Andy74tii

I'm up for a get together, anytime except next week, when i am in LA (week of May 19).

NIce car, I am in the Denver area, I agree with Ben we should meet up at some point. I will be swapping out my current 1 dots for a set of 2 dots, and so will have some 1 dots available soon, let me know if you're interested. I am in Arvada.

Andy74tii

I do not have a picture of mine, sorry. I am about 95% sure Bill Williams used to fabricate that part. I remember seeing pics of his, and it definitely looked original....

HTH,

Andy74tii

G-Man is correct; the serial number of this car is 8 before mine (2780675), and if i recall correctly my build date was Dec 12, 1973. That is the closest car to mine that I have encountered yet!

I mostly agree with Rob and the others on this, from experience. I had a number of bolts that had broken off, and I spent last spring on a long project to finally deal with them. In the process, I actually snapped another one, and unfortunately it was one of the "special" bolts at the bottom of the strut housing. I spent a couple of days trying to get it out with some of those extractors, and of course snapped that off inside. I then spent another few days lugging the strut housing around to machine shops, and they wouldn't touch it. The problem is that those extractors are harder steel than the bolt itself, so they said they didnt want to chance ruining their bits on it. I finally bought a set of diamond tipped drill bits, and started with very small, incrementing in size as I went up. After maybe 3 iterations, I switched to a reverse drill bit, and it fortunately came out. My impression is that this is just a very thorny problem and it often is just a matter of diligence, sweat and good luck getting the damn things out.

I mostly agree with Rob and the others on this, from experience. I had a number of bolts that had broken off, and I spent last spring on a long project to finally deal with them. In the process, I actually snapped another one, and unfortunately it was one of the "special" bolts at the bottom of the strut housing. I spent a couple of days trying to get it out with some of those extractors, and of course snapped that off inside. I then spent another few days lugging the strut housing around to machine shops, and they wouldn't touch it. The problem is that those extractors are harder steel than the bolt itself, so they said they didnt want to chance ruining their bits on it. I finally bought a set of diamond tipped drill bits, and started with very small, incrementing in size as I went up. After maybe 3 iterations, I switched to a reverse drill bit, and it fortunately came out. My impression is that this is just a very thorny problem and it often is just a matter of diligence, sweat and good luck getting the damn things out.

Thanks, the mfg date is in December 1973 (s/n 2780675), so, as the earlier posters affirm, turkis must have been phased out early '74?

I can attest that at least one '74 tii in Turkis original was made - mine.  It's a tii with a 4 speed, and my mobile traditions email confirmed it's an original Turkis....

Seats are overstuffed, and also -- the wrong seats. There's a lot to like about this car, but a lot of work needed for that price.

Growing up I always thought the 02 was perfect for where I live in Colorado, since it's similar to Bavaria in terms of seasons, mountains, etc. When I was coming of age, these cars were new, or nearly new, so people drove them like they might drive a Camry today. They were just cars, for transportation mostly. So, of course they drove them year round, snow, rain, whatever. As Mike says, we would just put a bag of sand or something heavy between the rear towers, and you were good for the winter. I moved away for several years, however, and when I came back, you almost now never see these cars on the road because they're now "vintage." However, the main change now is that if there is even a hint of snow, they start throwing down the magnesium chloride, and these old cars are not equipped to handle that stuff without immediately rusting. So, I never go out and drive in it like I used to. As another consequence, people no longer have to learn how to drive in the snow like we used to. By the time you get in your car, it's gone from the roads. So, you see a lot of people, even in 4wd vehicles, who get off in the ditch if they encounter any snow or ice; they simply don't have any experience with it, and believe technology is all you need...

Great video! To me, your tii is just the right balance of original/mods...

I second the harbor freight idea. I bought one of these like in the picture, and it is literally an amazing tool, works every time. Before that, I used heat, banging on the side of the damn thing for hours, never worked. This thing works. Just be sure to wear eye wear, and be prepared for the loud POP!

Esty, I recently dyed a gobi tan perforated insert black to replace a torn one in a front seat. I followed your directions, using duplicolor dye, and it came out really well. When I took it to the upholsterer, he asked if it was dyed, he could tell because he said dyes tend to dry out the material. Have you noticed this, and is there any way to restore the original flexibility of the vinyl? To me, I couldnt really tell the difference, but it does seem like the material does get a little stiffer?

Thanks,

Andy74tii

Everytime I start seriously considering euro bumper conversions, and then I read something like this post and I'm again on the other side of the fence.... especially if yours is a semi-daily driver and you live in deer country!

Andy74tii

Looks like a great gathering --- quick question, who has the green 74 tii, and what is the rear speaker setup there?

Andy74tii

Hi Josh, can you put me down for the passenger side door trim, and the upper rear spring pads?

Thanks

Andy

Yesterday I had to drive my son to Winter Park, went up over Berthoud in my Cherokee. I saw a red round light coming down the pass, looking good, and sure made me wish I had driven the tii instead! Anybody here?

Andy74tii

Mine is Box of Rain, Grateful Dead. Why?

1. Era correct for the car

2. The car itself is sort of a box

3. Bob Weir had a '74 tii and he said it was the best car he ever had

I envy the person who has the Alpine 7307, I have been looking for one of those forever! I have an ADS powerplate, driving ADS 300i's, but need the 7307 and maybe a pair of ADS 320i's to complete the picture!

Andy74tii

Marshall's post reminds me I had the same thought - must never total the receipts... After 13 years, last week I finally did, and the total came out to over $27,500. Now my new thought is -- must never tell wife....!

Andy74tii

I thought I recognized that car! I often wondered why Bob never did the euro conversion on it while he had it. Now I'm going to have to definitely consider doing this on my '74.... looks really good!

When I first got my car, I was having all kinds of alternator problems. I blew a VR, and then replaced the alternator. Actually, the brand new alternator had a bad diode and had to be replaced. I've already determined my next alternator will be internally regulated, not needing the external VR at all, seems like a simpler solution.

Welcome, it's good to have another 74tii on board. Jim is correct; the only smog equipment on the 74 was that decel valve on top of your erstwhile air cleaner. I eventually discarded mine, it works on a vacuum retard system connected to the distributor, which I had to have recurved to work well without it.

Car looks good; don't be in too much of a hurry, this is a fun adventure!

Andy74tii

Thanks Toby, you've confirmed my winter plans then. I have looked long and hard, and there's no way I can see anything in there without the disassembly. I figure if I'm going to take it off, might as well do the guides also.

Thanks,

Andy

Well all summer during the driving season, I seem to be experiencing some classic symptoms of valve stem seal failure. I tried the typical additives -- with the exception of the Lucas Oil additive that Esty recommends; may try that as a last shot. Interestingly, this engine was completely rebuilt by the late Mike Perkins down in Houston in about 2001, and my receipts indicate he did use the late style guides and seals. I now have about 68,000 miles in about 12 years on it.

Is there any way to get a visual on the condition of the seals without taking the head off and disassembling the valve train? Has anyone had the opportunity to do that?

Thanks,

Andy74tii

I'm on my second rearview mirror, which is now having the same problem as my first one. The mechanism connected to the lever that tilts the mirror for nighttime no longer seems connected; it's loose. As a result, the mirror itself vibrates. Has anyone successfully taken one of these apart and rebuilt/repaired that mechanism?

Thanks,

Andy74tii

TobyB, you made me spit my coffee out with the wallet detector thing.....!