Thursday, January 29, 2009
2009 Plans
Ok, going to make a dual entry here, since I want to discuss both the '76 B and the '65 B and the plans for this year.
'76 B Status -
I really need to get this car back on the road. With Rob now driving, once AJ comes home from school, we may have a car shortage this summer. Kathleen will be using the Audi for her job, which will leave the van for Rob if he needs to get to wherever he might be working... AJ will be using 'his' car, I guess, and I'm not sure that we can afford to buy somethng just for Rob - especially of the van is just sitting here. OTOH, we will need to watch the van's mileage carefully, as it's over where we should be right now and we have to turn it back in (unless we buy it) on December 1.
Ok, the last time we checked in, the '76 was not starting and the fuel pump was making a consistent, buzzing sound, versus the normal click-click-click every few seconds as it pumps fuel forward.... So, I need to do a flow test to see if it is actually pumping anything (the fuel filter did seem to be filled but...). I probably should check the fuses as well, as I wonder if something shorted out and the pump isn't getting enough power... If not, then I will replace the pump. It isn't actually an original unit anyways. Depending on the prices, I may get an original SU-style pump or just pick up something locally. A generic pump will work, if you get a pressure regular, to reduce the amount of pressure in the system.
Once the pump situation is clarified, the car should be good to go, as it did run a couple of times. Just need to do a little carb tuning, as it was idling pretty fast. But oil pressure was fine.
'65 B Status -
Once I get the '76 up and running (and driving!) then I will turn my attention seriously back to the '65. Right now, it is mostly stripped. The running gear, engine and transmission are still in the car. The wiring harness is still in the car. The brake lines are still on the car. That's about it for major items. So, I'll start by removing the wiring harness and brake lines. Then I'll pull the engine and transmission. I'll leave the suspension and steering rack on for now. Then I need to figure out the next steps. I guess that would be bodywork, so I need to see where I can get that done, or decide to see if I could do it myself (learn how to weld!).
I also need to start going back through some of the removed parts and looking at them for possible restoration. I have a spreadsheet that I am using to categorize them and keep track of which box they are in. I'd like to be able to start looking around for parts, if I need them. In general, I would rather restore/rebuild parts that came off this car as the first option, then buy a different used part and restore/rebuild that, before the third option of buying a new/reproduction part - which almost always tend to be of lesser quality than the originals. Of course, it's generally cheaper to restore/rebuild a part than replace it.... That's the plan, at least.
Now I just need some warmer weather in which to restart this work!
'76 B Status -
I really need to get this car back on the road. With Rob now driving, once AJ comes home from school, we may have a car shortage this summer. Kathleen will be using the Audi for her job, which will leave the van for Rob if he needs to get to wherever he might be working... AJ will be using 'his' car, I guess, and I'm not sure that we can afford to buy somethng just for Rob - especially of the van is just sitting here. OTOH, we will need to watch the van's mileage carefully, as it's over where we should be right now and we have to turn it back in (unless we buy it) on December 1.
Ok, the last time we checked in, the '76 was not starting and the fuel pump was making a consistent, buzzing sound, versus the normal click-click-click every few seconds as it pumps fuel forward.... So, I need to do a flow test to see if it is actually pumping anything (the fuel filter did seem to be filled but...). I probably should check the fuses as well, as I wonder if something shorted out and the pump isn't getting enough power... If not, then I will replace the pump. It isn't actually an original unit anyways. Depending on the prices, I may get an original SU-style pump or just pick up something locally. A generic pump will work, if you get a pressure regular, to reduce the amount of pressure in the system.
Once the pump situation is clarified, the car should be good to go, as it did run a couple of times. Just need to do a little carb tuning, as it was idling pretty fast. But oil pressure was fine.
'65 B Status -
Once I get the '76 up and running (and driving!) then I will turn my attention seriously back to the '65. Right now, it is mostly stripped. The running gear, engine and transmission are still in the car. The wiring harness is still in the car. The brake lines are still on the car. That's about it for major items. So, I'll start by removing the wiring harness and brake lines. Then I'll pull the engine and transmission. I'll leave the suspension and steering rack on for now. Then I need to figure out the next steps. I guess that would be bodywork, so I need to see where I can get that done, or decide to see if I could do it myself (learn how to weld!).
I also need to start going back through some of the removed parts and looking at them for possible restoration. I have a spreadsheet that I am using to categorize them and keep track of which box they are in. I'd like to be able to start looking around for parts, if I need them. In general, I would rather restore/rebuild parts that came off this car as the first option, then buy a different used part and restore/rebuild that, before the third option of buying a new/reproduction part - which almost always tend to be of lesser quality than the originals. Of course, it's generally cheaper to restore/rebuild a part than replace it.... That's the plan, at least.
Now I just need some warmer weather in which to restart this work!
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