How do you make it rain in California?... buy a speedster.

I'm on it. Berg it is. I just need to figure out why the top two studs were replaced with what appear to be bolts. Maybe just get 4 new studs and 4 red washer nuts?

 

Ted

Ted   

 

YES!!   as I learned while my car was In rehab with the Wizard Scott Sebastian..

 

"Replace old with new'  ALWAYS!!  if you cant  then  clean it!! 

 

tebs

 

Okey doke! Parts ordered. 

 

I'm just going to dive in and knock it all out at once. I'm kind of tired of my once leak free car smelling like burnt oil. I'll fix the oil leaks and install the cooler at the same time. 

 

Ted

Just paid for my wheel. Mike said it's in final finishing stages now. Yeah!

 

GeneBerg sent me my oil parts. Yeah!

 

Drove the speedster into the office today. Yeah!

 

Not a single drop of oil on the ground under the car after two 40 mile drives and a 20 mile trip to the office. F' YEAH!

 

I'm not sure how this day could get any better.

Ted

 

 

I don't think it can.  I'm in Gilroy working and the weather is awesome.  Perfect in fact for top down cruising.

Well, you could always get la*d...

 

By a women! 

Bob's right, Ted; doesn't matter how great the day is, that just makes it better!

You're in Gilroy!? You're most likely 8 miles from my place.

Been married for 16 years. I've got a better chance of being eaten by a bear and a tiger, in the same day.

 

oh... that just reduced my chances by at least 50%. 

Sent you a PM

Met Robert last week. Good guy! Had a nice chat.  Looking forward to seeing him in June in SLO.

 

So, These parts showed up. Waiting on some longer wheel studs before I can make use of them.

 

 

 

 

Should make for an interesting transformation. Good news is that I have at least 3 more sets of wheels to go through before I can challenge Marty and Terry for the wheel monger title.

 

Ted

So...how do explain all the deliveries to Alexis?

"Honey! Look what the nice members from SOC sent me! Free! No, really...they had extra parts just laying around."

Nice!

Going to look sweet, Ted! Tire brand and size?

Tires are 185/65 Pirelli. Wheels are 15x5 Tecnomagnesio. They are crazy light. Maybe they will offset the boat anchor rotors. Or... I'll have to call Kevin for lighter rotors.

Not sure if I'm going to keep them yet. I'm still reeling from my "why not?!" moment. Once I mount 'em, they are mine I suppose.

Re: Alexis... Weeeeelllll... Let's just say, I hope she never asks what I paid for all these packages. If she does? Let's hope she never sells them for what I told her that I paid. 

OOOhhhh; I didn't realize you bought the good ones....

WTG Ted, those are the ultimate wheels!

Yeah, I kind of went all in after the over priced Boyds. I mean, they seemed more reasonable. Right?

I had a good year at work and had a "why not" moment. Kind of over the top. Not sure if I'll send 'em back. It was these or a NSX... Or an old half built MG kit.  Or an IM6... Or a twin plug motor...

I was working on a homicide case wherein our suspect was in Gilroy, which isn't too far from where Ted lives in Morgan Hill, so I let him know I was close and was hoping we could meet. Meeting Ted was fun, he is the epitome of this whole Madness thing. It was really cool to see what he had done to his car and interesting to hear what else he's going to do.

 

I thought he had been a car guy his whole life but found out he was learning as he goes while working on his Speedster.  You'd never know it talking to him.  That was pretty dang cool.

 

Looking forward to SLO.

Heh, heh, chuckle, snort, heh...

 

Ted thinks he might send them back. He's killin' me here!

 

Chuckle, snort, heh...

 

Ted- Get ready for that kitchen remodel. 

Yes.  I see granite counter tops and built in appliances in your future...or Judge Judy.

 

Seriously, Ted-- you can put the buyer's remorse aside. Those wheels are all that and a bag of chips. Really, really sweet.

 

Mount 'em up and roll 'em. Just don't sell your car a year after you "finish" it, and you'll be fine. Those wheels will still be cool 10 year from now.

They will certainly help. And if Alexis asks, tell her, "I went totally budget; I didn't get them painted and I'm not even putting on hubcaps."

Robert;

 

Thanks for the insight.  I also thought Ted was a "lifer". Now I am really impressed.

I couldn't install a set of carbs, tune and go, if my life depended on it.

 

Art

Ted

 

You are my hero, buddy! Fearless, steadfast and supporting the economy!

       
       


Ha! That's funny.

So, speaking of fearless... Nobody wants to mount tires to them. I've been to three places and each of them have turned me away.  You'd think they were made of gold.

Frustrated, but I'd rather have them turn me away if they can't handle the job.

Success! I've always said, if you want a good haircut you head to the 'hood. You want to find a guy to do great interior work? Find out where the low riders go.

 

After trying 4 places and being turned away I decided to head to the other side of the tracks. Where my people live. I drove around and found the place with the biggest 'dubs' I could find. BINGO.

 

Adrian (the owner) said he had the best machines in town and that he prided himself on mounting wheels and tires without a single scratch. He said "If I scratch the wheels or ding them, I'll pay for new ones. I don't care what they cost. If I damage them, I'll buy them."  He followed up with "It's going to cost you..." At this point, I knew I had found my guy.

 

I paid $50.00 per wheel but he was true to his word. Not. One. Scratch. None of his machines ever touched the wheels. The brackets show below actually had rubber/delrin guides on it. They were brand new! Still in the plastic. He was pretty proud to be able to use them for the first time.  

 

 

I'm *VERY* pleased and glad that I didn't risk it with another shop. I'm not sure I could have missed this place if I tried.

 

Now I'm waiting for the wheel studs to arrive. They are on the slow truck from New York. I ordered them last Monday. They are supposed to arrive this coming Friday.

 

The waiting is the hardest part!

 

Ted

Very cool Ted!

Su-weet. 

Beautiful Ted.  The Pirelli's look great on those technomag wheels!i

Those look soooo dang cool with the tires mounted on them. Anxious to see them on your car, my brutha! 

Beautiful.  Best wide 5's money can buy.

Very cool and educational as well. Thanks for sharing!

See....you are a hero. You braved the hood and it paid off. The wheels and tires look great.

Bob - you're too funny.  It was rough going there for a spell, but I muscled through.

 

Thank you all for the compliments. I'm slowly adjusting to my "why not?!" moment. I was on the fence for a while until I saw the wheels with the tires mounted on them. At this point there is no turning back. I'm still not completely sure I'm ready to go full outlaw.  I love the look of the moons and chromies, but I also dig the silver look with the wheel skins. 

 

Once I get' 'em on the car I'll be more at ease.

 

Took 'er out for a spin today. I've developed a bit of 'chatter' from the right rear rotor. I'm going to need to get in there and see if the pads are seated properly in the calipers. I've also noticed that this 1915 tends to run really warm. I think I should man up and put that cooler in before I do damage to this motor.

 

Bob - how's FLA treating you? You get settled in yet? Get that speedster down there on the coast and snap a photo or two. 

 

Ted

Wheel studs arrived! The Tecnomagnesio wheels have a different offset than the mangles. I can't use spacers without the wheels rubbing on the fender lip. The studs are too long to use without spacers.

 

Studs go back for an exchange. Same story for the spacers.

 

For those of you who are still hanging around, here are some photos of the install:

 

 

One more shot so you can see the rub...

Very, very nice Ted.  Well, except for the rubbing part.

real nice im jealous.got all the parts sitting on a pallet in the garage from beck to do a wide 5 four wheel disc conversion.have no time because of a house remodel project,and out of money to buy the tires!by the time i finish the house it will be driving season and i damn sure not taking off the road to do it,so i probably wont get to do it till next winter.

Wow, Ted......   Once you get the parts sorted (often a PITA with this hobby), those wheels look absolutely fabulous on your car.  

 

Very little would get me to move away from my Fuchs wheels, but those would.

 

Great choice!

I agree Gordon. I saw an Emory Outlaw 356 at Watkins Glen this past September with those wheels, and they are fantastic.

 

Beautiful wheels 

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I'm debating shaving the fender lip a bit, but I don't want to lose the structural integrity / support the lip offers for that part of the fender. I'm thinking if I step down to a 1/4" spacer I may get enough room so I'd only have to nip off maybe a 1/8th inch. I could also do a 3/8 th inch spacer.

The wheel studs will be shortened from 75mm to 50mm.

At Jim's encouragement, I need to check both sides of the rear before committing to any spacers, because one side will be closer than the other.

Slow and steady wins the race ...

Ted, please help out;  why are the spacers needed?

       
       

Because racecar?  (/Ted hangs head in shame)

There isn't a technical reason to use them. The spacers just allow the wheels to 'look the part'.

Damn you, Al! With all of your logic and sensibility!

Ted, I love ya' man, you Have the madness, squared.

 

If you just lose the spacers is that really going to change the appearance much? 

 

I share your concerns about the idea of shaving the glass down. 

 Don't worry, Ted, it will look the part with or without the spacers.  Remember, what's important is getting them to clear the bodywork.

Can I try an eency weency spacer?... a wafer thin spacer?

 

/me kicks the dirt.

 

I'll get the correct length studs and regroup. 

 

I should really install the oil cooler and the other goodies instead of focusing on these silly race car upgrades. Function over form. 

 

Damn the madness, it'll get you every time.

Ted

Ted's mad I tell you.......just mad:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGrBVZD7sVw

 

Ted:

 

Re the Rubbing issue

What I would Recommend  ( and this advice came from the Nuckle Brothers)  A PLAYING CARD!    Remember when you use to put those on your bike  just right so it would hit the spokes to make that cool sound   well WA LAH!!    just an Idea

 

 

By the way  car looks great rims look good cant wait to see her in SLO... 

 

Tebs

Thanks Tebs!

 

So, this weekend I tore the car apart (stop me if you've heard this one before...)

  I feel like I"m always taking the darn thing off the road to do something. My Daughter even asked asked "NOW what are you doing?

 

Anyway, as I said in a different thread, I have to put a bigger pulley on the crank to keep the motor cooler at idle. While I had it all apart, I figured I would also install the oil cooler, the thermostat, Gene Berg oil pump cover, and the new hose / hose fittings.

 

Once I got the pulley out, I found that the case was cut for a sand seal. So the pulley I have isn't useable. I can get it cut down or I could just purchase a new pulley that is already cut for a sand seal.  Trying to decide if I really need the gene berg 'achiever' 3.5lb weighted pulley or not. Does it really do anything on a 1915? Al? Gordon? etc - what say you?

 

While I wait to make that decision I installed the oil cooler and mounted the oil filter in it's forever home. (I'll post photos tonight/tomorrow.) So far so good.

 

With the oil cooler, here is my end goal:

I have a thermostat fan switch on the outlet of the remote oil cooler.

 

What yahoo designed this part?:

 

There is no way to mount the stupid thing! I need to make a stirrup or horseshoe (exhaust bolt?) to lash it to the inner fender well. I made a nice wheel well doubler out of aluminum to add some extra rigidity and spread the load our across the entire area. I felt like it would be necessary due to the extra weight being hung on it.

 

Oh! While it's apart I'll also install that 'step stud' into the sump. Hopefully I'll fix that loose / drippy stud.

 

Once I figure out what to do with the pulley, I should be able to get this cream puff back on the road.

 

Oh, regarding the oil pump cover, I simply installed a new oil pump gasket and bolted it back up with the 'red seal' nuts. Should I have used any form of silicone sealer or gasket goop between the gasket and the pump cover? It's not too late, I can go back in there and put some RTV or whatever in there.

 

Thanks for checking in,

Ted

 

 

The oil pump cover gasket is one of the few places you don't want to use sealer....  Any excess that might be inside the pump body has the potential to cause problems and you also want a close fit between the pump rotors and the cover....  A standard diameter pulley should work well if the engine has not been built with the goal of over 120hp in mind...

 

Sounds like you should have it pretty well "bullet proofed" when you get it back together.....

 

Good luck and tell your daughter you are protecting her inheritance....  

Be sure not to cross the oil filter housing in and out hoses, there is a check ball valve in it and if the hoses are reversed you get no oil....From experience, I speak

Oh No! I swapped the two lines when I first set up the remote filter. I didn't have the clamps tightened down and it popped a line off of the pump. Very messy learning process. I have drawn 'red' and 'black' arrows on each fitting to make sure the hot is going / flowing properly. Once the oil comes out of the cooler, then everything is flowing through the 'black' or 'cold' fittings.

 

/fingers crossed that I get it right.

Ted

 

On the side with the little flange mine was labeled 'hot' on one side and 'cold' on the other. The way I understand this part - it shouldn't matter.  Why? Under temps under 180, the bypass operates in a passive manner. It will allow some oil to flow into the cooler at all times. Only after the 180* is reached will the thermostat valve snap over and force all oil through the cooler.

 

Position the housing the way you see it below and you should be okay. Notice how the bypass valve has one 'fat' end and one 'skinny' end' with the hoses coming in from each side. Looks like the 'cool' side is the side closest to the fat end.

 

Hope this helps,

Ted

Re the Berg Achiever crank pulley:  IIRC, that is an all-steel pulley, somewhat heavier than a machined Billet aluminum pulley, with the intent that it acts like an harmonic balancer on the crankshaft.  American engines, especially V8s, have been running harmonic balancers for decades, so they know that they work, especially with some of the strange crankshafts that came out of Detroit over the years.

 

If you already have a balanced engine, 1915cc or less, and you don't expect to spend much time between 5,500-7,000 rpm, then in my opinion an harmonic balancer crank pulley would be a waste of money.  For that RPM range, it would be almost as good to run a stock, GERMAN, steel pulley, but then you would lose the degree wheel which can be handy (of course, you could also just mark a stock pulley at 30 degrees BTDC with a file....)

 

If, otoh, you intend to take it racing and wish to protect the pulley end bearing from distorting the case after, say, 100,000 miles (somewhat farther than you'll probably drive this car) then go ahead and buy an "Achiever" to fit your sand seal.

Thank you, Gordon. I appreciate the clarity you've provided.

 

Off to get a standard sized sand seal pulley.

 

Ted

I'd be a customer for a true harmonic dampener pulley. A counterweighted crank is by no means "balanced", and a dampener is just a good idea. I've never been gung-ho on the Berg solid chunk 'o metal-- but if I had one, I'd certainly do what it took to use it.

 

My opinion only. That and a buck will buy you a coffee at McDs.

I hear you large on that, Stan. Too many years ago I cut a VW engine in half to make a two cylinder engine for a Fisher FP-2 airplane. I had my local machinist cut the crank at the right spot and weld on the "recommended" counterweights.

 

Took the unusual crank to my unusual auto machine shop for balancing. $45 later they said come pick it up. Balanced to 7,500 rpm. Yow. I flew it for years...nice and smooth.

I managed to get some work done on the ole girl today. I wrapped up the cooler, thermostat, and oil filter install. It's not looking all together too horrible.

 

I received the new wheel studs this week. I turned my attention to the rear wheels/fenders. I decided that it's not an outlaw if you don't cut the fender lips. I trimmed about 1/4" off part of the rear fenders with a grinder. Below is a photo of the wheels with some 20mm spacers. The 20mm units are just a tad too large. I will most likely step down to some 15mm units for the rear.

 

Took a shot of the Lempert VDM replica wheel. Still waiting on the horn button from JPS.

 

One step closer!

 

Ted

 

Damn cool steering wheel.  Sorta looks like a Nardi.

 

Ted, you are a very adventurous sort, with mad skilz, as they say. n When you run out of things to mod on this car, it is going to be something else.  Great pics -- keep 'em coming.

Love the Outlaw direction you're going with! Wheels are BAD A$$!!!! 

@ Ted

Hello Ted a really, really cool thing you mounted the oil cooler. however there is a little thing noticed from me:

 

I think it is very important that the output from the oil filter is connected to the lower input of the oil cooler. And the upper one has to go back to the Engine.

 

This is the only way to prevend that  air bubbles can stay in the oil cooler.

 

If it's not done this way, it will always take time til you have the full oil pressure and the oter thing is with air bubbles  the performance of the cooler is much lower.

 

I'm not entirely sure but when i follow the oil lines on your picture, it seems you mounted it the other way around.

 

So cheers and thumbs up for your construction!

 

Greetings from Germany, Jan

 

 

Hello Jan, 

 

That's a good catch. Makes sense.  If the oil simply has to 'fall down' through the cooler it's not going to get the full effect of the cooling. If I have to push the oil up and through the cooler it will 'fill' the cooler before it is pushed out the top. 

 

The fan switch (I need to finish wiring that up) will be on the 'inlet' and not the 'outlet', but that's a minor detail.

 

I'll swap the hoses at the thermostat today. 

 

frazerk - Thanks for the kind words. I'm a mere hack compared to some of these members.  Your comment on the wheel inspired me to learn the differences between the Nardi and the VDM. The two are actually identical except for the embellishments. The Nardi has a single black inlay. The VDM replaces the inlay with two groves which are painted black.  When I ordered the wheel I wanted something different from the standard Nardi, but didn't want to stray too far. I was on the fence between the VDM and a wheel like Terry's.  I'm still not sure I made the right decision. I may have to order a second one so I can change them out like Marty changes shoes.

 

Jim - Thanks buddy!  I was trying to figure out if I liked the tecnos on the car or not. I had to keep asking myself... What Would Rod Emory Do? (WWRED?) I was looking at the car and decided to figure out where I would have to cut the lips. The more I looked at it I figured I'd give it a go. Glad I did. Only a trained eye looking up under the wheel well could tell they have been shaved. Now that I think I've mastered the wheel spacers on the rear, I love with how the rear looks. I'll need to pull the rear tires back 1/8" to 1/4", but it should still retain that fat boy look.

 

Does anyone make a WIDER front beam? I'd love to push the front wheels out  a bit. I also think I'm going to have the front wheel studs taken down about a 1/4 to 3/8" of an inch. They are *jjjjjuuuuuuust* a bit too long without the spacers behind them. I only want maybe 3/8" of the stud sticking out past the lug nut.

 

As always - thanks for checking in. I appreciate it. Keeps me from making mistakes like Jan pointed out above! Plus the encouragement and compliments keep me going. 

 

Hi Ted,

usually you put the switch to the outlet.

the logic behind it:

the fan should not switch on as long as the cooler does it's job alone without fan.

 

And another tip from my experience: Build a relay circuit witch shuts of the fan during the engine start. This makes the engine start much easyer with hot motor! 

if the fan is running during start, it takes too much energie from the ignition.

 

Cheers

I understand the logic for the switch on the outlet, unfortunately with the way it's plumbed up right now, it's a space issue. The switch doesn't HAVE to be hung directly off the cooler. I could simply put it in line anywhere on the return line. I'll need to change some stuff and buy an extra fitting or two, but it should work. 

 

The other side of that coin is that with where the cooler is mounted, it's not going to get a whole lot of static airflow. So I'm not sure how effective the cooling will be without the fan on. I'm going to build a scoop to hopefully direct air over the cooler to hopefully improve the efficiency.  I also want to build a FOD screen for in front of the fan. Man, this thing is never done.

 

If you have a schematic for that relay, I'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks!

Think my drawing is even not better than my english writing ;-) but I tried.

 

 

Putting the switch somewere into the returne line might be the best. Maybe close to the thermostate?!

 

About the Ralay: You just need a simple 5-pin car Relay. The numbers on the relay should match to the numbers on my schematic.

 

p.s. what you can also do: Some Ignition lock switches have an extra pin witch is switched of during the start of the engine, you also can use this. BUT in this case you have to put an extra cable from the ignition switch up to the fan all through across the vehicle... I would prefer to do it with the relay like in my schematic.

Ted, I mounted my thermostat directly to the filter housing, used pipe thread to AN male fittings and a double female adapter between the two. No mounting needed. Been that way for 5 or 6 years now. I'll have to take a pic.

Still waiting for the silly sand seal to come in. While I was waiting I decided to clean up the back end of the car. I've successfully sanded and polished most of the rear of the car. I was never able to get in close around the license plate light, the license plate, around the tail lights or behind the bumper. It's always been kind of hazy and dull back around those parts.

 

I threw caution to the wind and removed everything so I could get in there and color sand the back end.

 

 

 

Below you can sort of see what I mean. Just dull and bleh.

 

 

Me and my trusty 2000 grit paper and a sanding block. Now it's REALLY dull.

 

 

First pass with some compound on a wool cutting pad. Second pass with a lighter compound on a new pad:

 

Third pass with a foam pad and some Chemical Brothers 'renew' glaze

 

 

One pass with the Chemical Brothers 'Black Light' and a final pass on the Cyclone polisher and some Chemical Brothers 'Black wax'. 

 

 

At this point I can't tell if it looks any better than it did two passes ago, but it's a whole lot better than it was when I started.

 

Oh, while I was in there I decided to clean up the wires once and for all. Good ol Al had a hodge podge of bullet and butt connectors. I'm going to upgrade the entire mess to some standard plugs.

 

 

 

I did a tiny bit of work on the 'daily driver':

 

 

 

Tune in next time when I finally seal up the rear of the engine compartment. (between the rear subframe and the rear of the body.

 

Thanks for checking in...

Ted

Truely Awesome......   

Oh yeah.. two more images.

 

 

One shot of the Mike Lempert with the horn button installed. YAY! Sorry Brandon, the horn button arrived before your car.

Alan, Greg, or anyone else - How do I solve this? The passenger door sticks out a tiny bit on the bottom rear. The top front is slightly recessed. I'm assuming it's a shim type fix. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Ted

Wow, Ted.  The results of your sanding and polishing effort are truly spectacular.  Nice work!

Ted - you got some mad paint polishing skilz! Car looks pretty good! 

ditto what MUSBJIM said.  I know nothing about how to "buff out' car paint, and you obviously have had some training.  What are you going to do with a really shiny back end, and the rest -- um -- not so much??  And I'm gonna say that your st. wheel looks a lot like mine, a Nardi.

Veddy veddy nice, Ted. Me ? I'd be afraid to go near it now ! You make it look easy !

I be waitin' to hear what Alan says about the door.  Just a little wiggle w/ the hinges, I guess, but maybe more complex.

First, shim the hinge that needs to push the door out,  you don't need much here.

 

See what that has done for the one that has the door sticking out, you may need to remove the hinge and grind a bit off the surface to make it slightly thinner again, you don't need to remove much.

 

I've been working my way around the car. Color sanding and knocking out the scratches. As Jim can attest, the car had a LOT or orange peel when I picked it up. I started my color sanding on the front right fender (the worst spot) about 6 months ago. I've made my way clear around to the driver side door. I have the door, the front left fender and the hood left to do. It's all pretty shiny, some places have more orange peel than others. The hood will be a big transformation. I may tape off half of it just to show the big difference with and without color sanding.

 

With respect to the the Nardi wheel: The replica VDM and Nardi are nearly identical wheels. The only appreciable difference is the Nardi has one dark band of inlay. The VDM has two black stripes.  The 'profile' and size of the replica wheels are pretty close.  I believe the the originals were larger in diameter and profile shape/size.

 

David - Ha! Yeah, no kidding. I was afraid to put the cover on it. The paint is old and soft. It gets light surface scratches on it pretty easily. My goal wasto get all the deep orange peel and scratches out of the paint. Plus this forced me to clean up the wires. They are a mess.

 

Regarding pant work: Believe it or not, I have had no formal training. It's all learned by doing it and from watching videos on you tube. Color sanding is the scary part. Buffing? The machine(s) do all the work. The biggest thing is to know how the buffing pad is turning and to not have that go up against a hard edge (fender lip, door gap, etc. etc.) So long as the pad is turning away/off the edge - then you're good. If the pad is turning towards or 'onto' the hard edge you will burn the paint.  Go slow. 1400 rmp is the most I do. Just go slow and do like 2' at a time. This paint is pretty tired. Once the whole 'patina' fad is over, I'll get it repainted.   If I get through the entire car without having a major mistake, it'll be a miracle.

 

 

You Tube is man's new best friend!

What should I use for a shim? Thin pieces of metal between the hinge and the door? or hinge and the body?  Is this process written down any place or is it another 'earn an you learn' type deal?

 

I'm sure it'll make sense once I stuff the first shim or two in there.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Ted

Ted;

 

My drivers door is shimmed out at the top. Thin little rectangular metal. A fender washer(s) would work equally as well.

 

I don't like seeing them every time I open the door and look at the door jamb. BUT, I haven't fixed my butt sag yet, so I'm hoping this might fix it all.

 

BTW....your body shine work is very nice. you ought to be proud and happy. Me, I'm just jealous.

TRP: My bet this is all OJT. There is some sh## you just can't write down.  And you can buy shim stock of various thicknesses.  Alan says you don't need much, so I am thinking a few thou here or there at the hinge.

Ted

Mine is shimmed between the hinge and body. FWIW.

It all depends on which direction the door has to move (in 3 dimensions).  You really have to sit there and see where it's out to begin with, then determine where to put the shims and how thick they should be.  

 

I aligned the doors on the red Speedster that Alan finished and all I used was some flat aluminum stock 2-1/2" square or so.  Sometimes it goes between the door and the hinge, sometimes between the body and the hinge, depending on which door corner you're trying to move and in which direction.

 

A very little difference in shim thickness and where positioned can make a BIG difference in the end result, so go slowly and play with different thicknesses until you get it to where it looks cool.

@Ted

any news about wiring, swap hoses and pumping oil up ore down? ;-)

I have been putting that off.

 

The new sand seal and the BOSCH relay(s) arrived yesterday, so now I have no excuse not to finish all of that up. It's on the radar, I just haven't wrapped it up yet. I started to remove the cooler and the hoses so I could build a proper FOD screen over the cooler. I'd hate for a rock to come off the tire and damage that cooler/fan.

 

I had one question on the fan wiring. What if I pulled my 12V off of a terminal that's only 'hot' when the starter is not cranking? I'm pretty sure I have such a terminal on my ignition switch. If I did, would that work in place of the relay setup?

Ted

Yes, but in using a relay you will dramatically lessen the power going through the switch, thereby extending its operational life, as well as supplying more power to the fan (from the relay) and decreasing heat generated in the wire (although that's pro'bly negligible, in this case).

 

Other than that, using that spare lug on the ignition switch (to drive the fan relay) is fine.

Thanks, Gordon! Your info makes sense. I'll put this on 'the list' of tasks to tackle. Now that the seal has arrived I'll turn my attention back to getting the ole girl up and running again. 

 

Jan - I know it seems like I'm all over the place on this car. I like to keep myself busy while I'm waiting for parts.

 

I started to tear into the oil system as part of an overall project to keep the motor cool and attack a few small oil drips. With the proper Gene Berg oil pump cover, the new 'step stud' on the sump and the 'red seal nuts' on the oil pump - I hope to have solved my oil drips.  I uncovered the sand seal when I was trying to install the proper 7" crank pulley. Previously I had no idea the motor was running a sand seal. Once I discovered the seal was leaking I decided to replace the seal and put a proper sized sand seal pulley on the car.

 

Naturally, while the oil was out, I figured it's the right time to install the cooler and thermostat. With the stock sized pulley, the cooler, the thermostat, the fan, etc. - I should be able to help keep the temps down into comfortable levels. Granted, it was't bad before - I just didn't like watching the temps go up while sitting in traffic.

 

I've also been planning on sealing up the rear most area of the engine compartment. It's always bothered me that it was 'open' the the heat from the header. A 38" x 4" gap can let in a lot of heat while sitting in traffic. Gotta keep the hot side hot and the cold side cold.

 

I decided to tackle the dingy back end because it's the first thing I see as I pull and out of the garage every single day. Also the wires are in the visible as I'm dealing with both the waxing of the rear of the car AND sealing up the rear of the body/engine tin.

 

Ted 

this is what I already wrote you got these two possibilities: you can take the power from the relay ore from the ignition switch. I also think the way to do it with the relay might be easier for you because you don't have to put an extra cable from the ignition switch up to the fan across the vehicle.

Fair enough. That's probably where I got the idea then. 

 

Ted

Missed my anniversary? How did that happen?

 

So, turns out that in early March (the 6th?) was my one year anniversary of owning the speedster. ALB reminded me of it yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I'll have to go back and do a retrospective of all the stuff I've done to the car over the past 365 days. I'll remember what Wolfgang and Gordon said ("Don't add up the receipts!).

 

I think I'll celebrate by wrapping up the cooler install and getting her back on the road today. I got most of it done yesterday. I was bummed that the 'thermostat switch' didn't seem to work. The cooler works well, but I let the car run for 20 minutes in the garage and the fan never came on. I jumped the 12V across the two pins on the switch and the fan came alive, but the 'switch' never triggered. My thought is that the with the fan switch on the return side of the cooler, the oil leaving the cooler was under 180.  Not sure if that's accurate but it's a theory. 

 

Setrab suggested putting the switch on the INLET side of the cooler. Considering moving it to their suggested location.  Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

I fixed the stud on the sump. No more leaks there. I still have a drip at the oil pump even after replacing the rear cover and installing the red seal nuts. Looks like it's coming from the top. Might need to pull the pulley, the tins, and go at it again. 

 

While I'm cleaning up the rear wires, I took the time to install LED's. 

 

 

With the fan switch on the inlet side of the cooler, the fan is running whenever oil is circulating through the cooler, and that isn't necessary. I've never heard a reasonable explanation as to why they suggest it. As you said, a lot of the time it's going to be less than 180' after the cooler. 

 

YOU WANT THE OIL TO BE CLOSE TO THAT TEMPERATURE, SO WHY RUN THE FAN AND MAKE THE OIL EVEN COLDER?

 

Remember, oil does it's job best when it's 180-200 or 210'F. I think the cooler thermostat should be set to open at 200 or 210', as the engine's just getting warmed up at 180, but they don't make them like that.

 

And congratulations, Ted; you've definitely got the Madness! and you're an inspiration. 

it just means everyting is 100% o.k.
running the engine in the garage will never bring ist to the temerature, you need to swirch on the fan. my Engine for example neeeds 20 minutes hard driving in the hot summer to switch it on.
to give you an idea for the right temperature 180 deree is the temperature you cant touch the metal of the cooler for longer tha3 seconds. If you can touch it for lorger, it's to cold, try it out

 

Gary and Jan are right. Want to see the effects of an engine running too cold? Look at a beetle engine with no thermostat or flaps; in my neck of the woods (Vancouver, BC) oil temps won't reach 180'F for several months of the year, and removing the oil filler cap will yeild a mungy, dirty, mayonaise like substance at the top of the filler, which is condensation from the engine not reaching proper operating temps. Engines like this (even rebuilt stock 1600's) don't last 60,000 miles because of moisture build up, gas dilution and acid corrosion from not reaching operating temps for months at a time! A friend here who still drive a beetle full time (78x90.5, FK44 with 1.3 rockers, 40x35 heads, Webers or Dels, I forget) removes the rear breast plate over the exhaust during the winter months, otherwise the engine never fully warms up around town.

 

Gene Berg once said that an engine's life was shortened 12- 15% from the longer warm up times caused by people removing the thermostat and flaps, and that's in souther California. An engine (any engine) needs to get to proper operating temps quickly to minimize the damage from running too cold.

Drove the car for 20 minutes today. Motor is leaking somewhere behind the crank pulley or the top of the oil pump. Drained some oil out because the oil level was a tad on the high side. The oil has a lot of sparkle/shimmering silver dust in it. Brad Penn shouldn't shimmer. Need to tear it down and inspect what's going on in there.

This motor is coming out and the 1600 is going back in.

Lame.

That sucks, it is bad enough to find metal particles in an old engine but worse in a newly built one...I hope it is not really major like shaved cylinders or something.

Not sure what it is. It's like powdered graphite but silver. Very fine particles in suspension in the oil. I  don't even know what it could be.

I'll assume the dog house is a throw away. What about the setrab? Do I need to pitch that as well?

Can't both of them be flushed out?