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dibo

Solex
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Everything posted by dibo

  1. A friend of mine lent me his cam removal tool (a home-made copy of the BMW jig), but I grabbed it in a hurry and didn't get a chance to go over use. My understanding is that you don't just plop it on there, so I want to make sure I understand what I'm doing before I do it... don't want to go bending a valve or something. Thanks!
  2. I have an M50 in my e21, and it's... snug (can't get a finger between the firewall and the intake manifold and there's a max of about 40mm between the front of the motor and radiator, which is an SR20DET unit - and probably not up to snuff). I didn't do the swap, but purchased it "running" and have been cleaning up the po's mistakes ever since (credit where it's due - he got it in the car and running). I should point out that the front clip is still 100% intact in my car, although I'm considering cutting it out to make room for a bigger radiator and fan. Other notables: I have the ZF 5 speed from the e36 M3/e34 in mine - it's probably overkill and definitely a tight fit... either way, I'd try to start with an automatic car if you can since it gives you a fair amount of extra clearance and I think any of the boxes you're going to use are going to be a fair amount larger than the stock 4sp. I highly recommend doing a complete fitment WITH SHIFTER prior to making any permanent engine/trans mounts. Also, and this may seem like common sense, but when you have everything where you like it, make sure the hood shuts... it's a tight fit vertically too. Anyway my shifter leans slightly towards the passenger's seat, so 5th feels a bit further than normal when in a proper racing harness. That said, you should be able to find stock BMW parts to make your shift linkage/platform... I think I used a combination of e30/e34 parts (don't hold me to that - I grabbed a bunch of crap out of a random parts box), which works pretty well (po cut the stock e21 plate, bolted it to the floor and cut/welded/bent a "custom" shift linkage - this did not work quite so well). Also, you're going to have zero clearance for manifold/headers... I'm sure you can build some. In my case, po used the stock cast manifolds with a pretty janky collector... I rebuilt everything with two of the shorter M3/328 tubular manifolds (one is longer in stock form - I picked up two of the shorter versions from a local dismantler). If you take this route, you'll still have a bit of welding to do, as I'm pretty sure these only come in OBDII flavor (so you'll have some air pump lines and O2 bungs to weld shut since OBDI only uses one after the collector). I'm sure there's other points I'm missing, but that should be a good start... feel free to message me if you like. Good luck and have fun!
  3. So I finally got my 75 "running" over the weekend... at least in the sense that it starts now. Runs like crap though. In short, I can get it to fire and occasionally, idle for up to a few minutes (not running very well though), but then it simply dies. Also, if I try to rev above 2k rpms or so, it dies. Timing seems more or less on-point, the mechanical fuel pump seems to be working fine and I'm running a new IE optical distributor, a new 38 DGES, new wires and plugs and an older blue coil (good when pulled from a parts car). I'm not 100% sure how the carb is set up, but the guys at Ireland set it up for me based on my car's specs. Any thoughts? Thanks! Matt
  4. For sale is a gunmetal gray 2003 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8 liter turbo with 134,xxx miles. It has been an excellent, fun and reliable car for me the past 8 years… unfortunately, I need something bigger (just got a BMW E34 wagon). Just passed smog and inspection (1/11/11) and is equipped with the following: 5 speed manual Eibach springs Bilstein shocks Upgraded brakes (Cryo-treated and slotted rotors with Hawk pads - stop great and no warping) Monsoon stereo with Dension Icelink iPod integration (iPod control through stock stereo) Thule roof rack with accessories Upgraded VW Monster Mats (all weather/rubber mats) Audi TT diverter valve (much smoother than stock VW diverter and a little extra power) K&N Filter 16” VW Rave wheels with good rubber ABS and traction control Full front and side airbags Stainless factory exhaust Castrol Synthetic engine oil every 4k miles Timing belt replaced at 80k For the record, this is a private sale and I am the original owner. Oh, and sorry for the crappy pics... I will supplement with better images when I get a few extra minutes. Asking $6k obo. Thanks!
  5. If you haven't sold the LSD yet, I'm very interested and can pick it up. Let me know. Thanks! Matt
  6. Nice! Didn't know about them. Might as well delete the thread then ;-)
  7. I'm sure most of us have a few Harbor Freight tools in our collection; some good, some bad. I wanted to start a thread where we can collectively post our experiences with Harbor tools... sometimes it's a-ok to skimp, others, not so much. Anyway, here's my list (as far as I can remember)... Also, a link to a printable 20% off coupon, good through the end of the year: http://dealspl.us/harborfreight-coupons/108017p The good: -4 1/2" angle grinder (on/off - not the paddle model) - worked it hard and never had an issue -5" bench vise - works like it should -Electric impact - plenty of torque and no signs of failure yet -Ratcheting box-ends - super cheap, work great -Auto-dimming welding helmet - not the best, but not bad for $40 -Tarps - the "expensive" ones are really nice -Tool kits w/ case - pretty crappy tools, but sweet if you need a set for the trunk or junk yard trips -Auto-tester - accurately displays engine RPMs and other useful auto features -Auto trim tools - if nothing else, super rugged tire levers for your bike... good for getting tubeless tires on and off -Pond pumps - work great for over 2 years -Ball bearing tool boxes - seem to be as nice as the higher quality craftsman boxes The bad: -Shovels - broke 2 of the fiberglass shafts -Die grinder - returned the first one due to electric smell, fried the second one shortly after getting it -3 arm pullers - broke 2 trying to get a rear hub off... spend $80 on a good puller and had it off in 5 minutes -Vise grips - not terrible, but not high end grips
  8. Sometimes the best thing to do is take a week or two off. That's usually about as long as I can go before the urge strikes me to pick up where I left off anyway. Bottom line is that restoring/refreshing an old car is time consuming and tiring, but very, very worth it in the end. Also, as others have mentioned, baby steps are key too. If the body work is taking too long and not really giving you the instant gratification you want, don't spend all of your time doing it... tackle some of the shorter/easier jobs as you go (reseal transmission and diff, clean up/paint suspension... that kind of thing). That said, since some of us take owning 2002s to the point of being a psychological disorder, you could always just buy another semi-beat/mechanically sound driver. As long as it looks like crap, it'll have you really looking forward to the freshly painted car without duct-tape on the seats. And as long as you don't blow the motor or tranny (and you don't pay too much), you can probably recoup the expense at the end... or have another project. Whatever you do, make sure you're enjoying it... the final product will show it.
  9. None taken. If you knew me better, you may very well have chosen the same adjective ;-)
  10. Yeah... you're right, both in the sense that banning probably isn't the way to go and that Rob and Steve do their jobs well. I had to rant and really just wanted to put something out there to address the forum nonsense we generally seem to escape here. Anyway, joker or not, I'm always happy to rile up a discussion. Carry on.
  11. That's awesome! Speaking just for myself, I have been told that my behavior has something to do with the way that I was toilet trained. That's no excuse ... I'm just sayin' ...
  12. So I assume I'm the guy who gets the tissue box thrown at him and starts to cry? lol!
  13. And I have to say, I'm glad we're having fun with banning... way better than acting in ways that might actually justify it ;-)
  14. No worried - Kitty will fix. See below. I was going to post up this link, for consideration and/or robust debate - until I realized just how many folks would have to hit the "nudity" tattle-tale button in response to my lovelorn Biscuit3 (and Beach Volleyball, and UPS Girl, and Jonny-Ass, and other) posts. Like polite disagreement, nudity is very much encouraged. Just no dudes. And definitely no weiners.
  15. Agreed... I was planning on matching the pattern of one of the flanges (which is a 4 bolt actually) with the spacer flange, so 4 holes rather than 8. I'll post back with results (may be a week or so).
  16. I'm certainly not talking about going all 1984 here and I realize that in a community of individuals, some of them will lack basic social skills, but bracohen's comment says it all: And I'm definitely not making a statement that our moderators are deficient... I think they're doing a great job. But if some of us don't speak up to show that we're 100% not ok with childish behavior in this forum... kind of reinforce the sentiment... then the "children" in this forum may not realize they're stepping out of line, detracting from the site and ultimately risk losing their privileges (which isn't to say they can't obtain a new username... but if they want to keep it, they'll post like grown-ups... using their inside voice... from that point forward). Bottom line, at least in my opinion: It's very easy to review your post before clicking "submit" to make sure you're not being a prick. I do it all the time and sometimes, for good reason... we all have bad days. No need to piss other people off in the process. Anyway, I do appreciate that censorship is bad(!) and I agree 100% with the notion that we should be policing ourselves and can black-list those that deserve it, but at the same time, I believe some of our users cross the threshold from community police territory to the realm of moderator action. I think I'm at $.04 now.
  17. Thanks for the feedback guys... I think I'm going to try the driveshaft-guibo spacer... see how that goes. There's enough distortion in the disc as it rotates that I'm not really comfortable going as is... just needed a sanity check that the approach mentioned wasn't faulty in some way.
  18. I haven't really done the research on current forum quarrels, but there seems to be some hostility floating around lately. Rather than allowing any of it to persist (thus detracting form the purpose of this website), I propose we establish the following policy: Anyone caught being an asshole gets banned. Period. It is in writing after-all. I realize the lines can get blurry regarding the boundaries of "being an asshole", but I suggest we adopt the Supreme Court's porn-test. You know it when you see it. Long story short, we're not here to berate, insult or otherwise give each other a hard time. We're here to share our experiences with these wonderful little cars. We're here to help each other, which includes the occasional, polite kick in the pants... like suggesting a user take the initiative to search before posting. Keeping that in mind and in the true nature of election season, I propose we become staunchly intolerant of anyone misaligned with these concepts. Let's call it Prop02 (I know, I'm a little late). There's enough hostility everywhere else... why not leave it there (one of the things I've always liked about the faq)? Disagreement is a-ok (actually, it's encouraged... at least in my opinion), but let's keep it civil. If you don't know how, don't post. Just let it fester until you feel like your head is going to pop. Then post asshole comments at www.bimmerforums.com ;-) My $.02.
  19. Nothing like a good, creative and slightly angry ad... you have to wonder how many "kitties" came to look at the cars before he decided to take this approach. Awesome!
  20. So I took the engine, 5 speed and related parts from a donor car to put into my 75. I'm pretty much done with everything, but I'm running into problems with the 5 speed driveshaft from the donor... it's about 1/8-1/4" too short (and yes, the diff is already as far forward as possible). My questions: 1) Is it safe to shim the driveshaft at all? 2) If yes, where is the best place to shim it (trans-to-shaft or shaft-to-diff)? Initially I was thinking about shimming between the diff and the driveshaft(the washer-type shims from mcmaster-car), but it looks like the driveshaft flange keys into the diff flange and I have to think that contact patch carries most of the rotational force (as opposed to the diff to driveshaft nuts/bolts that hold it together). That said, I was also thinking about fabbing a piece of metal (at the right thickness) that would be the exact shape of either the trans output flange or the driveshaft-to-trans flange (I would do this in CAD, then cut it on a CAD plasma table), and that would sit in-between one of these flanges and the guibo... my thought here is that it shouldn't alter the contact patch between the guibo and the flange, but would just be sandwiched in-between to give me my extra depth. Any thoughts on whether either of these practices are safe? I'd love to hear some first-hand experiences on whether this is ok or not. I really don't want to spend the cash on getting the shaft lengthened (the one I have is practically brand new), but if it's that or suffer a catastrophe, then I'll fork up the cash. Thanks!
  21. nm/na... wish it was though, especially since it's both carbeurated AND fuel injected. Must be some space aged 70's technology ;-) http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2029172315.html
  22. So I'm swapping an early motor (a 72 with a 75 manifold) into a late shell (75) and I noticed that the late motor I took out has an intake manifold to block coolant line, but it appears that the early block does not (from the manifold, right below the throttle linkage to the block, right above the starter). Is it ok to plug this line off on the manifold? If so, what's the best way to plug it? I don't want to deal with coolant leaking all over the starter... Also, I desmogged this car prior to removing everything and I'm noticing that I don't have wires to plug into the intake manifold sensors... this seems like a really stupid question (since I should know what I did), but did I remove the spades that connect to those sensors as part of the desmogging? Thanks in advance... I'm cutting it extremely close for Woodley, but there's still a sliver of a chance that I'll make it.
  23. Good answer! ha! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to blow my solenoid. Sounds like I shouldn't be too worried.
  24. My starter has 2 male spade connectors attached... when the starter is installed, both are situated on the solenoid between the battery-solenoid post and the solenoid-starter post; one above and one below. Which one goes to the ignition/trigger wire? Many thanks!
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