Newbie advice, What should I take on? Options

[level914]

I'm trying to restore a 1976 2.0. It has sat for over ten years. I'm at the point where I got the thing running. I have replaced the fuel lines, had the gas tank refinished and boiled out, did the pionts, condenser and plug wires along with plugs. Replaced all vaccum lines with new ones. Changed the oil and filter. And generally cleaned all the electrical. I'm pretty sure all the hoses are in the right place.

I bought the car thinking that it would be a good project to learn on. Little did I know how complicated it is for how small it is. Anyway, this being the first car I've ever worked on, I'm wondering which tasks I should take on, and which ones I should have a shop take care of.

Thanks to the help from the bbs, I have gotten to the point where the car starts up instantly. It seems to idle high, but by adjusting the ecu I can maintain a good idle of 900-1000. I'm not even sure if I should be adjusting the computer. Anyway, I have poor throttle resposne and have to feather the gas pedal to get it to rev up. I also have a lot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. It was mentioned that I need a valve adjustment and to get my timing right. Would it be worth it to get it in good enough shape to take it to a shop where they could do my valves, timing, fuel pressure, computer settings, injectors etc.

Thanks for taking the time to veiw my post.

[type47]

you should do the valves, dwell and timing, and fuel pressure; not that hard and better to save money spent on above for something you really can't do. if you did the gas tank and all that other stuff to get it running, you can do the valves. you and your teener deserve some quality time together (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[level914]

Thanks, I just don't know that with untrained eyes or ears if I could do more harm than good.

[McMark]

Doing a valve adjustment is just good practice using a feeler gauge. It's pretty easy once you've done it the tenth time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) and as long as your careful it's pretty hard to screw something up. Hardest part of the valve adjustment is finding true, positive, real TDC for cylinder 1. Still takes me 15 - 20 minutes to do that on a car I haven't worked on before.

[TheCabinetmaker]

Dwell and timing are easy. Do them wrong, no problem. Valves are a little more entailed. Do them wrong, big problem. If you have confidence in your mechanical ability, and are able to read and follow instructions, you can do them. We've all screwed up a few things, and we all did it for the first time, but that's how we learn, right? Sounds like You've already done a lot, so should be no problem!

Good luck, You'll find all the info you need right here.

[level914]

Thanks, again for the replies. While I'm here I was wondering what I should do about my smog equipment. I can get classic plates I believe and wouldn't have to worry about smog. Being a 76, it has an air pump, distribution rails, decel valve, egr valve, and cat. do I get rid of all this? I've heard the performance will be better, but I have 99% of the parts to make it complete. Is this another system that will give me trouble in the future?

I know I should tackle all the tasks my self, that's why I bought it. It's hard to take the time and do things right when I just want to drive it now! It won't spend another Christmas as a storage shelf for my wife's boxes.

[campbellcj]

My vote is BRAKES!

They are most likely totally shot...working brakes are a "Very Good Thing" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

[ChrisReale]

working brakes are a "Very Good Thing" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Valve adjustments are fairly straight forward. Double check your work, and you should be ok

[street legal go-kart]

contrary to a previous post , incorrect timing on any air cooled engine is a sure way to an engine rebuild.
timing is critical to engine temp and even being off 5 degrees can overheat a type 4 .
i check my timing 3 times after changing points.

good luck

jt

[mightyohm]

I am not really a newbie anymore and I still doubt MY ability to PROPERLY adjust the valves. What the heck is the gap supposed to feel like??? I can adjust anywhere from a light drag to needing a decent shove to move the feeler around. What's right? I have never gotten a consistent answer. And yes it is very hard to shove the next feeler up into the gap and easy to shove the next feeler down in - but there is still a decent range of "feel" you can adjust to..

[Bleyseng]

It should feel "tight" and have a noticable drag on it. You shouldn't be able to slide the next smallest gauge in without any trouble. Thats how I check myself. Adjust to .005 and then try to fit the .004 in. Yeah, if I force it in it fits but doesn't slide around.
I am running swivel feet so I run em tighter.

Geoff