Will have to start somewhere

Well it's not original but I sure think it looks great so I polished mine up and liked it so much I did the PS reservoir cap also. Makes them stand out in an otherwise drab engine bay. I removed the paint with stripper then wet sanded with 3M very fine pads then polished. On the overflow tank I maintain with Colonite metal polish and wax because I think the heat cycling would kill a clear coat, on the PS reservoir I clear coated it. It's reversible.


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Peter Coomaraswamy said:
Opinions requested; on the 1970 Polaris coupe, which I am trying to keep pretty original, I was working on removing the black paint on the radiator overflow tank so I could repaint it. The paint came off pretty easily revealing a nice but tarnished tank. I thought it might look nice if it were shined up and clear-coated and left brass colored but I wanted to see what others thought. I believe I had seen that done once but not sure.

Thanks
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OK, decision, Steve- I think yours looks great- probably where I saw it first: Chris, good point- I'll keep it black, Steve- looks like you have a few mods :)

Thanks,
 
Got it-

Ok,Ok, I did like the Stanley steamer racer and the color was kind of "polaris" but I get the point!

Due to time and space considerations, as well of a general bass-akwards thought process I scraped, and primed the "shark-nose" underside after finishing the engine bay so there is allot of extra taping going on and I had to do a minor repair on the radiator expansion tank since the bracket on the bottom came off. I mixed a healthy portion of JB weld and hope that it holds.

Anyhow, here are a couple more shots, also took the front bumper of so I could address it properly.
 

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Looking good Peter. Figure I'll be in two years where you are now. Choosing polish types and whatnot. ha
 
Thanks guys, the encouragement helps especially when things move slower than I would like. Really once I get the paint put on in the front area I can start the grill assembly and finish tightening up the wiring. Eric, that is a fantastic car, I think you will get things done quicker than you think. The down side is that I don't see a lift, the up side is that it's at your home so you can probably sneak in lots of extra minutes! Mine is at work in the warehouse so I can do an hour at lunch and an hour after work before going home to do 4 hours of homework with my 15 yr. old twin rocket scientists. It looks like you have a good handle on the process though from the pictures and you can farm out allot of the grunt work like media blasting and powder coating. Though I have become a non-fan of media blasting the entire car because that dust gets everywhere-for years!
 
Part question

What is the best part number to use for the hydraulic clutch line. I used a Honda brake line on my 3.0 conversion but I forgot which year. For the 2800 CS I would like to keep original if they are still available but not sure- is there a later model BMW that uses a similar hose that I can order from the dealer that anyone knows of?

Thanks-
 
my expansion tank bracket came off too, you can take it to a radiator shop and have them reattach it, while you are at it have them resolder the top and bottom halves. About $40 and well worth it. Not sure JB will hold for long with the heat cycles and vibrations.
 
a hidden mess

I will post in "parts wanted" as well with appologies, but I wanted to keep it on this thread because it shows what may lurk under what seems to be a pretty clean facade; when I went to shine up the front bumper and was adjusting the rubber strip I found that the strip retainer was completely rusted away. Luckily there was no damage to the bumper-ie. rust through but now I have to go through all the bumper pieces to be sure.

Are these retainers still available? I made ones for the blue coupe and they worked well but it was a pain so if I can buy some I would prefer that method.

Thanks,
 

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Peter Coomaraswamy said:
I will post in "parts wanted" as well with appologies, but I wanted to keep it on this thread because it shows what may lurk under what seems to be a pretty clean facade; when I went to shine up the front bumper and was adjusting the rubber strip I found that the strip retainer was completely rusted away. Luckily there was no damage to the bumper-ie. rust through but now I have to go through all the bumper pieces to be sure.

Are these retainers still available? I made ones for the blue coupe and they worked well but it was a pain so if I can buy some I would prefer that method.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Try coupe guy in Colorado. Think he has stainless steel replacements
 
Thanks, I'm busy ordering the bumper strips now :) and just to prove I painted the coolant tank properly I have attached proof. I did not re-solder the tank but used JB weld on the bottom bracket. Although it may not hold up the tank is attached pretty well between the other bracket and the hoses and if the radiator does not pass the pressure test I'll have them both done at the same time.
 

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Great progress! Your coolant tanks looks better than new.

Am I seeing things? Shouldn't your vin tag and paint code sticker be on the other side of the engine bay?
 
Yes Vince, it will be migrating to the correct area very soon. I'm mixing up a batch of paint to do the inside of the "nose" so I'll reattach it at that time.

Thanks :)
 
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