Project: BMW E21
Discussion
So, I bought a new rad the other day, as the previous one was both the incorrect rad, and it also leaked.
Got it fitted today, just need the coolant hoses to arrive and I'll get it setup.
Then this weekend, I need to cut my splices out for the injector loom and resolder on the C191 plug which allows me to plug the injector wiring in via the OEM plug. This plug is a known water/dirt trap, but I want to get things as OEM as possible so I can eliminate anything that might be causing this misfiring.
Got it fitted today, just need the coolant hoses to arrive and I'll get it setup.
Then this weekend, I need to cut my splices out for the injector loom and resolder on the C191 plug which allows me to plug the injector wiring in via the OEM plug. This plug is a known water/dirt trap, but I want to get things as OEM as possible so I can eliminate anything that might be causing this misfiring.
It's been too long since an update, been very busy with the car and a new job.
It's a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. The engine runs very smoothly, no lumpiness or misfiring any more, but unfortunately it's revving very high, and I'm not talking a little bit high, it sounds like it's 3k+ and slowly climbing.
This high idle could be cause by the lack of back pressure, as there is not a complete exhaust at the moment, something I'm in the process of sorting. After a chat with Jord, we think it might be injector related, as I had the injectors doing this after the engine stalled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICz-c3I0zaA&...
So I did some reading and it turns out that there were some very early, high impedance injectors, mainly Jetronic. The later cars all had low impedance injectors. The readings for the two types of injectors are as follows:
HI: 14.5 Ohms - 17.5 Ohms
LI: 2.5 Ohms - 3.0 Ohms
I tested the resistance of mine tonight, circa 16.0 Ohms. So it might well be that mine are somehow the wrong ones. The part numbers do vary it would seem, so I'm going to try a set of later ones, and see if the resistance is different, and if so, swap them, if not, back to the drawing board.
I have a very helpful breaker from E30Zone who is helping me no end with spare parts, and trying to find the issue.
ICV might well be at fault, but I'm not convinced it could cause such a high idle. The important thing to remember is the idle is smooth, not lumpy at all, suggesting it's not an air leak, as I believe a massive air leak would cause crappy running.
We tried blocking various things up to see what does what, and the only way to bring the idle down was the block the ICV, and open the hole in the rubber boot between the AFM and the TB that the ICV was in. When we did that, the engine idle dropped, ran rough, then died.
Had a look at the AFM tonight, and it seems spanking new inside, all clean and looked fine. Same story with the Throttle Position Sensor, which was perfect inside, no gunk or crap which is commonly found in there.
Next step is sort the exhaust so I have adequate back pressure. Then go from there.
It's a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. The engine runs very smoothly, no lumpiness or misfiring any more, but unfortunately it's revving very high, and I'm not talking a little bit high, it sounds like it's 3k+ and slowly climbing.
This high idle could be cause by the lack of back pressure, as there is not a complete exhaust at the moment, something I'm in the process of sorting. After a chat with Jord, we think it might be injector related, as I had the injectors doing this after the engine stalled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICz-c3I0zaA&...
So I did some reading and it turns out that there were some very early, high impedance injectors, mainly Jetronic. The later cars all had low impedance injectors. The readings for the two types of injectors are as follows:
HI: 14.5 Ohms - 17.5 Ohms
LI: 2.5 Ohms - 3.0 Ohms
I tested the resistance of mine tonight, circa 16.0 Ohms. So it might well be that mine are somehow the wrong ones. The part numbers do vary it would seem, so I'm going to try a set of later ones, and see if the resistance is different, and if so, swap them, if not, back to the drawing board.
I have a very helpful breaker from E30Zone who is helping me no end with spare parts, and trying to find the issue.
ICV might well be at fault, but I'm not convinced it could cause such a high idle. The important thing to remember is the idle is smooth, not lumpy at all, suggesting it's not an air leak, as I believe a massive air leak would cause crappy running.
We tried blocking various things up to see what does what, and the only way to bring the idle down was the block the ICV, and open the hole in the rubber boot between the AFM and the TB that the ICV was in. When we did that, the engine idle dropped, ran rough, then died.
Had a look at the AFM tonight, and it seems spanking new inside, all clean and looked fine. Same story with the Throttle Position Sensor, which was perfect inside, no gunk or crap which is commonly found in there.
Next step is sort the exhaust so I have adequate back pressure. Then go from there.
So, the high idle is sorted! 
It was the simplest, and most obvious thing it could have possibly been! I actually felt pretty stupid once I noticed it!
Anyway, I'll explain myself:
So I looked at the realOEM drawings for the brake booster vacuum hoses and followed them. Anyway the rubber boot I bought from BMW had an outlet on the right, which matched the drawings, so I hooked it up as per the drawing.
I've illustrated it below:
14168432057_35605a7a70_o by Eddie the Kid, on Flickr
Blue line is air passing up the boot to the throttle body.
Purple is throttle body.
Red is air passing up the boot and through the ICV.
Yellow is air passing up the boot, through the brake booster hoses, and in behind the throttle body.
So obviously air was getting in, unmetered, causing the idle to shoot up. Such a simple mistake to make, but at least I've found it.
As a note, the injectors are spot on, and the various other sensors seem okay, although I want to do some more electrical tests.
Anyway, with the idle now at an acceptable level, we noticed that when the throttle was opened, there was some hesitation and slight misfiring, certainly didn't sound good. So we took the spark plugs out, and they looked like this:
Untitled by Eddie the Kid, on Flickr
So yeah, pretty disgusting, so I've already ordered some replacements in the form of some NGK's, which are recommended.
Hopefully that will get things sorted.
It was the simplest, and most obvious thing it could have possibly been! I actually felt pretty stupid once I noticed it!
Anyway, I'll explain myself:
So I looked at the realOEM drawings for the brake booster vacuum hoses and followed them. Anyway the rubber boot I bought from BMW had an outlet on the right, which matched the drawings, so I hooked it up as per the drawing.
I've illustrated it below:
14168432057_35605a7a70_o by Eddie the Kid, on FlickrBlue line is air passing up the boot to the throttle body.
Purple is throttle body.
Red is air passing up the boot and through the ICV.
Yellow is air passing up the boot, through the brake booster hoses, and in behind the throttle body.
So obviously air was getting in, unmetered, causing the idle to shoot up. Such a simple mistake to make, but at least I've found it.
As a note, the injectors are spot on, and the various other sensors seem okay, although I want to do some more electrical tests.
Anyway, with the idle now at an acceptable level, we noticed that when the throttle was opened, there was some hesitation and slight misfiring, certainly didn't sound good. So we took the spark plugs out, and they looked like this:
Untitled by Eddie the Kid, on FlickrSo yeah, pretty disgusting, so I've already ordered some replacements in the form of some NGK's, which are recommended.
Hopefully that will get things sorted.
Edited by eddiethekid on Thursday 5th June 23:42
New spark plugs arrived today, so got them fitted, old on the left, new NGK's on the right:
Slightly different fitting on the connector, but it seems to be fine. Idles well and revs up as it should.
Slight issue with the idle dropping lower than normal when I drop the throttle all the way off. Idle drops down and coughs a touch, then comes back to normal idle. I'm sure I've read about this somewhere before, so it should hopefully be a straightforward fix.
Also went up to Topgear in Stockport to collect my new Y-pipe. This will collect the gases from the two 1.5" downpipes into one 2" pipe that will head off to the backbox.
Plenty to be cracking on with over the next few days and this weekend.
Slightly different fitting on the connector, but it seems to be fine. Idles well and revs up as it should.
Slight issue with the idle dropping lower than normal when I drop the throttle all the way off. Idle drops down and coughs a touch, then comes back to normal idle. I'm sure I've read about this somewhere before, so it should hopefully be a straightforward fix.
Also went up to Topgear in Stockport to collect my new Y-pipe. This will collect the gases from the two 1.5" downpipes into one 2" pipe that will head off to the backbox.
Plenty to be cracking on with over the next few days and this weekend.
Right, the exhaust is on now. It's blowing slightly, but it's on. Firstly, it sounds immense! Such a lovely noise, it's maybe a bit louder than I would like, but I'll run with it for now.
Firstly, cooling system. I need to get it bled properly. Problem is, I don't have any bleed screws or anything so I'll have to bleed it through the expansion tank, something I'm not massively familiar with so I need to figure that out.
I'm worried (I like to worry) about the temperature of the coolant. The gauge is saying it's fine, but it's a 38 year old gauge and frankly I'm not sure I trust it. I need an aftermarket temperature gauge really, something I can fit and it can give me a readout in the car, and I'll just tuck the new gauge away somewhere nice and hidden. I'm open to suggestions for this though.
Next up, with the throttle open and the revs high, there's a fair bit of blue and black smoke, although mainly blue. So it's burning oil. I did a compression test and got the following:
Cyl 1: 148
Cyl 2: 142
Cyl 3: 152
Cyl 4: 155
Cyl 5: 148
Cyl 6: 162
So they seem "okay". That was on a warm engine, with the throttle closed, and all spark plugs removed. I've not done a wet test to compare, so I can't completely eliminate the piston rings. Might well be valve stem seals, it also might just be because it's not been used in a long time, and it just kicking old oil out, I don't know at the moment.
It's very close to being driveable though, when it is, I'll be taking it to an exhuast shop as it 100% needs something better making than my attempt.
Firstly, cooling system. I need to get it bled properly. Problem is, I don't have any bleed screws or anything so I'll have to bleed it through the expansion tank, something I'm not massively familiar with so I need to figure that out.
I'm worried (I like to worry) about the temperature of the coolant. The gauge is saying it's fine, but it's a 38 year old gauge and frankly I'm not sure I trust it. I need an aftermarket temperature gauge really, something I can fit and it can give me a readout in the car, and I'll just tuck the new gauge away somewhere nice and hidden. I'm open to suggestions for this though.
Next up, with the throttle open and the revs high, there's a fair bit of blue and black smoke, although mainly blue. So it's burning oil. I did a compression test and got the following:
Cyl 1: 148
Cyl 2: 142
Cyl 3: 152
Cyl 4: 155
Cyl 5: 148
Cyl 6: 162
So they seem "okay". That was on a warm engine, with the throttle closed, and all spark plugs removed. I've not done a wet test to compare, so I can't completely eliminate the piston rings. Might well be valve stem seals, it also might just be because it's not been used in a long time, and it just kicking old oil out, I don't know at the moment.
It's very close to being driveable though, when it is, I'll be taking it to an exhuast shop as it 100% needs something better making than my attempt.
So the time has come to button the car back up.
Engine wise, I'm happy. Coolant system needs a bleed, and I probably should replace the 'blue plug' (coolant temp sensor for the ECU) but that's it.
So yesterday I got loads done, it looks like a car again!
I really love how the engine sits in the bay, looks so at home and I think it really suits the car, appearance wise.
Engine wise, I'm happy. Coolant system needs a bleed, and I probably should replace the 'blue plug' (coolant temp sensor for the ECU) but that's it.
So yesterday I got loads done, it looks like a car again!
I really love how the engine sits in the bay, looks so at home and I think it really suits the car, appearance wise.
So I think I've got the cooling system bled correctly, turns out I do have a bleed screw, bad information led me astray. Anyway, I bled it how I understand to be correct, but time will tell.
So with that sorted, it was time to put it back together and it can finally become a car again!
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Engine bay looks as tidy as it's going to get for now, I didn't want to wrap all the loom up yet incase it needs to be worked on. So for the first few hundred miles it will remain open, but zip tied up.
Chris and Jon were round today and we detailed all three cars. Mine was cleaned and clayed. Then Prima Amigo was applied via DA. The paint was finished off with a layer of Zymol Glasur. Glass was polished and finished with Gtechniq G5, and the tyres finished with the usual Megs Endurance.
Mandatory Zymol beading shot:
Really cannot wait to drive it. I'm actually rather nervous. Many people have told me it'll be quite lairy, in addition to that, I'm worried about the quality of the engine and the build etc, many things. Only one way to go about it though and that's to just get on with it. First drive will be in a few weeks after I get back from Prague.
Exciting times.
So with that sorted, it was time to put it back together and it can finally become a car again!
[/url]Engine bay looks as tidy as it's going to get for now, I didn't want to wrap all the loom up yet incase it needs to be worked on. So for the first few hundred miles it will remain open, but zip tied up.
Chris and Jon were round today and we detailed all three cars. Mine was cleaned and clayed. Then Prima Amigo was applied via DA. The paint was finished off with a layer of Zymol Glasur. Glass was polished and finished with Gtechniq G5, and the tyres finished with the usual Megs Endurance.
Mandatory Zymol beading shot:
Really cannot wait to drive it. I'm actually rather nervous. Many people have told me it'll be quite lairy, in addition to that, I'm worried about the quality of the engine and the build etc, many things. Only one way to go about it though and that's to just get on with it. First drive will be in a few weeks after I get back from Prague.
Exciting times.
So yeah today I took it for the first drive, mainly good, with a few teething issues:
The battery moves in the boot as I didn't strap it down, so when I floor it, the battery gets flung across the boot, pulls the cables off it and the car cuts out! Doh!
Anyway that's not strapped down and seems to be all okay.
The waterpump seems to have a tiny, and I mean tiny coolant leak. It's like a pinprick in a hosepipe, coolant coming out in a very, very fine jet. It also only does this intermittently, so I'll probably have to get the pump off and reseal it or something.
The exhaust blows a bit, so that needs sorting next, but that's not too much of a headache.
Now onto the good stuff: It's awesome, properly awesome. The engine feels great, pulls well, and sounds brilliant. I must admit, I saw it parked up at my mates flat and felt really proud to be driving it. I need to get some miles on it now, Didsbury car show is next weekend so I'm looking forward to that.
So yeah, loads of little things to be doing, but ultimately, it's on the road.
The battery moves in the boot as I didn't strap it down, so when I floor it, the battery gets flung across the boot, pulls the cables off it and the car cuts out! Doh!
Anyway that's not strapped down and seems to be all okay.
The waterpump seems to have a tiny, and I mean tiny coolant leak. It's like a pinprick in a hosepipe, coolant coming out in a very, very fine jet. It also only does this intermittently, so I'll probably have to get the pump off and reseal it or something.
The exhaust blows a bit, so that needs sorting next, but that's not too much of a headache.
Now onto the good stuff: It's awesome, properly awesome. The engine feels great, pulls well, and sounds brilliant. I must admit, I saw it parked up at my mates flat and felt really proud to be driving it. I need to get some miles on it now, Didsbury car show is next weekend so I'm looking forward to that.
So yeah, loads of little things to be doing, but ultimately, it's on the road.
So I figured out what the bang was the other day, one of the nuts came off the bolt that holds the prop onto the gearbox. The bolt then wriggled its way out and departed at whatever revs I was doing. Understandably, it made a fair old racket!
Can be seen missing here:
So with that sorted, I gave it a wash along with my mates E36 M3, and got prepared for Didsbury car show which was this Sunday just gone.
Sunday morning came around, and on the way there I noticed my wipers slowed down and eventually stopped, the horn didn't work either... then it died. Presumed alternator failure, but after being towed home and we had a look at it, it's looking more likely to be a weak earth.
I went to the show anyway, just without the car. I did see an old BMW bike there, in Topazbraun too!
So a disappointing weekend I guess, but these things happen.
I did get a couple of decent shots on the 50mm from when I went out the other night though:
Can be seen missing here:
So with that sorted, I gave it a wash along with my mates E36 M3, and got prepared for Didsbury car show which was this Sunday just gone.
Sunday morning came around, and on the way there I noticed my wipers slowed down and eventually stopped, the horn didn't work either... then it died. Presumed alternator failure, but after being towed home and we had a look at it, it's looking more likely to be a weak earth.
I went to the show anyway, just without the car. I did see an old BMW bike there, in Topazbraun too!
So a disappointing weekend I guess, but these things happen.
I did get a couple of decent shots on the 50mm from when I went out the other night though:
It's been a good while since I have updated this, so here is what has gone on in the last month or so.
The chrome on the rear bumper was a mess and I wanted to tidy it up a little. A friend told me about a trick that utilizes Diet Coke (Diet to prevent stickiness from the sugar) and alluminium foil.
Essentially you pour the Coke on and gently rub down the chrome with some scrunched up foil. The results are fantastic.
Before:
After:
Of course the rust will come back, but I've sealed it with some FK1000p wax for now, so it should keep it looking fresh for a little while.
I also took the car to Blink motorsport for a full alignment. Very happy with them, they've transformed the car from a very nervous feeling thing, to something that feels very capable and really quite sharp.
The rear settings can't be changed as I don't have a slotted rear end yet, so that camber is a result of the lowering and nothing else.
Couldn't recommend them enough.
I then took it down to Worcester for the Retro Rides Gathering 2014.
It was fantastic on the way down, sits very well at 70mph, and pulls really nicely. Then once off the M5, the country roads across to our hotel were sublime, turn in feels good, even on the crap tyres, and it has great traction. It's also really rather nippy, even with a modest 170bhp (ish), the lack of weight and driving assists certainly makes driving it a real event.
Unfortunately the following morning saw me written out of the show:
After brimming the tank, I noticed a pretty serious fuel leak. The culprit was the fuel sender unit, which should have a seal on it but doesn't. A simple fix and a new one is on order, but the damage was done, fuel all around the exhaust and fumes in the cabin made it far too much of a risk to drive, so I called my breakdown cover and they loaded it up and took it back to Manchester for me. Fortunately I was still able to go to the show, as the driver agreed to take the vehicle home for me without me going with him.
So it now sits outside venting off the last of the fumes, I'm hoping to have it all sorted and back on the road by the weekend.
The chrome on the rear bumper was a mess and I wanted to tidy it up a little. A friend told me about a trick that utilizes Diet Coke (Diet to prevent stickiness from the sugar) and alluminium foil.
Essentially you pour the Coke on and gently rub down the chrome with some scrunched up foil. The results are fantastic.
Before:
After:
Of course the rust will come back, but I've sealed it with some FK1000p wax for now, so it should keep it looking fresh for a little while.
I also took the car to Blink motorsport for a full alignment. Very happy with them, they've transformed the car from a very nervous feeling thing, to something that feels very capable and really quite sharp.
The rear settings can't be changed as I don't have a slotted rear end yet, so that camber is a result of the lowering and nothing else.
Couldn't recommend them enough.
I then took it down to Worcester for the Retro Rides Gathering 2014.
It was fantastic on the way down, sits very well at 70mph, and pulls really nicely. Then once off the M5, the country roads across to our hotel were sublime, turn in feels good, even on the crap tyres, and it has great traction. It's also really rather nippy, even with a modest 170bhp (ish), the lack of weight and driving assists certainly makes driving it a real event.
Unfortunately the following morning saw me written out of the show:
After brimming the tank, I noticed a pretty serious fuel leak. The culprit was the fuel sender unit, which should have a seal on it but doesn't. A simple fix and a new one is on order, but the damage was done, fuel all around the exhaust and fumes in the cabin made it far too much of a risk to drive, so I called my breakdown cover and they loaded it up and took it back to Manchester for me. Fortunately I was still able to go to the show, as the driver agreed to take the vehicle home for me without me going with him.
So it now sits outside venting off the last of the fumes, I'm hoping to have it all sorted and back on the road by the weekend.
So today I made a start on the headlining, the material is charcoal grey, brushed nylon & foam backed. It's lovely to work with.
The pictures are awful as the colour isn't easy to capture in sunglight conditions, but you get the idea. It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty good for my first attempt IMO.
I tired to keep the use of glue to a minimum, which I believe is the standard practice for the OEM headliner, so it's tucked into the door and window seals as per OEM.
The pictures are awful as the colour isn't easy to capture in sunglight conditions, but you get the idea. It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty good for my first attempt IMO.
I tired to keep the use of glue to a minimum, which I believe is the standard practice for the OEM headliner, so it's tucked into the door and window seals as per OEM.
Got a little video of the exhaust sound on the E21, it's not really the highest quality sound, but it's good enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbuU0rvJvmw&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbuU0rvJvmw&fe...
Went out the other night for a drive, and noticed a couple of small issues:
The drivers rear coilover was "twanging" because the spring wasn't seated properly due to the height being adjusted with the preload of the spring. So I raised the rear of the car slightly, but it has removed the annoying spring twang which is more important to me.
At high revs, there was a rattling coming from the exhuast system, which after a closer inspection has turned out to be the exhaust centre section coming into contact with the propshaft. So I'll run it back up to Topgear and have a chat with them, see what they can do.
The handbrake is sticking on every now and again, I've not looked at this yet, but I plan to this weekend. Probably just something sticking a little bit.
In better news, I took it out to north Wales on Sunday, 120 miles, a lot of which was spent on country roads. The car was sublime, not a single issue and it kept up with the best of them. Nial and Adrian got some fantastic photos of the car over near a quarry, very impressed with them.
I've agreed a date with my dad to put the car into storage at his house over the winter months.
The car was detailed on Saturday before the meet on the Sunday. Prima Amigo applied via DA and finished with two layers of Zaino Z8:
From up at the quarry:
The drivers rear coilover was "twanging" because the spring wasn't seated properly due to the height being adjusted with the preload of the spring. So I raised the rear of the car slightly, but it has removed the annoying spring twang which is more important to me.
At high revs, there was a rattling coming from the exhuast system, which after a closer inspection has turned out to be the exhaust centre section coming into contact with the propshaft. So I'll run it back up to Topgear and have a chat with them, see what they can do.
The handbrake is sticking on every now and again, I've not looked at this yet, but I plan to this weekend. Probably just something sticking a little bit.
In better news, I took it out to north Wales on Sunday, 120 miles, a lot of which was spent on country roads. The car was sublime, not a single issue and it kept up with the best of them. Nial and Adrian got some fantastic photos of the car over near a quarry, very impressed with them.
I've agreed a date with my dad to put the car into storage at his house over the winter months.
The car was detailed on Saturday before the meet on the Sunday. Prima Amigo applied via DA and finished with two layers of Zaino Z8:
From up at the quarry:
It has been a long time since I've posted in here, but I thought I should update the thread.
I still have the car, it has been in storage at my dads for the last few months but it has now returned.
It now has a quick rack, which from the very brief drive I've had since fitting it, feels fantastic.
I have also fitted a Momo Prototipo, which also feels and looks great.
The car is looking well, before bringing it home from my dads:
However it has failed its MOT on the following:
Rear brakes, essentially they're binding and the handbrake isn't up to scratch, which I found out tonight is due to a snapped cable, so I'll fit a new one this week. The shoes are all a bit gunked up, so I'll buy a new fitting kit, take it all apart and clean it and refit everything which will hopefully solve that.
Headlights supposedly have some rust on the reflectors which has failed them, I had every intention of sorting them tonight, but it seems the glass lens doesn't "pop" off them like I thought it would? Anyone have any ideas?
Finally it failed on too higher engine idle. It's idling at 1,200rpm, so certainly a little too high. However I can't bring it down at all, I can't find a vac leak, it doesn't appear to be the "blue plug" (which measures coolant temperature and adjusts the fueling to suit" so I'm at a bit of a loss with that one.
Anyway, I'm sure it'll get sorted soon enough, it's good to have it back on the drive
I still have the car, it has been in storage at my dads for the last few months but it has now returned.
It now has a quick rack, which from the very brief drive I've had since fitting it, feels fantastic.
I have also fitted a Momo Prototipo, which also feels and looks great.
The car is looking well, before bringing it home from my dads:
However it has failed its MOT on the following:
Rear brakes, essentially they're binding and the handbrake isn't up to scratch, which I found out tonight is due to a snapped cable, so I'll fit a new one this week. The shoes are all a bit gunked up, so I'll buy a new fitting kit, take it all apart and clean it and refit everything which will hopefully solve that.
Headlights supposedly have some rust on the reflectors which has failed them, I had every intention of sorting them tonight, but it seems the glass lens doesn't "pop" off them like I thought it would? Anyone have any ideas?
Finally it failed on too higher engine idle. It's idling at 1,200rpm, so certainly a little too high. However I can't bring it down at all, I can't find a vac leak, it doesn't appear to be the "blue plug" (which measures coolant temperature and adjusts the fueling to suit" so I'm at a bit of a loss with that one.
Anyway, I'm sure it'll get sorted soon enough, it's good to have it back on the drive
Car is up and running and I've been enjoying it for a few weeks now.
I've also been busy working away on it.
Coolant temperature gauge from Stack:
The car is slightly overcooling so I want to be able to monitor coolant temps (I've had a BMW with cooling issues before, and it's not much fun)
I also mounted an iPhone 5/5S dock to the centre console, so I can mount the phone and play music from it. All wired in and fixed in position:
I also bought some Recaros. They're from an Opel Manta GTE and they need plenty of cleaning up before they can go in, but they were super cheap and they're nice to sit in. My interior will be getting wrapped up and put somewhere for safe storage, as it is spotless and I'd like to hang onto it.
I'll make some subframes for them soon and hopefully have them test fitted soon.
I've also been busy working away on it.
Coolant temperature gauge from Stack:
The car is slightly overcooling so I want to be able to monitor coolant temps (I've had a BMW with cooling issues before, and it's not much fun)
I also mounted an iPhone 5/5S dock to the centre console, so I can mount the phone and play music from it. All wired in and fixed in position:
I also bought some Recaros. They're from an Opel Manta GTE and they need plenty of cleaning up before they can go in, but they were super cheap and they're nice to sit in. My interior will be getting wrapped up and put somewhere for safe storage, as it is spotless and I'd like to hang onto it.
I'll make some subframes for them soon and hopefully have them test fitted soon.
Another update:
New seats are coming along nicely, my design for the subframes is a little bit awesome, but I'll wait until they're in properly before I touch on that too much.
Got a few bits on order but nothing of any major merit, other than the holes in the front wing/valance join will soon be covered by a custom trim, more on that when it's done.
Tomorrow (12/07/15) is Didsbury Classic Car Show, so today was spent detailing the car in preparation for the show. A few photos of the car this afternoon after the detail.
I'll be at a few shows this year, main one being Retro Rides Gathering, which I can't wait for.
New seats are coming along nicely, my design for the subframes is a little bit awesome, but I'll wait until they're in properly before I touch on that too much.
Got a few bits on order but nothing of any major merit, other than the holes in the front wing/valance join will soon be covered by a custom trim, more on that when it's done.
Tomorrow (12/07/15) is Didsbury Classic Car Show, so today was spent detailing the car in preparation for the show. A few photos of the car this afternoon after the detail.
I'll be at a few shows this year, main one being Retro Rides Gathering, which I can't wait for.
longintheleg said:
I love the DoF in these photos and was wondering what Camera/lens setup you're using?
The car looks awesome by the way.
I have a Canon 50D and those shots were with a basic Canon 50mm prime lens The car looks awesome by the way.
Got the front bumper on and the number plate mounted up too.
I was keen not to screw the number plate to the bumper, mainly because I don't want unsightly screws showing on the plate, and drilling the plate is very "permanent". So I made a plate that is mounted to the bumper as per the normal method, and then the number plate is mounted on that plate.
So, metal plate measured, cut and mounted. It's smaller than a number plate so cannot be seen:
This was then painted up to keep it clean and tidy:
And then the number plate fitted:
Much cleaner and tidier than screwing it on IMO.
So the time had come for a new throttle cable, the old one was a bit of a bodge and I really don't know how it lasted as long as it did.
Anyway, got all the parts I needed from Venhill:
Needed to make 2 new brackets in total, as I wanted a good amount of tension adjustment in the cable, first bracket being cut out, bent up and a thread putting in:
Next up I needed to modify the throttle arm, as it was fouling on the sound deadening I have fitted, so the pedal was struggling to return correctly. I didn't really want to cut up the sound deadening, so I made some basic changes to the arm itself:
This "kink" allows the arm to move freely. I've also included a hole for the clevis pin to attach to the arm.
All fitted up:
Third bracket made, which picks up on two points on the inlet manifold:
And finally some photos of the brackets painted, fitted and the cable all finished:
Anyway, got all the parts I needed from Venhill:
Needed to make 2 new brackets in total, as I wanted a good amount of tension adjustment in the cable, first bracket being cut out, bent up and a thread putting in:
Next up I needed to modify the throttle arm, as it was fouling on the sound deadening I have fitted, so the pedal was struggling to return correctly. I didn't really want to cut up the sound deadening, so I made some basic changes to the arm itself:
This "kink" allows the arm to move freely. I've also included a hole for the clevis pin to attach to the arm.
All fitted up:
Third bracket made, which picks up on two points on the inlet manifold:
And finally some photos of the brackets painted, fitted and the cable all finished:
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