Updated: August 31, 2009 - More news: Work completed:

DONE?	SYSTEM		PICTURES
	OIL / COOLING The front cooler is plumbed, mounted and finished. The rear oil tank is now mounted and plumbed in with the system. The last thing I need to do for the oil system is hook up the motor and fill the tank with oil. All systems are now done, and 10 QTS of Oil are now in the motor.		What's left? This system is finished, but final connections to engine will happen when it's placed back in the car.   THIS IS NEW: The front oil cooler is now protected by this hand made mesh screen.
	FUEL Center lines are run, front links to tank and pump run and tightened. The electrical to the fuel pump will be run in the next few days. The fuel lines are secure and pump is mounted.  I still need to mount the filter/accumulator in the engine compartment - drivers side... but that is pretty easy.		What's left?  Engine to body connections and fuel pump wiring. Update 7/20: The wires are identified so I can hook it up. The next chance I get I'll take a new picture of the wires hooked up. Update 7/25: The wires are now installed on the pump and secured.
	BRAKES The braking system is ready to be bled and tested. I believe all the fittings are correctly installed and the master cylinder is set up. The only thing left is to add fluid and bleed the brakes.		What's left? Add fluid and then bleed the brakes, and get a firm pedal. It should be done this week sometime. Update: 7/20/09 The brakes are now done, and bled. The brakes seem firm and work great. It won't be clear how good they work until I have a chance to actually drive it. Maybe in a couple of weeks.
	SUSPENSION The front and rear sway bars are in and new bushings. The new 26mm Torsion bars are  installed and indexed. We'll see if they are correctly indexed later as soon as the motor is back in again. Cotter pins are in, everything is tightened up.		What's left? Final pre-alignment adjustments will be done to the best visual spec. Then an alignment shop will have to take it from there.
SOON	BODYWORK A few more things to bolt together front and back and the body work will be done. Doors need to be finished on the drivers side, with windows and regulators, latch mechanisms. Roll bar needs to be mounted.		POWDERCOATED BY: Wheel Techniques (Santa Clara, CA)   What's left? Bolts for the roll bar need to be set, and final bodywork securing must happen before it can drive anywhere. For wiring ease I want to wait to that is all done.
SOON	ELECTRICAL Wiring harness is in, and most of the engine harness is completed. The 14 Pin connector is mounted on the body side and MSD unit is installed. The gauges will soon be hooked up and then it'll be ready to test. Front lights are now wired up completely, and rear lights are next. DONE!!		What's left? Essential systems are already identified. The Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, tach and generator is really the minimum we need to fire up the engine. I'll need a few days to a week to sort this part out. I have no real time frame to worry about. However it should be possible to accomplish in about two weeks time.
	ENGINE Wiring harness is done, waiting for new intake boots, have 77b for the intake gaskets (to bond them in place) Finished with sheet metal, Effectively the engine is 99% ready, after assembly this weekend. The fuel fittings are done, and all accounted for. The 'pop off valve' is done. I have to mention it was the easiest job I have had to do on this car yet. I simply got a 2" hole saw, cut a perfectly nice hole, and it fit so nice I couldn't believe it. It was super snug, but not too tight. I used black 3M Super adhesive sealant to complete that install. It worked like a charm. Today I got the 928 boots and painted the tired looking pipe straps a matching color: RED. It's going to look pretty nice - I bet.   UPDATE: The CV Joints are done. The Transmission is mounted and the connections are bolted together. The shift linkage are also set at the default settin		MORE ON THE BACKDATE OF HEATER DUCTS:(DONE) Yes... I actually made it myself... Before you even think it... Of course it need to be refinished... give me some time... and it'll look like new. An now for the test fit... ... Tremendous fit for an armature sheet metal guy. It just goes in with a little bit of coaxing. Still need the driver's side piece. I gott'a drop some dough for that one. It's not as easy. FUEL INJECTION CIS SYSTEM ALMOST READY FOR REASSEMBLY. NEW PICTURES: Final Motor Assembly. Note the use of 77b for perfect sealing of the intake. Most of the work was done a few nights ago (7/15/09) between 11pm - 3am, but it was also a chance for me to touch each bolt on the motor to make sure everything is tight and lined up. As far as I can see the motor is ready now. What's left? Final assembly will take about two hours more. It is really getting very familiar to me, so I know where all the bolts go and how to run the wires, and hoses. It's an incredibly simple engine in comparison to a modern setup. It's just old school German engineering. No fluff, no fuss, no unnecessary b.s. Just what is needed to create good fuel mixture and bust out some major BHP! I work a lot in parallel, multi-tasking. Let me tell you what I mean: I get more satisfaction from learning to do things myself. I am currently fabricating a pair of backdated heater ducts for the engine which will de-clutter the look significantly. (DONE, Final images below) The last two shots above show the passenger side (easier of the two... in almost done fashion. The piece will be finished off with a scoop for the internal part that will divert some of the air to the duct from the main cooling fan. (big red 11 blade fan) MOTOR IS DONE!
THIS IS BEING DONE...	INTERIOR / PAINT I am super excited about this part. The upholstery guy is fast at work on sport seats and dash pad. They all get new two tone skin, leather with charcoal suede inserts. The work is being done by a shop in Watsonville called Rivero Upholstery.  More pics as they become available.  Also when the car is down in Prunedale, it’ll get a new polish / color sanding and fix a few glitches in the paint - which I must say are very few. UPDATE 08/01:  FIRST PIECES are in!		INTERIOR DETAILS IN THE WORKS INTERIOR PIECES AT SHOP:  RIVERO UPHOLSTERY in WATSONVILLE, CA http://www.riveroupholstery.com/ Dash Pad...

NO LEAKS - OIL, FUEL or EXHAUST - THAT IS ALMOST SPOOKY!!!  ... KNOCK ON WOOD!

More VIDEO on TUESDAY...
 

RECENT PHOTOS:

Ok... there are a few issues still.
The Tach is not responding, so there may be some other wires that
need to be sorted out, and that'll happen this Friday no doubt.

OVERALL NOT A BAD DAY IN THE GARAGE.

TESTING THE STARTER:

The clutch NOW WORKS:

Interior Details finally REVEALED!

RIVERO UPHOLSTERY Delivers the goods.

http://www.riveroupholstery.com/ 

BOLTED IN THE ROLL BAR: TOP MOUNTS WITH TRIPLE FENDER WASHERS
STAINLESS LOCK NUTS:



MOUNTED TO THE FLOOR BOARDS WITH 10.9 BOLTS.
 


BOLTED UNDERNEATH WITH CUSTOM ALUMINUM PLATES:
 

The electrical is now 99% done, and a few things are needing attention,
but basically we are ready to start this motor.

WE'RE ONE STEP CLOSER; there just ain't a whole lot left to do!!!

Today Tim came by and helped me track down most if not all
of the wires - leaving only a few more to be hooked up.

The remaining wires are:
The fuel pump (need a new one),
Brake light foot switch... and

at the rear:
MSD unit - Following the Motor install.

That should be done this week.

She sure is pretty with the lights on. There was a tense moment when we realized we had left the fuel pump wired up with no fuel in the tank and the rear fuel lines wide open.

I don't remember hearing the fuel pump at all, so I think it was bad before we even turned the key.
I have had one out of the car, testing it, and it makes a pretty good humming sound when on.

That means I have to replace the fuel pump, and then we'll be ready to go.

Motor is done!

JULY 18,2009 - More news: 09 - More news:
Dash Pad is now re-finished:

ROLL BAR NOW RED!

Thanks to the guys at Bay Area Chrome and SIK Industries. They have done outstanding work on all kinds of parts for this car - from engine to roll bars, to sway bars. They do it all.
Thanks also to Wheel Techniques for the killer Fuchs polished out and painted a week ago.

INTERIOR DETAILS IN THE WORKS

INTERIOR PIECES AT SHOP:  RIVERO UPHOLSTERY in WATSONVILLE, CA
http://www.riveroupholstery.com/

Dash pad, Sport Seats, RS door panels, Rear and deck panels, Rear Seats will be recovered with black premium leather, double row yellow thread stitching and new foam padding throughout. Inserts and accents, and headliner will be charcoal suede. The carpeting will be plush black carpeting cut to match and glued in place. All performed by the master Alejandro Rivero himself. He has done Bentleys and American Muscle to low-riders to show cars. He's done it all.

MORE PICTURES ...  TO JUNE 2009 & PRIOR>>

Had a little shifting trouble...

 

Main Problem: The shifting became VERY sloppy, but I knew I had just replaced the bushings...
But sure enough the rubber bushings had crumbled to pieces. There is only particles left over...

 

Buying just four pieces of bronze bushings from ACE Hardware. The sizes were standard, and fit almost perfect.
The parts needed to fit together so that the cross pin would seat properly and hold firmly, but with a little bit of play.
What results is a smooth solid shifter. Pretty simple. That bronze will not easily wear out, or crumble like the stock bushings.
Engineering is my favorite thing, and this is a perfect challenge.

Folks... I think I have got an engine that is breaking in perfectly.

I had the car out today.... it's just running great. Had a weird problem though... I busted the passenger outside CV joint (bolts snapped) but got that fixed today. I know they got loose because of the on and off the throttle 1K - 5K and back again... over and over... just loosened the bolts.

I'll check them pretty often to be sure they stay tight.

Other than that... the engine is not leaking a DROP of oil. It's amazing. I am sure that the motor is on a good track. The next thing is to get it aligned. I can now trust it to drive about 50 miles round trip and once i get it aligned... I will feel more confident with the handling. Right now it seems a little squirrely... especially when letting off the gas. It seems a tad light. The car feels incredibly nimble, but at the same time - for the moment it seems a little spooky.

So I am driving it very carefully - nothing crazy.