I'm pretty sure having my name constantly mispronounced as "Ohms" has impelled me to learn a little about electricity.
Will have to start somewhere
- Thread starter Peter Coomaraswamy
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I'm pretty sure having my name constantly mispronounced as "Ohms" has impelled me to learn a little about electricity.
Ground strap question(s)
If my car were not properly grounded, ie. did not have all the grounds that people mentioned below, what would be some more common symptoms? What would I look to have improved by properly grounding everything?
Thanks
If my car were not properly grounded, ie. did not have all the grounds that people mentioned below, what would be some more common symptoms? What would I look to have improved by properly grounding everything?
Thanks
Well, you shorten the life of the battery and the alternator because they both work harder than they should.
Another problem is the possibility of various weird chemical reactions within the liquids in your car caused by random currents flowing through dissimilar metals. This is similar to a plating process used to deposit zinc onto steel, for example. If you look at this thread:
http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18227&highlight=galvanic
I believe the lack of a ground strap between the tranny and the firewall enabled random currents to flow through the anti-freeze, causing the deposition of a layer of some form of metal on the inside walls of my engine block. Fortunately, the blocks on our engines have large coolant capacity, so once I freed up the drain the remainder of whatever is going on in there need not be disturbed (I hope).
Ground problems can often enable current flow in the wrong direction. Hum or distortion heard through the stereo often illustrates this, and these misdirected flows can ruin newer, more sensitive electronics.
lots of grounds
Well, I made half a dozen ground cables today to add to the coups, just in case! I also gave the polaris a test start. After cranking her to get the oil up a little I sprayed some starter fluid in the carbs and she fired right up. Tomorrow I will fill with some real fuel and see if I can get her to run smooth- then it's off to the interior, cleaning, disinfecting and re-fitting the millions of parts. Ian sent me the first video we made- I hope to have it up soon
Well, I made half a dozen ground cables today to add to the coups, just in case! I also gave the polaris a test start. After cranking her to get the oil up a little I sprayed some starter fluid in the carbs and she fired right up. Tomorrow I will fill with some real fuel and see if I can get her to run smooth- then it's off to the interior, cleaning, disinfecting and re-fitting the millions of parts. Ian sent me the first video we made- I hope to have it up soon
Initial start successful
Got 5 gallons of 93 in the tank today and after priming the fuel pump she started right up- so far so good. I want to run some flush through the cooling system and then drain the oil- as a precaution (you never know what I may have dropped in there when re-sealing). Initially she seems to run pretty well, I have some sticking on the throttle linkage but no leaks or explosions (so far). I have some minor under-body stuff to paint and clean up and need to bleed the brakes and clutch and do the rear brake adjustment but for now I'm concentrating on the interior which still stinks. I am also going to take the lazy mans' out when it comes to the rear deck holes and find some good speakers (6X9) and mount them so at least they look correct enough. I will make a deck cover since I have a really good one with no holes in case some future purist ends up with the car and wants to delete the deck speakers. I cleaned up and re-painted the rocker covers. They were really banged up but I was able to get them pretty straight (pics attached). Also, the tank was extremely clean when I removed it for re-painting I put in new lines and bought a few clear fuel filters so I could check the condition of the plumbing, it is amazingly clean so it looks like it will be just allot of cleaning and re-fitting, a tuning, alignment and just like Mario said... great car in great condition!
To me, it is absolutely amazing how much or how many of the original parts can be reused, they just need a thorough cleaning and conditioning and even the rubber seals in many cases are reusable.
Again, the video is forthcoming, just needs some final touches-
Got 5 gallons of 93 in the tank today and after priming the fuel pump she started right up- so far so good. I want to run some flush through the cooling system and then drain the oil- as a precaution (you never know what I may have dropped in there when re-sealing). Initially she seems to run pretty well, I have some sticking on the throttle linkage but no leaks or explosions (so far). I have some minor under-body stuff to paint and clean up and need to bleed the brakes and clutch and do the rear brake adjustment but for now I'm concentrating on the interior which still stinks. I am also going to take the lazy mans' out when it comes to the rear deck holes and find some good speakers (6X9) and mount them so at least they look correct enough. I will make a deck cover since I have a really good one with no holes in case some future purist ends up with the car and wants to delete the deck speakers. I cleaned up and re-painted the rocker covers. They were really banged up but I was able to get them pretty straight (pics attached). Also, the tank was extremely clean when I removed it for re-painting I put in new lines and bought a few clear fuel filters so I could check the condition of the plumbing, it is amazingly clean so it looks like it will be just allot of cleaning and re-fitting, a tuning, alignment and just like Mario said... great car in great condition!
To me, it is absolutely amazing how much or how many of the original parts can be reused, they just need a thorough cleaning and conditioning and even the rubber seals in many cases are reusable.
Again, the video is forthcoming, just needs some final touches-
Attachments
Ron Howard would cringe
No one can say I did not warn them;
With the help of Ian from our group here we managed to put together this first video, I hope my acting gets better with more experience- but I doubt that it will. If nothing else it was a good excuse to get a few coupers together for some coffee.
https://youtu.be/AEd8f5JyQFA
No one can say I did not warn them;
With the help of Ian from our group here we managed to put together this first video, I hope my acting gets better with more experience- but I doubt that it will. If nothing else it was a good excuse to get a few coupers together for some coffee.
https://youtu.be/AEd8f5JyQFA
Well done video, looking for part two already.
most excellent, also loved the Bond intro.
wow ! fantastic !
love the intro
and the rest can be used for potential new owners to prior examine their new aquisitions in search of rust points,
peter, you have done an excellent service to the community !:smile:
love the intro
and the rest can be used for potential new owners to prior examine their new aquisitions in search of rust points,
peter, you have done an excellent service to the community !:smile:
Probably should post this in the tech info and in the new member section as "required viewing"
Credit to Ian
Since I have no clue about video editing I have to give the credit to Ian Sights who put it all together. Apparently we have allot more video as we put the engine in that day too. I'll try to do a better job on subsequent videos- maybe some dancing girls or something to break up the "single actor" theme, I guess I could get a basketball, call it Wilson and pretend I used to work for Fed-ex, a la Tom Hanks.. but probably not.
Thanks for the comments-
Since I have no clue about video editing I have to give the credit to Ian Sights who put it all together. Apparently we have allot more video as we put the engine in that day too. I'll try to do a better job on subsequent videos- maybe some dancing girls or something to break up the "single actor" theme, I guess I could get a basketball, call it Wilson and pretend I used to work for Fed-ex, a la Tom Hanks.. but probably not.
Thanks for the comments-
Relax just be yourself, you know your topic well, no gimmicks needed.
Peter,
i thought it was good - great info for somebody who wants to evaluate a coupe. i agree with Steve - loved the bondesque intro
do another few ... you will settle into it
i thought it was good - great info for somebody who wants to evaluate a coupe. i agree with Steve - loved the bondesque intro
do another few ... you will settle into it
My thanks to both Peter and Ian for an excellent introduction in 'what to look for' in an E9. Having had one that did rust in the late 70's ('73, lived for two years in Boston before I bought it), I was somewhat aware of what to look for. I 'wish' I had seen this video before the purchase. I did check many but not all the places Peter points out. Lady Luck seems to have been on my side regarding the others!!
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
In keeping with rust
Because it's so difficult to see inside the rockers when you are about to purchase a car I thought I would show where a couple of areas are that are relatively non destructive where you can get a scope inside, and if you don't have a scope you can tell allot with a little air pressure. After thoroughly re-inspecting the inner rockers before I sprayed in the rust proof (right) :???: I sprayed allot of air in the holes. If you hear a bunch of stuff rattling around you have a rust issue, likewise if flakes start flying out of the holes. In my case there was little rust-if any and I could even use a small flashlight to look around- but a scope would be better.
After treatment, I will let the car sit overnight and then paint the outer area grey. I think originally they were taupe or some such color?
Because it's so difficult to see inside the rockers when you are about to purchase a car I thought I would show where a couple of areas are that are relatively non destructive where you can get a scope inside, and if you don't have a scope you can tell allot with a little air pressure. After thoroughly re-inspecting the inner rockers before I sprayed in the rust proof (right) :???: I sprayed allot of air in the holes. If you hear a bunch of stuff rattling around you have a rust issue, likewise if flakes start flying out of the holes. In my case there was little rust-if any and I could even use a small flashlight to look around- but a scope would be better.
After treatment, I will let the car sit overnight and then paint the outer area grey. I think originally they were taupe or some such color?
Attachments
Interior question
I am doing the final cleaning of the interior of the Polaris coupe in preparation for putting the carpet in. I know from the blue coupe that it's best to keep the thicknesses of all new material exactly the same as original for a really perfect fit, thus this question.. Does anyone have a diagram of where the "hairy" jute is placed behind the rear seats? I included a picture of the area.
Additionally, after prepping the floors I am using a thin foam sheet to lay on top of the sound deadener (sp?). I am doing this to prevent the carpet and floor mats from sliding around. It is similar to the stock set-up and I don't think it will cause a fitment problem.
Last note, since I have a perfect carpet set I am going to cut out a detailed template and try to reproduce some sets. Forget about getting "original" carpet but I've been working with an upholsterer to get something that is very high quality and close in construction and color to the original. I'm not sure how much it will cost but it might be a good alternative to the original sets from overseas that nobody seems to be able to get. More on that later.
Any help would be appreciated on the jute question-
Thanks
I am doing the final cleaning of the interior of the Polaris coupe in preparation for putting the carpet in. I know from the blue coupe that it's best to keep the thicknesses of all new material exactly the same as original for a really perfect fit, thus this question.. Does anyone have a diagram of where the "hairy" jute is placed behind the rear seats? I included a picture of the area.
Additionally, after prepping the floors I am using a thin foam sheet to lay on top of the sound deadener (sp?). I am doing this to prevent the carpet and floor mats from sliding around. It is similar to the stock set-up and I don't think it will cause a fitment problem.
Last note, since I have a perfect carpet set I am going to cut out a detailed template and try to reproduce some sets. Forget about getting "original" carpet but I've been working with an upholsterer to get something that is very high quality and close in construction and color to the original. I'm not sure how much it will cost but it might be a good alternative to the original sets from overseas that nobody seems to be able to get. More on that later.
Any help would be appreciated on the jute question-
Thanks
Attachments
Peter,
That hairy jute is just two or three thin strips, you can see the residue in your pics. I don't see what it could possibly accomplish though, just leave it out.
That hairy jute is just two or three thin strips, you can see the residue in your pics. I don't see what it could possibly accomplish though, just leave it out.
And another question
Thanks Chris, I thought it might be strategically placed to prevent the plastic on the rear of the seats from rattling- it does not look like "sound deadener" because, well, it's not.
Statement/Question;
I decided to put some speakers in the 2 holes on the rear shelf. I don't really like the idea but I would have to pull the rear window to weld them up, then it's a new gasket, etc, etc. I have a Becker Mexico AM/FM cassette that looks original and it says "stereo". I was under the impression that a stereo unit would by its nature require 2 speakers- does anyone know how that unit is set-up and could I hide a small power amp somewhere to boost the output to 2 6X9 speakers- also what to do about the dash speaker with that set-up.
Thanks!
Thanks Chris, I thought it might be strategically placed to prevent the plastic on the rear of the seats from rattling- it does not look like "sound deadener" because, well, it's not.
Statement/Question;
I decided to put some speakers in the 2 holes on the rear shelf. I don't really like the idea but I would have to pull the rear window to weld them up, then it's a new gasket, etc, etc. I have a Becker Mexico AM/FM cassette that looks original and it says "stereo". I was under the impression that a stereo unit would by its nature require 2 speakers- does anyone know how that unit is set-up and could I hide a small power amp somewhere to boost the output to 2 6X9 speakers- also what to do about the dash speaker with that set-up.
Thanks!
I have a period Becker Europa stereo with a fader and front kick panel and rear parcel speakers installed by the dealer. I recently added a power amp under the rear seat. Does yours have the separate Becker amplifier box hidden somewhere? If so you won't be able to hook up a power amp without keeping that little amp because the radio does not put out enough power for a modern amp. But the little amp puts out too much power so I put adjustable attenuators between the little amp and the power amp. Sounds ok, better than before. I am going to add a subwoofer at some point.
So if you do have a similar set up, run the speaker wires from the Becker amp to the attenuators (I have them in the same place as the power amp) then on to the power amp. Adjust for no distortion.
As for the front speaker, you could add a couple small 2-way speakers like others have done (do a search) and wire those up, or just leave as is. You'll need a fader if you do that then run wires back to the front from the amp. I put a 3 gauge panel into that spot.
So if you do have a similar set up, run the speaker wires from the Becker amp to the attenuators (I have them in the same place as the power amp) then on to the power amp. Adjust for no distortion.
As for the front speaker, you could add a couple small 2-way speakers like others have done (do a search) and wire those up, or just leave as is. You'll need a fader if you do that then run wires back to the front from the amp. I put a 3 gauge panel into that spot.