IKS
New Member
Hi all,
This forum has already been so helpful, so thank you in advance! I'm working on a 1973 3.0CS that sat in a barn for 25 years--I typically focus on American classics and late 90's/2000's BMWs, so I figured this car would be a simple enough synthesis of those things. The owner bought it in the late 80's and just parked it because life got in the way, by all appearances it was a clean, stock-ish car that just needed some reconditioning. Things went sideways when I realized the engine bay shouldn't be painted black, and that the floors and firewall shouldn't have structural bondo. So now the engine is out, the interior is out, the wiring harness is out, floors will be out soon, and I'm learning more than I ever wanted to about these cars.
Please let me know if I should post seperate threads for these, but in the meantime, here are my opening questions:
The motor is original, on a stand for cleanup and regasketing, and appears to have been balanced and ported. Removing the rear cam cover reveals a stamped "3" and also "na 300" or "ha 300" etched in. Does this tell anyone anything about who might have rebuilt the motor, or to what specs? I'm curious because it seems like the motor was put together by somebody who knew what they were doing, and yet everything else is so slapdash. It'd be nice to have some hint that at least the motor was done right.
Question 2: should I replace the timing chain guide? I read on here about the sorry state of currently available timing chain guides, how they don't quite fit and will get ground down against the case. The chain guide that's currently in the motor is that same goofy design that doesn't fit right. Otherwise it's in fine shape with no cracking or wear. So what's the current State Of The Timing Chain Guide? Better to leave the old aftermarket one be, or replace with a new aftermarket one? I daily drive an E39 540i, so I take timing chain guides quite seriously!
Question 3: Is the distributor even halfway correct for this motor, and what's the best solution for drawing a vacuum signal? The part number on the distributor ends with "001", which according to my research is a vacuum retard distributor meant for the fuel injected cars. Does anyone know if this can possibly be correct for a car with triple Webers? Pt. 2, what's the best way to run a vacuum advance on a Weber setup? Previously the distributor ran to a single intake port, which seems like a recipe for a really erratic vacuum signal to me.
These are the burning questions, there will be more I'm sure! Again, thank you all, this forum is such a high-quality resource, better than many I've run across for other cars.
This forum has already been so helpful, so thank you in advance! I'm working on a 1973 3.0CS that sat in a barn for 25 years--I typically focus on American classics and late 90's/2000's BMWs, so I figured this car would be a simple enough synthesis of those things. The owner bought it in the late 80's and just parked it because life got in the way, by all appearances it was a clean, stock-ish car that just needed some reconditioning. Things went sideways when I realized the engine bay shouldn't be painted black, and that the floors and firewall shouldn't have structural bondo. So now the engine is out, the interior is out, the wiring harness is out, floors will be out soon, and I'm learning more than I ever wanted to about these cars.
Please let me know if I should post seperate threads for these, but in the meantime, here are my opening questions:
The motor is original, on a stand for cleanup and regasketing, and appears to have been balanced and ported. Removing the rear cam cover reveals a stamped "3" and also "na 300" or "ha 300" etched in. Does this tell anyone anything about who might have rebuilt the motor, or to what specs? I'm curious because it seems like the motor was put together by somebody who knew what they were doing, and yet everything else is so slapdash. It'd be nice to have some hint that at least the motor was done right.
Question 2: should I replace the timing chain guide? I read on here about the sorry state of currently available timing chain guides, how they don't quite fit and will get ground down against the case. The chain guide that's currently in the motor is that same goofy design that doesn't fit right. Otherwise it's in fine shape with no cracking or wear. So what's the current State Of The Timing Chain Guide? Better to leave the old aftermarket one be, or replace with a new aftermarket one? I daily drive an E39 540i, so I take timing chain guides quite seriously!
Question 3: Is the distributor even halfway correct for this motor, and what's the best solution for drawing a vacuum signal? The part number on the distributor ends with "001", which according to my research is a vacuum retard distributor meant for the fuel injected cars. Does anyone know if this can possibly be correct for a car with triple Webers? Pt. 2, what's the best way to run a vacuum advance on a Weber setup? Previously the distributor ran to a single intake port, which seems like a recipe for a really erratic vacuum signal to me.
These are the burning questions, there will be more I'm sure! Again, thank you all, this forum is such a high-quality resource, better than many I've run across for other cars.
