engine and drivetrain FAQ meet Oscar...

[rdeeble]

As luck would have it. I have inherited (from an amazing ebay purchase) my second 02, another '76 charmingly named Oscar.

I was looking for a body donor for my daily drive when a friend from the FAQ directed me to a low ebay auction in Oregon. I bid and won at the last minute, then towed it from Salem to Seattle. The previous PO had started stripping the car for paint then grew tired and wanted to get it out of his garage.

As far as I can tell this car is practically rust free with a no crack dash (i had forgotten what they looked like)! I was only looking for a donor body - but got a whole car in the process. The only thing missing is a fuel pump and battery.

So I am going through the process of inventory and pulling up carpet for paint prep. I thought Id give ya a few pics and pose my first couple of questions.

1. I noticed that this 76 is different than my other 76. The grab handles are by the door - not in the ceiling (which i kinda liked better). Also the door latch hardware in the jam is different. Anyone got info on basic changes made mid year in 76? I am curious.

2. On paint prep - how vital is it to take out all the floor sound proofing? Ive included some pics but basically the drivers pan has some surface rust & the black stuff peeled right off. I don't see any signs of rust on the other floors and the black stuff is on pretty good. Is it best to take up all the black sound proofing and brown boarding anyway?

3. I plan to pressure wash the bottom of the car then "Por 15" both sides of the floor. Do you guys recommend covering the floor w/ "Por 15" or just in spots that may have some rust? Also is there any kind of "spray" that does the same thing for inside doors and such?

4. Once the Por 15 is done I will redirect the sunroof hoses, fix the sunroof & fire her up to see what my engine and tranny are like. Then paint it the same anthracite gray. Do any of you in Seattle have a strong recommendation of a good place to have it painted?

5. I also a general question on seat changes. Did stock 02 seats change much from the 70's to 76?

[nbcbird]

I am also in the restoration process, and I stronly recommend removing the black sound proofing due to rust that can form underneath it.

I am not a big fan or POR-15, but recommend The DP line of expoxy primers made by PPG (after treating the rust).

And I strongly recommend Haury's on Lake City Way for painting. They have a very divout following of BMW club members/owners (Jeff Butler is a very active Puget Sound club member).

[Mike Self]

years of 02s. From what I've read and observed, the sealer used on the large front floor plugs was not so good, and the plugs leaked, allowing water to get in under the floor tar, causing the floors to rust.

I've seen a number of 76 Flintstonemobiles up here in rust country, but few from other years.

Apparently this only is true for '76s, as other year 02s seem to have good floors so long as there's no long term windshield leak.

From the pictures of your car, the rust around those floor plugs seems to have started already.

cheers

mike

[rdeeble]

years of 02s. From what I've read and observed, the sealer used on the large front floor plugs was not so good, and the plugs leaked, allowing water to get in under the floor tar, causing the floors to rust.

yeah i was always curious why late models had such floor pan problems. the rust on this one is totally surface but my other 76 is shot. But the sealer theory makes sense. I will definitely take the advice so far and strip the floor to make sure this one lasts. I saw a good trick about dry ice to get that stuff off.