Feb 16, 2007

Drove the conversion home today. Oil temps coming up the mountain went to the 250 - 260 range. Engine had a stumble and wouldn't idle. I am going to give up on this engine .... maybe on the conversion itself. Anybody want to buy a complete conversion with some heating problems? I'm done.

It's now Feb 2007. I have driven the car with the Long / TruCool cooler about 500 miles and it hasn't blown up yet. This is a smaller one essentially 5" X 11". Oil temps are now about 230 degrees and this is with cool weather. Ok, maybe adding a second one of the same size will bring it down some more. Still resisting the addition and plumbing of a front mounted cooler but I have acquired a Mazda RX7 cooler in case I change my mind.

Also changed the CIS throttle body and warmup regulator from the '73.5 style to a '77 2.7 style with vacuum controlled regulator. Car seems to run better as soon as I quit putzing with the mixture. Had it lean enough that it would backfire on cold startup .... started richening the mixture and now it starts like it should. I'll drive it later and see how the hot start situation is.

It's time to start thinking about running this thing for the Route 66 Ramble and/or the Atomic Ramble. The Brown Turd lives ..... somewhat.

Over Thanksgiving I installed my NEW Empi 96 row cooler with fan. Fired the engine, added a quart and let the engine idle, with a couple of bursts now and then, for 30 mins ..... oil temp prolly stabilized at 190. Good deal .... test drive tomorrow or Saturday.

Saturday I spend making power from the relay board to provide switched power to the oil cooler fan. Got it all figured out and hooked up. Started engine and let it warm, blipped the throttle a couple of times hard and smoke arose everywhere.

Naw, not a blown engine. Oil Cooler (flat) became oil cooler arched and the seams decided to split. Spewed oil all over tranny, trunk bottom, HEs, right rear tire and brake.

Ah shit!

I owe one to JP Stein!

September 5,2006

The six project is finished. After trying everything in the world to get it to charge, I decided to hook up a /4 alt plug and add a regulator to the relay board. Turned key, got light, fired it up and wella...12.6 VDC at idle and 14.01 at 3K. YES .. after all these weeks of agony over not finding the plug for the alternator and thinking it had an internally regulated alternator I find out they somehow cut the plug outta the system.

My oil light still doesn't go out at idle and I wonder if the sending unit is the wrong type. I've run it for about 1/2 hour and haven't thrown a rod yet.

Tach doesn't work

Need to put windshield in

Need to have it aligned

Need to have short hose lengthened ... the one GPR makes is about 1" shorter than a stock hose.

We'll see if the brakes work correctly and then new pads.

Someday it will get a new interior and paint...... It runs

July 31st......spent two 12 hour days in the shop installing the drivetrain and trying to hook shit up. If it hadn't been for Thomas (One914racer), I would have chucked the drivetrain over the fence and walked away. What I have learned about /6 conversions:

1.) Using the Maddog mount (RJ copy)...you can't install the front sheetmetal. Now I know why Dan Root cut the stuff he made in half...you have to install it from the top.

2.) Aftermarker sheet metal fits like shit in places. If you're using a 2.4 CIS motor like I am, the accelerator hole is is the wrong place. The hole for the wiring to the starter is round and the square rubber insulator from the '73.5 just won't fit.

3.) The latch mechanism and support for the engine hatch needs to be ground away.

4.) The aftermarket "short hose" is 2" to short to mate up with the stock 6 hardline.

5.) The stock six hardline won't go around the mount and interferes with the shift bars. Since I don't have a mandrel bender, the stock steel line kinks when trying to bend it. Getting it to a place where it clears and hooks up overstresses the rubber short hose. Oh well, to the hose man I go.

6.) The deacceleration valve & fuel inlet to the fuel distributor both hit the rear trunk firewall necessitating drilling of holes. The deaccel valve can be removed, but the car will backfire on deaccel (supposedly).

7.) Staring at '71 914, '73.5 911 and a 914/6 relay board wiring diagram gives you gastrointestional distress figuring out how to make the right connections so shit works. I figure another two weeks I might have it figured out.

8.) Someday I will figure out how to mate up the fuel system. Now I know why everyone goes carbs.

9.) Just buy new exhaust studs and nuts 'cause the nuts won't come off the studs for reuse after soaking them for 48 hours.

10.) If I ever contemplate another conversion, I will just shoot myself and end the misery.

Maybe more later...no pics as I throw shit around the shop as I get frustrated on spending money for shit that doesn't work. I shoulda left it a /4 and been done with it.

Well, I'm tired of taking pictures.....maybe later....This is July 8th. I have the oil tank mounted with the hoses. Have cleaned? up the wiring....boy, alarms are useless. Installed rear bumper, pad and license plate lights. Brakes are completely fixed. Changed to "S" calipers in the front....they're dirty so no "bling" here.

Next (someday) is to trial fit the drivetrain. After that it is electrical and fuel. After that, well, I'll get to that later.

Never do a conversion...it's a pain in the ass.

Well, the site is back up and the blog shit continues. Since the last entry the following has been accomplished:

1.) Holes drilled for oil tank


2.) 5 lug conversion completed...SC front end complete w/Konis, drilled rear hubs and new bearings


3.) Hole in oil tank top from years of road crap sitting on it covered with fiberglass as the radiator shop wouldn't touch it.


4.) Engine is ready...need to mount oil cooler, tin and flywheel/clutch assy. After that it is a matter of figuring out the wiring, mounting the fuel pump, accumulator and such.

Today, 04/09/06, I cleaned up the welds, remounted the prop valve, rebent brake lines, found the problem with the shifting (clutch tube broke away..fixed it), re-engineered the wiring loom and found rust.

To protect the wiring loom passing thru the engine shelf (new hole drilled), I use 3/4" heater hose, split and wrapped around wires. I extended down to cover the original boot in hopes of keeping some water out.

Now, I need to cut the holes for the oil tank and begin the 5 lug conversion.

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Well, yesterday (04/08/06) I started the /6 project by finally getting the car on the lift. Pulled the wiring harness from the rear trunk back to the engine bay. Ground off the tailshifter housing on the firewall and welded (badly) the Maddog mount to the firewall. Reminder to self...learn how to weld.

For those using the Maddog mount (copy of Rich Johnson's mount?), it doesn't really fit an early model ('70) real well. Reliefs have to be opened up for the thru tunnel brake line and heater pull tubes to make it fit. Also, the relief for the wiring harness is in the wrong spot and if it were in the correct spot, the engine mount is in the way

I have also run into a problem with the sideshifter conversion. The front bar is hitting something in the front tunnel causing a scrapeing sound and interfereing with the movement to get to 4th and 5th gear. This is going to be frustrating.

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There ain't nuthing here......time to start a project!





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