Sound Deadening

After a bit of research, I found that I could buy two gallons of QuietCar for about the same price as Dynamat impostors. QuietCar is a liquid sound deadener that is actually lighter than the Dynamat-esque, stick-on mats. After a shameful, argon-less welding job to replace an inexplicably mangled seat mounting bracket, Jay and I began brushing on the first coat of QuietCar. We'll furnish a second coat later this week, but the fisrt is going on nice and thick.

The stuff is kind of goopy, but it's really forgiving.

Next step: Headliner and carpet from Esty.

Good Saturday

I've got the car at a house of a local 02 guy, Grice Mulligan, in Arlington, VA. Between the two of us, we're trying to get my 1600 ready for Vintage at the Vineyards and his `76 2002 ready for whatever Deathrace that he plans on running it in. He and Jay Swift spent the day chipping the sound insulation out of his gutted interior. There must have been 25 pounds of the stuff in there.

The 1600 got it's headliner pulled out and I've cut and prepped some small welding projects that need to be done before the Quietcoat sound deadening stuff can go in. I'll update with pictures next time. So much to do!

Arrival!

Today, I finally took delivery of a 1967 BMW 1600-2. She was manufactured on March 30, 1967 and delivered to New York on April 14th of the same year.

I certainly have my work cut out for me. The car has almost no interior but is 99% rust free and STRAIGHT. I'm going to try to have at least the interior done by Vintage at the Vineyards. I'll also be swapping the drivetrain and suspension from my totaled `76.

For now, here's what she looks like:









The seats are a pair of aftermarket Recaros from the 1970s. They're really comfortable and I kind of like the fabric upholstery rather than vinyl.

Waiting for the new car......

     After a few somewhat stressful few weeks of searching, I sent payment for a 1967 BMW 1600-2. It was supposed to arrive via truck last Thursday, but, ala, here we are on Sunday with no car.

     For now, images that the previous owner took will have to suffice:

     She lacks an interior, other than a single-crack, three=piece dash. More pictures to follow when I actually see the car in person. 

D'oh!

On January 23rd, 2010, I hit Maryland's two largest potholes....consecutively. The result was a dimpled hood, a broken shock, bent quarter-panel and two bent wheels. According to my insurance company's adjuster, this adds up to a total loss. Unfortunately, I will have to find a new project.

EDIS with Stock Plug Wires

Years ago, I assembled a Megasquirt II EFI computer with the hopes of electronic fuel injection and ignition control. Finishing school, moving, finding a job in this economy and keeping said job all became hinderances to the speed of the conversion. Though I might get to the EFI side this summer, I have been running the Ford EDIS hardware in congress with Megasquirt for a few years now with glorious results. There are no points to wear out and the timing is smoooooooth all the way through the RPM range. Additionally, if I feel a sputter, I can usually guess that it's not in the timing.

Now, the only problem with my setup was that in using the early 1990s Ford Escort coil pack, I was forced to use early 1990s Ford Escort spark plug wires, which have a funny, angled boot on each wire. They don't fit into the deep, recessed spark plug holes very well and I was constantly worried that they would make contact with the head and melt.

After someone on the messageboard pointed me in the right direction, I found this:



This is an Accel coil pack for a 1999 1/2 to 2004 Ford Focus "...and other Ford applications with "European Contacts."" The European contacts are the real plus here; they facilitate the use of stock BMW 2002 plug wires, which have a nice, ceramic boot that stays away from all the hot stuff. The p/n is #140028 and it's sold for areound $60 new. Accel claims a 15% output increase over stock. That should do just fine for my little M10.

Of course, I couldn't leave it yellow, so I sanded the plastic a little and gave it a coat of brown spray paint for an almost-Bosch look.

Before:



After:



Yes, I realize that my engine bay looks like crap, but this is a step forward. When I can afford to strip the whole car down and put together a nice, organized engine bay, I will. For now, I'll stick with functionality.

One note: the Accel coil pack bolts into the bracket for the old-style coil pack, but the bolts need a few washers because of the height difference. I used two pop-rivet washers per bolt and it fits perfectly.

LED Lights

I ordered some LED lights from Super Bright LEDs for my instrument cluster on a whim and installed them (WLED-NW6). They're less yellow and just a tinge blue, but they're nice and bright.

Before:

After:

I also got a pair of 3022-W9 bulbs for the license plate lights. On the left is the incandescent bulb and the LED is on the right.