Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

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PeterK
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

Thanks both
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

Well, who knew that it would rain today – can’t paint in the rain :lol:


New crush washer and refitted the sump plug, then drained the oil tank. Time to start
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First off, create some space and remove the pipe to the secondary fan and move the return out of the way.
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Disconnect and move the spark plug leads, remove valve covers and change the oil filter.
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Had a bit of an issuette with the lower OS cover
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It wouldn’t clear the SSI heat exchanger. Using a palette knife to protect the valve cover, and having tried a few other things, the air die grinder won out.

Now we’re cooking on gas. Head studs re-torqued – generally all good, although a few took about 1/8 of a turn, then valve clearances.

Using the disse to confirm, set to TDC on cylinder 1
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I also moved one of the fan spacers to tighten the fan belt while I was generally in the area.


I’d set the valve clearances on the loose side for the initial run-in, so again, about 1/8 of a turn and they were all snug, and refitting was the reverse of dismantling (without the die grinder)
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I had removed 2x5 litre cans of oil (plus a slight spillage), so added about 9 litres of oil to start with, and span the engine over without the plug leads connected to build up oil pressure. This is when I noticed that the oil pressure light no longer works. I checked the bulb and 12V supply - both good – so something to do with wiring or the pressure switch. My goodness gracious, it is not easy to reach the switch. The wiring is correctly connected to the switch, but other than that, I couldn’t get any closer, so still no warning light.

With oil pressure, plug leads were reconnected and the engine started. I checked the oil and added a further 1.5 litres, but need to drive it and get it properly hot before calling the oil set.

The car is now waiting in the garage overnight and will get a proper drive once I’ve rechecked fuel pressures, and reviewed / moved the soft and hard rev limiters in the CDI+ software (I was somewhat cautious with my settings for the initial running).



I didn’t like the way my phone holder sat on the clock, so knowing better than the manufacturer, I located it on the far left gauge :oops: . Unfortunately, I keep knocking the phone off when I change gear or try to use the indicators (for the BMW and Audi drivers among us, they’re the funny yellowy orange lights that work, then stop, then work, then stop :lol: ), and it rolls around under my feet – not the safest. So I’ve moved it to the clock.
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It’s a bit hidden by my hands, but hopefully it won’t be too much in the way now.



Another issuette was the handbrake. It was a bit soft on the OS, despite me having checked the shoe adjustment a couple of times. The NS wheel sounded different when the handbrake was on, so maybe the issue was with that side, not the OS, resulting in the handbrake cable not pulling enough on the OS.
So, wheel off, caliper off (easier said than done) and disc off. All looked fine, so reassembled and adjusted the handbrake shoes. Then thought more sensibly and checked the cable adjustments – quite a lot of slack in the OS. Adjusted it up and now a good handbrake on both sides. Moral of this – check the simple and obvious before you try and be clever :oops:
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

So, painting the front door got in the way of play time yesterday, but of course, one must find something to do whilst waiting for the first primer coat to dry :angel4: .

So, as Graham instructed, spacers. Those with lathes can now skip ahead but for those with nothing better to do, here we go.
From browsing on our friend google, I looked at the steering rack spacer kits from the well know purveyors. They looked to be about 3x the bolt hole size, and as the steering rack securing bolts are 10mm, hence 30mm spacer diameter. As the replacement bolts are 45mm and the standard bolts are 35mm, the spacers must be 10mm thick.

I had some 40mm diameter aluminium round bar left over from a previous project (maybe making the connectors for the oil thermostat).
I faced off one end, centre counterbored it so that I could support it, and pared off a chunk that could be more accurately held in the chuck.
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Then drill out – 6mm, 8mm then 10.5 (clearance for the 10mm bolts).
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Then I turned them down to 30mm OD in a few bites
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Not too shabby
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and pared one off at 10mm thick.
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Then repeat for a second spacer and voila, 2 spacers.
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This morning, while waiting for the sun to rise a little and warm the front door before the first top coat, I decided to check the wiring to my non-functioning oil pressure idiot light. The wiring was on the switch, so the next wiring check point is the 14-way connector on the rear fuse panel. This was a good place to check a) the wiring to the light by grounding pin 9 of the 14 way connector on the body side and b) continuity to the switch by measuring continuity for pin 9 on the engine loom side.

I pulled the 14-way connector apart and tested the wiring to the switch. All good – a ground signal, so both the wiring and the switch were OK. On then to check the body side, so I went to insert my probe (oh err missus). Spotted an issue – there was no female connector in pin 9.

Those with a better memory than me may remember my starting issue a while back, where I pulled the rear panel apart during my testing. All the leads fell out of the 14-way connector, so I refitted them. It appears that I missed with pin 9 and had put it in the unused pin 7’s slot. I moved it to the correct hole, reattached the 14-way connector, turned the ignition on, and bingo – oil warning light was shining brightly. Phew, glad I don’t have to change the switch.



What to do while the front door stays open for the first topcoat to dry, perhaps I had better stay near the front of the house to keep guard. Is fitting the steering rack spacers calling me ....... :dontknow:
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by deano »

PeterK wrote:So, painting the front door got in the way of play time yesterday, but of course, one must find something to do whilst waiting for the first primer coat to dry :angel4: .

Then repeat for a second spacer and voila, 2 spacers.
Image
show off! :P
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

:lol:

Graham made me do it
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by 911hillclimber »

Did Peter say that to SWMBO?
Using a lathe becomes very addictive, any excuse in my case. :)
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

So, I was a good boy and stayed close to the front door while the paint was drying. Certainly not my fault that the best place to watch was from the garage, no siree, not my fault :angel4:


So, loosen the steering column to rack UJ, raise car into the air (did I mention yet how useful a lift is ??).

Remove undertray
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Remove 2 bolts securing the rack
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insert spacers and insert longer bolts
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That sounds simple doesn’t it, but what a faff !. Took ages to get the bolts lined up – I was more than a little conscious that I could easily (and expensively) cross-thread the bolts into the soft aluminium steering rack.
Refit undertray and tighten steering UJ

All should now be good, although the front tracking must need a tweak now. Something for the morrow.



Got the wheel arch liners ready for fitting. Had a quick test look-see and have decided that I won’t fit them, as the NSF wheel arch has my electric aircon condenser and the Boxster water bottle. Well, that will be some cash back then.
Image



Needed to end on a high, so pulled the CDI box out, plugged in the Macbook and increased my rev limits, now that the first 500 miles has been completed. Went for a scary 6500 soft limit and 6800 hard cut out.

Alex the Garage Bitch is coming over tomorrow, so we’ll have some fun re-stretching the rear of the targa cover. Then we might just have to go for a drive :bounce:
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by hot66 »

I need an undertray like that but not convinced it will fit with my 80 lt plastic tank ( looking at your pics I think my tank hangs a fair bit lower .. )
James

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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

(Assuming that it makes it all the way there) run a tape measure over it at CLM
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

So, young Mr Garage Bitch duly arrived at silly o’clock, and we started with adjusting the toe-in after yesterday’s rack raising (well after copious drinking of coffee :coffee2: and talking bo££ox of course). Took way longer than it should have done to get repeatable results, but it was done and we duly went for a little drive.

Having never exceeded 3k revs (OK, maybe 2 or 3 times accidentally coming off a roundabout, etc), today I started my running in phase 2 - up to 5k. We left my road, turned right onto the A road, then entered Mexico. With a slight press on the loud pedal and it span up to 5k in 3rd – great joy as no pistons were seen leaving the engine and what a wonderful sound :bounce: . Oh, and the steering felt much improved at the 59.75mph maximum that I did occifer :iroc: .


Lunch followed, then back home we unpicked the rear of the targa cover, stuck my fingers together, made a mess, re-unstuck the rear of the targa cover (man that glue likes to stick to things at the most inopportune of times) and finally got it back together. Leaving it sitting back on the car now and will decide tomorrow if it’s good enough to finally fit the headlining.

After GB left (thanks matey), I also got my fingers even dirtier by leather blacking the steering wheel.
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by The Garage Bitch »

Mon plaisir mon ami and good to catch up ..... errrrrrrrrr I mean ....talk bo££ox :lol:

Enjoyed my wee hurl (quaint Scottish term meaning means of conveyance, not chucking stuff oot the windae) in the co-pilot's chair.

I wouldn't worry about that 2.5-3k drone you have mentioned earlier in the blog. That exhaust sounds fruitier than a greengrocers imo. Step awaaaaaaaaaaaaay from the end cans :bounce:
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by AndrewSlater »

Great work so far Peter.
Interesting to see you recently running into a lot of the issues I had, misbehaving WURs, poor quality fuel pressure kits, SSI fouling cam covers etc.
Good to see you got through it.

One question - now that you have both a soft and hard rpm limit set in your CDI+ box, is it not worth changing your rotor arm to a non-limiting one.
From my experience the tolerance on the rotor arms is a bit poor so might be letter to just let the CDI+ box manage your limits.

All the best
Andrew
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

Thanks Andrew
Yes, I have a rotor from a 3.2 ready to go in. As my intention is to be far from the upper rev limit for a while, I wasn't in a rush to change it, but I guess a non-limiting one has less to go wrong.
I’ll get on to it.
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by PeterK »

Swapped out my under arch (Boxster) windscreen washer tank, and no more leaks. Result.


However, I bought another DAB aerial, as reception was not to the standard of my daily (although that has an aerial on the roof) - in the garage I currently get some but not great reception. With the new super dooper high gain aerial I got no reception at all. I’ve logged a ‘defective item’ return request on fleabay.


Also, while messing about with the car, I’ve noticed a vertical crease in the passenger door. I always park it carefully, but I guess that it’s now my first car park unattended car incident :crybaby:
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Re: Wot, not another '79 Targa resto thread

Post by rhd racer »

That’s annoying Peter. It might be worth consulting a dent removal man - we just had a ripple removed from my wife’s daily that I was convinced would be impossible and it is completely invisible.

There used to be a DAB aerial specialist called DAB on wheels, in Bootsy’s manor. They were brilliant, but unfortunately ceased trading last year. However, I bought two brilliant DAB aerials from them called Kinetic, which are brilliant for reception. They do fixed and extendable masts, and have broken a mast with my car cover this winter just picked up another online. Worth a Google to see if you can get one somewhere else - they really are excellent

HTH
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