74 3.0 CS Mild Restoration

[eludvigs]

Hey folks. Dan mentioned I should get some pictures up and document some of the work I'm doing on my 74. I'm using iCloud sharing to post pics and some comments about what I run in to etc.

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A7532ODWY1Cl6

I researched this car and found it in various places on the internet. Its history and unknowns interested me a lot. Plus it looked like solid bones and performance ... and it is.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/today-i-fell-in-love-with-a-car-npocp-511772832
http://e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9903
http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14151

Some info on the car:
1. 130k on the clock
2. 114k on the clock when the 3.5L upgrade was done (1997)
3. I have some mild documentation saying the motor was a Euro "Hartge Tuned" Motor. It's all hand written on a hour sheet. Either way the block looks like a M90 with the "L" painted on the left side of the block.
4. On the "Hartge" thing. Not sure about this. So Texas owner prob got a "Hartge" tuned motor in 97. Added decals and some badging. I think its cool, but it's just hard to call this a "Hartge" car for various reasons.
5. Its a great driver. Good low end torque, LSD, 5speed (Getrag 265), temp stays consistent
6. I replaced the coils, shocks/struts, front control arms, tie rods etc.
7. Body is solid and in really good condition ... other than sh!t paintwork.
8. Interior is all there but several different shades of blue.
9. Have detailed service history and owner docs dating back to mid 90's. 3 owners since then. TX, CT, now CA.

So whats on the docket? Stripping it down and getting it ready for body and paint. Got the mechanicals pretty much dialed in so its on the the stuff that costs money. Paint is ok from afar. But man, its garbage. Total respray cheating all over it.

Car was originally a fjord, so likely taking it back to that.
Interior was dark blue, so taking seats back to that.
Will wait on my carpet kit from the big carpet thread

I'm no professional. Consider me the normal guy who just likes to work on cars. Not into it for a quick flip. I love cars and plan to keep this one in the collection.

Any questions, let me know.

Cheers,
Erik

 

[MyFemurHurts]

Looks good! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Really nice car, keep the thread going and let us know of any tricks you come up with. Are you going to put the earlier bumpers on her?

 

[eludvigs]

Peter,

Yep ... earlier bumpers are the plan. Going to get the adapters for the big bumper conversion and fill all the giant holes when it goes to body and paint. Mocking everything up before it goes out.

 

[eludvigs]

Been a fun couple of weeks but back to work tomorrow. Interior and trim teardown continues. More pictures avail at the iCloud link.

Anyone taking on the tar paper removal in the interior should def go the dry ice route. I did one panel with basic chisel and utility tool and it alone took more time than getting dry ice and removing the rest!

I've loaded on on sanding/removal disks so plan to dig in when i get some hours.

The wiring loom for windows, tail lights and fuel tank is gooey and gross. Anyone go through the trouble of redoing that?

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

wiring

Hi Elu, I did the wiring on mine and am doing another presently, I'll describe my method, though pretty straight forward; Tools, have scissors and a razor handy, also remember you are using friction tape, not electric tape. Originally they used a very thin tape, about 1/2 inch, but I was unable to find that size so I used regular width. Originally also, the entire harness was not covered (you could see some of the wiring)- I did fully cover all the wires throughout the car however. I have a can of break cleaner on a bench and spray some on a cloth and as I unravel the old tape I wipe down the wires with the B.C. cloth to remove spooge, etc, the BC dries really fast and does not hurt the wire coating as near as I can tell then I re- wrap about a foot at a time. When they made the harnesses they initially wrapped the wires together with a single wind where there were smaller wires branching off so that can be helpful. Also, if there are any damaged wires I soldered and shrink wrapped them because once you get done with the job it would be difficult to find where a short or broken wire or bad connection is.

BTW, it does not take lots of brain power but it will take a long time! (recreational pharmaceuticals will likely not impact your performance)

 

[eludvigs]

Been a long time since I updated the tread here. With a 3 year old and lots of work for travel, I've used most time to just pull sh!t off and get ready for paint.

"Extra hand" work coming soon when I get my friends over to help me pop the front/back glass ... drop the trans and pull the motor.

If you all recall I had some nasty rear shock towers. Got some replacements from coupeking and will be welding those soon.

Floor boards have some pitting and absolute sh!t weld patch on the accelerator area.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Eric, I checked out the pictures on your site, if there is any way to get the car higher it is really easy to take the engine and trans out as a single unit. If you are contemplating doing that let me know and I'll give you some little tricks I learned. Yes, it's easy with a lift but if you can borrow a fork lift, or even rent one for a day you could build a car stand which would allow you to do so many things much easier. It looks like you are going all the way with this gal so having it up on a "frame" might not be a bad idea. With the engine and trans and rear-end out the weight is not that much and it makes working a pleasure as apposed to a chore.

Also, once the engine is out you'll need to remove the subframe (if you take it out as a unit), and that can be done super easy with said small fork lift and a chain.

In my little shop of horrors I do just about everything alone (therapy) so I have come up with some easy ways to move big objects around. Would love to help.

Peter

 

[eludvigs]

No doubt Peter. Would love to drop the front sub with all the bits. My garage is not conducive to high lifts. I have a low structural beam and sort of a low ceiling. Small fork lift would prob be an issue getting in and out.

On top of that I have post tension slab which means no drilling to get a lift in.

But hey if you have ideas I'm listening.

A few years ago my wife and I looked at a house with a separate garage and 4 post lift already installed. She went thumbs down due to location. I was dying inside.

 

[restart]

maybe a one post lift would work for you? I think there may be some reasonable ones available know. You could move them easily, even use it outside and then store it away when not needed. I think you may be able to get thcarjustbhigh enough in that garage to drop the front subframe onto something with wheels and drag it out?

 

[eludvigs]

Gave the single post a look ... pallet jack style. Most are 102" high and won't clear my garage door runners (98").

I could try to finesse it, but will be a pain.

 

[eludvigs]

Ha ... after I wrote this it came to me ... it wouldnt event get through the garage door if it cant clear the runners.

I have a steep grade out of the garage and to the street ... so no level ground outside. Sucks.

 

[restart]

Rob Siegel seems to like his scissor lift? Maybe that would fit.
In the past I have been able to get a car high enough in the front, with a jack some bricks and jack stands, to drag the engine tranny out on a piece of plywood.
Definitely an easier way to yank the motor than doing it top side. yMMV:razz:

This one will fit...

http://www.costco.ca/Dannmar-MaxJax™-2-post-Portable-Auto-Lift.product.10344259.html

Oh, it looks like it gets higher when you lift stuff, so I not so sure what the full height with vehicle in air is....

 

[eludvigs]

I really wanted to get that lift, but it requires drilling into the concrete which is just a no go with post tension slab. You hit one of the cables holding the slab together and it will whip out with amazing force and possibly take limbs, walls and various other pieces of the house. Some really scary stories out there of people/construction workers getting smoked.

Any idea how high I need to get the front to drop it out the bottom? I'd like to avoid pulling all the upper bits off the motor.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Reality time

I think that without a lift you are kind of stuck pulling the engine out the top and dropping the trans out the bottom. I say this because you could not use the wheels at all to get the car safely higher as they must come off. It is a bit of a pain, but you'll be taking the bits and pieces off anyhow, just bag and label everything and I think most important, take lots of pictures while the car is together. I had lots of 9 X 11 black & white print-outs from my computer taped all over the shop on my first coupe rebuild. The advantage of leaving the sub frame in the car is that you can roll the car around while you are working on the engine and then supporting the car on jack stands up front when the time comes you can drop the subframe and have it back together in a weekend or two, looks like you already have the Bilsteins and new springs in the strut holders so it's just the bushings, clean up and painting of the subframe. You may want to paint the engine bay while everything is out and put in the lower pieces of the firewall insulation before the engine. You could just put the piece that goes over the brake booster on as the right side and top piece will fit in while the engine is in place. if you rent a cherry picker, which I suggest, you may want to purchase an engine leveler and when you pull the engine out be sure to mark the chains because installation has to be with the correct sideways slant and front to back tilt or you will scratch the heck out of everything- been there-

I may be getting a little ahead of things but just some stuff to think about.

 

[restart]

I really wanted to get that lift, but it requires drilling into the concrete which is just a no go with post tension slab. You hit one of the cables holding the slab together and it will whip out with amazing force and possibly take limbs, walls and various other pieces of the house. Some really scary stories out there of people/construction workers getting smoked.

Any idea how high I need to get the front to drop it out the bottom? I'd like to avoid pulling all the upper bits off the motor.

Right, I forgot about the concrete issue.

Re how high, I don't have access to engine,or car right now but I guess...
How high equals height of engine plus a bit. I made some car dollies froM big casters and four pieces of 1 by 6 a foot long. Cross stack, screw 'em together and bolt on caster. I have smooth concrete though. Great for rolling the car around without wheels, you can actually turn it sideways in the garage with casters....This would not work on something like the floor of the one and only stevehose's garage.

I will keep thinking about your garage sitch...

 

[rsporsche]

you can drill in post-tensioned concrete - you just have to xray the slab first to locate the tendons.

i agree about the danger involved with drilling ... more so with cutting a hole or completely core drilling a big hole.

 

[Bwana]

you can drill in post-tensioned concrete - you just have to xray the slab first to locate the tendons.

i agree about the danger involved with drilling ... more so with cutting a hole or completely core drilling a big hole.

Yes, this ^^^

I'm planning on dropping my engine/trans this summer and this is the lift I'm considering. I have a post tensioned slab and have heard about the x-ray/magnetic locating device. Apparently there is a service you can call to do the work. Alternatively, you can pick a spot and just start chipping out the concrete until you find a cable, then move over a little. That's how my contractor re-located the tub drain line in my bathroom remodel and it worked great.

 

[eludvigs]

I had heard about the X-ray method. Neighbor attempted but no dice. I'll check into it, but need to find someone who actually does it. If I can get that mobile 2 post it is game-effing-on. Would set the bolt sleeves into the middle bay of my 3-car.

The fact you are all pouring on lift methods is very helpful. Thank you. Will keep working on it and report back.

 

[eludvigs]

Right, I forgot about the concrete issue.

Re how high, I don't have access to engine,or car right now but I guess...
How high equals height of engine plus a bit. I made some car dollies froM big casters and four pieces of 1 by 6 a foot long. Cross stack, screw 'em together and bolt on caster. I have smooth concrete though. Great for rolling the car around without wheels, you can actually turn it sideways in the garage with casters....This would not work on something like the floor of the one and only stevehose's garage.

I will keep thinking about your garage sitch...

Restart, you have some pics of these castors? Would be great to see some examples.