JerryC

I found that bleeding the slave cylinder with it removed from the transmission worked for me. I used a pressure bleeder, and angled the slave cylinder for best air venting out the bleed screw. Some people have had good success by reverse-bleeding from the slave cylinder end of the system. I've never tried this. Jerry

You can search California DMV for smog test history, if that interests you. It seems to only go back to some time in the '90s. My tii was last tested when I bought it in 1997, and the record is still there. Only the one test was listed. The smog test laws were changed shortly after that to make pre-1976 cars exempt from testing. Made me happy! https://www.bar.ca.gov/services/Vehicle/PubTstQry.aspx Edit: The 1600 I bought in 1994 has no records showing, but it is no longer registered in CA either... -Jerry

I bought a bad Lucas condenser one time, long ago. I followed the advice to replace the points, rotor, plugs, and condenser, all at the same time. I had done this numerous times before, and it always worked. For you who've had British cars, you already know that you will service the ignition on your MGB/Triumph/Lucas-fired engine every 5,000 miles whether you want to or not. By 6,000 miles, it's running on 3 cylinders... Anyway, I replaced the whole lot and no run, no spark. After much futzing, I put the old condenser back in and it fired right up. The new one was bad, out of the box. For condensers, if it works, don't fix it. Jerry

I had a similar experience with Fairchild, the pump was back in a short time. The younger Fairchild, Robert, has taken over the business and moved it to Redding, CA. He does pump refurbishes, not total rebuilds. Your pump comes back looking about the same as it did before, but it's all working properly and resealed, rebushed, etc. I think I paid about $800 for that service, including injectors check.

What a great project. I grew up in La Selva Beach, trying to spot your neighborhood but not having much luck. 1600 brakes are smaller, both front and rear, than 2002, so an upgrade will get you better brakes. Just sayin'. I don't know if the long neck rear subframe will cause difficulties with that or not. I'm wondering about the engine VIN. You stated it's a 2.0l. Maybe you've got a 2000ti engine in there? That would be cool. What Toby said, poke around the inside of the left rear quarter panel and fender. Looks lumpy on the inside of the trunk. Good luck with the project! Jerry

Yes, agreed. A salvage-titled car that has been driven regularly for 30 or 40 years after the title was issued is probably as safe or safer than a repaired basket case. Just having held together proves something. Jerry

+1 Jerry

Inspect the circuit traces for burns and breaks. This is a good time to add grounds between the fuel/temp gauge pod nuts and the chassis. This tends to stabilize the gauges which sometimes get "bouncy" when blinkers and lights are turned on or off. Jerry

are these tii meant to be this loud? Or is it mine with issues and maybe exhaust leaks and not so desired muffler? Rex That one's definitely louder than stock. I don't think tii's are normally any louder than standard. Jerry

I'm not sure about that. Maybe not. Jerry

Congratulations, sounds like you've found the real problem - fuel supply. (...not that the other clues you've been addressing don't need attention). Adding gas to the tank to solve a fuel flow problem sounds like clogged filters and screens, and/or old cracked fuel lines letting air leak into the suction side of the fuel line somehow. Replace the front fuel filter, and clean the screens too. All that info is in the fuel injection manual. Clean out the fuel tank. Search for fuel tank cleaning, there are lots of how-tos in the faq already. There may be who-knows-what kind of debris inside the tank that may be clogging the pickup screen. If your poor running reoccurs after driving or idling for a short while, the pickup screen may be pulling in loose debris from the bottom of the tank. Replacing the flexible fuel lines is a logical next step. There is a plastic adapter sleeve on the tank pickup fitting where the hose attaches. It will develop cracks and let air into the lines at that point also. You can use a short piece of the plastic return fuel line to replace it. Check fuel flow and pressure as described in the f.i. manual. Good luck!

I recall seeing a yellow residue on the couple of my slats that fell off, looked quite similar to yellow contact cement as used for rubber door seals and such. There are black versions of the same stuff. Jerry

USS Constitution contains 10 - 15% original timber, all the other wooden pieces have been replaced at least once over the last 220-odd years. It's still the USS Constitution. Jerry

Chassis wiring is probably different from '68 to square light. Heater controls have back lights on squaries, roundies don't. If the car has seatbelt warning wiring, it's a newer chassis. Previously mentioned fuse box difference is easily spotted. I think there may inner door braces on later cars, not sure if that applies to Europe or not. Did Euro cars have the sticker on the back edge of the door? This may be a US smog thing, and it may have been removed during a repaint.