Finishing a green '75, I'm more used to junky cars Options

[McLovin]

Hey all,

I hope it's OK to open another thread about the same car. I wrote a thread about how I got my car and some of the surprises that cropped up during inspection. That thread is here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=307469

But now, I realized I needed an on-going thread for the "restoration". So I'll post more pictures here as penance!

So some background: Most of my life I've dabbled with Jalopies....mostly VWs in poor shape. Piece of crap cars and my emphasis was on getting them running or keeping them running and trying to take a car that's a "3" and make it a "6". Now I find myself with a nicer hobby car that it's at least a "7" and I've never dealt with these kinds of ownership issues. Know what I mean? This is foreign territory for me.

So below are some pictures I took this afternoon. That's the reflection of a cloud in the paint in the first picture. However, you can tell I need to reglue a sail panel in the last picture. Tomorrow (or Sunday) I'll figure out why it's leaking oil, why my Alternator light is glowing, and order some front brake calipers. I'll probably reglue my sail panels too since that's easy. After I tackle those issues, I'll be moving onto deeper reliability and appearance issues.

So check out the pictures. Notice how the window doesn't fit? It is rolled all the way up but it seems to sit cock-eyed and doesn't go high enough. It's very tight against the seal on the right. Pardon the reflection of the dopey looking guy. Anyway, the window is the first cosmetic thing I want to tackle. Seems like the door is bolted up crooked, and maybe the seals in the door frame were put on crooked or missing? If anyone has pictures of how those seals are supposed to go, I'd appreciate a photo.

Other items will involve getting a better steering wheel or restoring one, improving the paint by (possibly) wet sanding it, glueing in the interior, putting on some decals, putting in a new radio, perhaps going to a dual carb setup, and generally making the car reliable enough to take a long trip.

Mclovin

[attachmentid=599
053]]

[McLovin]

Hey guys,

I have extra wires coming off my voltage regulator. And my voltage light is lit on my dash. Looks like I'm supposed to plug the two square male leads (touching my middle finger) into the dual square female lead (touching my thumb), but that could be a terrible idea. Also, what's with the brown short lead?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[injunmort]

brown, a ground?

[bretth]

Pic of my 75 1.8.

[McLovin]

Thanks. I think this tells me that these are either extra wires, or they used to run to a blower motor that I don't have. What's funny is this "brown" wire looks blue in the photos. Must be my old eyes.

One of the things that's giving me fits is I can't tell where my B+ tab is on my voltage regulator. Do you have to pull the cover off the regulator to get to it?

Thanks,


PS=> Another quick question. On my old bus, there was a seal that ran around the base of the engine tin between the gap that runs between the tin and the body of the bus to keep the hot air from entering the top side of the engine. My 914 doesn't have one. Can I assume I'm supposed to have one? Or is this more like a "Baja VW" where there is so much ventilation that it doesn't matter?

[mobymutt]

PS=> Another quick question. On my old bus, there was a seal that ran around the base of the engine tin between the gap that runs between the tin and the body of the bus to keep the hot air from entering the top side of the engine. My 914 doesn't have one. Can I assume I'm supposed to have one? Or is this more like a "Baja VW" where there is so much ventilation that it doesn't matter?

It's supposed to be there. Mine was missing too, and I just ordered a new set from 914rubber.

Re the window seal, I hope somebody answers, cause mine looks the same.

[JeffBowlsby]

D+ is the red wire on the alternator. There is no B+.

[McLovin]

D+ is the red wire on the alternator. There is no B+.

Thanks. That's the way I felt when I got my grades in high school too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks also to the fella who confirmed I need an engine seal. I was pretty sure I needed one.

Hey, I had some success! I replaced a blown fuse (4th from the right on the fuse box), and my Alternator light is fixed! From what I read, the fuse is supposed to be related to the horn and the brake lights, but I'm thankful! It does light up prior to startup so I know it's working right. I also verified I was getting a charge with my multimeter. 12.75 volts at the battery before starting, 13.09 volts at idle. 13.25 when I goosed the throttle a bit. Didn't want to rev it way up since I couldn't see the tach while I was doing it.

Next issue: My cloud of smoke oil leak is definitely push rod tubes. I was able to get my cell phone under there and saw the leak (see crappy picture below). It's also in the right place. Happily, it's only leaking from one side of the car, which cuts the job in half.

The $64,000 question is this: Do I need to remove the engine to swap out those push rod tube seals? I don't think I had to do it with my old bus, but it's tight in there!

Thanks for all the help!

[Dave_Darling]

You only have to pull the pushrod tubes halfway out of the head. Let them hang by their middle on the bore in the head, and you can replace the seals.

Actually, most can slide all the way out, but there are some where the suspension mount gets in the way. Those you just leave halfway out, no problem.

--DD

[McLovin]

You only have to pull the pushrod tubes halfway out of the head. Let them hang by their middle on the bore in the head, and you can replace the seals.

Actually, most can slide all the way out, but there are some where the suspension mount gets in the way. Those you just leave halfway out, no problem.

--DD

Cool! I guess I do the same with the pushrods as well? And I'm guessing I can get to the rocker arms without taking the engine out? I need to slide under my car, but it's too close. Going to have to buy a set of ramps. I own some jack stands but I think I'd rather have ramps.