine and transmission is also going well. The transmission is done, so after replacing the rear main seal, I married the lump back together. Morgan (mstein95) stopped by today with his pretty Phoenix red '74 and gave a hand with that part.

No new surprises recently, so I expect to put the engine back in the car late this week. Might be mobile again by the weekend.

[mepstein]

An engine drop sounds scary but once you do it, it turns really productive. Remember new schnor (so?) washers on the cv's and don't be afraid to buy a new grounding strap for the trans.

It's also a lot easier to replace the alternator belt at this time.

[rhodyguy]

That doesn't look so bad. Consider pulling the pad. Stuff likes to hide.

[arne]

Yeah, I was hoping I could avoid the drop because I'd not done one before, but doing it was definitely the right call.

Gotta laugh about your (very good) suggestions, Mark. The new ground strap is already on the transmission now. The new alternator belt is in the things-yet-to-do pile. In addition to those, I've got new front motor mounts in place as of today. I identified all of those as things I'd rather do with the engine down. Wasn't hard to figure out what things were best done now. While I'm a 914 noob, it is just a car, and this is far from being my first refresh project.

[arne]

I've had the pad down, in fact getting it properly secured before I put the engine back is yet another task on the list.

[arne]

Update - I was planning to put the engine back in late this week, but have decided to delay that while I wait for some proper Saturn Yellow paint for in the engine compartment. My original thought was just to paint it with something semi-close to cover and protect the primer and such. But in the end, I decided I needed to get as close to the correct color as possible, and will need to wait a few days for that to be mixed.

In the meanwhile, I will spend my time doing other bits and prep. Regardless, I figure it should be running again by the middle of this month.

[arne]

Today's tech tidbit - Yes, it is possible to change the oil cooler seals without removing all the engine tin. I did it with the engine out, but it could probably be done with the engine in as well, but it would be even less fun. You do need to be able to thread a nut on the innermost stud with just two fingers by feel, there is no real way to see it.

The big tip? Use a 15mm end wrench to put the seals in place, as described in this Pelican tech article.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/9...ooler_seals.htm

The article talks about doing it with the engine in, but with it dropped I was able to remove the front mounting bar, which eased access a touch. The article also doesn't note that you probably want to remove the oil filter for access. I also had previously dropped the exhaust, so that also helped a bit, I suspect.

[mepstein]

Personally, I think the engine pads on the engine side are a mistake. Pretty ineffective. Much better to have modern heat and sound pad on the inside of the firewall instead of trapping moisture on the exterior. Just my opinion.

[arne]

Cleaning various bits and making things nice, while I wait the Saturn Yellow paint.

[arne]

Well, I believe that most of the "have-to" tasks prior to putting the engine back are complete. Still waiting on the yellow paint, so I will spend some quality time with the car cleaning and tweaking things. Will be on the road a few days next week, so I don't expect to put it back until Father's Day weekend.

[arne]

Have started gathering other parts that I will need/want later as I anticipate getting the freshly sealed engine and transmission back in the car soon.

[914_7T3]

Have started gathering other parts that I will need/want later as I anticipate getting the freshly sealed engine and transmission back in the car soon.

Is that a dash pad top or the 914 rubber replacement dash? Just curious.