Well, my ongoing project since I bought this car in... 2012 when living in AB. I've had a blast with it!
Wehn I bought it, I gave it new tires and brakes and just drove it. Was good enough for the type of inspection they
Once I moved here in 2013, I knew it would have to be certified, so I started some close inspection. Next thing, I've got the front axles apart, steering stuff all replaced, inner fenders out and POR-15ed, new shocks, brakes bled, (all replaced in 2013) rebuilt the old tube radio (twice, fixed it once to get working, then full rebuild later)
And then... The damned thing needed wiring.
I pulled the instrument cluster for cleaning and the wires I moved all cracked and shed their insulation. Cloth and dry rubber. Blech.
I took time to put the non damaged front grille on, and straighten out a dent in the headlight bucket area.
The re-wire has gone well, I'm using wiring that looks original. In retrospect, I could have saved money by just doing the under-hood stuff in that retro-look wiring.
Made some safety changes. I'm putting in a fuse-box, and I've converted the tail lamps to dual circuit, so when you hit the brakes, you get the middle light, and both tails.
I've recently gotten over a pretty serious health condition, and so i'm actually strong enough to be working on the car. It's taken some time.
Actually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,
Needs an exhaust. I'd love to get one made, probably cheaper than paying for one from the US, plus maybe get a dump put out the fender for when the car needs to be loud... ;)
EDIT***
Just a little history on it. guy i bought it from needed to move and didn't really touch the car. During my last BMW club cruise before i moved, told me he grew up witht he car living across the street
Well, sure enough I met the guy who owned it from 1976-2006. He had all these parts for me, and lots of stories. Metalworker for CN, that's how he got the trailerhitch.
He found her in a field with a seized engine and away he went... :) it's a survivior.
-- Edited by bmw2002e3 on Wednesday 17th of August 2016 02:07:33 PM
That is a great looking ride, a lot of work on your part, but well worth the effort. Judging by the condition of those empty headlight locations,...that old girl is in Very Good condition sheetmetal wise,..and it looks equally good on the inside.
Nice work there Karel:.. If I am still here when you get to the exhaust I might be able to help you make that.. I do have a professional pipe bender "Ben Pearson" and a few sticks of pipe left we can order more .. I am going to sell it come spring. I need to sell everything next spring or early summer so I can get a smaller place in town.. or some town..Good to hear your getting better, Hang in there bud..
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There is no elevator to success — you have to take the stairs.
Nice work there Karel:.. If I am still here when you get to the exhaust I might be able to help you make that.. I do have a professional pipe bender "Ben Pearson" and a few sticks of pipe left we can order more .. I am going to sell it come spring. I need to sell everything next spring or early summer so I can get a smaller place in town.. or some town..Good to hear your getting better, Hang in there bud..
Forgot about the bender! I will probably take you up on that.
Yes, my health has improved. ten fold. I've kicked a fairly serious condition and strength is coming back.
Nice work there Karel:.. If I am still here when you get to the exhaust I might be able to help you make that.. I do have a professional pipe bender "Ben Pearson" and a few sticks of pipe left we can order more .. I am going to sell it come spring. I need to sell everything next spring or early summer so I can get a smaller place in town.. or some town..Good to hear your getting better, Hang in there bud..
For sure! If I get to the exhaust by spring, I will let you know.
That is a great looking ride, a lot of work on your part, but well worth the effort. Judging by the condition of those empty headlight locations,...that old girl is in Very Good condition sheetmetal wise,..and it looks equally good on the inside.
Yea, When I went to see the old girl, I got on the ground and brought my magnets etc. Fairly solid car.
Well, wiring's done. She started up first thing! Radio is back in, and I have a little bit of work to do here and there. One problem is, won't charge, I've got to double check the generator/regulator circuit and probably polarize the generator.
Valve adjustment, new valve cover gaskets. etc... the list goes on.
Decided to give the exhaust manifold a good cleanup and try out that flameproof VHT paint... we'll see.
I'm enjoying working on this old beast. Learning the nuances of the flathead. One thing, is the exhaust studs go into the coolant area, so Anti seize them! The other thing is that the two middle ones are long as heck, so I took some 4 inch bolts, cut the heads off in my lathe, cut some 3/8-16 threads into them and voila! new studs. :)
Note, the copper looking tubing you see isn't copper, it's the nickel copper stuff used for brake lines on Volvos etc.