Working brake lights!

The easiest way to get my brake lights working again would have been to buy the OEM brake light switch. However, the plastic of the original one seemed pretty cheesy and I wanted one that wouldn't melt quite as easily. I don't know if it's any better, but I found one made by Painless Performance. These guys make wiring harnesses and components for mostly old American muscle cars, but it seemed like this switch would work. It's rated 20 amp and besides, I really like the name of their company. As if wiring is painless...



Anyhow, you can see the new switch is quite a bit shorter than the original. Also, the threads on the body are not the same so I had to make a few modifications. First, I used a 12mm x 1.75 die to cut new threads so it matched the original. No big deal because it's plastic and the die cut pretty easily. The second is I needed to extend the plunger so the length is correct. Strangely, the white plastic of the old switch is the same as white plastic plunger in the new switch. I simply drilled a hole in the new plunger tip, and stuck the old plunger in it. A little heat from my micro-torch to fuse the plastic together and voila! The new switch is now a perfect replacement for the old one.



With a little more contorting to get back under the dash and some adjustment of the switch position, I now have working brake lights!

New fuel pump and now I know why my lights are flaky

Every now and again, my fuel pump would make a horrible screeching sound. It was intermittent, and would only last a few seconds. I decided that before I drive this car, I should replace the pump before it dies completely. The original one is NLA and a number of people on F-Chat said a Pierburg pump was a good replacement. It's actually listed as a replacement for a carb'd Porsche 911.



It is quite a bit different than the OEM one. The fuel flow is from one end to the other whereas the original was in and out the side at the bottom. Good thing I had some extra fuel line for the new configuration. Installation was pretty straightforward. There is no longer a screeching noise from the back and the new pump is about as loud as the old one.



On to the next thing. I figured out why my brake lights didn't work. After contorting myself to get under the dash, I removed the brake switch from the pedal. The thing is plastic with a crimped metal band to hold the pieces together. After pulling it apart, I could see that the plastic had melted around the contacts and the switch plunger had basically fused itself to the switch body. It's not fixable so I'll have to source a replacement. Hopefully, I can find one that's not plastic.



I took a closer look at my headlight switch too. The headlights went up and down as they should, but the low beams didn't always work and now I know why. The headlight stalk is cracked at the base, right near the pivot point. These are NLA as well, although Verell at the Unobtainium Supply Company will cast a new one. The repair will be stronger than the original one. I need to pull the steering wheel hub off, which of course takes a special tool.



It doesn't seem like it, but the todo list is slowly getting shorter. Done today:

- Put driver's door lock mechanism and door latch back together
- Put hood back on
- Replaced remaining relays
- Replaced fuel pump
- Cleaned and lubricated driver's window mechanism

I didn't get any pictures, but I removed and disassembled the power window assembly per Birdman's instructions. The window is a little faster, but not much. Next will be to install some relays in the wiring which will reduce the voltage drop to the motor.

Chasing down those electrical gremlins!

I got another step further in chasing down my electrical problems. The first thing I did was to install my Birdman Fuse Blocks. As I mentioned in a previous post, the OEM fuse blocks are a weak point on these cars. Birdman has replacements that are reported to fix a lot of things. In addition to the fuse blocks, I also replaced about half the relays (the other half are in transit). While I was messing around down there, I found and removed an old Blaupunkt 120 watt stero amplifier. Who knows if it still works, but I have no interest anyway in much of a stereo system for this car. The sweet music from the engine will be enough.



After I did this, the fuel pump started working again, as if by magic. However, not so magical, is that an intermittent high pitched squealing sound is coming from the pump. The sound seems to only be there right when I turn the key. After a few seconds, the returns to a normal pump sound. I'll probably replace it anyway, just in case.

Another thing I worked on was reassembling the left headlight. A while back, I noticed that the left ventilation fan (which is strangly located under the headlight) was not attached to anything. I pulled out the headlight assembly to remove the blower fan. The mounting tabs for the fan were broken, and it looks like not the first time.



The original plastic mounting tabs had broken off, and someone in the past riveted some sheet metal ears over the broken tabs. The sheet metal ears then broke off. I made some beefier ears from 16 gauge sheet metal and riveted them on. Hopefully, this fix will last longer than the last one. I put the headlight back on and they too work. Before, the headlight motors worked sporadically. Now both lights go up and down as they should. The remaining problem with the headlights is that the low beam only works when I jiggle the light switch. I'll need to have a closer look at the switch the next chance I get.

The last thing I worked on was the power windows. I found two window switches in the box-o-parts (the car needs three) and I hooked two of them up on the driver's side. I had heard that the power windows on these cars were slow and boy were they right. I mean, the windows are not only slow -- they are RIDICULOUSLY slow. Apparently, one of the main problems is in the lengthy ground path for the motors. There is a company that makes window accelerators for this car and I'll probably get one of those as well.

Brake bleeding the easy way and a mystery

I just finished with the fastest brake bleeding session I've ever had. Years ago, I went in with my cousin on the purchase of a pressurized brake bleeder made by Motive Products. This thing makes single-man brake bleeding a breeze. You attach the hose to the brake fluid reservior, fill the jar with clean fluid and pressurize to 10psi. The you go around to each brake caliper, attach a short bleeder hose and open the bleeder screw. The pressurized container pushes fluid through the system -- no more pumping the pedal! I think the whole thing took 30 minutes, and that was twice around the car! The brake pedal now feels firm like it should.



Ok, that's the good part. Here's the mystery:

When I was running the car, I noticed that the brake lights were on. I figured that the brake light switch was on the master cylinder and the lack of fluid made the car think the brakes were on so the lights were on. Well, after the brakes were bled, I stepped on the pedal and the brake lights did not come on. Hmmm...strange. I then turned the key, expecting the fuel pump to come on. Hmmm...no fuel pump. What the heck? I know these cars have electrical gremlins but come one! Maybe it's just coincidence, but why would the fuel pump stop working after I fill the brake system? It's getting late so this little electrical puzzle will have to wait for another day.

It's alive!

After another busy weekend, I am happy to report that the engine does indeed run!

I got my radiator back from the shop on Thursday and finished hooking up the cooling system this morning. Good thing I picked up a lot of coolant because the system took about 5 gallons to fill. I was, however, disappointed that the radiator cap I got does not fit.





After filling and bleeding the cooling system, I changed the oil and installed the new filter. While I was under the car, I checked for coolant leaks and didn't find any. I added a few gallons of fuel and waited. Ok, no fuel leaks. I turned the key to get the fuel pump running. Ok, still no fuel leaks. Pump the gas pedal a few times, turn the key and...



Ok, so it didn't happen quite like that. The engine did start right away, but didn't run very well. It wouldn't stay running unless the choke was on and it would die right away if I touched the gas pedal at all. However, after it ran for a few minutes, I was able to turn off the choke and rev the engine. At one point when I was sitting in the driver's seat reving the engine, TK comes up and says, "do you have a fire extinquisher?" I say, "why yes, I do!" At that moment, she screams, "good cause you're gonna need it!" and a big white cloud rises from the engine bay. I immediately shut off the ignition and jump out of the car. Turns out it was nothing serious. Since I didn't have the correct coolant cap, I left the expansion tank open. As the engine warmed up, the coolant burped and came out the tank. Since the expansion tank is strategically located above the rear header, guess where the overflowing coolant went? Coolant + hot header = cloud of white smoke.

Anyhow, I've run the engine about a dozen times now. What a great sound! The (really bad) video does not do it justice. Also, excuse the poor quality and orientation of the video. TK was manning my phone and didn't realize it shot video in landscape.

Now that I know the engine runs, I'm going to focus on putting the rest of the car back together. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to bleed the brakes this week, then focus on reassembling the interior and chasing down electrical gremlins.

Brakes? We don't need no stinkin' brakes!

A few weeks back when we were moving the car into the shop, I pressed on the brake pedal hoping to stop the car. Well, the pedal went to the floor. Hmmm, guess I'll need to sort that out as well. I finally had a look at the master cylinder and the reservoir is bone dry. That explains a lot. I'm going to get a hold of my cousin's brake bleeder to get some fluid into the system. Hopefully the brake lines do not need to be replaced right away. I was planning on replacing them with stainless steel lines, but it'd be nice if I don't NEED to do it right away.

My kingdom for a radiator

The shop that's recoring my radiator is slow. It's been over 2 weeks and I still have no radiator. This is the main thing keeping me from attempting to start the car. My buddy SL came over and we were able to get quite a bit more assembly work done. The front of the engine is done and the other fuel tank is back in. The hoses have been replaced and I'm just waiting for that darned radiator.

On thing I did when I put the alternator belt back on was to make a modification to the mounting bolt. The original came in from the front of the engine and had the nut on the inside, which made it almost impossible to reach. I got a new bolt and ground down the head to lock into the adjustment bracket. Now the nut is on the front and I should be able to get to it now without having to drop the tank again.






Also, I did get a new battery. It's the first time the car has seen juice in 20 years! I did get a set of Birdman's updated fuse blocks, but it's already apparent that I need to do some more work to sort out the electrical system. Most things work like the wipers, blinkers and fans, but there's something strange with the headlight switch. The headlight nacelle comes up, but it doesn't always light.

Pictures

I got a comment that there are not a lot of pictures here of the car itself. Well, he's right. So, here are some photos of the car as it was in KR's shop, as well as when TK and I brought it home.

Enjoy