the targa continues...

[grannysmith]

Some say I'm dedicated. More say I'm just a weirdo laid under an old banger.

[grannysmith]

As planned, at the weekend I got the paint on. I'm glad this part is over because I've had the whole car masked up (one of the neigbours said it looked like I was going to mail it somewhere )There are a few areas to touch in with a brush but I'll leave those till the suspension is back on in case I ding anything.



The MOT man is going to call me a sad b*stard.









I've got to concentrate on the oil tank repair now because I would like to fit it before the spring plate on that side. I have cleaned the tank up and it is mostly fine



Unfortunately the backside on the tank has fared so well



The repair putty is on and set but I'll have to wait till the weekend again before I can paint. I intend etch, stone chip and I then a grey top coat so any future leaks will be easily spotted. I'm waiting on a new sender gasket anyway so there's no point in rushing.

In the meantime I will set about re threading the wiring and I have some new fuel lines to run.

[DustyM]

Superb....

[grannysmith]

Thank you Jon

I have been playing with a DIY zinc plating kit lately and this has held up some of the putting back together process. I know its not the best practice to re-use old bolts but the spring plate adjusters and the fine thread M10's are something I can't get for free at work! All was going well until I tried to re-plate the disc shields, for some reason these would only plate in patches so they've got a coat of paint instead.

So the handbrake assembly which started like this





Now looks better, It's the same shoes but there is lots of life left in them.






I also have haven't bothered going to town on the calipers or disc's. The brakes on this car have always passed an mot and they lock up when needed but as a whole they have always felt wooden and never inspired heavy late braking. With this in mind there didn't seem much point in a professional refurb as there might be an up grade one day.

I now have the repaired oil tank back in place



and all the other rear kit is back on apart from the shocks. They're smooth and firm in operation but look a bit worse for wear.



So will get a clean up and paint before going in the mix



On to the motor. The thing actually runs quite well, a few spits and pops while warming up but if it wasn't for the fact it leaks so much I wouldn't be taking it apart. The main problem I've got with spending too much money on it is it doesn't have all its numbers. You can see 6131 but then just evidence of a cover up
I've asks some questions in the tech help section (Thank you all) but as I write this I'm thinking of just a de-coke clean up and re-seal. I can borrow micrometers, verniers and dial gauges from work next week so if things check out to within/near tolerance... fools errand it maybe but it'll just be a rebuild gasket set. So far the con rods are still attached to the crank and will stay like that until the checks have been made.

It definitely is a sorry looking thing with it's none matching valve covers and mongy oil cooler.

















I have no idea if 2.4 cases are rare or not to find second hand but I'll stick a post in the wanted section. Maybe if I get lucky I can have this motor running again and keeping dry while I scratch build a long block at leisure(when there's spare cash!)

[Classic]

I've got one of the DIY zinc kits, and if you have the standard power supply that they come with, the reason that your brake shields didn't plate is not enough amps.

Nice work by the way.

[grannysmith]

It's been a while.

Over the last few months I've had problems with waiting for parts to be delivered, services to be carried out, money going out quicker than in and for some reason photobucket wouldn't let me upload.
All is now resolved, except for the money one

I managed to acquire from one DDKer a nice 72 E case and pair of E cams, and from another a nice std/std crank and a pair of T cams. I had never seen an E cam up close before and noticed that the lobes were shorter but fatter than the T cam. This maybe how they are, lower lift because of the domed piston but longer duration, but at the time it occurred to me that they might have been re-ground so I opted for the T's. This gave me a new problem that although they have the same part no. and the lobes measure up to the good lobes on my original cams they were from a carb T and lacked the extra bit on the end to mount the MFI pulley.



The one on the left needs the extension. The recess has an m8 thread inside and I guess this is for an adpator to run the oil pump if you happen to have a carb T sporto. It does make it easy to add a pulley mount.



I'm really pleased with how this turned out. It's fixed with the recessed allen head and roll pins to stop it un-screwing. The outer roll pins are there in case I ever decide to revert back to sporto and need to drive the extra oil pump.

The used crank I was going to use had had new big end bearing fitted and the rod bolts torqued up before I got it. Unfortunately the small ends needed to be replaced so the bolts were wasted My heads also needed new guides and the valves and seats re-grinding so off they all went to a machine shop. I won't name them, but if you live in SHEFFIELD and require ENGINE SERVICES there's a place I suggest you avoid. All came back correct...... eventually, but at a lot x£ than quoted.

So it all went back together. The bottom end has-

Used but straight case
Used but nice crank with new bearings except no.8 (which I thought was good, and when I found out the price of a new one became even more confident in!)
My old rods which all weigh the same near as damn it, with new big/small ends and bolts.
My old oil pump and inter shaft as was.
New chains and ramps.



The bit in the middle is going to be the first potential weak point. I can't run to new barrels and pistons. It would have been nice to go the whole hog but they not oval or have any scores so a hone and new rings is as far as this bit goes.



The top end is

My old heads with new guides
My old valves re cut to the seats with the same springs,seats,retainers and collets
New rockers (ouch) with re used adjusters
Original cam housing but with one new turbo cover to match up to the one I already had.

The second potential weak point is re using my old turbo tensioners. Again it's down to cost but at least this is something I could up grade later without too much strip down. The old ones were refilled with new oil and bled. I did have to move the little safety collars so they would compress enough to fit. there must have been quite a lot of stretch in the old cam chains. The cam timing was straight forward and I got within a knats of the 2.6mm.



All the bits I'd cleaned, painted or plated could now go on. My test for play in the TB spindles was to try and waggle them No waggle so they were stripped, the bottom faces were trued up and then the paint and plate.



I'm so pleased with these you can have the big headed look at what I can do before and after shots





The MFI pump has been left alone apart from re-sealing the bottom plate. The tin wear is blasted and painted so is the fan and housing. The fan shroud has just been cleaned, it is scuffed and sun faded in parts but I thought it would look better that way than trying to paint it.



The exhausts were just to try on. The motor will be run-in with a standard box.

[abm914]

Very impressive, hats off to your work on the car.

Ad.

[grannysmith]

A last few jobs on the rear before engine in.

The rear shockers were stripped blasted and painted. Then refilled with 15w motorcycle fork oil.



And the rear light boxes tidied up.




The gearbox has been left alone apart from new drive shaft seals and the little one at the shifter rod. It does have it little quirks, it whines a bit when not under load and it can crunch from 2nd to 3rd sometimes if you're a bit ham fisted, but I like it that way for now.



A tidy up of the starter and wiring. The hardest part of getting it back in is the plug for the reverse light switch fowling on the body. On my old sporto box this was mounted on the side.
Its gone in with new CV's (the messiest part of putting it back in) There are no photos because I didn't want to get grease on the camera.







I've been following the Wayne Dempsey book so with the fuel pump and CDI unplugged the motor was cranked to build oil pressure. It didn't start up the easiest (a bit of adjustment on the dizzy) and then up to 2000rpm for 20 mins. Change the oil and filter restart and set the timing with the strobe (Just at idle for the moment. no 6000rpm till 1000 miles covered)

I'm 300 miles in now and apart from not starting as well as I seem to remember (it has been a while) it runs fantastically when warmed up a little. It still leaks oil though I've to adjust the tappets and re-torque the heads at 500 miles so I'll be doing this engine out. That will give me a chance to try and sort these leaks. The easiest one seems to be coming from the oil tank sender unit. I got a new gasket for this and was surprised when it turned out to be cork as the one I removed was rubber. It'll get a coat of high temp silicone. The next is from the oil cooler joint so I'm hoping it just one of the fat green o rings thats not seated properly. The next could possibly be the most time consuming as it's the joint between the chain housing and the head. I wiped the oil that had wetted the back of the chain housing and it hasn't come back on runs since though so it might be all right. The last and most annoying is coming from the small cut out at the bottom of the bell housing. It doesn't smell like gear oil so must be coming from somewhere behind the flywheel and those are very expensive one time only bolts

next update in 200 miles or so.

[911hillclimber]

Nice job done on the whole car!

I have recently done a top end on my 3.2 and suffered the same leak on 1/2/3 side head/chain housing.

Found the paper 'triangular' gasket was torn round the bottom fixing bolt.

Had to remove the cam timing sproket and sealed using the Loctite engine gasket fluid used for the cam housing/heads etc.

No leaks since. I did notice the large dia O ring looked a bit nipped too, but didn't have a new one at the time so left it. Did it all incar....lovely sunday job to do.

[dragonfly]

Wow, another fantastic project and great result.
I wish I had the skills and time to tackle this sort of job on mine

[Barry]

Just caught up with this having missed it when you started the thread.

The car looks fantastic, and anyone that undertakes the whole lot themselves like this deserves the maximum of respect. Great stuff!

[Peter S]

Just caught up with this having missed it when you started the thread.

The car looks fantastic, and anyone that undertakes the whole lot themselves like this deserves the maximum of respect. Great stuff!

+1 totally agree

[grannysmith]

Thank you all very much for your comments.

The engine has now had the tappets adjusted/heads re-torqued, and I hope the leaks are sorted. I wont know for sure until I get to run it again but I've decided to crack on and get the front end cleaned up.

When I first thought of sorting out the underside it was only planned to refurb/renew the running gear and engine with no plan to clean and paint at all apart from blacking out under the bonnet. The front suspension etc was all removed stripped and painted/plated some time ago.





It all went back on with new ball joints,turbo tie rods,shock inserts and superpro bushes. At the same time the luggage area had a tidy up.



I'm an electrician for a day job and messy wiring is a pet hate of mine. With everything out to satin black the area I decided to sort out the loom by separating the original wiring from the added on stuff. The alarm,central locking control and power feeds to the boxster seats is now hidden away in the smugglers box.





Since I then chose to go to town with the green it's all coming off again. Thats why the title of this is Arse about face....



I won't be doing the luggage area again that can stay black. Its pretty much the same as at the back, a horrible job that you wish you hadn't started but it comes off eventually. A little easier with being able to remove the wings and the area around the steering rack really only needed a quick lick.







Again I gave it a coat of etch and some stone chip where needed then got busy with the green.









My car originally had AC so there was a rectangular hole in the front and no tow hook. The hole was plated up when I did the boot area so I added the tow hook while doing this work. I hope never to use it for anything other than somewhere to place a trolley jack. I'll give it a few days to harden and then start to refit the running gear.

[grannysmith]

The car is back now together so I had better update this.

All the previously done front suspension was cleaned and touched up where needed. I found some play in the front wheel bearing on one side so replaced them. I hate getting inner races out, I did stick them in the oven for a while but it didn't seem to help. I don't know if the steel expands more than the alloy so that could have been the problem. Eventually out with lots of here a bit there a bit tapping. The new ones did spend some hours in the freezer and went in easily by comparison.



When I was playing with the bearings I noticed some run out in one of the old discs so I have gone for new ones. They are nothing special just off the shelf pagit rotors. I've mentioned before my thoughts on the brakes having a wooden feel and a possible future upgrade. So I passed on the chance to change the M/C but now that I'm running the car again and I've put a few miles on it the brakes seem to have a better feel. I have no idea how old the discs were and although not worn to their thickness limit I wonder if with years of heat cycles the steel loses some property that results in the wooden feeling (or is it new fluid?). Anyway I'll push the boat out and get new rears too at some point soon ish, I'm just a bit fed up of bleeding brakes at the moment. The old steel(?) brake lines have been re used. They cleaned up like new so a coat of paint and back on (saved me having to try and replicate the bends too) The flexible hoses were new last year so remain.



I really couldn't be bothered to clean up this gater when I found out they were cheap.



I can't imagine it'll stay this clean and tidy for long









The cat is still unimpressed



It obviously thinks there's nothing hard about cleaning your underneath bits.

Thank you to those of you who have helped/answered my questions in the tech help section. I'm not up to full run in yet, I need the geometry checking and I found out my car is missing a reinforcing bar from under the dash so will still be asking more. I do plan to use the car now though for what is left of our summer and continue the targa in the winter months.



I'd like to get the wheels re finished, find some original front seats, front fog lights, re plate/re finish exterior trim, make the roof fit snugger, find a radio, tool kit......

[Mike]

well done Mick, fantastic work and a great colour. You staying with the US spec headlight units?