I'm going to pull the engine on my '73 2.0 this weekend and do a little fix up work...

Projects include:

- Pull gas tank, paint area around brake fluid reservoir. I'm assuming that the area the tank is in good shape, if it needs help, I'll paint that with POR. I only want to paint the area around the brake reservoir because I want that to be body color, but the area around the brake reservoir being a different color won't look bad. Maybe I should paint it with that bed liner stuff, so brake fluid won't ruin it.

- Relocate fuel pump to under tank

- Clean/paint engine compartment. Since painting it body color won't be practical, I'm going to try and clean it up and leave it alone, but the firewall is a mess from contact cement used to glue the insulation pad (not there now). Hopefully that will clean up. Otherwise, I'll paint it grey

- Remove tins and clean engine

- Fix oil leaks (probably take engine somewhere to have this done) I'm not sure where they are at, hopefully I can ID the leaks before I clean the engine.

- Adjust valves while it's out (got to be easier with the engine out than in)

- Replace all vaccuum lines and fuel lines

- Paint/powdercoat tins (any good places in/near cedar park/austin?)

- tune up, etc

- install electric fan on the oil cooler

Right now, I think the thermostat is disabled, so that the air flaps never close. Should that be fixed, or is it no big deal?

Should I disable the cold start valve (I think it's at least marginally functional) to save myself some trouble later?

Anything else folks can think of that I should do "while I'm in there"?

One of the problems I'm having is that the car is slowly getting very hot if I drive it a reasonable distance and I need to solve that problem. Should I remove the rain tray from the engine cover? Also, how big of a difference will removing the rear valance make? (temp wise)

Thanks...

i've been wanting to do that too, i removed the heavy black nuisance from the firewall and now there's a bunch of ugly yellow glue and hairy stuff from the pad. doesn't look too good on the white paint don't know how to remove that stuff easily, with the engine in, i ain't dropping it just to clean up the firewall.

If your enigine is getting too hot, while it's out, verifiy that the flaps are not stuck closed, which is possible if they are even slightly bent. Also see if the cooling fins are coated with gunk, which would have an adverse effect on there ability to radiate heat. I was able to make my aux air regulator work by shooting lots of penetrating oil in it and letting it soak.

Don't worry, you'll think of plenty of things once you tear it open. I started this over a year ago, and at first it was just to replace an oil cooler. I subsequently cleaned up the engine, took off and painted all the tin, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Then I was going to do some welding and discovered that my chassis needed replacement. So now I have a new roller that I'm putting parts into. I have a list of projects about a page long.. here's what I have so far..
Body
weatherstrip guides - front trunk
gas tank (powder coat and lining)
POR-15 floorpan and firewall
fix drivers side sill plate hole
fix hell hole
repair hole in passenger side firewall
brake T junction
stainless steel fuel lines
rear trunk shock kit
Rear trunk hinge point repair
rear drivers side fender replacement
Wheel well POR-15 treatments
Rear Suspension Swap-out
Powder Coating
Replace bushings in trailing arm
Replace sway bar mount bushings
Rebuild rear calipers
New pads (already have)
New lines
New rotors???
Engine Installation
Clutch installation
Oil filler gasket
alternator test???
Wiring harness repairs/cleanup
Relay board refurbishing
Engine mounting bar powder coating
Etc.
Shift linkage
Front brakes
brake master cylinder
headlights, blinkers, taillights, driving lights, etc.
Bumpers, targa trim, hoods, doors, headlight motor,
Windhsields, windshield trim
engine lid installation and hinge point repair
Weatherstrip installation
Suspension alignment
electrical repairs
Stereo installation
Interior installation
re-upholstery
Paint
pedal cluster bushing replacement
Steering wheel recovering/replacement
heater components installation

-Tony

" I'm going to pull the engine on my '73 2.0 this weekend and do a little fix up work... "

Famous last words, 15k dollars and 10 years later you finally finish the project you started on a Sat with good intentions

leave the adhesive residue until you're ready to pull the engine. color match the engine compartment. it's not that much money and it looks great.

kevin

When you relocate the fuel pump to the front, you NEED to replace the fuel lines in the tunnel. Once the pump is up front, you are making the fuel lines in the tunnel pressurized. The old lines probably wont like seeing 30 psi for very long...

FYI you can order code-matched or sample-matched paints from Tower Paint (www.towerpaint.com). For the best match, you can send a small piece such as a headlight lid or "eyebrow"; for around $40 they will custom mix two rattle cans (or regular cans for a gun) and ship 'em right back to you. I've used them for several projects thus far.