Determined to keep this car on the road, I did not delay finishing the front suspension. Started on Saturday afternoon and finished 30 hours later. It drives better now. A lot better!
Today, several hours were devoted to removing the front suspension. I was able to use simple tools and a couple of loaner tools from the auto parts store. I should have it back together in a few days.
Since I plan to strip the whole car down to bare metal, I decided to attack the deck lid tonight. It took about 80 minutes with the poly carbide paint stripping disc. It would have taken less time but there was some serious untreated rust beneath the primer.
Problem: Oil drain plug is seized and rounded off.
Solution: I welded a large nut to the plug. It worked! Now I'm searching for a new oil drain plug. This BMW has plenty of rust. Lots of rust. Too much to deal with on my budget. So I'm going to make it a rat rod by stripping the body to bare steel and then spraying on a clear coat. Rust will be given a clear coat too. I'll patch the holes with new steel when time allows. If it runs well and is safe, that's all I really want. Having a bare steel car will make it an interesting conversation piece. Here is what I've done so far.
The brake line from the master cylinder to the brake pressure regulator was pinched off. I repaired it last night and now the rear brakes are working properly. I'd really like to know why someone had pinched it closed. I'll look for leaks but so far things look good.
The rear brake lines were repaired a few days ago but I discovered today that they were also pinched off inside the engine bay too! That was a surprise! My oil plug is seized and rounded off too. This car is a challenge at every turn.
The rear brake lines had been disconnected so a repair is needed. Thankfully, I was able to find the parts needed to splice in a new section of brake line. It should work just fine. Before After My brake line flaring tool makes terrific flares that look professional.
New plugs and wires along with a new rotor and cap made the engine idle very smoothly. Rear brake rebuild and brake line repair comes next.
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October 2016
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