Author Topic: Ramblin Man  (Read 14294 times)

Ramblin MAn

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Ramblin Man
« on: August 30, 2009, 11:21:33 PM »
I made a lot of headway today. Didn't break anything. Gas tank is back in. Fuel pump and sender in. New fuel filter. Drive shaft in and propperly adjusted. Shields back on. Broken exhaust mainifold to center pipe studs drilled out and replaced with stainless hardware. Old rotten muffler cut off and replaced. Lower oil pan removerd and checked for loose bolts(there were two laying there). Oil/filter changed. Intake manifold gaskets replaced. Throttle heater deleted. Plugs changed. K&N filter cleaned and recharged.

Add in a trip to the hardware store, the gas station, the parts store, taco bell and having to do an oil change to the girlfreinds truck before she went back home to Canton and I can say I have had a full day.

Tomorrow I need to take some heat shrink tubing with me, sodder the fuel pump connector leads, hook up my crank case-to-throttle tubing, put some gas in it and see what happens.

JP 91iS

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Ramblin Man
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2009, 12:02:54 AM »
Wow, you did all that in a day? I think it took me around 4 months to get all that stuff done.  Nice work. Any pictures?
-JP
Project M42: generating funds

Ramblin MAn

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Ramblin Man
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2009, 11:01:39 AM »
Well, I was in re-assembly mode. I had everything off last weekend. I was waiting for funds and this last weekend to get my rack time so I spent the week doing other things like cleaning and detailing. I pitty the fool that doesn't have a rack to put their cars on.

I really used to be proud of the workshop/garage I had created for myself. But when you have a friend with a real professional shop with a lift, lots of room and all the tools you need it just doesn't measure up. Now I just go there and work on cars.

I took one picture of the two bolts in the oil pan just for posterity.

I will take more pictures once I'm done. I have several of it sitting lonely in the field, sniff sniff.

What amazes me (and I'm guilty of this too) is how people will just let something sit and rot. What also amazes me is how some things like this car refuse to go quietly. It was a real find. A diamond in the rough.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2009, 01:07:15 AM »
So, filled the tank with premium yesterday, fired it up and after several minutes of ROUGH running, clacking lifters and stinky exhaust she lined out and ran nice and smooth. Have an idle speed issue that I need to track down but for a car that has not ran for a couple years it sounds great. Got in today, turned the key and she fired right up. Awesome!

Spent today washing her, rubbing down the oxidised paint and waxing her. Put the back seats back in. She's looking fine.

So here's the tally so far.

Car            $700
title work    $85
Cost of the tow $60
Assorted gaskets and BMW antifreeze $128
Oil and filter and ATF for PS pump $19
Miscelaneous cleaning supplies $30
Spark plugs $16
Muffler $25
Fuel filter $25
Stainless hardware and cobalt drill bits bits for exhaust $30
Used right rear window and trim $35
Used fuel pump and associated other items thrown in $50

Grand total so far $1203

I'm pretty happy about that. All that's left is take the rotors and have them turned, get my brother in law to make me some spacers so I can get my epsilons on there and get a front spoiler. Oh and I still need right rear armrest card/panel

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2009, 11:40:11 AM »
I finally posted some pictures here http://www.m42club.com/forums/album.php?albumid=83

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2009, 10:56:52 PM »
My rear seat panel is on the way. The idle issue is solved and it really runs good. I checked the codes again to see if there was anything new and there was. 1444. No faults everything ok.

I have my foil lined bubble wrap to make my new hood insulation and some Goof Off to take the old glue off. The old foam came of easy with a plastic putty knife. I have enough to do 5 hoods.

My power antenna motor's drive belt had broken so I picked up a roll of the mil spec duct tape sold under the brand name of "gorilla tape" and cut a piece to act as a reinforcement looks like it will hold until I can get a replacement.

Still need that front lip.

Almost done.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2009, 09:10:20 AM »
Added a couple bad pictures. You can see the buble wrap insullation is in and I have changed to my MSW basket weaves. I didn't realize it but my Epsilons are a staggered set. Two 7x15s and two 6x15s. They were thrown in on another deal and I never really paid attention. The fronts just won't clear the caliper carriers and I decided against the cost and hassle of spacers when my MSW's go with the monochrome color scheme better. I have modified the center caps from my stock e21 wheels to fit.

Got rid of that peeling EU sticker. Do you guys in other countries put American flags on your cars?

Decided to junk the power antenna for a new Hirschmann. It's on it's way.

Going to get the inserts for the center of the valence today.

Battery cover and door seals coming from forum members.

I tried to put the mud flaps from my e21 on the rear but they just don't work. They fit the body line perfect, it's just the mounting. I could make a bracket, but since I have a complete set in good condition I may try to sell them on ebay instead and get e30 rears.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2009, 02:10:25 PM »
Ok guys/gals(?) talk me out of a Mark D chip. I have not even driven my car yet. But like the car for 700, the Mark D chip for under 200 is one of those deal's I'm having trouble passing up.

Awgy

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Ramblin Man
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2009, 04:19:46 PM »
Thats a clean car for 700 + tune ups.

I had a cheap ebay chip for a little bit and it was fun, So I cant really talk you out of a chip thats tuned better for the car.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2009, 08:49:39 PM »
It's clean now. When I got it, it had 2-3 years of oxidation and and algae from the nearby pond eating away at the paint. There were mud dobber nests behind every panel and in the cavities under the rear windows, under and in the dash, in the heater vents, in the engine compartment, under the car, every where. I'm talking clumps of mud ranging in size from the size of your fist, down to half a sharpie marker. And the glue those things make is like epoxy. I would say that the nests would have easily over filled a gallon paint container. Pretty nasty.

I meant to take pictures of it before I started cleaning but when I finally got it I just started cleaning. It's had it rough. There are 17 records on carfax about it. I didn't feel like paying 30 bucks to find out my new girlfriend used to be a hooker. That's all in her past.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2009, 09:32:17 PM »
I added pictures of how I found the car sitting in the field when I went to go look at it. And as with everything in my life there is a story that goes along with it. So here it is.

I'm looking through craigs list trying to sell some stuff when I come across the ad for this car. They want 800 but will take 700 "this week". So I reply to see if they still have it. They do. The reason they do is they don't have a clean title. The people trying to sell the car have bought it from a friend who can't get it running. He bought it from a police auction a few miles from me. This was two-three years ago and the car has just been sitting since. It's been moved a few times and they have started it a few times by running gas straight into the vacuum line that goes to the underside of the TB but other than that it's just sat there.

The guy who bought it from him paid 700 for it and tried with no luck to get it running. and when he went to see about the title, he was told he would have to pay property tax twice, once to complete the transfer to the first guy and then again to transfer it to him. That was just not an option.

So I come out to take a look. I can't get too close because of all of the mud dobbers the car is infested with. It's a mess, but it's all superficial. The upholstry is amazingly in tact. The ryobi sawzal that's been tossed in the front passenger seat has not cut it. I jump on the ground and give it a quick scan and see no signs of rot. The trunk, while a mess, is solid.

The passenger side back window is gone and and there is 4 inches of water in the back floor. (5 minutes, a garbage bag and some tape, but oh well).

It's solid, complete except for the window, and I've bought worse and paid more. I tell them I want it. But we need to deal with the title issue. I ask to make some calls the following day to see what we can do about the title. For 700 bucks I'm not worried about losing money. I could part it and make it all back. So I make several calls. My buddy who runs the towing business warns me about it probably being a salvage title. That scares me, but I perservere. I call the Indianna license beauro, I call the Ohio license beauro, I call the police department that had the auction. It's not loooking good. So I call the guy who originally bought the car who is really cool about everything. I say I will pay to have the title work done and when it comes back You sing it over to me, I give the other people the 700 and we all part happy.

Well that's exactly how it works out. I take him up and we do the title work and in Indianna you have the option to send the title somewhere else so we had it sent straight to me in Cincinnati. So a week later I show up with a CLEAN title, 700, the roll back and a smile and we all parted on great terms. I'm even going back out to take everyone for a cruise so they can see what they gave up on.

I actually felt kind of bad because they were soo close yet soo far. These cars need people that will love them the way they should be. Right now that just wasn't them. Anyway, we all got what we wanted.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 09:35:22 PM by Ramblin MAn »

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2009, 10:33:57 PM »
Added pictures of some of the mud dobber nests. These were just a small example of what I found.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2009, 09:41:07 PM »
Well I finally went and drove the car today. Went to the BMV to get the title work into my name done and some plates. The car ran great. I did have a coolant leak of my own making when I got back and ended up re-plumbing the bypass pipe to head line. I tried just using the hose that was there and it didn't like being twisted around. All better now. I put new rotors, pads and sensors on over the weekend. The front spoiler is on it's way along with new roundels. Rear mud flaps were on back order.

I'm almost done.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2009, 02:47:26 PM »
Put on the rear mudflaps, new spoiler clips, and test fitted the spoiler and sure enough the front valence needs to be pulled down and forward a bit. Waiting for some rack time later this week to do that and mount the left brake duct with outside air temp sensor. No wonder it always reads -30C.

I'm kind of old school (read old) and love the way mud flaps look. These are by far the nicest rubber mud flaps I have ever seen. All the body lines are molded in and they went right on.

The new roundels are on and I put new roundels on the hub caps.

So yesterday as I'mstanding at the back of the car looking over the mud flaps some movement catches my eye inside the car at the back window. A freaking mud dobber!!! I was sure the nest on the speaker was the last one but apparently I was wrong.

Ramblin MAn

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« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2009, 07:23:12 PM »
Well, I'm pretty much done. I added more pictures here. http://www.m42club.com/forums/album.php?albumid=93

But it won't be anything very new. Just a mostly stock e30 318is.